Joshua Trees Need Protection

FILL & SEND THIS PRE-WRITTEN SCRIPT to the CA FISH AND GAME COMMISSION BY JUNE 13TH

EMAIL: fgc@fgc.ca.gov

MAILING ADDRESS: California Fish and Game Commission, P.O. Box 944209, Sacramento, CA, 94244–2090

SUBJECT: VOTE for the Joshua Trees 

To the California Fish + Game Commission:

My name is [INSERT NAME] and I am a [PROFESSION, CITIZEN, ETC.] from [LOCATION].

I am extremely concerned about the loss of our precious Joshua Trees from climate change as well as large-scale development.

While some protection is provided to trees by local ordinances, these are inadequate to respond to the multitude of threats that could lead to its disappearance. Not all Joshua trees are within National Park and National Monument boundaries. In fact, 40% of Joshua tree habitat is on private land, where it has only modest protection at best.

Joshua trees don’t grow anywhere else on Earth. They attract visitors and new residents which, in turn, support our economy. In 2018, visitors to the National Park created an economic benefit of nearly $196 million both within the Park and its vicinity — that’s almost double the expenditure in 2014.

We need more protection for this species, which in turn supports our economy but most importantly, supports the survival of an entire ecosystem endemic to this one unique place.

Please consider voting to list Joshua Trees as a threatened species so that they can benefit from further protections.

Thank you.

Signed,

[YOUR NAME HERE]