The Brief

The Mojave National Preserve was known for being home to the world's largest and densest Joshua tree forest. Then in the summer of 2020, a wildfire sparked by lightning torched through more than 43,000 acres of Cima Dome in the desert, and with it an estimated 1.3 million Joshua trees — about a quarter of its population.

Scientists knew restoration was going to be an uphill battle because of how much time the plant takes to pollinate and grow.

"Joshua trees seeds don't spread very quickly," said Debra Hughson, deputy superintendent at the Mojave National Preserve. "They don't move very fast or they don't move very far with just small mammals around."

The Dome Fire burning ‎in August ‎2020 along Cima Road near Kessler Springs.

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Courtesy National Park Service

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The scorched earth of Cima Dome after the Dome Fire in 2020.

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Courtesy National Park Service

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Ancient and slow-growing plants face steep odds

During the Ice Age, giant ground sloths that have been described as looking like "fuzzy Volkswagen Beetles" would feed on Joshua trees and spread their seeds far and wide through their excrement. Since the animals became extinct, wind and rodents have taken up the job — with decidedly less success. One scientist told Cronkite News that out of 1,000 Joshua tree seeds, only three or four of them sprout. Even then, the plant grows just half an inch to 3 inches each year.

Against those odds, Cima Dome's recovery felt particularly urgent, since its higher elevation was supposed to shield the plant from hotter, drier — and increasingly inhospitable — weather.

"This is an area where Joshua trees may be able to survive in the face of climate change," Hughson said.

To jump start the process of recovery, Hughson and her colleagues decided to try something different — planting seedlings in the Dome's burn scar.

Joshua tree seedlings sprouting in a greenhouse.

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Courtesy National Park Service

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"What we thought we would do is try to plant Joshua trees in a more spaced-out pattern so that it would accelerate the recovery of the entire area because you would have distributed seed sources. That was generally the idea," Hughson said.

Volunteers replant Joshua trees.

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Courtesy Nance Fite

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But the process was arduous; the hike to the designated planting spots alone took volunteers several hours.

"It's designated wilderness, so there are no roads. You don't get in your Jeep and drive there with a tank of water in the back or on a trailer. It has to be carried in," said Hughson. "Then once they got there, the actual planting probably took an hour — to erect the cage around it, to dig the little hole to put the seedling in, and to give it its first splash of water. Then you gotta walk all the way back."

And that's where Herbie, Sully and Chico came in.

Where the camels came in

"Camels helped to survey Route 66 — a little part of it," said Nance Fite, a longtime volunteer at the Mojave National Preserve.

Fite has kept big animals all her life: horses, water buffalos, camels. The 70-year-old Norco resident said the latter have had a long history in the United States.

"The government brought camels into Texas in 1856, and they came across the desert from Texas to Los Angeles in 1857."

Fite replicated that experience by riding her camel along that same portion of the trail through the Mojave in 2007, deepening her link to both the animal and the land. When she heard about the Joshua tree restoration project at Cima Dome, she convinced the park service to let the camels pitch in and help.

"Prehistoric camels were in the Mojave Desert, and the camels came through in 1857," said Fite. "They leave even a smaller footprint than a mule or a horse."

Volunteers and their camels during a replanting session.

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Courtesy Jennifer Lagusker

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Courtesy Jennifer Lagusker

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Fite recruited her friend Jennifer Lagusker, who trailered Herbie, Sully, and Chico from her Sylmar home to the Mojave.

"The job was to pack them and have them carry these things into wherever the park service had us go," Lagusker said. "When Nance told me about this, I thought, 'Well, what better way to advocate for the camel than to show the world, hey, they can pack, they really like it, and honestly, they need that kind of a job.'"

Leading the pack is Herbie. "He is my biggest one, my smartest one. He is my go-to when it comes to doing projects we've never done before, like this project," said Lagusker.

Sully is one of the camels helping the National Park Service plant Joshua trees in the Mojave.

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Courtesy Jennifer Lagusker

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Next is Sully. "He doesn't like to be in the front of the line. He likes to keep his nose right next to Herbie's butt — like a security," Lagusker said.

Rounding out the pack is Chico — the smallest of the three — short for Chiquito. "He's very vocal. He has an opinion for everything. When it comes to the three of them, he's the one that tells the others what to do," she said.

Since 2021, the trio has been involved in most of the plantings, with Herbie and Sully carrying the seedlings, and Chico transporting the water on miles-long hikes through the desert.

Nance Fite (baseball hat), Jennifer Lagusker (cowboy hat) and other volunteers posing with the camels.

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Courtesy Jennifer Lagusker

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This year's planting

As soon as a couple months from now, volunteers like Fite and Lagusker and the camels will gear up again for another expedition to Cima Dome. But after 2024, seedling restoration will come to an end for that area.

National Park Service's Hughson said some 3,500 young Joshua trees have been planted since the the project started in 2021, but estimated that the survival rate is just about 20 percent.

"Our goal is to protect natural systems and natural ecosystems — all the plants, all the animals, but then some animals and some plants wind up being just a little bit more 'charismatic' than other ones," said Hughson, meaning that some species command more attention than others.

"The Joshua tree is charismatic, the desert tortoise, the desert bighorn sheep, and so if we can get support and resources to save [them], then everything else comes along with it," Hughson said.

After Cima Dome, the park service will turn their focus to a different fire-scorched area in the Mojave, where another million or so Joshua trees were destroyed by the York Fire in 2023. Hughson said that active restoration — the planting of the seedlings — would likely be undertaken.

If so, Lagusker said her camels are ready to report for duty.

"It's truly incredible to see." said Lagusker. "You pack all of this weight on them, and to see them get up with such ease and just walk. It's like they get in a zone and like a light switch that turns on when you see them caravaning out in the desert."

Congrats to Big Bear's celebrity bald eagle couple.

Jackie and Shadow have two new chicks this Easter Sunday. Thousands of fans have been watching their eggs hatch on the popular nest livestream that made the eagles famous.

The first eaglet arrived last night around 9:30 p.m., the second followed around 8:30 a.m.

The nonprofit that runs the livestream, Friends of Big Bear Valley, says dad Shadow showed up after the second hatch and saw his two chicks for the first time.

Mom Jackie is is showing a natural behavior that’s actually a good sign. The nonprofit says she's salivating more — which helps provide electrolytes and antibodies her chicks need.

The two eggs each showed signs of a pip — or first crack — on Friday and Saturday.

Topline:

Why it matters: The new agreement spans four years, as opposed to the typical three-year deal. In a social media post, the WGA said the deal "protects writers’ health plan and puts it on a sustainable path, builds on gains from 2023, and helps address free work challenges."

In a statement posted on its website, AMPTP said, "We look forward to building on this progress as we continue working toward agreements that support long-term industry stability."

Why now: AMPTP and the WGA have been in negotiations since March. The announcement yesterday came a little under a month before the union's current contract was set to expire on May 1.

The backstory: In 2023, contract negotiations broke down between writers and producers, which led to a historic five-month writers strike. That strike ended with the WGA notching huge gains in compensation, streaming residuals and AI protections.

What's next: The tentative agreement still needs to be ratified by the full WGA membership. The union's negotiating committee said union members will receive detailed information in the coming days.

The Hollywood Burbank Airport is advising flyers to arrive at least two hours earlier than usual for the next 60 days because of construction slated to begin Monday.

Road closures: One lane of traffic on the southbound side of Hollywood Way next to Thornton Avenue will be closed during construction. The sidewalk and bike lane on the west side of Hollywood Way between Winona Avenue and Thornton Avenue will also be closed.

When: Construction will occur Mondays through Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. through June 6.

Why: Airport spokesperson Mike Christensen told LAist crews are building a retaining wall as part of Hollywood Burbank's passenger terminal construction project.

Alternatives: Officials recommend passengers use the Empire Avenue entrance or take Thornton Avenue to get to the airport.

While living in L.A., I’d been hearing about this thing — “the desert.” Seemed a bit odd to someone who lived on the Westside next to the ocean, but OK, you can also see mountains from my house, so why not throw in an entire landscape food group?

A few years ago, I figured it was time to try it out, and my family and I headed to Joshua Tree for the weekend.

We began driving east and were soon in that vast no man’s land around the 10 Freeway. On one side, I could see a moving train, with all those boxcars. I was watching, entranced, waiting to see it go past. And it kept going. And going. It was like a vibrant desert serpent, wending its way through the landscape, each boxcar a different hue. It seemed so romantic, and then I thought “in each one, there’s a whole load of hanging car air fresheners, dental floss and Japanese waving cats” and suddenly the spell was broken. Ah well.

The eerie, alien Joshua Tree.

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Sean Gallup/Getty Images,

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Getty Images North America

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As we got nearer, I said “Huh, what's that weird thing that looks like an alien?” and my husband said, “Yes, that’s a Joshua Tree.”

What? Wait, stop the car. There’s an actual Joshua Tree? First, who knew, and second, that is no tree. That, sir, is a weird misshapen cactus, with multiple crooked arms reaching into the air, each with its own spiky fur muff. Kinda like one of those waving inflatable guys if they were static. (Ah, I've been in L.A. too long).

Bougie smores

The vast desert sky.

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Steve Holtzman

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Courtesy Suzanne Levy

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We finally arrived at our destination, a campsite — OK, a glamping campsite, a whole bunch of airstream trailers laid out with firepits. I knew it was bougie when I went to buy a smores kit from the shop and came back with 70% dark chocolate, artisanal graham crackers and single origin marshmallows. (I made that marshmallow one up, but it really is just a matter of time).

We made a fire, marveling at the gorgeousness of the sunset, the morphing colors and the vastness of the sky. I sat afterwards watching the flames, the cold air on my skin, under a blanket of stars. Tears pricked my eyes.

In the morning we headed to Joshua Tree National Park. When we got out of the car, the vista hit me, with that bright, bright sun, strange looking rocky outcrops, and nothing but Joshua trees as far as the eye could see. I thought: I have never seen anything like this. I couldn’t have even imagined something like this. In London, if you go on a day trip, you can go back in time, say to the thatched roofs of the Cotswolds — but not to a different planet.

What an extraordinary continent this is, I think. I am awestruck by its endless, varied landscapes — the plains, the Rockies, the oceans and the forests. And there’s something particular about the desert — its simplicity, its reduction to just three or four elements, which relaxes you, chills you out.

I remember heading back to L.A. after the weekend, happy and mellow, smiling as we drove west into the setting sun. It’s a cliche, but the desert does call you back. And I hope to get back there very soon.