Year-End Review, All Things Western Joshua Tree!
2024 was an extremely busy year for California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s (CDFW) western Joshua tree (WJT) conservation team. New staff were hired, outreach meetings were held, permits were issued, and the draft Western Joshua Tree Conservation Plan (Conservation Plan) was released!
The first half of 2024 focused on developing the Western Joshua Tree Relocation Guidelines and Protocols (Relocation Guidelines) in early 2024, which were released in July. The Relocation Guidelines provide guidance on how and when to relocate WJTs in order to minimize impacts to populations, prevent habitat fragmentation, and preserve WJT connectivity.
After months of development, CDFW released the draft Conservation Plan to the public in November. CDFW engaged with California Native American tribes, federal and state agencies, non-profits, business organizations, researchers, and the public throughout the year to ensure a wide array of knowledge, ideas, and data are included to help support WJT conservation. CDFW hosted virtual outreach meetings in April and July to update partners on the progress of the Conservation Plan. These informative meetings allowed the public to ask questions and provide input and suggestions on Conservation Plan content. The draft Conservation Plan provides guidance and recommended conservation management actions for WJT, criteria to help define the effectiveness of and monitor those management actions, and a process for improving conservation over time. The Commission is required to take final action on the Conservation Plan by June 30, 2025.
CDFW also prioritized meaningful tribal engagement throughout the year and focused on engaging in ways that respect the interests, priorities, time, and resource constraints of tribes. This outreach included meetings, phone calls, and email correspondence with participating tribes. In October, CDFW staff attended an in-person inter-tribal meeting with seven tribes. Attendees visited a tribal nursery and WJT relocation sites and discussed contents of the Conservation Plan and future collaboration. Moving into 2025, CDFW continues to ensure tribal engagement is a top priority in order to best ensure WJT conservation.
In addition to the Conservation Plan, CDFW accomplished many other WJT-related goals in 2024. CDFW created the Conservation Lands Prioritization Assessment, which is a key component of the Conservation Plan. The purpose of the assessment provides biological guidance for land acquisitions and other conservation actions supported by the Western Joshua Tree Conservation Fund. The assessment includes several components to rate suitable WJT habitat for conservation. CDFW anticipates this process will help identify high priority conservation land available in 2025. In addition, two permitting systems established by the Western Joshua Tree Conservation Act continue to be implemented efficiently. To date, over 25 WJT Incidental Take Permits and 350 Hazard Management Permits have been issued.
Josh Grover, Deputy Director of the Ecosystem Conservation Division, summarized the year by stating “Conserving western Joshua tree in California isn’t easy, but we’ve accomplished all of the Western Joshua Tree Conservation Act’s 2024 milestones on time. We also continue to balance the mix of interests while finding opportunities to improve overall implementation as required under the Act.”
For updates on CDFW western Joshua tree conservation efforts and upcoming outreach meetings, please subscribe to our email/SMS message announcement system.
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