On a recent episode of the Z107.7 Up Close Show, Joshua Tree National Park Superintendent Janes Rodgers and the National Park’s Emergency Services Program Manager Myles Landry discussed a number topics and issues with host Gary Daigneault. Rodgers explained that the National Park’s new visitor center in Twentynine Palms has hit a major milestone recently.
“Our visitor center is now at Freedom Plaza, and we definitely had some bumps in the roard in regards to redirecting traffic. The visitor center had been at the Oasis of Mara for 50 years, so it’s hard to change old habits. Some key things that have helped redirect traffic are that the City of Twentynine Palms has helped us with improved signage to funnel people to the center. We put up a gigantic arrowhead on the building.
“And critically, Google Maps and Apple Maps, the applications folks use to navigate, finally have transitioned the location to the new visitor center. It’s pretty phenomenal that just these changes alone have shifted everything”
Rodgers also discussed future plans for the previous visitor center in the next few months:
“We are actually relocating our library. You may not know that the park has its own library of research material, and that’s what our rangers use to develop their interpretive programs. We’re actually moving that from one building to the old visitor center, and creating a place for our rangers to work.”
You can hear their full conversation by listening to the up close show as a podcast at our website, Z1077fm.com, or wherever you get your podcasts.
