Joshua Tree National Park Reaches Landmark Agreement With Local Tribe

COACHELLA, CA — Joshua Tree National Park and the Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians will join forces with a co-stewardship agreement, officials reported.

Tribal Chairman Darrell Mike and Joshua Tree National Park Superintendent David A. Smith and are among the representatives expected to sign the agreement next month.

There are currently around 80 such co-stewardship agreements in place across the nation, according to the Bureau of Land Management. The Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians is the first of 15 associated area tribes to act as an official co-steward of Joshua Tree National Park's natural and cultural history. The tribe and the parks have worked together since 2018, according to a recent news release.

The new agreement expands on this initiative. The tribe will provide experience and assistance in creating trails. The agreement also helps meet the agency's goal of stewardship and service for tribal residents, the local community and visitors, according to the release.

The first project planned under the new agreement will be a trail extension from Tortoise Rock Casino into the national park, a park spokesperson shared over Facebook.

"This will offer additional park access and more chances for visitors from around the world to be able to recreate in the Mojave Desert," according to the park service's Facebook post. "We are grateful to have the opportunity to work with the indigenous people in this place. We pay our respect to the people past, present and emerging who have been here since time immemorial."

Which Tribes Are Associated With Joshua Tree National Park?

According to the park service, the lands currently managed by Joshua Tree National Park include parts of the traditional homelands of the Maara'yam (Serrano), Nüwü (Chemehuevi), and Kawiya (Cahuilla), and the traditional use area of the Aha Macave (Mohave).

Today, these communities are comprised of 15 tribes: Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, Augustine Band of Cahuilla Indians, Cabazon Band of Mission Indians, Cahuilla Band of Indians, Chemehuevi Indian Tribe, Colorado River Indian Tribes, Fort Mojave Indian Tribe, Los Coyotes Band of Cahuilla and Cupeño Indians, Morongo Band of Mission Indians, Ramona Band of Cahuilla, Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation, Santa Rosa Band of Cahuilla Indians, Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians, Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians, and Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians, according to the park service.

The Bureau of Land Management published Joint Secretarial Order 3403 in September, supporting the co-stewardship of national park lands and waters through working relationships with American Indian and Alaska Native Tribes, relevant Alaska Native entities, and the Native Hawaiian Community.

Editor's note: The agreement signing was originally scheduled for Dec. 8 but was postponed due to illness of one of the signatories.