MBCA Joins Trailer Bill Concerns
With 100 other non-profit conservation-related organizations, MBCA signed a letter to entreat Governor Newsom and 15 state legislators on the Senate and Assembly budget committees to eliminate from the budget a number of infrastructure trailer bills that should be enacted through the legislative process instead. The 8 trailer bills cited would, if enacted through the budget, eliminate public input and considered evaluation for "important and complicated policies."
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 hopes to provide to Tour participants.
Winner of the visual creation submission is Corrina Paton, whose photograph below depicts a spot in Tour Host Valerie Davis's yard. She explains: Conserving Water through art ~ Proving you can still have vibrant colors and a fun and quirky landscape while reducing your water usage. Corrina wins a $200 gift certificate to Cactus Mart in Morongo Valley.
Watch for an announcement in early June about several new Virtual Tour Videos of additional Morongo Basin landscapes that offer exceptional beauty and creativity with low water use and native and drought-tolerant plants.
Conserving Water through art ~ Proving you can still have vibrant colors and a fun and quirky landscape while reducing your water usage……
MBCA Comments on Golden Currant Solar Project
MBCA has submitted comments to the Bureau of Land Management's Las Vegas Field Office about the proposed Golden Currant 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 area from the eBird program of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
MBCA Joins Support for SB 233, Bidirectional Electric Vehicles
Joining with 66 other environmentally-conscious non-profits, MBCA signed a letter in support of SB 233, a bill intended, through a series of actions over time, to require all new electric vehicles sold in California to be bidirectional beginning in model year 2030. The author has introduced SB 233 because the battery storage capability of electric vehicles offers an opportunity for California’s increasing fleet of electric vehicles to “give back” to the grid or homeowners in times of need.
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 our commitment to educate the next generation of conservation-conscious citizens. Landon Michael Stitt of Yucca Valley High School is the recipient, with career intentions towards environmentally-conscientious urban planning and engineering.
The Women's STEAM Scholarship (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) is provided anonymously by two generations of women who held careers in STEAM fields. Jadyn Sarah Bauer, the founder of Twentynine Palms High School's Environmental Club, is the recipient, with career plans for environmental studies.
Donations in memory of renowned local artist, conservationist, and longtime MBCA member Steve Rieman, make it possible to offer the Steve Rieman Scholarship for students who anticipate incorporating their conservation commitment into careers in writing, fine arts, or design. Kylie Morning Adkins of Black Rock High School is the recipient, with her focus on nature photography and advocacy.
MBCA Supports Water Conservation Landscaping Act
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.
