You are here

Prickly Job Ahead At Joshua Tree National Park

Share

Upwards of 800 cholla cactus plants will be dug up to be returned to the area near the Cholla Cactus Garden in Joshua Tree National Park after a road-straightening project is completed. Kurt Repanshek photo.

This is one thorny job.

Beginning October 15 and continuing through the end of December, a contractor will be working along the Pinto Basin Road in Joshua Tree National Park to salvage up to 800 cholla cactus plants prior to a road straightening project slated to begin in 2013.

Visitors will notice work along the Pinto Basin Road through the Cholla Cactus Garden area. The plants will be stored until they can be transplanted back into the Cholla Cactus Garden after the road project is complete. The park expects a 75 – 85 percent plant survival rate.

Pinto Basin Road is expected to remain open during this salvage work and only minor delays can be expected. Visitors are asked to use caution when traveling this curvy section of road.

Comments

Why do we need to straighten the road! The road through Joshua Tree is absolutely fabulous! This is a waste of federal funds!


Lauren, it's probably because some Congresscritter needs an excuse to be re-elected and needs to be able to point to some kind of accomplishment. That's much more important than actually living up to the promises to save taxpayers money. (And before all the anonymouses come out of their holes -- that's sarcasm.)

Or perhaps there could really be a good reason -- like safety.

I think I know right where this project is and it's a section of road that has some serious blind spots right at a busy pedestrian crossing. Why not ask the park to tell us?


There are PEOPLE lining up for FOOD in New York, and the Federal government is paying to move cactus in the desert?

WHAT????


David, this was lined up and budgeted for long before Sandy arrived.


Add comment

CAPTCHA

This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

Image CAPTCHA
Enter the characters shown in the image.

The Essential RVing Guide

The Essential RVing Guide to the National Parks

The National Parks RVing Guide, aka the Essential RVing Guide To The National Parks, is the definitive guide for RVers seeking information on campgrounds in the National Park System where they can park their rigs. It's available for free for both iPhones and Android models.

This app is packed with RVing specific details on more than 250 campgrounds in more than 70 parks.

You'll also find stories about RVing in the parks, some tips if you've just recently turned into an RVer, and some planning suggestions. A bonus that wasn't in the previous eBook or PDF versions of this guide are feeds of Traveler content: you'll find our latest stories as well as our most recent podcasts just a click away.

So whether you have an iPhone or an Android, download this app and start exploring the campgrounds in the National Park System where you can park your rig.