A federal judge has ordered the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to go back and review current scientific data on Joshua Trees after the commission ruled in 2019 that protection status was not warranted. On September 30, 2015, the environmentalist organization WildEarth Guardians filed a petition requesting that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service list both the Eastern and Western Joshua trees (Yucca brevifolia and Yucca jaegeriana) as threatened species. On August 15, 2019, the commission denied the petition, arguing that both plants had long life spans, expansive distributions, and the ability to inhabit multiple ecological settings. WildEarth Guardians filed a lawsuit soon after challenging the commission’s decision.
On Monday, September 20, federal district judge Odis Write II ruled that the U.S. commission’s 2019 ruling had ignored numerous scientific studies on environmental conditions facing Joshua Trees, calling the decision “arbitrary and capricious.” The judge ordered the commission to reconsider their decision, taking into account the most up-to-date scientific research in their investigations and issue a new decision within 12 months. The commission has 60 days to determine if they will appeal the decision.
On September 22, 2020, the California Fish and Game Commission unanimously accepted the Western Joshua Tree as a candidate for protection under the California Endangered Species Act. The commission began a one-year candidacy period to study current scientific research on the environmental factors facing the Western Joshua Tree to determine if state protected status was warranted. The state commission has not yet issued a final decision on accepting or rejecting the petition.
