A desert ecologist on his life's legacy
California stalls on proposed rural broadband project, Night Markets return, and Aldi is officially coming to Yucca Valley
Hello from California’s high desert. If you haven’t made time to step outside for a sunrise or sunset recently, I highly recommend it. The clouds that have been hanging around have really made for some stunning displays.
If you haven’t already devoured the profile of Jim Cornett out this week in the Los Angeles Times, well, it’s best to set aside your evening to do so. Columnist Steve Lopez hung out with Cornett in our neck of the woods in an attempt to catch the spring wildflower bloom that failed to appear this year. Lopez wanted to learn why this was one of the worst years for the bloom in recent memory and ended up talking with Cornett about the desert’s future in our changing climate.
In the last year, I’ve written about the ways in which extreme heat, drought and diminishing fog have affected California’s wine industry, redwood trees and marine habitats. I was curious about whether there were visible changes in the desert, so I called Cornett. And that’s how I ended up staring at rat nests in ocotillos.
“Our desert areas in California are being rather dramatically changed in composition and appearance,” Cornett said, offering an assessment that casual visitors may have trouble grasping. The desert was dry before. It’s still dry. So what is changing, and why should we care?
Cornett is in the process of publishing his 40-something book based on decades’ worth of photographs he has of the changing desert ecosystem. He specifically focused on the declining plant and animal life in a handful of areas that he has photographed multiple times across several years.
Near the end of the article, after Lopez follows Cornett out to Lee Flat, Cornett has a line that I simply cannot stop thinking about.
“I was hoping that when I left the planet as a living and breathing human being, I would have left it in a better state than it was in when I was born,” Cornett said. “I can now say with certainty that upon my death, the Earth will be in more trouble than it was in when I was born.”
Now, onto this week’s news:
Due to a surplus in the state budget and federal funding tucked into the Biden Administration’s recent infrastructure bill, California has access to roughly $7 billion specifically for expanding access to broadband connections in rural areas.
Governor Gavin Newsom had indicated the amount he wanted to earmark for the project, which would roll out over five years, in a proposed budget sent to the State Legislature for approval.
State legislators, however, haven’t supported the proposal, which is part of the state’s much larger budget proposal for the coming year.
The funds would be used to expand access to broadband connections through major internet service providers like AT&T in addition to high-speed options like fiber. Much of the Morongo Basin is lacking access to broadband currently, and instead relies on microwave or satellite internet services.
Residents are urged to call their representatives and voice their opinions on the proposed project. Instructions for how to do so can be found here.
The Joshua Tree Night Market returns just in time for next week’s heatwave. The market will continue every second Saturday through the summer.
The Joshua Tree Night Market is running on Saturday from 4 p.m. until 10 p.m.
The annual market runs during the summers when other similar installments like Mercado go on hiatus to avoid the summer heat.
Le Jazzanne will be playing live music this weekend, and the market will feature several local artists and makers. It is located in the Shops at Zanny’s in Joshua Tree East Village.
For more information about this week’s market and future ones, check out the group’s Facebook page.
Yucca Valley is getting an Aldi! The planning commission approved conditional use permits 5-0 for the building Aldi identified as a potential location (behind the Rite Aid on Rt. 62).
The commission issued amendments to several elements of the permits, including parking, trash, landscape, revised lighting, and roof design suggestions, according to the Hi-Desert Star.
Construction will start in June and likely run through November. “We have plans to be open for the holidays,” Ben Vesper, the Aldi Real Estate representative, told the Star.
The 20,473-square-foot grocery store will have fewer than 100 parking spaces. Aldi is a discount grocer known for the no-frills stores and bag-your-own-groceries counters. It is owned by the same company as Trader Joe’s.
Pupdate of the week: Alice has entered her teenager phase. No shoes are safe and we are reteaching her a bunch of obedience training that she has decided she no longer wants to listen to. Puppies are fun.
Trail tip of the week: High season is officially over, but there are still plenty of tourists hitting the trails nearby. How can I tell? Y’all are decked out in all black for a hike on a completely exposed trail! Light colors are your friends now that the temperatures are rising. Loose-fitting, full-length clothes are also another huge plus for avoiding sun exposure and staying cool.
Book of the week: Since school is already out, here’s a book suggestion for young adults that may be looking for something to do. I have always enjoyed the His Dark Materials trilogy by Phillip Pullman, but the two additional prequel books make for an awesome summer project. HBO recently started a series covering the books that was extremely well done, and it returns this fall. The series follows a young girl named Lyra as she embarks on a quest to rescue her friend, but it turns into an all-out battle for the future of humanity.
Show of the week: If you are looking for a light-hearted comedy, check out Hacks on HBO Max. It follows a washed-up comedian living in Vegas as she teams up with a Millennial comedy writer out of LA as they try to learn to live with eachother. It takes a few episodes to hit its stride, but worth sticking it out!
Small business of the week
I went a little north for this week's business of the week because I’ve been blown away by this small group’s efforts around Pride month so far.
Têra Kaia makes base wear for people with breasts that functions as a sports bra and a swim top, depending on your mood and activity for the day. The Bishop-based shop has been incredibly supportive of the LGBTQIA+ outdoor community and has even made custom base wear for Pride month. We love to see it!
You can order base wear from Têra Kaia online, or swing by their Bishop location off 395 if you want to say hello. They offer free returns and have a great online sizing tool to make the process super easy. The Bishop location is at 100 N. Main Street.
The Hi-Desert Dispatch will be taking a few weeks off (returning after July 4). I will be back in your inboxes with tons of updates and tips in July! I hope you have a great start to your summer!
- Megan
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