Morongo Basin Regional Conservation and Land Use Planning Project

The Morongo Basin is a fragile and diverse ecosystem of Joshua tree forests, ancient plants, unique wildlife, mountains and dry lake beds in the Mojave Desert of Southern California. While development pressures differ in scale from other areas of the state, uncoordinated development patterns are impacting the treasured landscapes, open spaces and vistas that residents value and visitors come to enjoy.

Learn more about our work in the Morongo Basin:

Conservation Priorities Report - September 2012		Alternative Futures Project		Model Wildlife Overlay Ordinance

The Sonoran Institute worked in this area as a member of the Morongo Basin Open Space Group (MBOSG) to protect natural landscapes and open space through regional conservation and land use planning. From 2006-2012 regional governmental agencies, development interests, and environmental and conservation groups worked collaboratively to identify critical priority conservation areas and work with local entities to build a robust local economy that respects our desert landscapes and provides for “Basin-Wise” growth.

The Morongo Basin area in the high desert region of San Bernardino County is defined by the Morongo Unified School District boundary, an area of approximately 1,400 square miles that is home to 75,000 residents, including those living and working at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms. Major public land owners include the Bureau of Land Management, the Department of Defense, and the National Park Service. Private lands comprise approximately 27 percent of the area and are interspersed throughout, many parcels in checkerboard patterns with BLM lands, reflecting government homesteading programs of the early 20th century.

The Sonoran Institute’s Training and Community Leadership Program contributed to this regional conservation and land use planning effort via:

• Community engagement, education and outreach through public meetings, public workshops, and speaking engagements;
• Joint facilitation of regional research projects, including the South Coast Wildlands report “A Linkage Design for the Joshua Tree —Twentynine Palms Connection”;
• Applications for grants and program support; and
• Development of research products for use in decision making about where and how growth occurs in the region.