JTNP to facilitate Solar Eclipse Viewing May 20
Joshua Tree National Park will offer a front-row seat for one of the
biggest celestial events of the year. On May 20, large areas of the western United States will experience an annular solar eclipse, an event last seen in the United States in 1994. In the hours before sunset, the Earth’s moon will pass in front of the sun casting a giant shadow across the land.
To mark the occasion, Joshua Tree National Park will host a special Solar Eclipse Event 051112 giving the public great views of this highly anticipated event. Solar eclipse activities will take place at the Oasis Visitor Center in Twentynine Palms.
The Visitor Center is located at 74485 National Park
Drive. Joshua Tree National Park is in the zone to experience a partial
(near total) eclipse.
Here is the schedule of activities for the Solar Eclipse Event:
Noon Telescopes with special filters will be set up to allow viewing
of the sun. Long before the eclipse is visible, solar observers
will be able to see sunspots and any solar flare activity.
4:30 p.m. Rangers will offer presentations about the solar eclipse and
will show participants how to make a pinhole viewing device for
watching the eclipse.
5:25 p.m. Approximate time for the start of the partial eclipse. Public
viewing of the eclipse will take place through telescopes and
through a video astronomy presentation. Special glasses for
viewing the eclipse will also be available.
6:38 p.m. Peak of the eclipse for the Joshua Tree area occurs.
7:44 p.m. Sunset
8:00 p.m. Night sky program presented by National Park Service rangers
and park volunteers.
For more information about the May 20 eclipse at Joshua Tree, the public
can visit the park website at:
http://www.nps.gov/jotr/
Information at viewing the solar eclipse at other National Park locations can be found here
www.nature.nps.gov/features/
National Park Week means FREE entry to Joshua Tree National Park… bring someone new!
It’s a great time to visit the park, with the peak wildflower season beginning, perfect climbing temps and just to top it off, National Park Week… no charge to enter from April21-29! National_Park_Week_at_JOTR_2012
There is also a Jr. Ranger event on April 21, and April 28-29 the 2nd annual Joshua Tree Biodiversity Hunt, this year focused around the 49 Palms Oasis… learn more here.
Mark Butler, JTNP Superintendent, says “The people of southern California have long looked to Joshua Tree as a place of refuge and recreation. We hope that as they visit us during National Park Week, they will also think about how they can get even more involved. There are many ways people can support the park, and rangers will be happy to suggest ways people can make a difference.”
See the NPS press release here
Visit our photo galleries here and get inspired for your visit…
Volunteers needed for revegetation project March 24; afterglow ‘Spring Cling’ gathering for AAC that night!

Old Road revegetation project-before
Friends of Joshua Tree is partnering with American Alpine Club with the SPRING CLING event Saturday March 24th 6:30 pm in Downtown Joshua Tree, after a day of revegetation work in the central Hidden Valley area of the Park.
See/Download the Spring Cling spring cling flyer!
There’s room for more volunteers to participate (click here for details) in the park project with AAC & Threshold Climbing Gym on Saturday. Specs are for about 200 plants, vertical mulch and delineating trail with rocks along the swath of old road by the Old Woman (see pic above).
The Evening event will be at the Starlite 61738 29 Palms Hwy – 1 block west of Park Blvd.
Our show starts promptly at 7pm with images and narrative by Damon Corso.
The presentation will feature images of free soloing (Michael Reardon) amazing bouldering images, as well as sport climbing and adaptive climbing. Don’t miss this free event!
Grab a bite to eat at Pie for the People – we receive a special price on any pizza slice(s) & beverage between 6 & 9pm)
The tranquil and beautiful patio is a perfect place to mingle with fellow climbers, make new friends, hang out and enjoy a slice of the best pizza west of New York.
Learn about the March 24 special project in the Park here
You can email us at info@friendsofjosh.org, or call the Park directly with questions;
Bernadette Regan
Climbing Ranger – Resource Management
Joshua Tree National Park
760-367-5578
(mention FOJT please!)
Nomad Ventures climbing shoe demo March 3
Hey everyone, get your new shoe fix next weekend by partaking of the Nomad Shoe Demo, a semi-annual event in JTree and a great way to check out the latest innovations from all the climbing shoe brands.
Here’s the contact info for Nomad’s in Joshua Tree
Joshua Tree, CA 92252
Invasive Species Removal Project – a chance to help the Park
Volunteer with the Park to help eradicate an invasive species (Saharan Mustard) and give native plants a chance!
Here’s the Schedule:
February 18 and 25, March 4 (Sunday) and March 17
Weed pulls will be from 8:00-1:00 on Saturdays;
Please RSVP so we can anticipate equipment needs and inform you of any potential schedule changes:
Katie Kain, 760-367-5575
Katherine_Kain@nps.gov
Click the link below for the full flyer/announcement and to see a picture of Saharan Mustard.
Enjoy the Solstice, Holiday greetings… celebrate well, climb hard in 2012!
The season has been magnificent in Joshua Tree and we hope you are getting out in it. We at FOJT wish you well this Christmas season, and a very prosperous and wondrous 2012.
Here is some vid in case you can’t be out here, or to get excited for JTree Climbing if you are planning a New Year’s Visit
Climb Smart 2011 video (thx to TheSmokingChimp Productions)
Lynn Hill doin’ her thing at Climb Smart 11
Early December gatherings; Climate Change effects on JT, and Western Gov’s Association
As part of a year-long celebration of the park’s 75th Anniversary, Joshua
Tree National Park and the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA)
are partnering to host a one day conference highlighting several topics:
- the potential effects of global climate change,
- impacts of climate change on individual park species and native
ecosystems,
- developing climate change science, monitoring programs, and climate
change adaptation strategies.
Location: UCR, Palm Desert Campus Graduate Center
Date: Friday, December, 2The symposium will be followed on December 3 by a field trip to the park.
For additional information please contact the park’s 75th Anniversary
Coordinator George Land at 760-367-5507, or by email: george_land@nps.gov.
On December 7, the Western Governor’s Association, led by Gov. Chris Gregoire (WA), will visit Yucca Valley for a public discussion and presentation on gateway communities and the importance of the rural and suburban infrastructure on the health of communities and the country.
For more information visit the WGA Web site at www.westgov.org.
Climb Smart Rocks the desert, kicks off the 11-12 Season
With the perfect weather window, a brand new venue, a slew of amazing and talented pros, the partnership of the Park and awesome sponsors from retail to brand to advocacy groups to the Cactus Pricks, Climb Smart 2011 broke through in completely new style on the 14 year old annual event. Huge THANKS to all of you who contributed to an all-time great time in and around JTNP.
If you want to get a glimpse of what happened last weekend, check out these links UPDATED:
Climb Smart Video incl. Lynn Hill at Thin Wall (thx to Smoking Chimp Productions!)
our Facebook page, with Pics!
JTree Astronomy Arts Theater (the venue and amazing multimedia platform)
SoCal Digital Video Astronomers
The Cactus Pricks (featuring climbing icons Al Bartlett, Don Reid, and Pat Brennan on stagecraft!)
More to come as folks get their film processed and back from the darkroom (!).





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