Congressman Jay Obernolte recently requested funding for deferred maintenance at Mojave National Preserve and Joshua Tree National Park. Reporter Gary Daigneault explains…
During a hearing of the Natural Resources Committee Wednesday (June 24), Obernolte pointed out that both Parks have enormous, deferred maintenance problems, and neither were awarded any project funding in the first two rounds of the Great American Outdoor Act. Secretary Haaland told him she appreciated knowing about the need and would be happy to work with him to see what could be done. In April, Park Superintendent David Smith told Z107.7 News that plans to redo the Joshua Tree entrance, replace the aging double-wide trailer at the Cottonwood Entrance and make improvements to Black Rock Campground had been in process for about 5 years. At Mojave National Preserve, major road retrofitting is needed. In total, Mojave National Preserve currently has $118 million in deferred maintenance costs, while Joshua Tree National Park has $65.92 million.
