by Laraine Turk
1279sc
on March 09, 2024
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by Laraine Turk
1279sc
on March 04, 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
1279sc
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.
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by Laraine Turk
1279sc
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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by Laraine Turk
1279sc
on February 07, 2024
The 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.
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by Steve Bardwell
317sc
on January 30, 2024
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by Laraine Turk
1279sc
on January 25, 2024
This
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)
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by Steve Bardwell
317sc
on January 20, 2024
- Plan to Attend MBCA’s 55th Annual Meeting February 3 !
- County Misrepresents Reality in Program 4 STR Impact Study
- County Misrepresents Reality in Program 4 STR Impact Study
- Darker Skies Ahead with Light Trespass Ordinance Now in Effect
- Support Lake Tamarisk in Addressing Air Quality Threats
- Mark your Calendar for the 2024 Desert Wise Living Landscape Tour
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by Laraine Turk
1279sc
on January 11, 2024
MBCA
reported on December 17 about our response to the
flawed Program 4 report commissioned by the County.
The report concluded, "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."
We are now providing the full 62-page response letter that details what MBCA believes are fallacious arguments, inappropriate conclusions and inferences, and overlooked past County corroborations of the problem. Some new data arrays are also presented.
Read the full "
MBCA STR Letter" document.
The Center for Biological Diversity also submitted
a letter of concern in December.
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by Laraine Turk
1279sc
on December 19, 2023
In 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.
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