Visitors to Joshua Tree National Park may notice work being done along the Pinto Basin Road. A contractor is working with park staff to return 800 plants back to the Cholla Cactus Garden. Work started late October and could continue through mid-January, 2014. These plants were originally salvaged and transplanted elsewhere in the park to accommodate a road project that ended August, 2013. The park expects a 75 to 85 percent survival rate. Pinto Basin Road is expected to remain open during this transplanting work and only minor delays can be expected.
Most scientists are convinced that large scale effects of climate change are very evident at this point. Joshua Tree National Park is looking for “citizen scientists” to help document effects at the plant-species level. Dan Stork tells you how regular hikers can participate in the program…
The National Park Foundation awarded Joshua Tree a grant to build a program that partners with local communities by encouraging regular hikers to become data gatherers for climate change monitoring projects. Three trails with different levels of difficulty have been designated where hikers can collect vegetation data to assist with climate change research. The park has tagged plants and trees along these trails to monitor how plants respond to environmental cues throughout the seasons. Hikers who wish to participate in gathering data become official “Volunteers in the Park” (VIP) and receive complimentary access to the park for this study. To become a VIP hiker and assist with data collection, or for more information about this guided hike, please contact Josh Hoines at 760-367-5564 or send an email to [email protected].
