In partnership with several other organizations and individuals, MBCA filed an appeal of the County Planning Commission's October 23 approval of a Conditional Use Permit for the 1,854-acre Sienna Solar and Storage Project, including gen-tie lines to the future Southern California Edison Calcite substation in Lucerne Valley. Should these projects be constructed it would fundamentally change the character of the already-disadvantaged Lucerne Valley Community, creating the potential for severe dust and air pollution and opening the door to additional utility-scale solar projects on undisturbed desert land.

An additional concern is that Land Use Services failed to inform the Planning Commission of the September 4 official CalTrans designation of Highway 247 as the High Desert State Scenic Highway, as reported on local radio station Z107.7. The project is within the designated scenic view shed.

The appeal has been accepted and a hearing date will be set.

A notice issued on August 29, 2025, by the Forest Service, an agency of the Department of Agriculture, announced the intent to rescind the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule. The intent of the Rule is "to provide lasting protection for inventoried roadless areas within the National Forest System in the context of multiple-use management." MBCA's opposition letter describes the likely negative consequences of rolling back this rule, including environmental harm to wildlife, watersheds, and water quality, plus increased fire danger (not less). Recent polling concludes that there is also widespread public support for maintaining designated roadless areas. 

MBCA submitted a letter to California's Wildlife Conservation Board in support of grant funding to plan two wildlife crossing overpasses on Highway 62. Mojave Desert Land Trust is spearheading the effort. Learn more about the proposal from MDLT's August Press Release and this story from local radio station Z107.7. In MBCA's Wildlife Corridors map below, notice the bright pink area in the lower left, representing an area of "Irreplaceable and Essential Corridors" between Morongo Valley and Yucca Valley, the targeted area. Additional detailed maps can be found in MDLT's Press Release.

A revised plan for the Soda Mountain Solar Project in the Mojave Desert near Zzyxx is being reviewed by the California Energy Commission. In MBCA's short comment letter (which includes links to background research and data), MBCA focuses on two critical issues. One is the question of whether additional such projects are even needed in California, as questioned in Melody Peterson's LA Times article "California has so much solar power that increasingly it goes to waste." The second major concern is the inevitable damage to desert ecosystems. If left undisturbed, this land could provide significant carbon sequestration, as described in the report The California Desert's Role in 30x30: Carbon Sequestration and Biodiversity.

With a focus on the lack of environmental review as required by the California Environmental Quality Act, the Center for Biological Diversity and local group Indian Cove Neighbors filed a lawsuit against the City of Twentynine Palms for its approval of the OfLand resort development. The lawsuit maintains that a full environmental review is required rather than the weaker Mitigated Negative Declaration that was accepted by the City Council. Read more in this press release from CBD and from the local news outlet The Desert Trumpet. 

A National Public Radio story notes the potentially negative effects of federal agency changes on California's endangered desert tortoise. The efforts of Mojave Desert Land Trust on the animal's behalf are noted, as well as research by respected desert research scientists including Cameron Barrows and Ed LaRue. Listen to or read the story here.

California began to address the observed and predicted decline of the Western Joshua tree initially through passage of the Western Joshua Tree Conservation Act in 2023, as an alternative to granting threatened/endangered species status. To enforce the Act, the California Fish and Game Commission was tasked to develop a Conservation Plan. After two years of administrative planning and public input, the Commission approved the Western Joshua Tree Conservation Plan on August 13. Public input included not only pleas for stronger conservation but also opposition to regulations perceived to be too restrictive and expensive. An overview of the issues and ongoing concerns are explored in this Los Angeles Times article, and comments about the expected effects in the Morongo Basin can found in this story at radio station Z107.7's website.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has announced a revised version of the Western Joshua Tree Relocation Guidelines and Protocols. It has been developed to implement provision of the state's Western Joshua Tree Conservation Act and revised over the course of several years, with extensive and impassioned public comment at several Fish and Game Commission meetings. The Department reports that the August 2025 version of the guidelines includes these revisions:

• New determinations when relocation may be required
• Expanded minimization measures
• Addressing availability of relocation sites
• Minor clarifications and grammatical edits

 

In this letter to San Bernardino County Senior Planner Maryn Wells, MBCA expresses concerns about a proposed Development Code amendment that would permit expansion of the generating capacity of wind turbines Countywide. With the potential for placement of 100-foot tall wind turbines within the Rural Living Zone, MBCA is calling for the imposition of a Conditional Use Permit for the permitting of wind turbines throughout the County. Especially in desert communities, the installation of 30 to 40 foot diameter turbines presents health and safety concerns as well as threats to wildlife and the natural environment.