Environment
Joshua Tree projects lose nearly $1.2 million in federal funding
Ten partnership agreements were disapproved, halting planned fire-recovery, native-plant and cultural-resource work at the national park.
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Ten partnership agreements at Joshua Tree National Park worth nearly $1.2 million were blocked by the U.S. Department of the Interior, the Los Angeles Times reported October 2. The agreements would have supported at least 16 jobs and projects ranging from wildfire recovery and native-seed work to mapping, pest control and archaeology.
What it means locally
The Center for Western Priorities says the agreements were among 140 National Park Service partnership requests disapproved by Interior on August 7. Its project map, built from Park Service records, lists Joshua Tree as the park unit with the most affected agreements. Planned work included collecting and planting native seeds, reducing invasive plants, repairing burned areas, supporting fire managers and employing youth conservation crews. All ten Joshua Tree agreements were with the nonprofit Great Basin Institute. Interior told the Washington Post that it rejected agreements with groups it said worked against administration priorities; the department did not respond to the Times for its October 2 report. The accompanying photograph shows Joshua trees along Park Boulevard in October 2010 and is archival; it does not depict the affected projects or the funding decision.
Full report and further details: Read original report →