Please come support JTNP this coming Saturday January 26th!!!! SHUTDOWN THE SHUTDOWN FOR JTNP!!!!

Assembly to Shutdown the Shutdown for Joshua Tree National Park
Citizens Rally to Open the Government, Fund National Parks, and Pay Federal workers

Joshua Tree National Park, Calif. (January 26, 2019)- As the Government Shutdown drags into the one month mark with no end in sight, concerned citizens will gather to demand an end to the government shutdown, proper funding and protection of National Parks, and the payment of federal workers. The rally will take place at the Cliffhanger Guides lot south of Coyote Corner  at 10am to 12 noon on Saturday, January 26th.

The local economies of Joshua Tree and other nearby gateway towns are inextricably linked to Joshua Tree National Park and this high poverty area depends on tourism and service industry revenue. The government shutdown has resulted in resource damage within Joshua Tree National Park, federal employees are either furloughed or working without pay, and endangers community economic stability and the sensitive natural resources within the park. Joshua Tree National Park is the backbone of the local economy. To leave the gates open and furlough nearly all the staff and contractors during the busiest few weeks of the season was an act of utter irresponsibility by the federal government only barely mitigated by extensive local volunteer efforts. Meanwhile, the political stalemate in Washington D.C. shows no sign of ending.

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Since 2000, Park visitation has swelled 1.2 million to 2.8 million visitors. Meanwhile, both budgets and staff numbers have been reduced. Essential law enforcement rangers have been working without pay since December 22nd with many hours of overtime. “Non-essential” staff were furloughed until January 10th when a partial staff was brought on using much-disputed recreation fees intended for Park infrastructure projects and long after peak holiday visitorship occurred. Morale is at an all-time low amongst government employees and contractors. Even at full staffing levels without a shutdown, the park is barely able to control the influx of visitors. Natural resources, antiquities and cultural resources are vulnerable to theft, vandalism and damage. With staggering increases in visitorship with little increase in staff and infrastructure capacity, the vulnerability is only exacerbated with the instability and disruption created by the government shutdown. “This recent vandalism has stoked what I'd call white-hot outrage among locals – both at the vandals and at the political forces that are keeping the park open but unprotected during the government shutdown,” said Chris Clarke, California Desert Program Manager for the National Parks Conservation Association .

“The government shutdown should never have happened in the first place. It is a failure in governance,” says Sabra Purdy, a local climbing guide service owner. “The American people and precious places like Joshua Tree deserve better.”

Participants will assemble peaceably to make their voices heard. End the shutdown, fund the government, pay federal workers and protect our parks.

Local residents and visitors alike are welcomed to join in this non-partisan, peaceful First Amendment assembly. Joshua Tree is a unique place with a diverse community of park service workers, marines, blue collar workers, artists, musicians and climbers. All are welcome to attend, show their support of federal workers and join the community in a show of support for ending the shutdown.

This assembly is being organized by a concerned group of local citizens and business people that believe in the enduring value of Joshua Tree National Park and the need for stewardship and protecting our town’s economic and ecological anchor. Guest speakers will provide different perspectives on the value of the parks and the need for an end to the government shutdown.

For more information, please contact Shutdown the Shutdown for JTNP organizer, Travis Puglisi at Email: sdthesd.jtnp@gmail.com 

You did a good job promoting this event in a non-partisan way. Without blaming either side. Thanks.

Tell your Representatives in the House to do their GD jobs!

Guy Keesee wrote: Tell your Representatives in the House to do their GD jobs!

Tell the Senate to do their job.  The House passed multiple spending bills to reopen the government.  Mitch McTurtle refuses to even bring the bills to the floor for a vote.

Matt Himmelstein wrote:

Tell the Senate to do their job.  The House passed multiple spending bills to reopen the government.  Mitch McTurtle refuses to even bring the bills to the floor for a vote.

Yes tell your Senators also...., but then again that’s not how things work under the Constitution. 

I do send constructive correspondence to all my representatives, have you? 
And the house can send all the spending bills they wish if they want to, but it’s an act of stupidity if it’s not going to go on and they know it, same as the countless repeal Obamacare bills the Republicans passed. This whole mess is nothing more than political theatre. - some of the best I have ever seen. 
Our Nation was founded on compromise- real compromise- not some lunatics vision. 

but then again that’s not how things work under the Constitution.

https://www.theonion.com/area-man-passionate-defender-of-what-he-imagines-consti-1819571149

The Onion.... oh please 

If I go, can someone setup a top rope for me?

Really hope to see some climbers this week end in Joshua Tree for our non-partisan event Shutdown the Shutdown for JTNP. We need to fund and protect public lands!!! See FB event link below.

Cheers,  Sethro

 SHUTDOWN THE SHUTDOWN for JTNP

We have just received the welcome news that the government will temporarily reopen. While we are relieved to hear that hundreds of thousands of federal workers will return to work and receive much needed back pay, this is only a three-week reprieve. Federal workers need and deserve certainty. Public lands need and deserve certainty. Regardless of what happens in the next three weeks, the repercussions of this shutdown will be felt by the park, the town, and the government for a long time to come. We believe that full funding and full staffing of our public lands is absolutely essential; parks cannot be run safely and effectively on a skeleton crew. We take this opportunity to urge our elected representatives to do the hard work of finding compromise and common ground and to never again allow shutdowns to be used as a political tool. It hurts all Americans and must not happen again. We remain committed to gathering people together on Saturday, January 26 to make our voices heard. This changes nothing. Shutdowns must not happen, federal workers deserve to do their jobs, the American people and public lands need and deserve certainty. Shutdown the Shutdown!

NOTICE:

The president has postponed the national emergency until Feb 15.

I'll be swinging by to help with parking.