A month after the California Fish and Game Commission voted to make western Joshua trees a candidate for listing as a threatened species, several trade groups and a high desert town are suing to block the protections granted to the Mojave Desert's iconic plant.
In September, the commission acted on the recommendation of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, giving the species — one of two Joshua tree varieties — legal protection for the next year while the state studies its viability. On Oct. 21, the California Construction and Industrial Materials Association, known as CalCIMA, and others brought the lawsuit in a state court in Fresno County, the trade group announced Monday.
The commission's September decision was a major win for conservationists, as it marked the first time the California Endangered Species Act was used to shield a species threatened mainly by climate change. The last five years have been the five hottest in recorded human history, according to government scientists, and local researchers predict that rising temperatures could wipe out Joshua trees from wide swathes of Southern California by the end of the century.
California trade groups sue to block western Joshua tree protections
In September, the commission acted on the recommendation of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, giving the species — one of two Joshua tree varieties — legal protection for the next year while the state studies its viability. On Oct. 21, the California Construction and Industrial Materials Association, known as CalCIMA, and others brought the lawsuit in a state court in Fresno County, the trade group announced Monday.
The commission's September decision was a major win for conservationists, as it marked the first time the California Endangered Species Act was used to shield a species threatened mainly by climate change. The last five years have been the five hottest in recorded human history, according to government scientists, and local researchers predict that rising temperatures could wipe out Joshua trees from wide swathes of Southern California by the end of the century.
California trade groups sue to block western Joshua tree protections