It’s a wonderful time to be living in the high desert. 

What better place to celebrate such a diversity of wilderness, of climate, and of human personalities?  Day after day, we can marvel at magnificent sunrises and sunsets and star-filled night time skies. 

Those of us lucky enough to live here know how special it is.

Of course, it is also a perilous time to live in the high desert:  Is it still possible to balance the needs of our human population with those of our native environment?  Is it possible to encourage growth but ensure we keep our skies dark?  Can we teach one another how to conserve and protect our precious water resources?  Can we encourage new economies in the use of solar and wind energy? 

MBCA is a powerful voice within our high desert community, through which we can both celebrate our desert culture and address our most vexing environmental challenges.   For more than 50 years, MBCA has spoken for—and to—our high desert community about the issues that matter most.  

I am proud to join the Board of Directors of MBCA in 2024 and to work with committed neighbors in sharing ideas and giving voice to the community of residents—human and otherwise.

Like others on this Board, I’ve always loved the outdoors. But fully appreciating the uniqueness of the high desert has come mainly over the past 10 years, since my wife, Judith, and I began spending more than just weekends on our land in North Joshua Tree.  We’re pretty much full-timers, now.  

It was our good fortune to spend the Covid months amidst the jackrabbits, coyotes, and rattlesnakes of our neighborhood. We tried to figure out how to help native plants grow, and even thrive, in our hard-packed caliche-filled soil. We learned the rules and the tricks of desert living from our human friends and neighbors throughout the Morongo Basin.   

We all have a lot to learn from each other.   And MBCA is a great resource in helping spread the word.  I urge you to become a member and join your neighbors in helping to protect our cherished community.  

See you in the desert!