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.
San Bernardino County now provides an online Short Term Rental Map for viewing permitted short-term rentals (STRs) in unincorporated areas of the County. While permitted and well-managed STRs provide income for local residents and businesses, the effects on quality of life due to the escalating number of such properties that are unpermitted and/or not well-managed have been increasing.
Photo courtesy of the US Department of the Interior
The proposed Oberon Solar Project, to be located on undisturbed BLM land near Desert Center, has drawn a great deal of concern by numerous groups in addition to MCBA. While in a Development Focus Area (DFA) proposed under California's Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan, the proponents are asking for amendments that contradict the Plan’s underlying rationale. In short, as MBCA’s Pat Flanagan writes in the MBCA letter, “It is not the role of the DRECP to bend to accommodate a project proposal. It is the project proponent’s role to accommodate the DRECP.”
The San Bernardino County Planning Commission unanimously approved the new Light Trespass Ordinance at their September 9 meeting. It will be forwarded to the Supervisors for their vote in the near future. Following its approval, compliance will be required in 18 months for businesses and 24 months for residents. The approved version is contained in pages 4-15 of the Staff Report; the existing Glare and Outdoor Lighting Ordinance is on pages 17-25.
In reference to the County staff's workshop presentation to the Planning Commission on September 9, MBCA has submitted a letter that outlines our concerns with the current severe problem of affordable housing in the Morongo Basin, with pointed suggestions about the state-required updating of the Housing Element of the Countywide Plan that triggered the Workshop. Thanks to Director Janet Johnston for extensive research in composing the letter. We will again report and comment on the County's Draft Housing Element which is expected later this year.
Texas Rangers are a welcome respite during the dog days of summer. Referred to as barometer plants, Rangers blooms occur with high humidity and rain. When this happens, the plants are covered with purple or magenta flowers.
Photos by Stacy Doolittle
A native of the Chihuahuan Desert and other locales in Texas, Leucophyllum frutescens is a powerhouse of a shrub for Morongo Basin gardens. When young, hungry rabbits can find this sage appealing, so cage it in hardware cloth for protection. Once mature, it is ignored by foragers. Here is a handy guide (pdf) to the different varieties, which you can buy at big box stores and local nurseries.
Following a meeting with scientists from the California Air Resources Board, MBCA and twelve other organizations submitted a letter to the Board demonstrating the need for greater consideration of desert carbon sequestration in planning for climate change. The letter includes reference to scientific studies, a summary paper about “Carbon Dynamics for the California Desert,” and a two-page Science Brief about conserving carbon in California’s deserts.
Willow-like in appearance, the Desert Willow (Chilopsis linearis) is actually a catalpa tree, hence its other name: Desert Catalpa. No matter what you call it, this tree is ideal for Morongo Basin landscapes. Attributes such as fast growth, heat tolerance, ease of care, and drought adaptation make it a desirable addition to the water-wise garden. It can be pruned into a shrub or allowed to grow into a tree.
MBCA is among 109 organizational allies requesting that the state legislative bodies and the Governor protect and preserve the California Environmental Quality Act. The letter is presented in response to special interests seeking to scapegoat the Act as an impediment to progress in California, particularly in housing development. Within the letter are many examples of data proving the successes and value of the Act to environmental justice, climate change, preservation...
MBCA Requests State Assistance on Delayed County Program 4 STR Report
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.
MBCA Comments on E Solar Project in Twentynine Palms
MBCA's comment letter on the proposed 184-acre E Solar Project in 29 Palms questions some aspects of the plan and cites concerns with fugitive dust, lack of local air monitoring sites, and destroying the area's carbon sequestration value, illustrated with photos and maps. The document contains links to scientific data sources, and also references documents including 1) the report "Why do birds crash into solar panels?", 2) "California Desert's Role...
MBCA Comment on Easley Solar Project in Support of Lake Tamarisk Community
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.
The Water Flows Always - Native American Land Conservancy Video
Tuhaymani'chi Pal Waniqa or The Water Flows Always is a video from the Native American Land Conservancy and the Wayfinders Circle highlighting tribal connections to water in the desert and documenting the Cadiz corporate water mining project in particular. A father-daughter family story is also portrayed.
MBCA Joins 21 Groups to Correct Inaccurate Desert Land Classification in California’s Climate Smart Strategy
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...
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.
Report Outlines Critical Role of Desert Region in 30x30 Effort
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...
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.
