Old skills and new learners

In a time of spiraling fuel costs, the lack of local agricultural resources in the Morongo Basin can leave residents vulnerable to rising food prices. But growing one's own produce is possible in the desert, with the right techniques. An article in last Saturday's Hi-Desert Star details the adventures and tasty rewards of two Yucca Valley boys planting an organic vegetable garden with their grandmother in Joshua Tree.

Basin residents show up in strength to question LADWP on Green Path North

The Yucca Valley High School gym was packed this morning as residents of all stripes, ages, and persuasions and from as far south as Desert Hot Springs and as far north as Lucerne Valley met Los Angeles Department of Water and Power with an impressive display of community strength and determination not to be the victims of the Green Path North transmission project.

LADWP General Manager David Nahai attended personally but seemed unprepared for the aggressive questioning and frank lack of trust exhibited by the audience. He was visibly ruffled by his reception, and when asked what benefits Green Path North would bring to the Morongo Basin, he could not answer.

More details soon.


MORE INFO ON THIS TOPIC: At California Desert Coalition and on the Energy page of the MBCA Website. Previous posts on this blog: Energy, Green Path North.

Endangered Tortoise found on proposed Casino site

Few are surprised that the endangered Desert Tortoise has been found to be inhabiting the site of the proposed NuWu Casino and RV Resort at Adobe and Baseline, bordering Joshua Tree National Park. The discovery will require extension of the environmental assessment (pdf) for the project and push back the planned opening date 30 to 60 days, according to Rod Wilson, spokesman for the Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians.

He said Tuesday, July 15 that sometime next week the tribe is expected to have a finalized version of a wildlife habitat conservation plan, not only for desert tortoises but for any other endangered animals and plants found at the site.

Protocols for tortoises, he said, will include the placement of fencing to protect the animals and establishment of a location on the 160-acre site for tortoises that have to be relocated because of construction.

The protocol, he said, is based on one created by Copper Mountain College in Joshua Tree for its construction plans.

Read the rest in the Desert Trail.


FOR MORE INFO ON THIS TOPIC: See the Desert Tortoise page on the MBCA Website. Previous blog posts: Casino.

Seats open on Hi-Desert Water Board

"People interested in running for a seat on the Hi-Desert Water District Board of Directors in this year’s Nov. 4 election could begin filing candidate papers Monday," according to the Hi-Desert Star. Learn more here.

Assemblyman Paul Cook to address JT MAC on Thursday

The special guest at this Thursday's Joshua Tree Municipal Advisory Council Meeting will be Assemblyman Paul Cook with an Update on Sacramento.

Assemblyman Cook was elected in November 2006 to represent the 65th Assembly District, which includes Joshua Tree and the rest of the Morongo Basin. Per the JT MAC:

An infantry officer in the US Marine Corps for 26 years, Assemblyman Cook’s actions in combat earned him many honors, including the Bronze Star and two Purple Hearts. He would later use his training and experiences to teach courses at the University of California Riverside and Copper Mountain College.

Prior to running for Assembly, Assemblyman Cook campaigned for and won a seat on the Yucca Valley Town Council. He has also held leadership posts with area United Way and Red Cross chapters and is the past Executive Director of the Yucca Valley Chamber of Commerce. In addition, Paul is a member of the Disabled American Veterans, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and
American Legion. He and his wife Jeanne reside in Yucca Valley.

Thursday, July 17, 2008, 7:00 pm, at Joshua Tree Community Center, 6171 Sunburst Avenue, Joshua Tree.

LADWP in Yucca Valley for Green Path meeting this Saturday

MBCA urges you to attend this critical meeting with L.A. Power Officials on Saturday! Per California Desert Coaltion news release:

Desert Residents to Meet, Learn and Express Their Concerns to Los Angeles Power Officials

On Saturday morning, July 19, local residents will have their first opportunity to meet with the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power (LADWP) to discuss the utility's proposed 500kV transmission line project through high desert communities. The meeting will be held in Yucca Valley at the high school, 10 a.m. to noon.

The California Desert Coalition (CDC), a group formed specifically to oppose the transmission line route through the high desert, has planned a "Stop the Towers" poster contest before the meeting, referring to the massive metal transmission towers that would be constructed. CDC Vice Chair Ruth Rieman says that "A strong showing of community residents at this LADWP public meeting will be the tipping point in getting LADWP to choose a more appropriate route than the one through our communities and desert."

From 9 to 10 a.m., everyone is invited to enjoy refreshments and participate in the poster contest. Prizes will be awarded for the top three most creative protest signs brought to the event. Prizes are $300 for first place, $200 for second place, and $100 for third place. Judging of the protest signs will be at 9:15 a.m.

April Sall, CDC Chair, says there has been a lack of transparency on the part of the Los Angeles public utility in its planning for the transmission lines. She wonders why it has taken so long for LADWP to hold public meetings, which have been promised for over a year. Sall sees a clear analogy between LADWP's actions on this project and its previous actions in its taking of water from the Owens Valley.

CDC suggests that LADWP has better alternatives for increasing its renewable energy supply (the stated purpose for the project) than a new transmission line through rural high desert communities and pristine desert lands. Use of the existing I-10 transmission corridor is one of these options.

LADWP has requested a new federal energy corridor and route for high transmission power lines along an 85-mile-long route that begins in Desert Hot Springs and passes through Morongo Valley, Yucca Valley, Pioneertown, Flamingo Heights, Landers, Johnson Valley, Lucerne Valley, and Apple Valley, terminating in Hesperia. The project is called Green Path North (GPN).

According to Bureau of Land Management records, if approved, the energy corridor would be between 2 and 5 miles wide on public lands managed by the agency, and once designated would be open to oil and water pipelines, as well as electrical transmission. One difficulty is that private property is interspersed with public lands and makes up 30 miles of the proposed route. According to CDC spokesperson Dave Miller, LADWP would have to "connect the dots" of publicly owned land with unnecessary condemnation of more than 1000 private properties through eminent domain powers allowed by the 2005 federal Energy Policy Act.

Resolutions in opposition to the power line route have been passed by cities and community organizations all along the route, as well as by the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors. Exclusion of the public from the planning process and the lack of clear benefits to the county as a whole have left local residents feeling the project is not being fairly pursued. Most commonly mentioned concerns are the taking of properties by eminent domain; devaluation of properties; health risks, especially to children, from EMF; damage to the local tourist-dependent economy (associated with neighboring Joshua Tree National Park); scarring of scenic vistas; and environmental devastation to desert wildlands.

Meeting Location: Yucca Valley High School, 7600 Sage Avenue, Yucca Valley (Google Map Link)

MORE INFO ON THIS TOPIC: At California Desert Coalition and on the Energy page of the MBCA Website. Previous posts on this blog: Energy, Green Path North.

Alert! PEIS Scoping deadline Tuesday, July 15

If you want to get in on the ground floor with your concerns about the solar industrialization of the Mojave Desert, the deadline is this Tuesday, July 15, to submit your Scoping comments on the Solar Energy Development Programmatic Environmental Impact Study (PEIS).

At this stage you get to tell the Bureau of Land Management and the Department of Energy what kinds of issues you think they should cover when they are evaluating the impacts that blanketing the desert with solar arrays will have on the environment. And don't forget, "the environment" includes desert communities, too!

Morongo Basin Conservation Association has asked that the agencies include in their analysis the alternative of putting rooftop solar on every roof in the "load" areas - the urban areas that will be receiving the electricity generated by the solar facilities - instead of degrading the desert and inefficiently transmitting the power for many miles. We've also asked them to consider the economic losses to desert communities from the destruction of the surrounding open space and viewshed that attracts tourists, recreationists, retirees, cyberworkers, film crews, etc., to our communities and supports our economies. We support solar, but to demand sacrifices only from the desert and not the load areas is not fair!

You can read MBCA's full comments on our Website here.

You can learn where and how to submit your own comments here.

Defenders of Wildlife also has an electronic message that you can personalize easily; view it here.

The PEIS process may be the only chance you get to give your opinion on the idea of the solar industrialization of the Mojave. Make your voice heard!



MORE INFO ON THIS TOPIC: On the Energy page of the MBCA Website. Previous posts: Energy.

MBCA Calendar now operational

The Calendar feature on the MBCA Website is now on-line! We'll be adding items regularly. View it now and often here.

Bighorn-Desert View Water looks at budget shortfall

Bighorn-Desert View Water Agency was informed by General Manager Marina West their 2008/2009 draft operating budget would have a shortfall of 12.6 percent, or $141,459. According to this article in the Hi-Desert Star, the Directors plan on organizing public meetings on the situation in Flamingo Heights, Landers, and Johnson Valley.

Power "Flex Alert" through next Thursday

"The California Independent System Operator has declared a 'Flex Alert' through Thursday to urge Californians to reduce their energy use during the late afternoon, when air conditioners drive consumption to the highest point of the day."

The Hi-Desert Star lists some useful power conservation tips from Southern California Edison here.