Joshua Tree National Park in California has closed down one of its most popular hiking trails, the one to Forty-Nine Palms Oasis, to give bighorn sheep free access to the water in the drought-stricken park.
The park is home to as many as 200 of the bighorns, out of about 13,000 in the western U.S. The trail closure, intended to avoid interfering with their attempts to stay hydrated, started June 1 and will remain in effect until summer rains relieve the drought.
A park statement explained “The park is under extreme drought conditions and herds in the area are increasingly reliant on the oasis spring to survive the hot summer months.”
