According to a recent story in the LA Times, two areas of Joshua Tree National Park have been closed indefinitely due to looting. Carey's Castle and El Sid Mine, both in the Eagle Mountains range in the southeast section of the park, have been vandalized and looted repeatedly. The Park purchased artifacts to replace stolen ones, but the new ones were again stolen, prompting the closure of both areas. Cultural artifact teams will do inventory of the sites, and hopefully the Park will devise an enforcement and surveillance strategy to put a stop to the vandalism.
Unfortunately, this isn't a new problem for the Park; Barker Dam and Rattlesnake Canyon have been closed intermittently throughout the past three years due to graffiti and vandalism (both are now open). And last April, French graffiti artist Mr. Andre (real name Andre Saraiva) tagged multiple boulders inside the park, leading to his public shaming (and our unending disdain for him and his scribbles).
According to the National Park Service, 58 of the 531 mine-related features in Joshua Tree National Park still require protection measures. For all the pride we as Angelenos and Californians take in the Park, we just can't seem to leave Joshua Tree's historical monuments alone. Hopefully awareness efforts by the Park and the community, as well as respectful visits to the Park's campsites (some of the best in Southern California) will turn the tide on this disappointing trend.
