Danielle Segura is working on a huge collage using her artist background. She is heading to the 'studio' everyday, putting together pieces of the Mojave Desert and preserving wildlife corridors. Open lands is her mission and that of her team at the Mojave Desert Land Trust. It’s a unique land trust that conserves public lands, has a varied outreach program, as well as a conservation seed bank and native plant restoration nursery.  In this episode, Danielle talks about her first desert experience with her father and how any small role we can play to speak up for the things we care about can make a difference.

A public review period is underway for the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) on future land use in the new Countywide Plan. This is a chance for everyone to comment on and present environmental information that you believe should be considered in the EIR. Land needs to be preserved parcel-by-parcel and anyone with a passion for our wildlife linkages, open space and national monuments can show up and let county officials know conservation is a priority.

This week was a double-whammy for our national monuments. First, a bill targeting the monuments was sent to the House floor for debate. Then, a move to make the monuments review more transparent was rejected. On October 11th a bill was passed by the House Committee on Natural Resources. H.R. 3990, or the “National Monument Creation and Protection Act,” aims to reduce new monuments to a maximum of 85,000 acres, eliminating the inclusion of “vast landscape domains.”