The Western Joshua Tree has been granted certain protections by the State of California. But how does a homeowner navigate these protections when a fallen Joshua Tree needs to be moved?
San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors and local representative Dawn Rowe was the guest on last week’s Z107.7 Up Close Show, and host Gary Daigneault asked her about regulations and protections for the Western Joshua Tree. Daigneault asked Supervisor Rowe if the authority to grant take-permits rested with local municipalities like the Town of Yucca Valley, to which Rowe said,
Dawn Rowe: “The permitting authority rests with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. They do all the permitting. So if you go into the Town, the Town will refer you to the state, and there you can get a permit to remove the trees and come back to the town and finish your project.
State Fish and Wildlife is trying to work with local municipalities, cities, and counties to give us delegated authority, but there’s no money that comes with that to dedicate to staff time or record keeping. The state wants us to conduct a census of healthy trees. Is that fair to ask our tax payers to foot that bill for state requirements? So far, the county doesn’t think that’s fair.
Anybody coming in for development at the County or the Town of Yucca Valley is referred to the state for permitting.”
Daigneault asked Rowe about the duration of the permitting process, to which she said, “it depends.”
Dawn Rowe: “If it’s an emergency, they can grant it more expeditiously than if it’s a development. Take-permits for dead trees can be approved painlessly. I’m not sure for planned development projects. “
You can hear the full conversation between Supervisor Rowe and Daigneault by listening to the Up Close Show as a podcast, or below:
