In a coalition letter sent in late November, MBCA joined with 25 other non-profit organizations to recommend that equity and environmental justice must become key elements in California’s plans to deal with climate change. Numerous specific recommendations in the letter suggest improvements to the draft Climate Smart Strategy document published this fall by the California Natural Resources Agency.
Hollyleaf cherry (Prunus Ilicifolia) is a native and drought-tolerant shrub for home landscapes in the Morongo Basin. It is the most widely distributed native subspecies of holly in California.
This shrub can be pruned into a quite tall hedge and should be trimmed to shape twice a year if need be. The red cherries appear in fall and are edible if you get them before the birds do! The plant is evergreen with glossy leaves that smell like almonds when crushed. The leaves and branches are useful for holiday wreathes and arrangements.
As the Brightline West High-Speed Rail Project between southern California and Las Vegas rolls toward implementation, MBCA has again joined numerous organizations to insist that the state require three wildlife crossings to protect our world-class wildlife, including mountain lions and bighorn sheep, in the fragile desert environment. The letter signed by 35 organizations is addressed to Governor Newsom with copies to California's Senators and the heads of appropriate state and federal agencies. Prior MBCA news stories on the issue were posted on September 5, 2020, and November 23, 2020, and this September 16 Los Angeles Times article focuses on the value of the wildlife crossings for bighorn sheep.
At a meeting with a Daggett Solar 66 Project representative initiated by MBCA Directors, the representative described several mitigation efforts directly related to MBCA's concerns listed in our April comment letter. As a follow-up, this November 2 letter was sent by MBCA to the Planning Commission to summarize the project's mitigation actions with reference to our original concerns and therefore our support for the Conditional Use Permit. The County Planning Commission will review the project at their November 4, 2021 meeting.
A November 2 news story by Sammy Roth of the Los Angeles Times provides a comprehensive overview of the many issues and viewpoints swirling around California's Net Energy Metering (NEM) program. MBCA's earlier news stories of May 8 and June 4 provide our history of involvement as we have signed on to Solar Rights Alliance letters seeking both local and distributed renewable energy commitment and climate justice goals. (If you cannot access the article, here is a text-only version.)
The jojoba is a native of the Morongo Basin and thrives in home landscapes. Simmondsia chinensis is a wonderful plant for back of the border or to be used as at moderately-fast growing screen. Leaf color ranges from greens to greys. The leaves are small and the shrub can be kept compact in habit through pruning. It can grow from 4-7 feet high and wide. Care should be taken in higher elevations (up to 5000 feet) of our area as a hard freeze can kill a young plant. Despite needing good drainage, jojoba seems to tolerate and even appreciate clay soils. Deer prefer it but rabbits and other nibblers ignore it.
To bring attention to the ongoing lack of housing availability in the Morongo Basin and the significant negative consequences, MBCA sent this letter of concern to state, county, and local officials. All California cities and counties are currently updating their Housing Elements, which are submitted to the State Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) for approval. Jurisdictions also have to submit Annual Progress Reports which evaluate and record the status of housing availability for various income levels. However, the existing reporting structure entirely overlooks the effect of so much housing being turned into short-term rental properties with dire effects on the resident community including housing displacement and housing insecurity. Changes must occur to prevent even more damage being done to local families and to the fabric of our communities.
The Aratina Solar Project is proposed for a portion of undisturbed Mojave Desert in Kern County near the town of Boron. The land is mostly undisturbed Joshua Tree woodland, and its destruction for this project has numerous serious consequences for the ecology of the area and also would remove carbon-sequestering soil. MBCA's letter outlines the consequences and asks the Kern County Board of Supervisors not to approve the project.
One lovely grey-leaved shrub for Morongo Basin landscapes is the California native Desert Lavender (Hyptis emoryi). This fast-growing shrub (given a small amount of irrigation) is a delicate, multi-trunk contrast in the garden to the broad leaves of agaves or the green of the creosote bush.
Desert-Wise Landscape Tour Inspiration Contest Winners 2023
Congratulations to the winners of the Desert-Wise Landscape Tour Inspiration Contest!In this year’s Contest, we asked Tour participants to submit their reactions to the Tour in either a short essay or a visual creation.Winner of the essay category and a $200 gift certificate to Unique Nursery in Joshua Tree is Allie Irwin. Here is her essay, which captures so well the spirit of discovery, as well as lessons learned, that MBCA...
MBCA has submitted comments to the Bureau of Land Management's Las Vegas Field Office about the proposed Golden Current Solar Project's effects on bird migration. Research shows that birds are killed near solar installations because they are attracted to reflective panels they perceive as water. This solar project plus three others nearby would create an excessive array of danger for birds. MBCA's letter includes graphic data of bird presence in the...
MBCA Awards Scholarships to Three Local High School Seniors
Morongo Basin Conservation Association has awarded college scholarships to three local graduating high school seniors. All three high schools in the Morongo Unified School District are represented this year.Recipients were selected from a competitive pool of applicants with demonstrated 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 2023-24 academic year. MBCA's Conservation Scholarship is the continuation of...
MBCA joined more than 40 local, state, and national organizations in support of California Assemblymember Laura Friedman's AB 1573, the Water Conservation in Landscaping Act, introduced on February 17 and currently referred to the Committee on Water, Parks and Wildlife. Issues addressed include improvements to the existing model ordinance, and overall the bill's provisions would set "the strongest level of water conservation requirements for new or major rehabilitated non-residential landscapes." Read the letter and the bill....
2023 Desert Wise Living Landscape Tour
Attend MBCA and Friends of Wonder Valley Dark Skies event
Wonder Inn and Flamingo 640 appealed to Board of Supervisors
Speaking at an water industry event at the Salton Sea near Mecca on Monday, March 27, Scott Slater, the CEO of Cadiz, Inc, the company that wants to sell water from the Cadiz aquifer for enormous financial gain, shared that the company is considering piping water "to bring water to disadvantaged communities within our reach." Slater also revealed efforts "to pursue a relationship with the Salton Sea Authority...and the Torres...
Wonder Inn Resort Proposal Denied by Planning Commission
In a 4-0 vote, San Bernardino County Planning Commissioners denied the Wonder Inn project opposed by MBCA and hundreds of Morongo Basin area residents. Almost 50 citizens made their comments in person at the meeting. The citizens' group Stop Wonder Inn spent a year doing research to demonstrate how the project if built would have significant negative repercussions not only for Wonder Valley but the entire Morongo Basin. MBCA's initial...