Scenic 247 and County Long-Range Multimodal Transportation Plan

The Scenic Highway Committee of the Homestead Valley Community Council worked for many years to obtain Cal Trans Scenic Highway designation for State Highway 247 (Old Woman Springs Road). County Land Use Services has at last submitted a Corridor Protection Plan to Cal Trans for final review who are anticipated to approve the plan by the end of the year! We are cautiously optimistic this important recognition of 247 will soon be achieved and its protection conditions will benefit the health of the desert! In a related matter, the Morongo Basin is one of six distinct areas that is being studied in the Long-Range Multimodal Transportation Plan for San Bernardino County. Morongo Basin residents have been contending with a growing increase of truck traffic and the attendant safety issues on 247 for some time. The current draft of the plan does not acknowledge the increased traffic or Scenic Highway designation efforts for SH 247. With the anticipated construction of the Barstow International Gateway (BIG) project and the construction of huge new ‘Fulfillment Center Warehouses’, easily accessible from SH 62 in the low desert, this draft fails to adequately consider traffic impacts from these facilities.

Comments are due by January 17, 2025, and may be submitted by email to: [email protected]

Lighting and Dark Sky Workshop

Residents of the Morongo Basin treasure our Dark Night Sky! The Copper Mountain Mesa Community Association will host a workshop on Dark-Sky compliant lighting on February 7, 2025. Along with general information on the importance of preserving our dark night skies, there will be presentations on the current County Light Trespass Ordinance, how to select lighting that complies with the ordinance, and methods of bringing existing lighting into compliance. When: Friday February 7, 2025, after sundown (exact time TBD) Where: Copper Mountain Mesa Community Center 65336 Winters Road Joshua Tree, CA 92252

Cadiz Water

Some encouraging news! The State Lands Commission has terminated a long-term pipeline right-of-way planned to be used by the Cadiz Corporation to export water from the fragile Mojave desert ecosystem. This end-of-year victory gives us hope and encourages our continued advocacy!

2025 Desert Wise Living Landscape Tour

2025 will mark the 14 th year of our Desert Wise Living Landscape Tour! Since the inception of our Desert Wise Living program, we have evolved and become the go-to source for energy and water-wise native landscaping showcasing many unique landscapes here in the hi desert. Recent additions to our YouTube videos now include informative ‘how-to videos’ for watering and planting native plants. We encourage you to explore our growing number of videos and become a subscriber to our YouTube channel! Mark your calendars for our in-person landscape tour on Sunday April 27, 2025. Subsequent to the tour, we will publish additional videos of notable Desert Wise Landscapes. We hope to see you there! Thank you all for your continued support! During this holiday season, please consider renewing your membership, donating to MBCA or giving the gift of a membership to a fellow advocate for the healthy desert environment!