Joshua tree preservation projects scrapped after Trump administration blocks funding

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Set us as preferred A slate of projects aimed at preserving the future of the iconic Joshua tree has been scrapped after the Trump administration blocked more than $25 million in funding for national parks this year.The funding already had been secured for more than 130 agreements with outside partners that would have supported projects in national parks across the country, including Joshua Tree.But the Interior Department, upon reviewing the agreements, “disapproved” them, according to the Washington Post.The Interior Department, which did not respond to a request for comment Friday, told the Post it blocked the agreements because they were with groups that work against administration priorities.Joshua Tree National Park was among the hardest hit, with the Interior Department blocking 10 agreements worth nearly $1.2 million that would have supported the hiring of at least 16 people, according to the Center for Western Priorities, which created an interactive map of the agreements using National Park Service records.

All of the Joshua Tree agreements were with the Great Basin Institute, a nonprofit based in Reno, Nev.California The Joshua tree has been featured in poetry and music and represented a burning bush in the latest episode of “Euphoria.” A small group of scientists hope the key to unlocking its long-term survival is buried in the sand.“These are the partnerships that keep our national parks running,” said Aaron Weiss, executive director of the Center for Western Priorities.

“In the case of Joshua Tree, in particular, this is fire recovery, vegetation management — you have to do it at some point and the longer you wait to do it, the more damage that occurs and the more it costs later to get it done.So none of these suspended agreements make any sense.”The Joshua Tree funding included nearly $41,0...