Western Joshua Tree Conservation Fund Web Page Announced
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has made a significant purchase of western Joshua tree habitat using the Western Joshua Tree Conservation Fund. The land will be co-managed by CDFW and California Native American tribes.
On Aug. 24, CDFW acquired 640 acres of western Joshua tree habitat northwest of Pioneertown in San Bernardino County. According to research, this property is highly likely to provide the best future suitable western Joshua tree habitat in Southern California based on environmental factors and climate projections.
The land acquisition will contribute to meeting conservation targets laid out in the Western Joshua Tree Conservation Plan. CDFW is now working with the Native American Land Conservancy on plans for long-term protection and co-management of the property by CDFW and California Native American tribes.
“This is an example of the Western Joshua Tree Conservation Plan successfully put into action, as was intended, to help us protect this unique species in collaboration with tribal partners,” said CDFW Director Meghan Hertel. “There is nothing else quite like the western Joshua tree. They are an important part of Native American cultural traditions, a keystone species for our desert ecosystems and they are also a sight worth taking a road trip for.”
The western Joshua tree is a slow-growing succulent that is culturally significant to Native American Tribes and an icon of the American Southwest. These unique monocots face threats such as wildfire, land development and a warming climate.
“We are so blessed to be able to steward this place into the future,” said Native American Land Conservancy President Michael Madrigal (Cahuilla Tribe). “I will never forget the first time I went to this new preserve. It is such an amazing place with some of the largest Joshua trees I have ever seen.”
This is the second property acquired using funds from the Western Joshua Tree Conservation Fund. A total of 923 acres of habitat have now been conserved; CDFW is currently looking into additional properties totaling 2,500 acres.
Western Joshua Tree Conservation Fund Web Page Launched
CDFW recently launched a new web page that shows revenue and expenses related to the Western Joshua Tree Conservation Fund, which is where collected take permit mitigation fees are deposited to be used for conservation and management of western Joshua tree habitat.
The Western Joshua Tree Conservation Act prohibits take of western Joshua tree without a CDFW-issued permit. Permit fees are deposited into the Western Joshua Tree Conservation Fund and used solely for the purposes of acquiring, conserving and managing western Joshua tree conservation lands and completing other activities to conserve the western Joshua tree. To date, more than $23.5 million has gone into the Western Joshua Tree Conservation Fund.
This new web page shows money spent, committed and reserved from the Western Joshua Tree Conservation Fund, and is organized by conservation action categories identified in the Western Joshua Tree Conservation Act. These categories are land acquisition and conservation easements, restoration, monitoring, endowments for land management and transaction costs.
The Western Joshua Tree Conservation Fund web page will be updated regularly to reflect the Western Joshua Tree Conservation Fund balance and expenditures.
To learn more, visit the Western Joshua Tree Conservation Fund web page at https://wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Environmental-Review/WJT/WJTCA/Fund.
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Photo caption: Western Joshua trees are pictured at the recently acquired, 640-acre property near Pioneertown, San Bernardino County, that will provide high-quality habitat for the species. Photo courtesy of the Native American Land Conservancy
Media Contacts:
Kelley Barker, CDFW Habitat Conservation Planning Branch, (916) 805-4307
Krysten Kellum, CDFW Communications, (916) 825-7120