PRESS RELEASE – For Immediate Release
March 9, 2010
Contact:
Nancy Karl
Mojave Desert Land Trust
760-366-5440
Environmental Groups Award Walmart Donation to Mojave Desert Land Trust
$120,000 Contribution Is Part Of Yucca Valley Legal Settlement
The Mojave Desert Land Trust announced it has been named the recipient of a $120,000 contribution for the purpose of land conservation in the Morongo Basin. The contribution comes as part of a comprehensive agreement resolving a legal action brought by a citizen’s group, the Coalition for Environmental Integrity in Yucca Valley, and the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD), against the Town of Yucca Valley and Walmart. The Land Trust congratulates the Coalition and CBD for their hard work that resulted in long-term conservation outcomes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and allow the citizens of Yucca Valley to decide in the future whether the Supercenter is appropriate for the town.
Matt Vespa with the Center for Biological Diversity stated, “Mojave Desert Land Trust was chosen as the recipient of the settlement funds because of their strong track record for land conservation acquisitions and programs in the Morongo Basin. The Land Trust did not participate in, nor were they privy to any discussions or negotiations during the course of the settlement.”
“We are grateful to all the parties in the settlement for the confidence they have placed in our organization,” said Nancy Karl, Executive Director of the Land Trust. “We have committed to applying these funds to land acquisition in the Morongo Basin. We are also pleased that the settlement has achieved many other important conservation outcomes for our community, such as the installation of rooftop solar panels and the attention paid to greenhouse gas emissions from large retail outlets.”
The Land Trust is currently in its largest capital campaign to date - the Quail Mountain Project - that will conserve 955-acres of pristine wildlife habitat adjacent to Joshua Tree National Park. The land contains some of the most important desert tortoise habitat in the Morongo Basin, and the watersheds from Quail Mountain that feed a diverse number of wildlife species thriving within the Quail Mountain ecosystem. The project’s success depends on public donations, land acquisition grants and community support. The settlement donation to the Land Trust is a significant step forward in protecting wildlife habitat for Morongo Basin’s residents, visitors and Quail Mountain’s wildlife for generations to come.
“We are very fortunate to be in a position to preserve this important piece of habitat.” said Land Trust President Mindy Kaufman. “Development on this prime site would be devastating to the ecology of the Morongo Basin and to the Quail Mountain ecosystem. At this critical juncture we look to our donors in the community and the region to make this acquisition a reality and appreciate the support this settlement brings to the project.”
The Center for Biological Diversity has posted the major substantive terms of the settlements at http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/ceqa/pdfs/walmart-settlement-letter-yucca-valley.pdf and http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/ceqa/pdfs/walmart-settlement-letter-perris.pdf.
