Saturday, April 25 - May 1, 2015

Today, SATURDAY, April 25

9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.: 5th Annual Desert-Wise Landscape Tour Highlights Drought-Tolerant Gardens. 20 Morongo Basin homes will showcase drought-tolerant landscapes. The self-guided tour is sponsored by the Morongo Basin Conservation Association.
Advance registration is required.  http://www.mbconservation.org/2015_landscape_tour

5:00 - 8:00 p.m., Earth Day Joshua Tree, with Transition Joshua Tree and Community United Methodist Church. Vegie cuisine/movie provided by Food Not Bombs; workshop on companion planting; arts/crafts. More: Joe Fairbanks, (760)490-6287, jtlocalfoodprogram@gmail.com. 6213 E Parkway, JT.

5:30 p.m.: FLASHMOB in the Wal-Mart parking lot in YV. Sponsored by Morongo Basin Sexual Assault Services to raise awareness of sexual assault. If you are interested in participating, contact MBSAS at 760-369-3353. Dance moves: http://tinyurl.com/hdstar-flash More: http://tinyurl.com/hdstar-mbsas

SUNDAY, April 26, 5:00 p.m.: LIVE MUSIC - Whiskey Confessions, Beatnik Lounge, 61597 29Palms Hwy, JT

Whiskey Confessions Band - Rain (Live at House of Blues) from Ground Glass on Vimeo.

TUESDAY, April 28, 11:00 a.m. – noon: FREE Diabetes Education Class - Understand weight management and the body-mass-index, calorie lowering strategies, the importance of activity and setting exercise goals, alcohol and diabetes, and review of your medications.
Helen Gray Education Center at the Hi-Desert Medical Center, 6601 White Feather Rd at 29Palms Hwy, JT. More: tinyurl.com/hdstar-diabetes

WEDNESDAY, April 29, 8:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.: JT Rec and Park Bus Trip to the California Science Center – Dead Sea Scrolls Exhibition. $62 includes admission & IMAX movie. Register: 760-366-8415

WEDNESDAY, April 29, 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.: Taco Wednesday! Full menu, full plate for $4.75, taco salad 2.75 – 3.25. VFW, 6402 Veterans Way, JT.

FRIDAY, May 1, 5:00 – 7:00 p.m.: Copper Mountain Community College’s 5th annual Student Art Show at the Hi-Desert Nature Museum, 57116 29Palms Hwy, YV. New works from students include drawings, paintings, prints, photographs, sculpture, and mixed media works.

SATURDAY and SUNDAY, May 2 & 3, The Vagina Monologues, by Eve Ensler. A fundraiser for the Morongo Basin Unity Home, with Victoria Williams, Liesl, Miri Hunter, Annachristie, Magan Hutch, Lisa Mednick Powell, Jennifer Irvine, Nell St. John, Myshkin, Artemis, Leslie Mariah Andrews, Melody Calley, Amanda Davis. Ricochet Vintage Wears, 61731 29Palms Hwy. $15-$20. More: projectsheba@yahoo.com.

The MOJAVE RATTLESKATERS, women’s full contact roller derby, is recruiting skaters, refs and NSOs. No experience necessary. Must be 18. Practice Mondays and Wednesdays 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. More: ww.mojaverattleskaters.com

SUMMER PRESCHOOL CAMP – Sign up now. Ages 2 – 6. Camp is Monday – Thursday, 9:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. Begins June 15 with Ooey Gooey theme! More: 760-366-8415 or JoshuaTreeRecAndPark.org.

SENIOR FITNESS – Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9:00 – 10:00 a.m. $2 drop in or $10 a month. Cardio, strength, flexibility and balance. JT Community Center, 6171 Sunburst Ave, JT. More: 760-366-8415

Saturday, April 18 - April 24, 2015

LATE ENTRY:

FRIDAY, April 17, 4:00 - 6:00 p.m.: Professor Spelman Downer is currently showing his unique works of Art, in Bruce's Coyote Kitchen on Copper Mountain College Campus, in Joshua Tree. An Open Reception will be held and refreshments will be served. At 5:15pm, Spelman will do a "Walk-around Talk", about his "History of Southern California Landscape" Artworks. This is a beautiful show, in Spelman's signature, unique style and well-worth a visit.

Spelman Downer.   Proto Colorado River, poured enamel.

SATURDAY, April 18

OPENING DAY Joshua Tree National Park – FREE admission Saturday and Sunday! Flowers are still blooming – what are you waiting for? GO! tinyurl.com/hdstar-free

Your kids can be sworn in as Junior Rangers!

9:00 a.m.– 1:00 p.m.: Household Hazardous Waste Disposal, 62499 29Palms Hwy. Info: (800) 645-9228.

7:38 p.m.: (Dis)embodied - Wilsons Ranch House, 61589 Division St., JT. Ocular spectacle, astral lounge, a multimedia throw down!

8:00 p.m.: LA author JOHNNY ANGEL WENDELL reads from his novel, Looking For Lady Dee: A Punk Rock Mystery. Beatnik Lounge, 61597 29Palms Hwy, JT.

SUNDAY, April 19, 5:00 – 9:30 p.m.: Songwriters Scott Pinkmountain and Grant Earl Lavalley with a screening of an experimental documentary by Don Edler. Beatnik Lounge, 61597 29Palms Hwy, JT.

MONDAY, April 20, 8:00-11:00 a.m.:  JT Commodities Food Distribution, JT Community Center, 6171 Sunburst Ave. Low income San Bernardino residents self-certify on site.

TUESDAY, April 21, 10:00 a.m.: San Bernardino Board of Supervisors. Participate via videoconferencing at Bob Burke Government Center, 63665 29Palms Hwy, JT. AGENDA: tinyurl.com/hdstar-bos

EARTH DAY!!! – WEDNESDAY, April 22

6:00 p.m.: High Desert Homegrown Poultry Association quarterly meeting at Yucca Mesa Improvement Association's Community Center. The center is on Balsa just off Aberdeen north of Yucca Valley, CA. I will give a presentation on starting and raising baby chicks with many tips on care and feeding. I will also show sprouting grains and raising forage (fresh grass) for your chickens and other poultry. I started this organization just over two years. ago. Everyone is welcome, including children. Get the little ones started with chickens early! We encourage raising your own chickens for better health and wellbeing. Please also check out our members page for discussion and questions: RAISING HOMEGROWN POULTRY.

7:30 p.m.: Nourishing Tree & Transition JT present a screening of INHABIT, A Permaculture Perspective. Furstwurld, 8528 Desert Shadow, JT. $5. Please carpool. Very limited on-site parking. Carpool meet-up starting at 7:15 p.m. at vacant lot at Hwy 62 and Sunburst, between The Nourishing Tree and Mojave Sands. More: TheNourishingTree@gmail.com

Midnight: Lyrids Meteor Shower runs annually from April 16-25. It peaks this year on the night of the 22nd and the morning of the 23rd. Meteors sometime produce bright dust trails that last for several seconds. The moon sets shortly after midnight, leaving dark skies for what could be a good show.

FRIDAY, April 24, 6:30 – 8:00 p.m.: Desert Earth Day reading with Ruth Nolan, Chris Clarke, Caryn Davidson and Cynthia Anderson. Beatnik Lounge, 61597 29Palms Hwy, JT.

Check out Ruth Nolan's  fab book, No Place for a Puritan: The Literature of California's Deserts

Joshua Basin Water District Plant of the Month is Jerusalem Sage. Think butterflies, birds & bees, and it IS edible - a strong replacement for regular sage. tinyurl.com/hdstar-sage

All of April is DISTRACTED DRIVING MONTH. Peoples! PAY ATTENTION! No texting while driving! Cut it out!! Be safe!

GOT BEES?
Charla and Michael Shamhart are local beekeepers who do bee removals / rescues.  The Shamharts do not charge and cannot handle all removals. Individuals are responsible for any repairs needed to get the bees out of the location if wood or walls are impacted (we don't do most of those).  Call Charla and Michael Shamhart 760-401-0689

Saturday, April 11 - April 17, 2015

!!! IMPORTANT !!!
This Wednesday!

Wednesday, April 15, 2015
6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Yucca Valley Community Center Complex – Yucca Room
57090 29Palms Hwy, Yucca Valley

Be there if you can.

FIGHT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT’S PROPOSAL TO RADICALLY EXPAND OFF-ROAD VEHICLE USE IN JOSHUA TREE and WONDER VALLEY
The Bureau of Land Management [BLM] is proposing to radically expand the use of BLM land in the Joshua Tree area (and beyond) by Off-Road Vehicle [ORV] riders.

ORV tracks over desert lupine, a delicate spring wildflower.

We all know how bad illegal ORV activity is in Joshua Tree. This BLM proposal would make things much, much worse. If enacted as currently written, this proposal would allow almost all local BLM land to be used as ORV courses. There would be little to no enforcement of any rules regarding ORV riding. The result would be distress, devastation and destruction to the precious wilderness and wildlife that our community is embedded within.

Representatives from the BLM are coming to our area this Wednesday night, looking for feedback on this proposal from the public. It is ESSENTIAL that we people of conscience, who know the inherent value of our local wilderness and wildlife, show up and speak our minds on this issue.

For detailed and informed analysis of this BLM proposal by a local expert, consult biologist Pat Flanagan’s presentation: http://www.orvwatch.com/


For further information on this issue, and on ORV use in the desert in general, check out Community ORV Watch. They do GREAT and ESSENTIAL work: http://www.orvwatch.com/

SATURDAY, April 11

11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.: Mojave Desert Land Trust Gateway Headquarters Open House. LIVE MUSIC with Mojave Rhythm. 60124 29Palms Hwy, JT. More: Lesley Hughes, 760-366-5440 or lesley@mojavedesertlandtrust.org.

3:00 p.m.: Mojave Rattle Skaters vs Foothill Foxy Flyers. Womens full contact roller derby. $8 in advance/military. $10 at the door. Kids 10 and under free. Snake Pit, 52260 Little League Drive YV After party at Willie Boys.

5:00 – late: SECOND SATURDAY, Downtown art crawl, live music events, and more.
6:00 – 8:00 p.m.: JTAG Opening Reception, 61607 29Palms Hwy, JT.

7:00 – 11:00 p.m.: Earth to Mother Art Show and Open Mic, Beatnik Lounge, 61597 29Palms Hwy, JT. MORE: tinyurl.com/hdstar-earth2mother

SUNDAY, April 12

Mil-Tree brings veterans, active-duty military, and civilians together to address the wounds of the soul through communication and art. Mil-Tree is seeking submissions of poems, short stories, or songs created by active or retired military members and their families regarding wartime experiences. Contact: Paula Jeane at teacher.beloved@gmail.com More: www.mil-tree.org 

See the call for submissions.

LIVE MUSIC Beatnik Lounge, 61597 29Palms Hwy, JT.
5:00 – 6:30 p.m.: Myshkin, Urban Desert Cabaret (Joe CIty Garcia) and Rags & Bones,
7:30 - 9:30 p.m.: Experimental sounds from Andrea Pensado and Cat Livingston's Music Zpsage.

MONDAY April 13, 6:30 p.m.: Morongo Basin Municipal Advisory Council (MAC), JT Recreation Center, 6171 Sunburst Avenue, JT. Everyone is welcome to attend and participate.

WEDNESDAY, April 15, 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.: Joshua Basin Water District BOARD MEETING, 61750 Chollita Road, JT. The public is welcome.

FRIDAY, April 17, 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.: Black Rock Lecture Series: Climate Change Response. Moderator:  Frazier Haney, Mojave Desert Land Trust. Panelists:  Cameron Barrows, Research Scientist, UC Riverside; Ian James, Investigative Reporter, The Desert Sun and JTNP Resource Staff. Copper Mountain College, 6162 Rotary Way, JT. RSVP tinyurl.com/hdstar-climate-change

SATURDAY, April 18, 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.: Earth day Restoration/Clean-up on the Gateway Parcel, Section 33. More: Lesley Hughes, 760-366-5440 or lesley@mojavedesertlandtrust.org.

This is International Dark SkyWeek: turn off outdoor lights to observe the wonders of the night sky without light pollution.

Joshua Tree Clean Team meets every 2nd, 4th and 5th Wednesday of the month and does 1 hour of clean up around JT. Socializing afterwards. Yay, Clean Team! More:  (760)366-8415.