by Laraine Turk
1515sc
on March 29, 2024
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by Laraine Turk
1515sc
on March 28, 2024
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by Laraine Turk
1515sc
on March 28, 2024
In an effort to move San Bernardino County forward with its unfulfilled commitment to complete a "Program 4 Study" of short-term rental (STR) effects on housing in unincorporated communities, MBCA has sent
a letter to the Governor and the state's Housing and Community Development Department. The letter also contains a history of the County and MBCA actions on this topic over the past several years.
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by Laraine Turk
1515sc
on March 26, 2024
If expanded as planned, the
Easley Solar Project would surround the small Lake Tamarisk Community in Desert Center, negatively affecting every aspect of their lives including air quality, views, and wildlife passage. The community has offered alternative suggestions to the developers to allow them some relief and MBCA has sent
a letter in support of their plan. Read more in
this article in the
Coachella Valley Independent.
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by Laraine Turk
1515sc
on March 11, 2024
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by Laraine Turk
1515sc
on March 09, 2024
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by Laraine Turk
1515sc
on February 27, 2024
In a recent update to California’s Natural and Working Lands Climate Smart Strategy, a group of 22 organizations including MBCA have replied to the state’s request for comment with serious concerns about how desert lands are inappropriately classified as “Sparsely Vegetated Lands.” This inaccurate classification greatly reduces the carbon sequestration and other critical values gained by conserving desert lands in the state’s response to climate change. Our February 27 letter clearly states and scientifically corroborates four arguments for separating deserts from the “sparsely vegetated” designation. The letter was written by the Inland Desert Working Group (IDWG), which has been “the voice of the desert” in the ongoing state activities seeking to protect and conserve 30% of California’s lands by 2030. The IDWG also recently authored the comprehensive report The California Desert’s Role in 30X30: Carbon Sequestration and Biodiversity. The California Natural Resources Agency website also contains a great deal of background and links to videos about the Climate Smart Strategy.
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by Laraine Turk
1515sc
on February 27, 2024
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by Laraine Turk
1515sc
on February 09, 2024
About 80 people attended MBCA’s 55th Annual Meeting on February 3, 2024. Ten presentations covered topics focused on “Keeping It Local” and also addressing wider issues of desert preservation and government regulation.
Here is the Annual Meeting program, and below are brief summaries and links to PowerPoint presentations where available for each topic.
Read more
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by Laraine Turk
1515sc
on February 07, 2024
According to the grassroots group that fought the Wonder Inn for several years, the developers have retracted their appeal, so it appears that the ill-suited resort project in its current form has been stopped. Congratulations to the volunteers of the
Stop Wonder Inn organization! More details
here from radio station Z107.7.
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