Yesterday was the 81st anniversary of the creation of Joshua Tree National Monument (now Joshua Tree National Park). President Franklin D. Roosevelt established Joshua Tree National Monument on August 10, 1936, protecting 825,000 acres of the desert landscape for future generations. I fell in love with Joshua Tree when my brother was stationed at the Marine Corps base in 29 Palms in the 1990s and have visited the desert many times over the last 20 years, most recently in 2010 and 2015. I’m looking forward to another trip later this month. Joshua Tree is a beautiful place. A sacred place. A place that contains flora, fauna, and cultural resources that do not exist anywhere else on this planet. When I write about the significance of National Monuments, it is Joshua Tree that is in the back of my mind.
Photos taken by Barbara A.M. and Marvin E. Howard in Joshua Tree National Park in 2010 and 2015. All rights reserved.