Cheryl Montelle, founder, and visionary of Mil-Tree, received an initial grant in October 2023 to build a potting shed designed by Mia Torres, a local artist, in an area of the Historic Retreat Center that was once a self-sustaining farm in the 1940s. Recently, this area was assigned to a folk music school and garden, and the signs along the path still carry that name. The garden remains and grows through the generosity of the Retreat Center and Terry Taylor-Castillo. The current work on the…

Last night’s meeting began by recognizing Elisabeth Marshall and her acceptance into the Naval Academy. Next, the City recognized the Rotary Club for participating in the Trash for Cash program. With community input, the City Council discussed the Public Arts Advisory Committee (PAAC) recommendation to restore and move Chuck Caplinger’s 29! Sculpture from its current site to Freedom Plaza. The Council voted to approve the repair and further discuss making its current location more accessible.…

On Saturday, May 11, the Hi-Desert Nature Museum hosted a lecture by Katie Shaw, Conservation Social Scientist at The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens, titled "Time to Talk Trash." The lecture focused on the dwindling number of desert tortoises due in part to the population growth of ravens. Ravens are known to eat juvenile tortoises before their shells have a chance to fully harden. Our desert landscape faces an increasing raven population, encouraged by additional roosting places like…

I spent lunchtime on the 24th at Yucca Valley High School with Partners against Violence and students taking their lunch hour to help spread the word to fellow students about sexual Violence. Partners Against Violence's mission is to provide support to survivors of violent crime, their families, and communities. They offer a hotline, counseling, advocacy, therapy, and education at no cost to those affected by sexual assault and other forms of Violence. At this particular event,…