The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has published a status review concluding that Western Joshua trees do not warrant threatened status in California. The ultimate determination is in the hands of the California Fish and Game Commission, which in September 2020 granted the species interim threatened status and implemented guidelines for its protection. The official presentation of the status review by the Department to the Commission is scheduled for April 21; however, the Commission’s vote is not expected until its June 16 meeting. This April 13 press release by the Center for Biological Diversity, which filed a petition that initiated the status review by the Commission, provides background and outlines the expected sequence of forthcoming actions. Additional information can be found in this Los Angeles Times story and the Times' editorial opinion in favor of listing the Joshua tree.

Photo by Stacy Doolittle

In response to the advancement through San Bernardino County's planning process of a proposal for a 106-room hotel project in Wonder Valley, local concerned residents have established a website to inform and engage others in opposition. The development includes a 24/7 restaurant, spa, pool, 205 parking spaces, and other features. Nearby residents are concerned about excessive lighting, dangerous highway conditions and traffic, dust, groundwater levels, wastewater, etc., and feel the project is completely inappropriate for their small, sparsely populated community. The website is StopWonderInn.org. 

There is an increasing lack of long term rental housing in the Morongo Basin due in great part to the conversion to short term vacation rentals. (See MBCA's February 3 News post for more background and resources on this.) The Housing Element of the County Wide Plan is updated on an 8-year cycle and is subject to detailed statutory requirements and mandatory review by the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). Without notification to the public, San Bernardino County filed a Draft Housing Element in December 2021. They received a reply from HCD stating “revisions will be necessary to comply with State Housing Element Law.” The letter not only mentions the state's consideration of input from MBCA President Steve Bardwell and Board member Janet Johnson (our letter of October 19, 2021), but also provides 13 pages of detail where the report needs revision or does not comply with requirements.

MBCA is among 16 signatories on an April 4 letter to the California Air Resources Board (CARB). The letter expressed an appreciation for the Board's enhanced model of carbon sequestration in the desert (see letter of August 2021). However, the group also expressed concern that the newest model still underestimates the desert's carbon sequestration potential and that CARB should engage in a more comprehensive analysis of current research on desert-centric sequestration systems. 

 

 

MBCA is among 15 organizations requesting more time to prepare for involvement in hearings concerning water management and related biological resources in the Amargosa Basin. The Basin lies within the Mojave Desert and spreads across two states and four counties, including San Bernardino County. The group recommends that Nevada Department of Water Resources engage with stakeholders to examine potential negative impacts on groundwater for rural communities and on tourism drawn to the area by this unique ecosystem.

MBCA joined Friends of Big Morongo Canyon, Mojave Desert Land Trust, Basin and Range Watch, SummerTree Institute, and The Wildlands Conservancy in a letter to the Bureau of Land Management with serious concerns about the construction of a proposed 196-foot communications tower in Morongo Valley. The letter states "The undersigned individuals/organizations have fought long and hard for the designation of Sand to Snow National Monument and strongly oppose this project and the changing of the VRM (Visual Resource Management) classification." In great detail and with maps and illustrations, the accompanying Public Scoping Comments document from the group points out why "The proposals are not in conformance with the applicable Federal purpose for which the public lands are managed in this area." 

The video recording of MBCA's 2022 Annual Meeting with speakers on "The Last Joshua Tree? Climate Change and the Future of this Iconic Species" is now available. For more background, here is the January 22, 2022 Press Release announcing the meeting. You can find the time stamp for the several sections of the meeting on the YouTube page or below.

     0:06  Introduction and Issue Overview by President, Steve Bardwell
   17:16  Laraine Turk Honoring Ruth Rieman, retiring Board member
   20:15  Remarks by Ruth Rieman
   21:16  Introduction and Remarks by Chris Clarke
   41:16  Presentation by Brendan Cummings
1:20:05  Questions and Conversation with Chris Clarke and Brendan Cummings

The San Bernardino County Planning Commission's draft Short Term Rental (STR) ordinance agenda item on February 3 was continued to the next meeting, or more likely to a Special meeting to be determined at the next meeting (February 17). More than 5 hours were devoted to the topic, including the staff presentation, more than 60 public comments, and lengthy dialogue among the Commissioners. Key issues of further consideration included whether to allow an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) to be an STR, whether different desert and mountain conditions should dictate different ordinance details for those areas, and many other complex issues. MBCA Directors were disappointed at how little acknowledgement there was of housing inequity. The large increase in STRs has greatly reduced affordable rental housing especially in Morongo Basin communities (see Wayne Hamilton letter for more data).

Below is a series of lists, maps, comment letters and other documents that were provided by MBCA to the Planning Commission and other County entities to elaborate on the short-term rental problem in the Morongo Basin particularly.

Chart of STRs by Zipcode January 2022
MBCA’s 2.2.22 STR Comment letter
MBCA’s 10.19.21 STR Comment letter
Map of SB County Supervisorial Districts|
Data comparison of SB County Districts
Map of STRs by Zipcode January 2022
Map of SB County size compared to 4 states
Wayne Hamilton, MUSD Housing Liaison, Letter to Sup. Rowe