Joshua Tree National Park Association

"The sky is the daily bread of the eyes. Ralph Waldo Emerson The beauty of Joshua Tree is only intensified by our wondrous cloudy skies, and winter never disappoints in her displays. All one has to do is look up. Many thanks to Adrienne Adler for sharing this beautiful shot with us!

Today we honor the more than 2,400 U.S. military personnel and civilians who died in the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 - 79 years ago today. Learn more about this infamous day, and the many lives impacted, at www.nps.gov/pearlharbor.

In support of the State of California's Stay at Home Order for the Southern California Region, Joshua Tree National Park will temporarily modify park operations.... In the next few days, all campgrounds will be closed until further notice. All programs are suspended, including the Keys Ranch Tour. Visitor Centers will have a reduced capacity. Special Use Permits and commercial activities have temporary limits. Camping reservations and Keys Ranch Tour tickets will be refunded the full amount through recreation.gov. Updates and current park conditions will be posted on our website, https://www.nps.gov/jotr/planyourvisit/conditions.gov. The health and safety of our visitors, employees, volunteers, and partners is our number one priority. The park urges the public to follow state, county, and CDC guidance to prevent the spread of infectious disease. #JoshuaTree #NationalPark #RecreateResponsibly Graphic: NPS / Emily Hassell

We are thankful for those who served our wonderful country, and honor each of you today and every day.

Spend three minutes to support your favorite non profit organization!. Click on the link to nominate the Joshua Tree National Park Association......and, the name of the city is "Twentynine Palms" and the county is "San Bernardino". https://www.iegives.org/lift-up-local/

Please join us in welcoming Erin Adams back to our Board of Directors! We are thrilled to have you with us again, Erin, and look forward to working with you. Thank you for your dedication to JTNPA! Erin Adams grew up in central Pennsylvania along the Appalachian Mountains where she first fell in love with public lands. She spend her college years in Washington state, spending her free time rock climbing, hiking, and as a wildland firefighter. After earning her degree in Bio...logy, she began her career as the Director of the Desert Institute at JTNP in 2004. In the past 15 years, Erin has worked for the Department of the Navy all over the world in the fields of natural resource management, cultural resources, environmental science, and most recently in government affairs. She is currently the Director of Government and External Affairs at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms. In her free time, she enjoys rock climbing, hiking, overlanding, and cooking. See more

The Inland Empire Community Foundation's program Lift Up Local recognizes the amazing work of our Inland Empire nonprofits by creating a special drawing for your favorite group (Joshua Tree National Park Association). What organization do you admire and support in the Inland Empire? Show your support by nominating your favorite nonprofit (Joshua Tree National Park Association, of course) and IECF will randomly select three organizations from the Inland Empire to receive a $...5,000 grant! Nomination Period: November 27 December 31, 2020 Winners Announced: January 7, 2020 Nominating is easy! Fill out the entry form and nominate Joshua Tree National Park Association. https://www.iegives.org/lift-up-local/ (In case you don't know, the city is Twentynine Palms and the county is San Bernardino) The more nominations we get, the better the odds for winning. So please share this with your friends and on social media!

The Erem Desert Visions photography contest has now entered the voting stage. There are 8 finalists, 1 for each participating agency. Doug Dolde was selected as the finalist for JTNPA! To make JTNPA the overall winner of the contest, please REPRESENT Joshua Tree by liking Doug's photo on the Erem Desert Facebook (EREM) or IG page (@erem_desert) - and be sure to follow their page as well if you haven't already.... The more votes we get, the more @Erem will donate to JTNPA to help support the preservation and operation of Joshua Tree National Park! Go to Erem.life/desert-visions for all the voting details - and congrats to Doug for being selected as a finalist!

Many thanks to our supporters at Golden State Cider! With every can of Mellow Green you pick up in Southern California, a contribution is made to JTNPA to help support park needs, including the conservation of Joshua trees - or, if you are in the Northern part of the state, to our friends at Redwood Parks Conservancy to assist in the conservation of the mighty Redwoods. Golden State, we appreciate you!

Happy Halloween!

Calling all photographers - amateurs, semi-pros, and professionals! Want to show off your best captures, help Joshua Tree National Park, and have a chance to win $500 + Erem boots at the same time? You have 2 DAYS LEFT to join the Erem Desert Visions Photography Contest! To enter: upload a photo that captures the landscapes, essence, colors, and/or impact of the desert on Facebook (or Instagram.) For every participant, @Erem will donate to JTNPA to help support the preservati...on and operation of Joshua Tree National Park. Go to Erem.life/desert-visions for all the submission details - and thanks soooo much to all who have already participated! Let's do this! Photo: Barker Dam with 3 onlookers by Jimmy Pritchett/NPS

It's Wildlife Wednesday! And since it is also Bat Week...what could be more fitting than to learn about the Pallid Bat? One of 16 known bat species found in Joshua Tree National Park, the Pallid Bat is found in semi-arid regions across the American West. Its name comes from its light brown to cream-colored fur, which helps it blend into its surroundings. It's about 4-4.5 inches long, and boasts a wingspan of up to 16 inches! Unlike most bats, it doesn't use echolocation to l...ocate prey - instead, it uses its long ears and simply listens. Swooping in silently from above, it eats crickets, beetles, grasshoppers - even scorpions! What's your favorite bat? PC: Richard Jackson, US Fish and Wildlife Service

Art In the Park

Spooky season continues with an amazing capture of Skull Rock by Johnny Kim Photography! Simply "out of this world!" PC: @johnnykimphotography

It's Flashback Friday! This trip back in time is perfect for "Rocktober" (sorry, just had to). Who knows what this fabulously spooky JTNP feature is called today?

PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST! Help Joshua Tree National Park Association and win $500 + Erem boots + more! To enter: upload a photo that captures the landscapes, essence, colors, and/or impact of the desert on Facebook (or Instagram). @EremDesert will donate to JTNPA to help support the preservation and operation of Joshua Tree National Park for each person who participates! Go to Erem.life/desert-visions for all the submission details, and please feel free to share for our beautiful park. Good Luck!!!

Tortoise Week continues! Check out this great Saturday event hosted by our partners, the Twentynine Palms Band of Mission Indians. It's a safe way to learn more about these wonderful creatures and score some great giveaways as well!

It's Tortoise Week! Here's a little information for you on this lovely Wildlife Wednesday... Life Cycle of the Baby Tortoise... Female desert tortoise lays a clutch of four to eight hard-shelled eggs, which have the size and shape of ping-pong balls, usually in June or July. The eggs hatch in August or September. Wild female tortoises produce up to three clutches a year depending on the climate. Their eggs incubate from 90 to 135 days. The hatchlings grow very slowly, taking about 16 years or more to attain the length of 8 inches. However, the rate of growth depends on gender, age, location and precipitation. Baby or juvenile tortoises are often predated by the local carnivores, and only a few percentage of the babies can reach complete adulthood. The females grow faster than the males. Normally, they attain the age of sexual maturity between 15-20 years. Ways to help the tortoise include being cautious when traveling through its habitat: check under parked cars prior to ignition as tortoises might seek shade under cars; stay on marked paths while hiking to avoid disturbing its burrows, food or shelter; and drive slowly on designated routes to avoid crushing the tortoise.

An Invitation to Celebrate

We are proud to welcome Roadrunner Grab + Go to the JTNPA family! Located adjacent to our Joshua Tree Visitor Center, they are chock full of amazing fresh food, locally sourced deli items, and of course fantastic coffee and tea offerings. The best part is, you are in and out fast - but with healthy fare. Out of this world!