With 800,000 acres of wild and open desert in Joshua Tree National Park – visitors taking their cars off designated roads can be difficult to monitor and it can be potentially devastating to the fragile ecosystems that exist within the park.
Joshua Tree National Park is preparing a grant application for the 2023 California State Parks Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division Restoration Grant – or the OHMVR Grant for short. Funds awarded would be used to support several projects – including monitoring for invasive vegetation that can come in from illegal off-road driving activities, more law enforcement patrolling, and educating visitors and creating signs to deter vehicles from driving off designated roads.
In addition, there are off-roading “hot-spots” in the national park that would receive extensive fencing to prevent current illegal off-road driving activities.
The Park submitted the preliminary application yesterday – and its available for public comment from March 7th to May 1st.
The OHMVR Division distributes $30 million annually, with 25% being allocated for restoration projects. Grant funds are collected from gas tax, entrance fees, and OHV sticker registrations to support several categories of grants available to federal, state, city, county and district agencies.
To review the grant application and provide comment, please visit the CA State Parks OHMVR website at www.ohv.parks.ca.gov prior to the closing date of May 1st, 2023. The website will provide instruction on how to review applications and submit comments.
For more information, please contact Outdoor Recreation Planner Amber Laird at 760-367-5691 or [email protected].
