Protections for the Western Joshua Tree have been bounced around various state commissions and courtrooms over the last few years, but a budget bill passed yesterday ensures our area’s namesake tree is granted protections above other flora.
The Western Joshua Tree will be permanently protected thanks to a bill that was passed on Tuesday. The protection was voted on as part of the state budget agreement according to a statement from the Center of Biological Diversity.
The bill comes after a long period of delays from the California Fish and Game commission – which repeatedly pushed the decision to put the Joshua Tree on the state’s list of protected species. The latest postponement made earlier this year came pending the outcome of this new legislation.
The Department of Fish and Wildlife will now be tasked to prepare a conservation plan for the trees by the end of 2024.
Under the law, the trees will have similar protections as under the California Endangered Species Act – keeping them from being wantonly cleared from land for new building development in the still-booming hi desert.
Scientists also say the iconic species is under threat from climate change, with hotter and drier seasons hampering the slow-growing species from establishing new trees. At the current rate, the trees could largely disappear from the namesake national park by the end of the century.
Governor Gavin Newsom is expected to sign the bill into law this week, and is expected to go into effect July 1st. It’s currently unclear how these protections will affect those of us who share the Morongo Basin with the iconic species, other than ensuring that the tree stays top of mind when thinking about how to conserve and protect the area that we all call home.
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