MBCA awarded the first annual Ruth Denison Environmental Conservation Scholarship in 2017 to Yucca Valley High School graduate Nicole Serrano, who is attending University of California, Davis.  The Scholarship is made possible through a generous bequest from Ruth Denison. Ruth was the first Buddhist teacher in the United States to lead an all-women's retreat for Buddhist meditation and instruction.  Her Dhamma Dena Desert Vipassana Center is located in Joshua Tree.  Ruth was a long-time supporter of MBCA, the Morongo Basin’s oldest conservation organization. 

Ruth Denison's bequest fulfills one of MBCA’s longstanding goals to increase the organization’s support of environmental education for local students who plan to attend a university or college and prepare for employment in careers related to environmental or conservation work.

The 2018-19 $500 Ruth Denison Environmental Conservation Scholarship will be presented by MBCA to a qualified Morongo Basin graduating high school student, to be applied to post-secondary tuition and fees for the 2018-2019 academic year.

Student applicants must be Morongo Basin residents, 2018 high school graduates, and the minimum GPA requirement is 3.25.  The application is available for download and printing here.  Read the guidelines on the first two pages, then fill in the information requested on pages 3-5, attach the required essay, and mail pages 3-5 and your essay to MBCA by March 31, 2018: MBCA, PO Box 24, Joshua Tree, CA 92252.