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At the April 18, 2023 Town Council meeting, the Yucca Valley Town Council acted to formally oppose the proposed Western Joshua Tree Conservation Act (WJCTA) Trailer Bill on procedural grounds. If passed, this bill would provide for the conservation of the western Joshua Tree at a landscape scale, while establishing a permitting and mitigation framework based on template permits and payment of mitigation fees. More simply, the bill would provide restrictive protections for the western Joshua Tree, and potentially future species, through a state budget process that does not consider the impacts of such actions on both public and private property within the Town of Yucca Valley. This will result in new mitigation and permitting costs for ANY public or private property owner in the Town of Yucca Valley that might need to relocate or remove ANY western Joshua Tree from their property.
The Town Council’s action to oppose the WJTCA is consistent with the Town Council’s position concerning the Center for Biological Diversity’s petition to list the western Joshua Tree as threatened or endangered pursuant to the California Endangered Species Act (CESA). The Town strongly supports and encourages the Fish and Game Commission to accept the Department of Fish and Wildlife staff recommendation that listing is NOT warranted at this time based on the best scientific information currently available to the Department.
According to Town Manager Curtis Yakimow, “With regard to either the WJTCA or the petition before the Fish and Game Commission, to place significant conservation requirements and fees onto Yucca Valley property owners without a scientific basis, and prior to governmental agencies attempting to collaborate and cooperate in implementing effective conservation efforts, is nether good public policy nor good governance.” Alternatively, the Town of Yucca Valley
believes that local regulations continue to be an effective regulatory tool that would assist in the preservation of the western Joshua Tree through public review and transparency of related native plant permit requests, regulations that prioritize avoidance/preservation/ conservation, and enhanced enforcement when necessary.
The Town of Yucca Valley, more than any other community in the state, values the integration of the desert environment, including the Joshua Tree and other unique desert plants, into our continued development as a community. As evidenced by our Town logo, as well as our General Plan Vision and Values, the desert environment is woven into the fabric of this community.
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