Our recent return to the USA mainland from Hawaii was intended to include a stopover in Southern California for several days of desert hiking among the iconic gifts of nature that give name to Joshua Tree National Park. However, the park was a victim of the partial shutdown of the Federal government and then vandalized by visitors to the park during this period of reduced oversight and service.
I have come to expect errors of omission by national leaders who are supposed to be responsible stewards of our Nation, including its national park system; but I have been stunned to read and hear about the errors of commission by national park visitors who I had assumed would care about the outdoors and consider themselves good stewards of our environment. Who would ever believe they would leave trash and waste in a national park? Who could ever conceive they would string holiday lights among the arms of a miraculously preserved 100 or 200 year old Joshua Tree?
But that is what happened. Our elected officials acted dishonorably in our Nation’s capital, and some of those who elected them have behaved horribly in the desert, as well as at national parks across the USA, forcing the closing of at least portions of some of these precious parks.
I don’t feel nearly as sad for the disruption of my personal plans as I do for the lasting destruction of our planet. We were able to adapt quickly and took a three-day detour to California’s broad beaches of Venice, Santa Monica and Malibu where we got nearly as much exercise on the extensive coastal board walk system as we planned to have on the desert trails. And sadly, just now, the picture of trash, tarps and tents I observed and excuse from the chronic homeless population on the coast is strikingly similar to what has been inexcusably created in recent days by hooligans in the desert.
It seems the planet’s splendid physical nature is imperiled almost everywhere by sordid human nature.
JER
ALL OVER THE MAP 