By Joel Cruz |Staff Writer| President Barack Obama designated three new national monuments in the California desert to protect 1.8 million acres of landscape. The 1906 Antiquities Act, which gives the president authority to set aside protection for historic landmarks and other objects of historic or scientific interest, was used by President Obama to proclaim to Mojave Trials, sand to Snow and Castle Mountains as national monuments, according to the National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior. The designation was requested by Sen. Dianne Feinstein in an August 2015 letter, who fought to protect land that wasn't included in the 1994 California Desert … [Read more...] about 3 new monuments designated
Conservation
Congress inaction; land and water fund runs dry
By Raequan Harrison |Staff Writer| National and state parks have part of their funding due to the expiring of the law Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) by Congress. The LWCF’s purpose was to protect wildlife forestries and lands to provide a safe place for the public to visit. State and national parks haven’t always been open to the public. They were opened and maintained by the government under this law. In 1965, the bill was signed into law “to establish a land and water conservation fund to assist the States and Federal [H. R. 3846] agencies in meeting present and future outdoor recreation demands and needs of the American people, and for other purposes,” according to the … [Read more...] about Congress inaction; land and water fund runs dry
Drought emergency declared by Gov. Brown
By Santiago Castillo |Staff Writer| Gov. Jerry Brown proclaims that California is in the midst of its worst dry spell in a century. Wildfires remain a threat due to the drought. According to The Sun, “Unless the state gets significant rainfall in the next two months, television sets glowing with wildfires could play like reruns throughout the year.” When asked about San Bernardino County being in danger of fire, Professor Joan E. Fryxell from the Department of Geological Science said, “The natural vegetation relies on winter rains as its primary moisture source. It hasn’t rained locally since mid-December, so the vegetation is much drier than average. That coupled with the warm air and … [Read more...] about Drought emergency declared by Gov. Brown
Program preserves parolees’ and more
by Stephanie Paniagua | Staff Writer | Your new gardener may be a recent parolee who is an aspiring entrepreneur, thanks to a local city employment agency. The Water Efficient Landscape, Entrepreneurial Skills and Soft Skills program (WELESS), is a program similar to the Day Reporting Center (DRC) reported on last week’s edition of the Chronicle. WELESS, administrated by the San Bernardino Employment and Training Agency (SBETA), is a program designed to assist parolees with reintegrating back into the community as well as to teach them how to start a business. “We looked at it as a training program,” said Patrick Larkin, executive director of Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Gardens. … [Read more...] about Program preserves parolees’ and more
Acres of greenery should be xeriscaped
By Angelina Garibay |Staff Writer| A walk through the CSUSB campus reveals acres of luxuriant lawns, graceful shade trees and trim shrubbery. It is a beautiful campus. But, all this beauty comes at a cost in water resources. Tony Simpson, the senior director of facilities, says that at least 50 percent of the water used for irrigation comes from CSUSB’s own well. The grounds keepers do their magic with conservation in mind. Simpson explained that they aerate the 100 acres of lawns on a rotating basis to keep them healthy, because a healthy lawn will use less water. However, the rest of us in the state are not so water conservation conscious. No one can deny that water usage … [Read more...] about Acres of greenery should be xeriscaped
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