The XForest.... This is a view looking east from an area next to the Northern boundary of Joshua Tree National Park. It has just finished raining. Spring in the mid Mojave is just beginning to awaken the sleeping splendor of another beautiful day. A double rainbow heralds the change of the season and the promise of more rain assures survival, and all is good! Or is it? Looks can be deceiving! This picture is of the X Forest. It became the X Forest because it is made up almost entirely of Joshua Trees that have been transplanted to the site shown in the photo. Note the green ribbon that is tied to the trees. More difficult to see are the black Xs that are painted on their trunks. The black X meant that these trees had been marked for destruction. The new car dealer site was about to trample more than 400 of them when concerned citizens scurried to try to save as many as they could. Sadly, many could not be saved in time. These lucky survivors now struggle to gain a new foothold against an unlikely positive outcome. More than 80% will yet succumb to the shock and pain they have suffered. A decade of drought has left the Mojave Desert vulnerable and unable to withstand addition hardship. Many of the native trees in this area have already died from thirst. The rain is a hopeful sign. Also, that people would transplant falling trees that would have already been killed, brings hope as well. Its doubtful these replacements will see a long future, but they are trying. Air pollution, tract housing projects and environmental destruction are all taking a toll. Civilization is crowding and shoving, and the desert is bending and breaking., Our dark skies are disappearing.