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MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 08-SEPTEMBER 14, 2025
Local conservation group warns of federal order’s funding restrictions
NO. 240
VOL. 11,
Cabazon couple accused of killing missing baby boy arraigned By City News Service
By Joe Taglieri joet@beaconmedianews.com
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Department of Interior secretarial order announced Thursday places “onerous restrictions” on using federal funds for land and water conservation, according to a Joshua Treebased advocacy organization. The Mojave Desert Land Trust warned that Interior Secretary Doug Burgum’s Order 3442 greatly increases the likelihood that public lands in national parks or adjacent to public forests and other recreation areas will shift to private ownership. The result will be “more trophy homes and private billionaire ranches and less public access for everyday Americans,” according to the MDLT. Burgum’s order “also adds unnecessary red tape to the Land and Water Conservation Fund.” The order, which went into effect immediately, also restricts with few exceptions LWCF funds for conservation and recreation expansion on lands controlled by the Bureau of Land Management, conservationists asserted. “In a break from the current process, it cedes the veto authority for federal projects to local and state governments,” the MDLT added. The Interior Department’s announcement of the order said it guides the implementation of the LWCF, alongside a historically large $437.38 million allocation from the program to the nation’s 50 states, all territories and the District of Columbia. “Outdoor recreation is part of our national heritage, and these historic investments will help communities across the country expand access to
The Nolina Peak preserve in Joshua Tree. | Photo courtesy of the Mohave Desert Land Trust
green spaces, restore natural areas and create more opportunities for people to get outside,” Burgum said in a statement. “The Land and Water Conservation Fund continues to deliver on its promise to connect Americans to the outdoors while protecting the landscapes that make our nation special.” According to the department, the funding supports the development and rehabilitation of parks, conservation areas and outdoor recreation facilities.
Since 1965, the LWCF State and Local Assistance Program has provided matching grants to governments to acquire and develop public outdoor recreation areas. The LWCF is the nation’s major source of funding for conservation and recreation projects — 45,000 in every county in the nation — and provides agencies like Interior’s Bureau of Land Management and National Park
Service with resources to acquire and monitor ecologically significant habitat. “The Secretary’s Order directs Interior bureaus to work closely with state and tribal governments to ensure LWCF investments support outdoor recreation infrastructure and expand opportunities in underserved and urban communities,” according to the department. “Projects that benefit wildlife habitat, improve water quality and provide flood protection while creating new recreational opportunities will be prioritized.” Local conservationists, however, warned that hundreds of projects nationwide will not receive funding as Congress intended, with pauses or indefinite tie-ups to existing projects and pending land deals. “This directive will add burdensome red tape to the Land and Water Conservation Fund,” MDLT Public Policy Officer Krystian Lahage said in a statement. “With it, the administration has failed to meet Congress’s intent for the nation’s largest conservation and recreation funding program. The administration’s changes to settled law address areas that have been asked and answered by Congress, the first Trump Administration, the Dingell Act, and the popular and bipartisan Great American Outdoors Act. Rather than solve a problem, this action defies Congressional authority and could see Congressionally-appropriated LWCF funds misdirected.” The Mojave Desert Land Trust currently has
See Local conservation Page 28
Rebecca Renee Haro and Jake Mitchell Haro. | Photos courtesy of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department
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Cabazon couple accused in the death of their 7-month-old toddler, now missing for three weeks, pleaded not guilty Thursday to murder and other charges. Jake Mitchell Haro, 32, and Rebecca Rene Haro, 41, were arrested last month following a multi-agency investigation into the disappearance of baby Emmanuel. Along with murder, both are charged with filing a false police report. They were jointly arraigned Thursday before Riverside County Superior Court Judge Gary Polk, who scheduled a felony settlement conference for the pair on Sept. 16 at the Riverside Hall of Justice. Each defendant is being held in lieu of $1 million bail — Jake Haro at the Smith Correctional Facility in Banning, his wife at the Robert Presley Jail in Riverside. Last week, the District Attorney’s Office appealed for “patience” in release of details tied to the case. “We understand how deeply the community and media care about baby Emmanuel and are eager for information,” the D.A.’s office stated. “However, See Baby murder Page 27
there has been a significant amount of misinformation circulating in the media and on social media, which can be confusing and frustrating for everyone. Spreading false information or rushing to conclusions can unintentionally hinder the investigation and impact court proceedings.” D.A. Mike Hestrin said in a news briefing on Aug. 27 that the child’s being “abused over time” caused his death. “We believe Emmanuel was severely abused ... and because of the abuse, he succumbed to those injuries,” he said. The victim’s body has not been located. The couple were arrested on Aug. 22 following a San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department investigation. In a jailhouse interview with one news outlet, Jake Haro denied any involvement in the infant’s vanishing, insisting he was cooperating with investigators. “There was forensic data from the crime scene,” San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus said last week. “That’s how we learned the jurisdiction where this crime occurred