Joshua Trees: Past, Present & Future at the Joshua Tree Retreat Center this Saturday (9/26)
Joshua Trees: Past, Present & Future grew out of a multi-disciplinary project called Desert Forest: Life with Joshua Trees. Artist and educator Sant Khalsa was the founder of that project. She says this new gathering looks beyond the politics surrounding Joshua tree conservation.
The evening begins with Dr. Sean Milanovich, a cultural historian and member of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, who will speak about the Indigenous relationship to Joshua trees. A relationship dating back thousands of years.
“Having Sean there and having him speak and having him be the first person that speaks really sets the foundation for what we want the program to be, which is not about politicizing Joshua trees, but about really connecting with them as the incredible beings that they are.”
Other speakers will look at the science, ecology and future of the species.
For Khalsa, understanding the Joshua tree also means understanding that humans aren’t separate from the desert around us.
“Well, I think the best way to do that is have our own individual realization that we’re nature, and that we have this symbiotic relationship with all of nature.”
That relationship has become increasingly important as Western Joshua trees face the impacts of a changing climate.
The evening will also show filmmaker Casey Kiernan’s new 20-minute documentary short, Joshua Trees: Will They Survive? Kiernan has spent years documenting the pressures facing Joshua trees throughout the Mojave Desert.
Before the program, regional environmental organizations will have information tables where people can meet those working directly in conservation and learn how to get involved.
Joshua Trees: Past, Present & Future takes place on September 26 at the Sanctuary at the Joshua Tree Retreat Center. The meet-and-greet begins at 5:00 p.m., with the program and documentary following at 6:00 p.m.
PAY-WHAT-YOU-CAN TICKET PRICING – $10, $15 (RECOMMENDED), $20 (SUPPORTER)
