"They're projecting with high likelihood that the population is going to zero in most of California's western Joshua tree range by 2100," said Erika Zavaleta, a member on the California Fish and Game Commission. "We've been told for decades that climate change would be expensive and consequential. I kind of hate that this is where we find ourselves, but that is where we are."
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The California Fish and Game Commission is considering listing the Joshua tree as a threatened species, to give it more protection. For the time being, the board voted to postpone its decision to a meeting later this year.
Listing the Joshua tree as a threatened species could start an avalanche of lawsuits. Not only could it potentially jeopardize large-scale solar farms from being built across the Mojave Desert, but because an estimated 40% of Joshua trees are on private property, it could impact the rights of those property owners.
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"Listen, we're going to get sued no matter what we do here," said Eric Sklar, another commissioner. "If we list [the Joshua tree as a threatened species] we're going to get sued, and if we don't list it, we're going get sued."
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In the end, the four commissioners were split on whether to immediately list the Joshua tree as a threatened species.
"I respect the science. I respect the peer reviews," said commissioner Jacque Hostler-Carmesin. "I just think we're missing the larger picture, and I can't support listing [the Joshua tree] as threatened today."
The board eventually voted unanimously to continue the discussion at a meeting in October.
Members approved a motion to not only continue reaching out to local Indian tribes for input, but to direct the Department of Fish and Game to come up with a proposal for a range-wide Joshua tree recovery and protection plan.