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Joshua Tree National Park to temporarily close Thursday


Joshua Tree National Park, our local national treasure that's been under undue stress during the past two weeks of a partial federal government shutdown, will temporarily close this Thursday, January 10. A specific end date to the closure was not mentioned in the announcement on the closure.

While volunteers from the community have done an incredible and inspiring job in helping maintain the park during the shutdown, campgrounds were shut down last week as vault toilets reached capacity and concerns about trash pickup and illegal camping, grew.

The park will close at 8 a.m. Thursday "to allow park staff to address sanitation, safety, and resource protection issues in the park that have arisen during the lapse in appropriations." The park's announcement noted that park officials are identifying the additional staff and resources necessary to address immediate maintenance and sanitation issues, and will utilize funds from park fees to address those issues, per the recently updated National Park Service contingency plan for government shutdowns. This means funds normally available from entrance fees, used for other park needs, will instead be used to address the issues caused by the shutdown.

"While the vast majority of those who visit Joshua Tree National Park do so in a responsible manner, there have been incidents of new roads being created by motorists and the destruction of Joshua trees in recent days that have precipitated the closure," the announcement explained. "Law enforcement rangers will continue to patrol the park and enforce the closure until park staff complete the necessary cleanup and park protection measures."

We have seen reports of visitors carrying off Joshua tree logs, and loading a barrel cactus into their car, threats made to local volunteers, and large amounts of trash requiring pickup. But during a recent trip into the park, most visitors were conducting themselves responsibly. With an annual visitation of more than three million people, however, ensuring visitors follow park rules is difficult even during times of full funding and staffing.

Park closure will have a negative impact on the local economy during a time that is normally high season for visitation. The park has recognized that impact, and applauded the "significant assistance" our local communities have provided during the shutdown, and noted that park officials hope to restore visitor access to the park as quickly as possible to help mitigate any negative impact to the local economy caused by the closure.

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