What's in a name?
A proposed Sunburst Ave project goes ahead, California's mask mandate is still in place, and a 4-year-old boy is recovering from a snake bite in Palm Springs.
Hello from California’s high desert. I’m thinking of all our cold-blooded critters and blooming plants as we head into a chilly weekend (Chicago readers, you can ignore that last sentence). Also, we are currently under a Red Flag Warning starting tonight through Friday evening due to fire-friendly conditions. Be safe out there.
Speaking of our local weather patterns, The New York Times this week took a look at what climate change might mean for the National Park Service going forward, and in it included this nugget with another devastating photo from last year’s Dome Fire:
Joshua trees appear likely to lose all of their habitat in their namesake national park by the end of the century.
The story also looked at “Resist, Accept, Direct,” a new report put out last week by the Park Service. The goal, according to the story, is to develop a proactive management plan for places like Joshua Tree National Park instead of treating these places like stagnant, never-changing ecosystems.
The report helped inform a set of guidelines out last month advising Park staff on how to determine which plants and animals are worth saving, and which are not. The packet’s cover photo is of the charred Santa Monica Mountains after the Woolsey Fire in 2018.
The 30-page report advises Park staff, and goers by extension, that protecting species like Joshua trees is no longer enough if we want to ensure their survival. This could look like actively managing tree populations by planting new seeds and overseeing their growth. It could involve the removal of invasive species that actively harm the ecosystem but don’t directly impact Joshua trees. It could look any number of ways, but hopefully, a combination of these different efforts will meet the minimum requirement we need.
Joshua trees are a good embodiment of our current climate crisis. Their hard and spiky exteriors are enough to get through harsh winters and summers on either extreme, but they are so fragile that even a slight change in the environment could spell disaster for the entire species. They are a cornerstone species, meaning without them the entire jig is up, so to speak.
I hope that 20 years from now, we won’t have to explain to our steady flow of tourists how the town got its name.
And now, onto this week’s news:
Sunburst is getting a new bike lane in a $1.1 million road-widening project approved on Tuesday.
At a Tuesday meeting, the San Bernadino County Supervisors approved a $1.1 million project that would widen Sunburst Ave in Joshua Tree.
In addition to accommodating more traffic near the new elementary school, the construction project would also create bike lanes in Sunburst.
The County will reimburse the district for construction costs of up to $1,118,000.
Work on the project is expected to begin in June and will conclude in the fall, according to a Z107.7 report.
Dr. Mark Ghaly, California’s Health and Human Services secretary, announced Monday that the state would continue enforcing its mask mandate until at least June 15.
The announcement came after the CDC told vaccinated people that they could ditch the masks in almost all circumstances outside of healthcare settings or travel. However, some experts cautioned that the new guidelines were a bit premature as vaccination rates started to stall across the country.
Governor Gavin Newsom had previously announced that the state would do away with its colored tier system and reopen most businesses by June 15, and would reevaluate the mask mandate at that time.
“It’s in no way saying that the science or the direction by the CDC is wrong or there’s a challenge to it,” Ghaly said during a briefing Monday. “It’s really just giving ourselves across the state some additional time to have it implemented with a high degree of integrity, with a continued focus on protecting the public.”
A 4-year-old boy is recovering from a snake bite while out on a hike in Palm Springs on Saturday.
The Palm Springs Mounted Police Search and Rescue team received a call about a hiker in distress around 12 p.m. Saturday. The hiker in question was a 4-year-old boy who had been bitten by a rattlesnake.
The team was training nearby with California Highway Patrol and had immediate access to a helicopter and landing zone, veteran rescuer and team lead Doug Stevens told NBC Palm Springs.
The boy was transported to Loma Linda University Health and is expected to make a full recovery.
Dr. Lance Brown, the vice-chair of emergency medicine at Loma Linda, reminded NBC viewers that the best course of action if you’ve been bitten is to get to medical attention as quickly as possible, and placing a tourniquet or attempting to suck out the venom is not recommended.
Pupdate of the week: As of this writing, Alice has just two puppy teeth left. That might explain last week’s rebellious phase as I’m sure the poor thing’s mouth does not feel nice.
Trail tip of the week: You can never have enough reminders of what to do — and what not to do — if you get bitten by a rattlesnake while out on the trail (see above). I started carrying a GPS device that can make emergency calls recently since I don’t have cell service in many places I hike. If you hike solo, make sure to always alert someone as to where you’re planning to go, when you expect to start and end your hike, and what to do if you don’t return by a certain time.
Book of the week: This one was a little strange, but I really enjoyed Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk. It’s an eery murder mystery that features a woman who lives alone and cares for the land and nearby wildlife on her daily rounds. It’s told in the first person, and the protagonist is an unreliable narrator, to say the least, which makes it thrilling to follow.
Show of the week: I don’t know about you, but finding new shows has been difficult lately! I don’t know if there are fewer new ones out there or if there are too many to pick from. Either way, it was a Parks & Recreation kind of week for me.
Small business of the week
The end of the climbing season is upon us and high season is struggling across the finish line, so it’s prime time over at Nomad Ventures. The outdoor outfitter is still in business despite rumors to the contrary circulated earlier on in the pandemic, and there are used goodies galore from an active season if you are in the market for camping or climbing gear at a decent price.
Nomad Ventures will transition to summer hours soon, which means they’ll be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. You can shop online but I personally prefer to head in and chat with the folks working there. Nomad Ventures is located at 61795 Twentynine Palms Highway A (near Roadrunner Cafe on Park) in Joshua Tree.
That’s it for this week. I hope you have a great weekend, and please be safe when you go outside!
- Megan