Decades worth of trash and debris were removed from public Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land in Joshua Tree, CA on March 10th. Two hundred plus volunteers from the off-road community contributed.
\nThe clean up was coordinated by John Kingston (@roaminglost) and Jordan Kepler (@lost.sasquatch) after watching and reading coverage of vandalism and trash overflow in National Parks during the recent government shutdown.
\nTwo dumpsters forty feet in length were filled and removed from the site on Monday morning, along with several runs to the dump by a twelve foot flatbed trailer during the weekend.
\nDespite the robust efforts from volunteers, years worth of litter and debris remains scattered through the public land requiring additional resources and volunteer coordination. Plan for an additional trash removal weekend are in the works for the Fall with additional assistance from the BLM.
\nOverland Bound Members from as far away as Arizona were part of the organization and planning of the event<\/p>\n
By Corrie Murguia
\nPhotos Barry J Holmes<\/p>\n
Thursday, March 14th 2019
\nJoshua Tree, CALike many people in December 2018, John Kingston read and listened to news reports of National Parks being overwhelmed with trash and waste during the US government shut down. As visitors continued to pour into the park system while Rangers were in limbo, reports of vandalism in Joshua Tree National Park hit him the hardest. \u201cI kept seeing this negativity in the news,\u201d said Kingston. \u201cI got sick of it and said let\u2019s do something about it. I have a following (on social media), why not use it to put it out there and see who shows up?\u201d<\/p>\n
With just a few posts on Instagram, he had fifty people commited to help out. He brought in his friend Jordan Kepler to help with the planning.<\/p>\n
At first Kingston was nervous about coordinating this type of event. \u201cI\u2019m just a photographer who wanted to use their following for good.\u201d<\/p>\n
He focused his initial efforts by reaching out to organizations who work within Joshua Tree National Park. He was told that there was no additional help needed at the time of the shut down; local volunteer groups were already handling the disposal of trash at campgrounds.
\nOnce Kingston and Kepler knew JTNP was covered, focus shifted to BLM land just outside the park that was in dire need of attention from years of illegal dumping abuse. The land is often used as overflow camping for Joshua Tree visitors, and the last time Kingston was there he wouldn\u2019t let his dog outside due to scattered broken glass.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wouldn\u2019t let him anywhere near it. How crazy is that?\u201d<\/p>\n
Much of the trash was fairly new, but some of it had been sitting in the desert for decades. Everything from shot up appliances to a 1960s vehicle sitting in a ravine dotted the landscape.<\/p>\n