By Breanne Dusastre 01/07/2019
As we enter the third week of the government shutdown, here’s an update from Visit 29 Palms regarding Joshua Tree National Park…
Update on park conditions & closures:
-Rattlesnake Canyon, Lost Horse Mine Road, and Keys View Road remain closed, as well as all campgrounds. Back country camping is still open. For those looking for lodging, please visit www.visit29palms.org/lodging, which features local hotels, motels, vacation rentals, and an RV campground in 29 Palms.
-Given the amount of volunteer outreach in the last two weeks, we’re happy to share that bathrooms and trailheads look great, and trash and recycling is being well maintained.
“We are so proud to see the response and support from our hospitality community, and thank all the hotels, inns, resorts, and vacation home rentals for extending their support through the donation of cleaning supplies and the time they have volunteered over this busy holiday period to help keep our national park clean during the shutdown. The support from the Marines and the military community in 29 Palms has also been outstanding, and through these combined community efforts our visitors who have traveled from all over the world to visit Joshua Tree National Park this winter have been able to still enjoy our beautiful national park.” –Ash Maharaj, 29 Palms Tourism Business Improvement District Advisory Board Member and owner of Harmony Motel.
For those who would like to help future volunteer efforts, we are putting together small teams to help out on the following dates and times this week.
Tuesday, January 8, 2019
10:00am – 1:00pm
Thursday, January 10, 2019
10:00am – 1:00pm
Saturday, January 12, 2019
FULL – Thanks to the support of the American Red Cross Youth Club in 29 Palms we have a large team ready to go out on Saturday and at this time will not need additional volunteer support.
Volunteers will meet at the City of Twentynine Palms Visitor Center, 73484 Twentynine Palms Hwy., Twentynine Palms, CA 92277 (downtown at the corner of Desert Queen Avenue). (760)367-3445.
Volunteer efforts include light bathroom cleaning and restocking, monitoring and emptying trash and recycling bins, and picking up trash around trailheads and campgrounds. To minimize our impact on the park we are asking volunteers to carpool in, and whenever possible we’ll send teams out in trucks to make trash and recycling collection quick and easy.
(Above: 40 bags of trash were collected in Joshua Tree National Park on New Year’s Day by 29 Palms Cleanup Crew volunteers.)
If you would like more information about how you can help, give us a call (760) 367-3445, send us an email to visit29palms@gmail.com, or drop by our Visitor Center. We’re located at 73484 Twentynine Palms Hwy, Twentynine Palms, CA 92277 and are open daily from 10:00am to 4:00pm.
Our Visitor Center is stocked with Joshua Tree National Park maps, “Visit 29!” brochures with local lodging and dining, information on area attractions, plus maps and literature for Mojave National Preserve, Mojave Trails National Monument, Amboy Crater, and other nearby regional sites and BLM lands to explore.
Volunteer efforts are also being coordinated by Friends of Joshua Tree, Cliffhanger Guides, and Coyote Corner in Joshua Tree. Volunteers are welcome to meet daily at 10:00am in front of Coyote Corner on Park Blvd. in downtown Joshua Tree. We would like to extend our thanks and gratitude to this group for their tireless efforts, and for taking on such leadership in organizing and inspiring our communities to step up and help out. Friends of Joshua Tree is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the historical tradition of climbing in Joshua Tree National Park. Learn more and consider making a donation at www.friendsofjosh.org.
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