The Covington Park Community Room’s air conditioning struggled to keep up with the standing-room only crowd that gathered on Thursday to listen and talk to the Bureau of Land Management. They are considering granting a 30 year lease to InterConnect – a company that builds giant communication towers. The one they are proposing for land in Morongo Valley would nearly 200 feet tall, require solar panels, an access road, fencing, and other not-so-natural developments in the BLM land. This isn’t the first engagement between the BLM and the private business, but some residents say that this is the first to be so close to rural homes and protected wilderness.
The meeting was being led by Matt Toedtli, a Project Manager for the BLM and for the tower project. He was joined by Brandon Anderson who is the Palms Springs-South Coast Field Manager. Matt led the meeting without a PA system, and a few early tech problems probably didn’t help set the tone for a smooth meeting, but despite logistical issues, Matt and Brandon dove into the project as people continued to trickle in.
Scoping for project began in 2022
For a lot of the folks in the room, this wasn’t their first rodeo over the proposed tower. The BLM had a scoping period back in February of 2022 where many of the same residents here said they had already voiced their opinion and posed questions to the BLM about the proposed tower, and never heard anything back.
Matt Toedtli: “When we had the scoping period back in 2022, overwhelmingly people said this is a disruption to the visual resources in the area.”
Resident: “That’s right!”
(applause)
Matt Toedtli: “Anything that came up in scoping that was substantive was carried forward in our analysis, so please check the document if you don’t see it in there.”
For the crowded room, this small moment of “being seen” seemed to soften them a bit, and Matt Toedtli worked his way through a presentation about the communication tower that many in the audience said they just weren’t interested in hearing.
The meeting was well-ahead of the planned Q&A period, but questions began popping up at a rapid rate, which seemed to set the precedent for decorum in the rest of the meeting.
“Where’s the benefit to residents?”
One person asked a question that would continue to come up in by many others: what’s the benefit to the community and the residents who have to live with the tower in their periphery or in their backyard? Many openly wondered what’s the point of a 30 year lease on a communications tower when satellite internet and other services were becoming more commonplace here in the hi-desert.
The BLM says that the project will “improve telecommunication and broadband connections for Morongo and Yucca Valley communities.” Some residents who spoke up said that their services were sufficient, and other than a stretch of the Morongo grade that would no longer be a cellular “dead zone,” many of the Morongo Valley residents who showed up at the meeting on Thursday characterized the 196 foot tower as a detriment to their views, their home values, fire safety, and even their health.
But for both the BLM and the residents, getting that message across seemed to be the difficult part. After a brief break where people in the audience could submit their names for the Q&A session, the room seemed to tense back up almost immediately, and one older resident sitting at the front of the room let everyone know she was hoping for better behavior:
Upset woman: “… I expected adults in this room! What the heck is the matter with you guys? Come on, I’m going home.”
(Audience members) “Bye! See ya!”
Upset woman: “Grow up! Grow up!”
Audience member: “Go back to LA!”
Other audience member: “You know what? Why don’t you all be respectful?”
The Q&A period took up the the rest of the meeting, extending into the 8 o’clock hour. Overwhelmingly, the group said that they wanted to enjoy the wilderness that surrounds their homes tower-free, and that the plants, animals, birds, insects, and other neighbors adjacent to the Morongo Valley would probably appreciate that, too.
Fire safety, property values, 5G, RF, and visual resources all of concern to residents
Resident: “What you are proposing is a 196 foot lightning rod.. With electricity in a fire extreme risk area. My insurance already went up 300% in one year and I was lucky to get it.”
(To BLM members leading the meeting) “Now, let me ask you this question… would you be interested in buying my house with a 200 foot tower next to it? Would you be interested in moving to an area with a 200 foot tower in your backyard? Would you do it?”
Matt Toedtli: “I can’t answer that question…”
“You could! I’ll tell you what he was going to say: Hell no. He doesn’t want to live next to a tower!”
Official statement from MVCSD
The meeting went over 3 hours, with the BLM staying late to gets all the questions in. Morongo Valley Community Services District Board President Christina Gorke was amongst the last handful to speak and made a statement on behalf of the group:
Christina Gorke: “The Morongo Valley Community Services District provides life-saving support to residents, visitors and travelers throughout the district with 24-hour service from our fire and EMS Department. These services are only possible with the tax revenue generated locally based on the assessment of each property’s value. In 2022 when public notice was first provided on the proposed tower project and its location, our community rallied in their response. Our district passed resolution 2208 to inform the BLM of the threat this project presents to our community as a whole and not approve the land use request. Our CSD cannot risk this project lowering any property values as it will directly impact the taxes that fund these vital services.
It’s obvious to the residents that the location was selected to the benefit of the developer, downgrading the visual resource management for the lands that surround our district properties and in no way benefits the community that lives here.
My question to the Bureau of Land Management is ‘Why does the benefit to one corporation outweigh the needs of this community and how will you guarantee the services that our fire department and EMS provide?'”
Toedtli referred to the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, which established the BLM’s multiple-use mandate, and also requires the organization to process and consider the developer’s application for the communication tower lease.
As things wrapped up, some discussions spun off into small groups as they usually do in meetings like this. I noticed that in these smaller discussions, the tension and apparent anger dissipated. I even saw some smiles and handshakes between the groups – a stark contrast to the finger pointing and audience infighting from just a few hours before.
“Substantive comments” required for feedback
The residents brought passion to the meeting, but the BLM is a government organization which means they live and die by processes. And currently, the process is calling for “substantive comments.” Those two words seemed to be the takeaway for a lot of people at the meeting – and the BLM even has a guide to help residents make sure their comments meet that criteria.
The public comment period ends on September 16th. You can find links to BLM supplied materials, as well as a Facebook group of concerned Morongo Valley citizens below.
Resources:
Morongo Valley Proposed Communications Tower 2022 – Facebook Group (Facebook.com)
BLM seeks input on proposed Broadband Communications Site in Morongo Valley (BLM.org)
Morongo Highway 62 Communication Site Project Overview (BLM.org) PDF Link (BLM.org)
BLM Commenting Guide PDF Link (BLM.org)
Previously Reported:
