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Following two years of litigation, Oswit Land Trust and the Mesquite Country Club Homeowners Association reached an agreement in principle on Tuesday to convert Mesquite Golf & Country Club into a nature preserve, known as Prescott Preserve.

In a joint statement, the parties announced that after eight hours of mediation, a resolution was reached, but specific details are unavailable as the mediation documents are still being drafted.

“Both MCC and OLT are looking forward to putting their disputes behind them and working to create a spectacular nature preserve in the heart of our community that everyone will enjoy and in the future,” the statement said.

Without a resolution to the lawsuit filed by the homeowners association in 2022, Oswit could not receive a $7.2 million grant from the California Wildlife Conservation Board for restoration, Oswit previously said.

The lawsuit argued that converting the former golf course into a nature preserve would violate the legally binding covenants, conditions and restrictions, or CC&Rs, governing the community, which require the continued operation of an 18-hole golf course.

Oswit announced it acquired the golf course through the Prescott Foundation in July 2022. For years, the Palm Springs-based nonprofit has sought to purchase closed or struggling courses in Palm Springs and restore them to natural desert habitat.

Previous reporting by Sam Morgen was used in this report.

Jennifer Cortez covers education in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at jennifer.cortez@desertsun.com.

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