Articles about MBCA's most recent issues of concern are listed in chronological order. To read a series of articles about a particular issue, navigate using the buttons above.
Featured post
Eblast: June 24, 2024
Posted by Steve Bardwell · June 24, 2024 1:24 PMContinue reading → Add your reaction Share- Aratina Solar poised to kill 4,000 Joshua Trees
- Support Renewable Energy Legislation SB-59
Featured post
Report Outlines Critical Role of Desert Region in 30x30 Effort
Posted by Laraine Turk · February 07, 2024 4:06 PMAdd your reaction ShareThe report, “The California Desert’s Role in 30X30: Carbon Sequestration and Biodiversity” presents a comprehensive explanation of the vital role the Desert Region plays in carbon sequestration and biodiversity as part of California’s goal of “conserving and protecting 30% of California’s lands and coastal waters by 2030.” The report’s recommendation is: “intact desert lands need to be left undisturbed.” MBCA is proud that Board members Pat Flanagan and Arch McCulloch were members of the team producing this critically important study.Featured post
Update and History of Cadiz Water Project
Posted by Laraine Turk · January 25, 2024 2:34 PMAdd your reaction ShareThis January 25 column in the Los Angeles Times updates the status of the Cadiz Water project and provides a good overview of its decades-long attempts to "mine" water from the Mojave Desert. MBCA has frequently provided public comments and joined group comments against the project, most recently in August 2023. While the pipeline approval we opposed was granted, the column points out that "Last month (December 2023) the agency reissued the approval for Cadiz to acquire the gas pipeline, but not to convert it for water." (our emphasis)
Featured post
Supervisors Deny Flamingo 640 Glamping Project
Posted by Laraine Turk · December 19, 2023 10:04 PMAdd your reaction ShareIn a 3-2 vote on December 19, San Bernardino County Supervisors denied RoBott Land Company's appeal of the Planning Commission's earlier denial of their "campground" project in Flamingo Heights. MBCA's December 17 comments summarize the many concerns voiced by hundreds of area residents. All of the related documents are included on the County's page for this agenda item, including the video of the meeting. (Here is a timestamped list of the video of the Flamingo 640 Agenda Item). Supervisor and Chair Dawn Rowe introduced a substitute motion to replace Supervisor Hagman's motion to send the project back to the Planning Commission. Supervisors Cook and Baca joined Rowe in the majority decision to deny the RoBott Land Company's appeal. Extensive details can also be found on the Save Our Deserts FH 640 page.Featured post
County Will Delay Presenting STR Report to Supervisors
Posted by Laraine Turk · December 17, 2023 5:01 PMAdd your reaction ShareOn December 14, MBCA sent to Supervisor Dawn Rowe and County staff a detailed critical analysis of the recently-released Short Term Rental Technical Memorandum prepared by consultant firm PlaceWorks. MBCA's extensive evaluation, summarized here, refutes the PlaceWorks study conclusion that “The County could not find clear and empirical data that indicates that short-term rentals (STRs) have a substantial impact on the availability of long-term, rental housing options in the unincorporated Mountain and East Desert communities.” Our conclusions are also supported by a letter from the Center for Biological Diversity. MBCA's full analysis will be made available here soon.
On December 15, MBCA President Steve Bardwell received communication from Land Use Services Planning Director Heidi Duron that the Short Term Rental PlaceWorks report scheduled to be on the Supervisors’ December 19 agenda will be postponed until the January 23 meeting “to allow for additional time to evaluate and address your comments.”Featured post
MBCA Comments on Landers Eco Dome Project
Posted by Laraine Turk · November 01, 2023 10:18 AMAdd your reaction ShareCovering multiple areas of concern, MBCA has submitted two comment letters challenging the Draft Mitigated Negative Declaration/Initial Study (MND/IS) and in opposition to the granting of a Conditional use Permit (CUP) for this "Eco Dome Campground" project in Landers. One letter notes both the inappropriate designation as a campground, and the inaccurate characterization of the "Eco Domes" as related to the Integratron, a totally unique historic building that has nothing but the shape in common with the proposed domes. The second letter, which includes illustrations, cites many other concerns about the project, including likely negative effects on the community related to noise, dust, traffic, wildlife corridors, and impaired views.Featured post
Easley Solar Project Comments Emphasize Dust and Environmental Justice
Posted by Laraine Turk · October 23, 2023 8:44 PMAdd your reaction ShareMBCA's October 23 comment letter about the proposed Easley Solar Project near Lake Tamarisk and Desert Center explains how the proposal will add to the already excessive dust problems in current projects nearby, affecting residents' health and violating concepts of environmental justice. Additionally and critically, undisturbed desert land provides carbon sequestration that has far more value and far less harm than scraping more desert for industrial scale solar.Joshua Tree Village Neighbors File Petition Challenging Lovemore Ranch Approval
Joshua Tree Village Neighbors filed a petition with the County of San Bernardino Superior Court of the State of California on May 9 challenging the approval of the Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND) for the Lovemore Ranch subdivision and development. (Background and a link to the appeal hearing can be found in our April 8 News post. (MBCA co-filed the unsuccessful appeal but is not involved in this legal action.) Key...MBCA Scholarships for 2025 Announced
Morongo Basin Conservation Association has awarded college scholarships to three local graduating high school seniors. Recipients demonstrate commitments to include conservation and environmental interests in their education and career plans. Each $1,000 scholarship goes toward the student's higher education expenses in the 2025-26 academic year. MBCA's Conservation Scholarship is the continuation of our commitment to educate the next generation of conservation-conscious citizens. Jocelyn Gonzalez of Yucca Valley High School is the recipient, planning to study biological sciences...MBCA Featured on Z107.7 Up Close Radio Show
On April 18, three MBCA Board members were interviewed on the Up Close Show (Episode 397), a weekly public affairs program of local radio station Z107.7 FM. Host and Hall of Fame Journalist Gary Daigneault conversed with MBCA's Vice President Stacy Doolittle, Board member Arch McCulloch, and Secretary Laraine Turk. While much of the hour-long discussion focused on details of the upcoming Desert-Wise Landscape Tour, the Board members were also...Lovemore Ranch Appeal Denied by Supervisors
After hearing three hours of public comment, the San Bernardino County Supervisors unanimously denied the appeal of the Planning Commission's approval of the Lovemore Ranch housing project. The appeal was filed by MBCA and supported by the Joshua Tree Village Neighbors group and others. Public comments were almost entirely in support of the appeal. You can view the entire hearing by clicking "video" on the April 8 line of the...Eblast: April 7, 2025
Appeal of LoveMore Ranch Hearing Set Attend California Desert Coalition Meeting on changes to NEPA Desert Wise Living Landscape Tour April 27, 2025Announcing Desert-Wise Landscape Tour 2025
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEDate of Event: Sunday, April 27, 2025 Contact: Steve Bardwell: 818-516-1437 Laraine Turk: 760-799-2951 MORONGO BASIN CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION 2025 DESERT-WISE LANDSCAPE TOUR Morongo Basin, CA – March 25, 2025The annual Desert-Wise Landscape Tour offered by the Morongo Basin Conservation Association is scheduled for Sunday, April 27, between 9:00 AM and 4:00 PM. The public is invited to visit five creatively landscaped home sites and two public gardens...Eblast: March 04, 2025
Video and PowerPoint slides from 56 th Annual Meeting available! MBCA joins in appeal of approval of Lovemore Ranch Western Joshua Tree Conservation Act Workshop March 10, 2025 Attend California Desert Coalition Meeting on changes to NEPA Desert Wise Living Landscape Tour April 27, 2025MBCA Comments on Proposed Changes to Wind Turbine Specifications
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...
Be the first to comment