Rowland Chorn, 29, was booked at the Morongo Basin jail on suspicion of failing to comply with sex offender registration guidelines. Bail was set at $50,000.

Deputies said Chorn, who recently moved from Washington, came into the sheriff's station to register his new address but deputies objected because Chorn's home was too close to Joshua Tree Elementary School and Sunburst Park.

Jessica's Law prohibits sex offenders from living within 2,640 feet of a school and 2,000 feet from a park.

Chorn, who has not yet listed on the Megan's Law Web site, is expected to be arraigned this afternoon.

stacia.glenn@inlandnewspapers.com

Eight parks, conservation and wildlife experts testified at the three-hour hearing, which was chaired by Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz. It was intended to be an information-gathering meeting to possibly help shape future legislation.

All but one expert said that global warming is a huge detriment to national parks, which already are showing impacts such as growth of invasive plants, a shift in habitat range of plants and animals, decreasing rainfall and abnormally large wildfires.

There are more than just wilderness refuges at stake.

Healthy parks help support nearly 6.5 million jobs and generate $88 billion in state and national tax revenues, said Michael Cipra, the nonprofit National Parks Conservation Association's California Desert Program manager. A 2006 Outdoor Industry Association study said that outdoor activities like hiking, fishing and wildlife watching annually contribute $730 billion to the U.S. economy.

The most passionate testimony, however, focused on what is happening within national parks.

One study estimates that there may be no Joshua trees left in Joshua Tree National Park within the next century because fires and old age are wiping out the existing trees, and not many new ones are sprouting.

"Joshua Tree National Park without (Joshua) trees scares me. It's hard to imagine, it's hard to contemplate," said park spokesman Joe Zarki. "The Joshua tree is a symbol of the Mojave Desert. I don't know what would be left, but it would be somewhat diminished."

Sheriff's deputies and Naval Criminal Investigative Service officers served a search warrant at the home in the 60000 block of Pueblo Trail.

After finding the military equipment, drugs and hundreds of dollars worth of power tools and air compressors, deputies arrested Michael and Kristine Street on suspicion of receiving stolen property and possession of a controlled substance.

The equipment, which was stolen from the Twentynine Palms Marine base, has been returned.

Bail was set at $25,000.

Bryan Rodney was booked at the Morongo Basin jail on suspicion of child endangerment after a passerby around 4:30 p.m. reported seeing a 2-year-old pushing an infant in a stroller in the 61900 block of Twentynine Palms Highway in Joshua tree.

A San Bernardino County sheriff's deputy picked the children up and brought them to the station but could not determine who they were or where they lived.

Rodney was arrested after calling the sheriff's station and identifying himself as the father. His bail was set at $100,000.

stacia.glenn@inlandnewspapers.com