Let's face it: Joshua Tree National Park has been discovered. More than 2.5 million people visited Joshua Tree in 2016, an all-time record, and the Park and its surrounding communities are feeling the strain. Nearby towns do benefit economically from high numbers of visitors, but there are also negative effects ranging from unavailable local housing (as houses get bought up by prospective AirBNB operators) to delays in emergency services to houses near the Park; those hour-long lines to get through the gate can mean an ambulance, or even just the emergency plumber, won't get to your place anytime soon.

The Mojave Desert Land Trust, in partnership with local chambers of commerce from the California Desert, has released a marketing toolkit to help local businesses and governments get the most out of tourism opportunities created by the new California Desert national monuments. President Barack Obama designated the Mojave Trails, Sand to Snow and Castle Mountains national monuments, in early 2016, permanently protecting these public lands.

The Mojave Desert Land Trust has used donations and grants obtained from the California Natural Resources Agency and the Marine Corps to make a $908,000 purchase of 640 acres of land adjacent to the western edge of Joshua Tree National Park.

The proposal is to be published Wednesday in the Federal Register and initiates the temporary ban on new claims. “This is something that is going to be welcomed by the conservation and scientific community, hunters and those areas where (desert land) tourism is important to their local economy,” said Frazier Haney, conservation manager for the Mojave Desert Land Trust in Joshua Tree.

A 640-acre parcel that is slated to, over time, become part of Joshua Tree National Park includes high ground with a view of both Yucca and Coachella valleys and the distant San Gorgonio Wilderness Area peaks, according to the Mojave Desert Land Trust, which recently purchased the land...

The land, located south of the intersection of Acoma Trail and Golden Bee Drive in Yucca Valley, was previously owned by a developer who sought to turn the property into a residential housing subdivision. The successful protection effort was announced by the Mojave Desert Land Trust, who will own and manage the land.