Hundreds rally for Joshua Tree National Park rangers
Well over 200 people take part in a protest Saturday in downtown Joshua Tree. The focus of the rally was to protest staffing and funding cuts to the National Park Service and a potential government shutdown.
JOSHUA TREE — Well over 200 people gathered on the four corners of Park Boulevard and Twentynine Palms Highway Saturday to protest the firing of national park rangers and any future cuts to the National Park Service.
The protesters moved into Joshua Tree National Park to demonstrate at Cap Rock during the afternoon. Nationwide, communities near national parks held similar rallies.
Morongo Basin residents held signs with messages like “Public Lands in Public Hands” and “Save Our National Parks” as they waved to passing drivers, many of whom honked.
Among the youngest protesters were 8-year-old Jack and his 7-year-old brother, Donovan. Wearing their junior ranger uniforms, they joined the rally with their parents.
“They have gone to national parks since they were babies,” mom Kelli B…