In the wake of an agreement reached Friday to reopen the government and Joshua Tree National Park, at least until February 15, a community rally dubbed “Shutdown the Shutdown” went on as planned in Joshua Tree Saturday morning. An enthusiastic showing of about 100 Morongo Basin residents, officials, environmental activists, and some visitors attended the rally organized “To make their voices heard to end the shutdown, fund the government, pay federal workers and protect our parks.”
Former Joshua Tree National Park Superintendent Curt Sauer praised the work of locals who volunteered during the shutdown to help clean and maintain the Park and lamented the damage caused to the park from illegal campfires, camping and vehicle travel.
“What's happened to our park in the last 34 days is irreparable for the next 200 to 300 years,” he said.
The 35-day shutdown took a heavy toll on local businesses that service Park visitors. Joshua Tree National Park is visited by more than 3 million people a year.
During the shutdown, the park’s campgrounds and restrooms were closed and some services and maintenance discontinued. Reports of trash piling up, vandalism, illegal camping and off-road driving led to restricted operations at Joshua Tree. Skeleton crews and volunteers had patrolled the park to limit the abuse. The Park opened with full staff and services this morning.
