Appeal of Daggett Solar Power Facility to be heard by Board of Supervisors Tuesday December 10

Fish and Game Commission to consider listing of Joshua Tree as a threatened or endangered species

MBCA monthly Board Meeting venue change

Hold the date for or annual meeting January 25, 2020

Appeal of Daggett Solar Power Facility to be heard by Board of Supervisors Tuesday December 10

On September 19, 2019 the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for this massive, 5-1/2 square mile solar energy development, was certified by the San Bernardino County Planning Commission. Subsequently the Newberry Community Services District appealed this decision and the appeal is to be considered by the Board of Supervisors at their upcoming meeting.

MBCA submitted a letter, and directors presented oral comments in opposition to the certification. This project is proposed to be located within the disadvantaged rural communities of Daggett and Newberry Springs. MBCA contends, among other things, that the EIR has not considered the Social and Environmental Justice impacts on the residents that are adjacent to and surround this development.

The effects, both short term and over the life of the project, of grading and compacting half a million cubic yards of soil have not been adequately evaluated within the EIR. We believe the downwind residents will likely be subject to increased levels of PM10 and PM2.5 pollution that are very unhealthful to any sensitive receptors. The conditions of approval have no mandates for establishing any air quality baseline data within this specific area of our desert. The soil types within the development area are not suitable for compaction and are within a sand transport path, or linear dune, and are subject to contributing to wind blown dust and sand. The EIR instead relies on regional air quality evaluation that utilizes air monitors upwind (to the west!) of the project.

The EIR failed to address and account for the approximately 50% of intact desert containing native plants such as ancient creosote (as old as 4000 years!), salt bush and caliche that would be destroyed, releasing their sequestered carbon and eliminating their ability to continue to perform this service to the environment. The EIR has failed to recognize the important wildlife corridor that serves to connect the regions north of the I-15 and I-40 to – ultimately - Joshua Tree to the south. MBCA has been advocating for the inclusion of recognized wildlife corridors within County maps to preserve and respect these important highways for the planet’s ever-increasingly stressed species.

MBCA believes the findings justifying the approval of this project are false and that this development will in fact produce adverse effects on the surrounding communities.

MBCA recognizes that there is a critical need to eliminate carbon based electrical generation; however, the analysis utilized in evaluating projects towards this end must also reflect the urgency of climate change and the value of the intact environment that we are striving to protect. MBCA continues to advocate for distributed electrical generation on rooftops within the built environment proximate to the point of use. While portions of this Daggett site may be appropriate for industrial scale renewable energy development, the EIR has not presented a thorough scientifically defensible and complete evaluation of the effects of this development.

When:
December 10, 2019 at 10am
The item number for this issue is #55 on the official agenda . (Click on the agenda number to see the supporting documents). Of particular interest is the PowerPoint prepared by the appellant.

Where:

 Video conferencing of the meeting will be available in Joshua Tree at the Bob Burke Government Center at 63665 Twentynine Palms Highway Joshua Tree, CA 92252 and at the Jerry Lewis High Desert Government Center 15900 Smoke Tree Street, Hesperia 92345.

The Supervisors will be meeting at:
San Bernardino County Government Center
Covington Chambers, 1^st floor
385 N Arrowhead Ave
San Bernardino, CA 92415
United States

Fish and Game Commission to consider listing of Joshua Tree as a threatened or endangered species

As some of you are aware, The California State Fish and Game Commission is set to receive a petition to list the Western Joshua Tree (Yucca brevifolia) as a threatened or endangered species. The agenda for the Commission hearing has been revised to add a consent item for a 30-day extension to review this item. This listing would be of significant importance to our desert environment where the Joshua Tree is under stress from the effects of climate change. I encourage MBCA supporters to follow the proceedings of this very important Commission where decisions are regularly considered that reflect our reaction to, and efforts to adapt to the rapidly changing climate and environment.

MBCA Monthly Board Meeting Venue Change

The venue for the December meeting of the Board of Directors has been changed from our usual Town of Yucca Valley meeting room to the Center for Healthy Generations on a one-time basis:

Thursday December 12, 2019
5:00 – 7:00 pm
The Center for Healthy Generations
57121 Sunnyslope Dr.
Yucca Valley, CA 92284

Our meetings are open and we welcome your attendance as we discuss and address the many important issues we must consider in advocating for the healthy desert!

Hold the date for our annual meeting January 25, 2020

Please mark your calendars and hold the date for our annual meeting. This will mark the 50^th anniversary of MBCA and we will be celebrating this milestone with the publication of a book of our past accomplishments and our plans for the future!

Hoping your Holiday Season helps to brings you joy and happiness and the opportunity to get outdoors and experience our beautiful desert!

Steve Bardwell

Your MBCA Board:

Steve Bardwell, President                          Pat Flanagan, Director       
David Fick, Vice President                         Meg Foley, Director
Laraine Turk, Recording Secretary            Mike Lipsitz, Director
Marina West, Treasurer                             Ruth Rieman, Director
Sarah Kennington, Past President             

 

 

  

 

Riverside County Supervisors have denied the Paradise Valley project on a 5-0 vote despite the project applicant's request for the typical 90-day continuance. A number of MBCA representatives attended the November 5th meeting and were among those cheering the result. Read more details in the Desert Sun's November 6 story on the vote, and for background, read our News Update from August 21st when the Riverside County Planning Commission recommended that the Supervisors deny the project.

Paradise Valley to be heard by Riverside County Board of Supervisors

Workshop Teaches New Skills to Empower Community To Defend The California Desert: Part Two. 

Paradise Valley to be heard by Riverside County Board of Supervisors
It appears that the fate of this long-considered and grossly inappropriate development will finally be determined at a public hearing by the Riverside County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday November 5 in Riverside. The Riverside County Planning Commission has recommended DENIAL of Specific Plan No. 339 that would allow the development of a new city of 1,848 acres with 20,000 residents and 1,380,000 square feet of commercial development directly on the southern border of Joshua Tree National Park. MBCA encourages our members to write to Riverside County and to attend this hearing in person to encourage the Supervisors to DENY approval of this project. Those wishing to carpool to the hearing in Riverside should contact me and I will endeavor to coordinate and offer transportation.

WHEN:  Tuesday, November 5, 2019, 10:00 am
WHERE: 1^st Floor Board Chambers
             County Administrative Center
             4080 Lemon Street Riverside, California 92501

Comments may be submitted to the County Project Planner Russell Brady:
     by phone: (951) 955-3025
     by Email: rbrady@rivco.org
 

Workshop Teaches New Skills to Empower Community To Defend The California Desert: Part Two
MBCA is pleased to be partnering with the California Desert Coalition, in organizing this workshop to focus on the role the California Environmental Policy Act (CEQA) plays in guiding development throughout the State. This is part II of a series that began with understanding the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Also supported by the Center for Biological Diversity, Mojave Desert Land Trust, The National Parks Conservation Association, the Conservation Lands Foundation, and faculty from the University of Redlands, this workshop will inform participants on CEQA: how it  works and how to analyze a development and to craft substantive comments that must be considered by decision makers.

WHEN:  SATURDAY November 2, 2019, 9:30 am - 3:30 pm
WHERE:  THE YUCCA ROOM
TOWN OF YUCCA VALLEY COMMUNITY CENTER
57090 Twentynine Palms Hwy Yucca Valley, CA 92284

Lunch will be served, and while the workshop is free, a donation of $10.00 is suggested. Please rsvp to Claudia Sall as soon as possible: sallwildlands@gmail.com

Looking forward to seeing you as MBCA continues to advocate for the healthy desert!

Steve Bardwell
steve@infinityranch.net
818-516-1437

Your MBCA Board:

Steve Bardwell, President                          Pat Flanagan, Director       
David Fick, Vice President                         Meg Foley, Director
Laraine Turk, Recording Secretary            Mike Lipsitz, Director
Marina West, Treasurer                             Ruth Rieman, Director
Sarah Kennington, Past President             

 

 

The Desert Sun reports that the Center for Biological Diversity recently filed a petition with the state's Fish and Game Commission for protection of the Western Joshua Tree from climate change by listing it as a threatened species under the California Endangered Species Act. The news article provides scientific and political background on the issue. The Commission has 10 days to certify the petition and send it to the Department of Fish and Wildlife, which then has 90 days to provide an initial recommendation. Here is the LA Times story on this topic.

A keenly interested audience of almost 60 attended MBCA’s Fall Desert-Wise Living Lecture on September 28.


Mojave Water Agency’s General Manager, Tom McCarthy, provided not only a clear presentation about MWA's history and processes, he also responded patiently and instructively to a number of detailed questions.


    
He has provided MBCA with his PowerPoint presentation (a PDF version). While the slides in this version and without Tom's in-person explanations aren't as comprehensive as his full presentation, you will find a number of illustrations, maps and charts that are informative.

     

Thanks once again to the sponsors of MBCA’s Desert-Wise Living Series (see below) and especially to the volunteers and Board members who helped set up and manage the event.


This lecture was part of MBCA’s Desert-Wise Living Series, and was made possible through the generous funding of the Bighorn-Desert View Water Agency, Golden State Water Company, Hi-Desert Water District, Joshua Basin Water District, Mojave Water Agency, Southern California Edison, and Twentynine Palms Water Agency.

 

On Thursday, October 3, there are two important meetings we'd like to bring to your attention. We hope you'll consider attending one or both and offering your input.

9:00 AM -  At the Government Center in San Bernardino and ALSO VIDEO-CONFERENCED IN JOSHUA TREE will be the San Bernardino County Planning Commission meeting. Of concern on the Agenda is Item #3, a proposal for a 55-Airstream trailer "suite hotel" just outside downtown Joshua Tree. Take a look at the Staff Report for all the details and we especially suggest you check pages 69-87 for the pro and con comments already submitted. Consider making your own 3-minute public comment during this meeting. See all the details and links in our MBCA Calendar listing.

6:00 PM - At the Bell Center of Copper Mountain College will be a Joshua Tree National Park Community Meeting (one of 3, the only one in the Morongo Basin). The Superintendent and other Park personnel will share information about the state of the Park and request your input on future planning. See all the details and read the Park's press release in our MBCA Calendar listing.

Your MBCA Board:

Steve Bardwell, President                          Pat Flanagan, Director       
David Fick, Vice President                         Meg Foley, Director
Laraine Turk, Recording Secretary            Mike Lipsitz, Director
Marina West, Treasurer                             Ruth Rieman, Director
Sarah Kennington, Past President             

 

Join us on Saturday morning, September 28, for MBCA's Fall Desert-Wise Living Program. We are pleased to have the General Manager of the Mojave Water Agency, Tom McCarthy, delivering the keynote  "Water for the Morongo Basin - the Next 50 Years."

                   

A sampling of breakfast treats from Boo's Organic Oven in Joshua Tree will be offered during the opening reception from 9-9:30 AM. The program will begin at 9:30 and conclude by 11 AM.

As September 28 is National Public Lands Day, we will celebrate and salute the 25th Anniversary of the California Desert Protection Act as we concurrently celebrate MBCA's 50th Anniversary with historical documents and photos on display.

More details can be found in our Press Release about this event. We hope to see you there!

This lecture is part of MBCA’s Desert-Wise Living Series, and was made possible through the generous funding of the Bighorn-Desert View Water Agency, Golden State Water Company, Hi-Desert Water District, Joshua Basin Water District, Mojave Water Agency, Southern California Edison, and Twentynine Palms Water Agency.

Local resident Tom O'Key, who initiated and was critical to the success of the statewide campaign against bobcat trapping several years ago (see MBCA News Update "End of Bobcat Trapping") has been a key part of a followup effort to end all fur trapping in California. That campaign was successful and Tom is quoted several times in this LA Times article describing the Governor's signing of this first-in-America bill.

In April, MBCA submitted a letter in support of the Tubbs Canyon Desert Conservancy in their effort to convince the US Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) to seek new ways of controlling Saharan mustard. The Conservancy has alerted us of a positive response from the USDA, stating that their upcoming 5-year plan for 2020-2025 “will [emphasis added] include studies on identifying and assessing potential biocontrol agents that can be used for Sahara mustard mitigation and eradication." Here is the USDA-ARS letter for full details. (See MBCA's Invasive Plants page for more on Sahara mustard.) 

We received word from MBCA President Steve Bardwell shortly after the decision on the afternoon of August 21 that the proposed Paradise Valley housing development planned for the southern edge of Joshua Tree National Park was voted down by the Riverside County Planning Commission, in a 4-1 vote.  Read more details in this Desert Sun article. Enjoy the photos below taken at the venue. MBCA Directors and supporters, especially Steve Bardwell, Sarah Kennington, and our stalwart science guru Pat Flanagan were vigilant in keeping track of the project, attending meetings, and making comments against the ill-conceived project.

Pat Flanagan presenting her science-based and impassioned plea to deny the Paradise Valley project.







Sarah Kennington holding DENY Paradise Valley sign.






The post-vote celebration of the denial of the Paradise Valley Project.

BACKGROUND SCIENCE: 

Here are Pat’s comments for MBCA on CO2 Emissions of the Paradise Valley Project.

The following links include research documents elaborating on the science behind Pat’s comments:

1.  The 2014 National Park Service Report on Carbon Sequestration in Parksincludes data on Joshua Tree National Park.

2.  A Desert Report article “The Desert Under Our Feet”by the Morongo Basin’s own Robin Kobaly discusses how the amazing biology under our soil is critical to a healthy desert and absorption of carbon dioxide.

3.  A very technical study called “Greater ecosystem carbon in the Mojave Desert after 10 years exposure to CO2”concludes that “arid ecosystems are significant, previously unrecognized, sinks for atmospheric CO2 that must be accounted for in efforts to constrain terrestrial and global C(arbon) cycles.”

4.  A brief summary of arid lands carbon sequestration research from Washington State University, “Research: Arid areas absorb unexpected amounts of carbon”points out the importance of arid ecosystems.