The Bell Center at Copper Mountain College was nearly full on Friday night as Sandy Smith, executive director of the Copper Mountain College Foundation, moderated the symposium, “Sustainable Tourism: Balancing Tourism and Conservation and Preservation.” Reporter Heather Clisby was there…
With visitation to Joshua Tree National Park nearly doubling in the last five years, Friday night’s symposium, “Sustainable Tourism: Balancing Tourism and Conservation and Preservation,” played out before a room full of locals eager to hear the strategy for a new normal that includes nearly three million visitors to the park every year.
Ryan Becker, vice president of communications for Visit California, stated that most of the travel industry has focused more on environmental stewardship over the last two years.
Gary Orfield, director of tourism development of the Greater Palm Springs Convention and Visitor Bureau, mentioned efforts to obtain passenger rail service from Los Angeles which would not only alleviate visitor traffic but could also decrease the number of freight trucks on the roads and highways.
David Smith, superintendent of Joshua Tree National Park, noted that while visitorship has increased 130 percent, the park’s budget has remained the same.
The evening included bigger discussion around water, dogs in the park, and light pollution. All panelists made a plea for locals to become ambassadors and educate visitors.
