Could the Morongo Basin be spared in a looming drought year?
Joshua Tree hosts a naturalization ceremony, the Johnson Valley Shared Use Area is closed until Monday, and pharmacies are taking walk-in vaccination appointments.
Hello from California’s high desert. The wind finally died down — knock on wood that it stays that way — and I can start to feel the summer stillness settling in. The neighborhood’s wildlife has been more active than usual, but I have a feeling that might have to do with some overgrown weeds in our yard than anything else.
Several reports came out this week that painted a dire picture of the drought situation across California. The Sierra snowpack is at just 15% of normal as of Tuesday, and the San Joaquin Valley has already started implementing water use restrictions for agriculture ahead of a looming shortage. Many reserves had yet to be fully replenished from the last drought that ended in 2017, leaving the state in a less-than-ideal position going into what looks like the beginning of another prolonged drought season.
There are four active fires burning across California as of Wednesday morning, three of which are in Southern California, which is among the earliest starts to fire season that I can remember. The San Francisco Chronicle reported Wednesday that a sequoia in Sequoia National Park is still smoldering from a wildfire last year. CAL FIRE director Thom Parker said this year’s fire season could be “like Armageddon.”
Water scarcity and conservation are nothing new to folks in the desert, but all the doom-and-gloom forecasts got me to look into our water supply situation in the Morongo Basin. We primarily get our water source from the Mojave River, which runs from the San Bernardino Mountains out to dry Soda Lake, which averages roughly 50,000 acre-feet of water per year, according to the Mojave Water Agency. At its driest, it carries about 10,000 acre-feet of water. I stumbled on this 2018 article in the San Bernardino Sun while researching this story, and I highly recommend it as a summarized history of the river.
That said, the state Department of Water Resources categorizes the Morongo Basin as part of the Colorado River hydrological region, which has been one of the most impacted by this year’s impending drought. Groundwater levels in the area have stayed flat, at best, although the majority of reporting stations reported moderate decreases in supply in 2019, the latest year for which there is data.
It is not yet clear how decreasing water levels will impact domestic and commercial water use in the area, if at all, if the drought persists. It is likely that restrictions enforced back in 2017 make a comeback, which included limiting outdoor water use for things like washing cars or running outdoor fountains.
The Democrats of the Morongo Basin are hosting a virtual panel discussion at 10 a.m. on Saturday to discuss water issues in the area. You can register to attend the event here.
And now, on to this week’s news:
Joshua Tree National Park hosted a naturalization ceremony for 25 Americans on Tuesday.
The National Park Service has a partnership with US Citizenship and Immigration Services that allows National Parks to host naturalization ceremonies for people who want to become US citizens.
Joshua Tree National Park hosted a one-hour event on Tuesday for 25 people who became US citizens during the ceremony. The event was held in the Hidden Valley picnic area, and the public was invited to attend.
“We are honored to be able to welcome 25 new citizens to Joshua Tree National Park,” park superintendent David Smith said. “Our parks tell the stories of America. As new citizens, these visitors will have the chance to see, feel and be part of one of our country’s greatest legacies, our national parks.”
I highly recommend looking through The Desert Sun’s photo story of the event for some feel-good reading. Naturalization ceremonies always make me tear up, and this one was no exception.
The Johnson Valley Shared Use Area is temporarily closed to the public until Monday, May 10, while the Marine Corps conducts critical military training in the area and inspects the area afterward training has concluded in coordination with the Bureau of Land Management.
The Johnson Valley OHV Recreation Area, managed by the BLM, remains open to the public and is unaffected by closures of the Johnson Valley Shared Use Area. The nearby Stoddard Valley OHV Area is also still open to the public.
The Shared Use Area is approximately 56,000 acres and is available to the public 10 months of the year.
As part of a Combat Center expansion several years ago, the Marine Corps is allotted two months for military training in the area. The two months are broken up into two 30-day training periods.
Any questions or inquiries on military training in Johnson Valley may be directed to the Resource Management Group by contacting the Combat Center at (760) 830-3737 or smbplmsjohnsonvalley@usmc.mil.
CVS, Walmart, and Walgreens are accepting walk-in appointments for COVID-19 vaccinations.
In a press release Wednesday, CVS announced all its locations nationwide were now accepting walk-ins for COVID-19 vaccinations.
The announcement came several days after a report found that pharmacies like Walgreens and CVS were wasting more vaccine doses than they were administering.
The CVS locations in Palm Desert and Palm Springs offer Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson vaccines.
Walmart announced that it was also opening up appointments for walk-ins on Tuesday. Walgreens plans to open up to walk-ins as well starting today.
Pupdate of the week: Alice went on her first overnight camping trip on Tuesday. It went about as well as could be expected. Oliver was elated to have a quiet evening on the couch.
Trail tip of the week: This is more of a “driving to the trailhead” tip this week, but I hope you’ll humor me. Snakes love to hang out on asphalt during the morning and daylight hours as they try to warm up from our chilly nights. They are incredibly difficult to see if you are driving fast, and every year snakes are run over by drivers going way too fast in the park. Slow down, and look down!
Book of the week: I couldn’t get enough of Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid earlier this year. It’s a wonderfully written novel that follows two women who don’t yet know they share .. someone .. in common. It’s part coming-of-age story, part super-mom parable, and all parts enjoyable.
Show of the week: I finally caught up on Mare of Easttown on HBO Max this weekend, and I am very glad I did. There are only three episodes out — they air on Sunday nights — so there’s still time to binge before next week. The limited series stars and is produced by Kate Winslet, who is a small-town detective that never left her community. The early episodes are full of drama and character development, so it starts off a little slow, but I’m hooked.
Small business of the week
Roadrunner Grab and Go is a relative newcomer to the area, but it has already solidified itself as a local favorite for tasty and affordable breakfast and lunches. Located in the National Park Visitors’ Center, Roadrunner is a perfect pre-hike or pre-picnic stop on the way into the park.
It offers a wide variety of prepared breakfast and lunch options, plus tons of snacks and a sandwich counter. They always have Mt. Tam cheese, my personal favorite, in stock so that’s a major plus!
Roadrunner Grab and Go is currently offering take-out only. It is located at 554 Park Blvd in Joshua Tree.
That’s it for this week. I hope you have a fantastic weekend, and go outside!
- Megan