Open to the Public The sublime landscapes of California’s Mojave Desert—its extreme peaks and valleys, monumental vistas and immense star-filled skies—beguile visitors with their otherworldly solitude. You may think the seemingly infinite desert is empty, but it’s actually teeming with activity and inhabitants. The Mojave shelters a huge range of plants and animals. Simultaneously, its 20 million acres offer up a multitude of opportunities—from recreation to ranching, from mining to military training—for people. Iconic, immense and rich, the Mojave Desert’s natural benefits support life in California in so many ways. They are, however, both finite and fragile. That’s why The Nature Conservancy is applying its Development by Design approach to caring for the desert. Through prudent planning, we can ensure that the Mojave’s ample resources sustain people while preserving the Mojave’s irreplaceable and diverse plants and animals. Our goal is to encourage the development of clean energy, which is vital to California's future, while protecting the desert’s unique landscapes and ecology.

The Mojave has long been an invaluable resource for people, and—as its human populations continue to grow—its importance can only increase. Miners, ranchers and farmers all depend on the desert for their livelihoods. With every branch of the military maintaining an installation in the desert, the Mojave is a critical training location for the U.S. Department of Defense. Visitors to the Mojave’s three national parks—Death Valley National Park, Joshua Tree National Park and Mojave National Preserve—can encounter hundreds of species of native and migratory birds as well as a spectacular array of plants, including wondrously colorful blooms that carpet the desert floor in spring. And the film industry makes frequent use of the region’s spectacular scenery, which has starred in a number of major motion pictures. The desert is also playing a leading role in California’s ambitious renewable energy goals. Wind and solar energy installations are becoming an increasingly common sight in the desert.

While those projects make important contributions to California’s climate change objectives, they need to be pursued in places and ways that will allow California’s natural habitats to continue thriving. The stakes are high for the Mojave’s wildlife. Throughout the desert, underground rivers surface into a series of lush oases that support an extraordinary spectrum of life. Aquatic species existing nowhere else—such as the Devil’s Hole pupfish—share the desert’s resources with bighorn sheep, mountain lions, black-tailed jackrabbits and desert tortoises. Lab Puppies Oregon LiveThe Conservancy’s Development by Design brings together everyone who depends on the region’s resources in order to ensure a permanent and amicable solution to the desert’s environmental and energy needs. Pool Cleaners Staten IslandBy using the Conservancy’s extensive scientific knowledge of the region, we can guide the development process and inform mitigation strategies to make the Mojave a healthier place. Bathroom Faucet With Shampoo Sprayer

Meanwhile we continue our conservation efforts on the ground, protecting, for example, the Amargosa River, where more than 100 species are targeted for conservation. In addition, our study of the ability of desert species to adapt to the heat and aridity of the desert advances our work with other species facing the increasing effects of climate change. Maintaining the integrity of the habitats of this great land depends on the generosity of individuals like you. Please consider donating to The Nature Conservancy or becoming a member.What was thought to require substantial renovation unfortunately was determined to require a virtual re-build.  This was the result of years of apparent deterioration with no routine maintenance, no capital replacement funding, “Band-Aid” type of repairs, and a lack of accountability and oversight in some of the prior years before the new board took over. We begin with the 2007 flood of the main theater building, but also take a look back at how prior chronic fiscal issues massively increased the costs to repair the iconic building.

The Flood of January 2007 One word for it was “devastating” — not only because it caused so much damage to the interior of the main theater building that the entire interior would have to be largely replaced, but also because it dealt yet another blow to the fragile financial situation of the organization, which less than a year earlier (under different leadership) was heavily in debt, could not pay its bills, suffered from outstanding maintenance issues, and was ready to close. What We Thought It Was Going to Cost to Repair the Flood Damage Right after the flood, it appeared that about $168,000 was needed to clean up the flooded building and repair the damage, with a significant portion of that coming from insurance. Then during the immediate cleanup the water mitigation crews discovered that, unbeknownst to the new board, the fire suppression system had not been maintained and the old HVAC system had been severely malfunctioning (and could not keep up), posing a serious fire and safety hazard.  

“If the building had not flooded, it would have burned down,” they said.   That added about $60,000 more to the required repairs, and was not covered by insurance.  Then it was discovered that the roof and gutters were beyond simple repair and needed replacing – adding another $18,000 in costs.  Other similar problems were found such that by February 2007, estimates stated that the Cultural Center needed to raise about $150,000 in addition to the monies received from insurance in order to reopen according to the then-required codes. Fundraisers and donations made right after the flood raised less than $25,000, far less than needed for even the most basic repairs.  The details of the fundraising are shown below.  At that point, the only way to keep the Cultural Center operating was to quickly renovate the back Guild Hall to function as a second theater and performance space, which was done in 2007 with all volunteer, but professional-quality, labor and some of the insurance proceeds.

As the extent of the deterioration became more apparent, the costs simply to reopen the theater continued to increase dramatically, widening the gap between the necessary funding and how much was brought in from insurance, donations, and fundraisers.  The interior electrical was dangerously in disrepair and not to code; prior plumbing repairs in the attic had mismatched materials, improperly done joints, connections, terminations, unsafe water heater placement, and rusted pipes; termite damage was extensive in load-bearing walls; the certification for fire safety on the stage curtains had long-since expired and replacement was now the most cost-effective option; the foam in many of the seats had deteriorated to the point that recovering and replacing the torn and stained upholstery was not feasible; Additionally, because the necessary renovation was substantial, newer ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act), earthquake stability, energy efficiency, and water conserving requirements and upgrades would have to be met — meaning that walls would have to be moved, doors and thresholds replaced, latrines and sinks replaced, plumbing and drainage replaced and/or upgraded, supports strengthened, life-saving systems replaced, new seating options added, wheelchair lift purchased

, lighting replaced, new insulation, and much more. Many fundraisers were held to raise funds to reopen the theater; and while donors were generous, the level of money needed to repair and reopen the iconic theater while meeting updated ADA, safely, and environmental standards as well as creating a safe, cost-effective and enticing venue for performances, far surpassed the amount raised. Extra Construction/Repair Costs Expended Thus Far for the Front Theater Building (this does not include work contracted for and paid directly by insurance or San Bernardino County from ARRA funding) The Cultural Center’s money woes did not start with the January 2007 flood. Chronic financial shortfalls – Archived meeting minutes for at least five years preceding the flood show a chronic funding shortfall each month – with substantially more outstanding bills than funds in the bank or earned and receivable.  There were continuing decisions to forego maintenance and capital replacement expenses in exchange for continuing to fund more production costs without regard to the likely revenue to be generated from the production. 

Production quality declined, ticket sales and their resultant funds were not tracked electronically, and programs suffered.  Ticket sale revenues did not keep up with the bills and donations declined, all without changes in the business plan and an overhaul of the operating structure.  While every month’s minutes show a shortfall of funds, the April 6, 2004 board minutes explain, “Bottom line is, something needs to be done to get some money coming into the theater so we can put on quality shows like we want to.”  Those same minutes show $4,400 in bills with funds of only $2,200.  By March 2006, the organization admitted to having no funds in the bank or on the way and approximately $15,000 in unpaid invoices, with all utilities scheduled for imminent shut-off and all insurance having been cancelled for non-payment. March 2006 Board transition – In an effort to save the Cultural Center from imminent bankruptcy and closure, the Board of Directors held an emergency meeting to seek new management for the organization.  

Three groups presented proposals: Al Whitehurst represented Copper Mountain College (the local community college), Gary Daigneault represented Theatre 29 (a non-profit theater organization that performs at the City of Twentynine Palms’ John Calveri Theater), and Jarrod Radnich who represented an organized group of community leaders.  With no dissenting votes, the board voted to turn over the corporation to Radnich’s group, who was the only group that agreed to take on the debt and liabilities and turn around the failing organization.  Of course, any proposal that did not include taking on the existing liabilities would necessarily fail; for without paying or settling its liabilities the theater organization would have been forced to sell its assets to pay those liabilities, and transferring the assets to another entity to avoid being required to sell them or having them encumbered by a judgment is a fraudulent transfer and is not legal. A copy of the minutes from that meeting, as recorded by Marty Neider the Board’s recording secretary, are available by CLICKING HERE.