Inside Joshua Tree's newest glamping site
The San Bernadino County Sheriff's office used surveillance tech, Gov. Newsom targets June 15 for reopening, and Route 62 gets a $48 million facelift
Hello from California’s high desert.
This week, I wanted to learn more about the glamping site coming together in Joshua Tree. The 25-acre lot up on Sunfair will host 47 luxury-outfitted Airstream trailers, four cabin suites, and four accessible suites starting at around $200 per night. The company broke ground in January and plans to be fully operational this fall. At maximum capacity, the site can house up to 175 guests.
Given the massive influx of rental properties and visitors to the area, I wanted to get a sense of what AutoCamp, a San Francisco-based startup behind this site, was doing to help support the community while minimizing its visitors’ impact on the desert ecosystem. I spoke with AutoCamp’s cofounder and chief brand officer Ryan Miller over email. The below conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
Are you planning to hire from the local community? If so, how many and for what positions?
Our goal is always to hire locally. We expect 20 permanent positions and more than 80% will be full-time positions. These roles will include the General Manager, Assistant General Manager, housekeeping team, guest experience team members, and maintenance team.
How do you plan to mitigate negative impacts on the local environment from high visitation?
Before guests arrive on site we begin with a primer on “Leave No Trace” principles and educate guests on what and what not to bring, as well as the appropriate ways to act during their visit to ensure our precious parks and natural resources remain healthy.
We also have very strict policies about fires and noise. On our property, we will have dedicated foot-paths, and all guest vehicle traffic is contained to the parking lot at the entrance; only emergency vehicles and staff carts are allowed to circulate the access road through the property.
What precautions will the team take during construction to ensure native species like the Joshua Tree are minimally impacted?
We’ve proactively worked to ensure that construction has very little impact on the environment. We’re preserving all the existing Joshua Trees on the property, as well other existing landscaping wherever possible. We will be using low water xeriscaping for landscaping, and low lighting to adhere to the local Dark Sky ordinance.
What type of economic impact do you hope AutoCamp could have on the surrounding communities?
As presented to the planning board, we expect approximately $1.4 million in transient occupancy tax over the first five years, roughly $530,000 in property taxes over the first five years, and the ancillary impact of 20 permanent employees.
Are you partnering with local businesses to provide amenities to guests? If so, which?
We are working with several local artists and vendors including Ana DiGiallonardo, AllRoads Studio, the Wine & Rock Shop, and others.
We are currently in the planning stages of our local partnerships for programming, food & beverage, activities, and more. We plan to partner with local businesses to offer off-site excursions and National Park adventures, wellness activities, and also onsite programmings such as yoga classes, expert-led star-gazing, and campfire chats with local advocacy groups and thought leaders. We also plan to partner with local restaurants and chefs to curate our food & beverage offerings.
If you are interested in speaking with us about any of these partnership opportunities, feel free to drop us a note at joshuatree@autocamp.com.
Now, on to this week’s news:
The San Bernadino County Sheriff’s office used a controversial surveillance technology up to 100 times but said it was never used in an investigation.
BuzzFeed News published a massive database Tuesday chronicling many local law enforcement offices’ use of Clearview AI, a controversial company that creates a wide range of surveillance technology.
Its technology can scan license plates and track vehicle movement and identify faces using security cameras or other public videos.
The San Bernadino County Sheriff’s office was listed as having used Clearview AI up until February 2020. The database said it looked up 51 - 100 cases.
San Bernadino County Sherrif’s office spokeswoman Jodi Miller told the Dispatch that the technology was never used on an investigation in the county.
“Staff did a short demonstration of the database and made the decision not to proceed,” Miller said. “Our department no longer has access to the database.”
In a press conference Tuesday, California Governor Gavin Newsom said the state was on track to lift most COVID-19 restrictions, such as business closures and limits on gatherings, by June 15.
California has vaccinated about 20 million residents to date, the highest of any state in the US.
Newsom reiterated that the target reopening date could change if vaccinations stall, supply dries up, or infections surge yet again. He plans to keep the mask mandate in place even after other restrictions are lifted.
All Californians over the age of 16 will be eligible for vaccinations starting April 15.
Walgreens, Rite Aid, and Copper Mountain College all offer COVID-19 vaccinations at little or no cost to residents regardless of whether they have insurance.
The $48 million construction project on Route 62 kicked off Monday in Twentynine Palms. It aims to resurface two major stretches of 62 from Twentynine Palms to Joshua Tree and from Yucca Mesa down through Desert Hot Springs.
The project will eventually include lane closures across the two-lane and four-lane sections of the highway, but a project spokeswoman declined to say when those would begin, according to a report in the Desert Sun.
Certain sections will include flaggers and only allow a one-way single lane of traffic at a time.
Construction and closures will only take place during weekdays, according to Caltrans, but could also affect weekends if the project falls behind schedule. It is projected to finish by the summer of 2023.
Pupdate of the week: We met Alice’s littermate at Mercado Joshua Tree this weekend! Alice isn’t fully vaccinated yet so unfortunately there wasn’t a full family reunion, but hopefully we’ll have one soon!
If you have pupdates you’d like to share with the Dispatch community, please send them along! I would love to include them.
Trail of the week: I checked out the Fortynine Palms Oasis this weekend and had a great chat with the Park Ranger and volunteers out there while I refueled. It’s a great hike, but officials were concerned about the heat and some folks dealing with dehydration while we were there. Always pack your water, folks!
Trail safety tip: In addition to 1 liter per person per hour, also plan to pack a large-brimmed hat and plenty of sunscreen. Many trails, including the Oasis, have little to no shade and even 10 minutes in the direct sun can be brutal.
Book of the week: I’m not usually into horror novels, but I haven’t been able to put down The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones. The novel is a retelling of a classic Native story that follows four friends who commit an illegal elk hunt when they are younger but grows into a thought-provoking story built on revenge and identity.
Show of the week: I found myself binging Mortgage or Marriage on Netflix over just two days. It’s a perfect combination of 90 Day Finacé and House Hunters, and it’s exactly the easy-to-watch kind of TV I needed that week.
Local business spotlight
They may be the new kids on the block, but Joshua Tree Bottle Shop is not messing around when it comes to high-quality affordable wine and other assorted beverages.
Full disclosure, a close friend of mine works there so I am a little biased. That said, the shop’s selection of European wines is absolutely outstanding and I learn something new each time I stop by, which isn’t hard because I don’t know much about wine.
They also have a great selection of Brooklyn-based beers to celebrate the owners’ hometown and a smattering of canned wines and cocktails perfect for a little picnic. I will cheers to that.
Joshua Tree Bottle Shop is open for in-store shopping, or you can order online for curbside pickup. The shop is located at 61707 29 Palms Hwy in Joshua Tree.
That’s all for this week. As always, please let me know what you’d like to read in future editions! Have a great week, and get outside!
- Megan
Are there any plans for the glamping visitors to use the main thoroughfare (Highway 62 to the light at Park Blvd) to access JTNP? I am concerned that the quiet little neighborhoods along Sunburst Avenue and Alturas Drive will have their desert peace and serenity destroyed by traffic.
This is wonderful! I'd love to tell you about Kama Connection, the Mercado and our upcoming live music offerings, all in Joshua Tree ...