San Bernardino County awards $1.98 million contract for Desert View Conservation Area trail work in Joshua Tree
Supervisors on Nov. 3 approved construction of the last planned phase of work at the roughly 605-acre conservation area and raised the budget to about $2.7 million. The county said the project will not add trails or enlarge the site.
San Bernardino County is moving ahead with the second phase of recreation improvements at the Desert View Conservation Area in Joshua Tree, a project the county said will upgrade existing trails without adding new ones or enlarging the site.
On Nov. 3, the Board of Supervisors approved a construction contract worth $1,982,000, awarded to Deark E&C Inc., and increased the Phase II budget to about $2.7 million from $2 million, according to the county's summary of board actions.
The county said in a Nov. 12 article that work was expected to start in November and, depending on weather, finish in late spring 2027.
A grant from the California Wildlife Conservation Board is paying for all of the project, the county said.
About the site
The conservation and recreation area covers about 605 acres. San Bernardino County Public Works – Special Districts manages it for County Service Area 20 Joshua Tree, the county said.
Planning for recreation there grew from community outreach that began in 2010, when Morongo Basin residents named more recreation options as a priority, according to the county.
The county said it sought grants to improve recreation inside the existing area instead of expanding it or turning the desert into a conventional park.
Phase I, finished in September 2020, added parking, a restroom, an information kiosk, trail routes and signs, the county said.
What Phase II includes
The county described the second phase as the last planned one. It will add kiosks with trail maps, wayfinding and mileage signs, and rest areas with shade structures, benches and picnic tables, according to the two county posts. Plans also include an overlook platform for viewing scenery and wildlife.
Interpretive panels and discovery shelters will cover geology, desert habitat, wildlife and native plants, and the history and culture of Native Americans, the county said. Worn and eroded sections of trail will be rehabilitated.
Habitat protections
The project underwent environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act, the county said.
Required protections include biological monitoring, wildlife surveys before construction begins, measures to protect western Joshua trees and desert tortoises, protections for nesting birds and set construction zones meant to limit disturbance to habitat, according to the county.
The county's Nov. 12 article described the site as a place intended to combine conservation and recreation.
