Map of my study area, the Morongo Basin, situated within southern California (graciously created by fellow CSULB Geography MA grad student Mina Nada).
Map of western Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia ,YUBR) and eastern Joshua tree (Yucca jaegeriana ,YUJA) populations in California, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona (USFWS 2018).
The western and eastern Joshua trees' range in California from the CESA petition, includes major municipalities (Cummings 2019).
Conceptual flow chart for a theoretical approach in the geographical subfield of thought known as "New West" Political Ecology (PE). Key concepts that are part of the focus of thought in this area are presented on the left, while resulting questions and implications of these focus concepts/areas are on the right. An overarching goal of crafting strategies and policy solutions in a collaborative, pluralistic manner underlies everything.
From my thesis introduction:
"New West PE in general focuses upon the intersection of the natural environment and political processes within the geographical extent of the American West. Analysis of the interplay between unequal power relations, differing forms of knowledge production, and varied environmental dispositions among actors all fall under the theoretical jurisdiction of the sub discipline. These and other studied tenets broadly inform competition for agency and access in an evolving region."
I should add that the "New West" is differentiated from the "Old West" by various emerging social, economic, and ecological developments. In my case study of the western Joshua tree these include: demographic shifts, such as comparatively wealthier migrants from LA moving to the Morongo Basin and inadvertently shifting power dynamics while furthering socioeconomic exclusion ("pricing out" some longtime residents-think gentrification). It also includes increasing popularity of Joshua Tree National Park (JTNP) to the point of overwhelming its capacity for visitation, and thereby creating negative environmental/ecological impacts). The proposed California threatened species listing for the western Joshua tree acts as an inflection point, bringing together all the good and bad (to put it simply) of regional trends in the American West.
Further elaboration from my thesis intro on choosing the Morongo Basin in California as my study area and New West shifts:
"The Morongo Basin, as the site chosen for this study, is uniquely situated at a socioecological inflection point. Formerly quiet, exurban communities within its boundaries have begun to awaken. The rapidly rising popularity of basin communities, including unincorporated Joshua Tree and the city of Yucca Valley, can be attributed to several key factors. Reasons include a larger trend towards exurban migration as a result of seeking natural amenities, the covid-19 pandemic, and the (former) availability of cheap housing (Ooi et al. 2015). Another, and arguably the most significant, reason for recent growth can be attributed to the adjacency of Joshua Tree National Park (JTNP). The park has experienced a near-parabolic increase in visitors since its redesignation from a National Monument to a National Park in 1994, breaking records virtually every year over the last decade (NPS 2021).
Other changes to accompany a dramatically increased focus on tourism have since come along to reshape the appearance of the Morongo Basin. A proliferation of short-term vacation rental properties is one such change. Rising housing prices spurring renewed developmental interest is another. An influx of higher-end amenities and glamping accommodations is yet one more (DiPierro 2019). Each new shift in the spirit of those just described is important to realize in the context of this study because each cumulatively adds pressure to the ongoing dialogue on the precarious coexistence of nature and human development. This in turn adds fuel to the debate over western Joshua tree conservation. The species acts as a symbol of the California desert, and it is through that status that the merits of conservation are professed. The western Joshua tree additionally serves as a paradoxical proxy, representing a force for economic stability in the high desert to some, and as a roadblock to economic progress in the region to others (Estacio 17 June 2020 and Hund 20 Aug 2020)."
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