Although national park associations have been involved with education since their inception, the field classes and lectures at Joshua Tree are quite recent. The Desert Institute was created in 1999 after the current National Park Chief of Interpretation, Joe Zarki, received a Parks as Classrooms Grant from the National Park Service. The proposal was to create a field program for adults to be operated by the Joshua Tree National Park Association that would complement the park’s own ranger-led interpretive activities. The program would focus on providing college level classes to park visitors similar to other programs run by national park associations at Yosemite, Yellowstone and Grand Canyon.

While it is a relatively young program, the educational outreach through the Desert Institute has expanded rapidly and its programming has evolved substantially since its establishment. In 1999, a partnership with University of California Riverside was established to allow the Desert Institute programming to be accredited and have many of the administrative duties performed by the university’s infrastructure.

The Joshua Tree National Park Association Board of Directors also played a critical role in the Institute’s formation. One of the many ways they shaped the Institute was by changing the original name Joshua Tree Institute to the Desert Institute “to encompass a broader audience and larger ‘field of dreams’ than just Joshua Tree National Park.” A program director was hired with the grant secured in 1999, and its author, Joe Zarki, remained active in the Desert Institute during its beginning stages. Joe co-designed the first five classes with the first Desert Institute director, Gene Rotstein. Each class was 2 – 3 days long with both lecture and field components and taught by recognized experts, retired park rangers, or college professors. Several of the Association’s board members offered their skills and expertise for the first class schedule. Bill Truesdell taught two of the classes, Flora of Joshua Tree National Park and Birds of Joshua Tree National Park. The other classes offered were: Archaeology, Geology, and Prospectors and Pioneers of Joshua Tree National Park. Also in 1999, collaboration with the Twentynine Palms Historical Society resulted in a community lecture series held on the second Friday of each month. The “Old School House Lecture Series,” continues to this day.

The number of field classes and the subjects offered expanded and diversified in 2000-2001 when the Joshua Tree National Park Association took over some of the Desert Institute’s administration from the University of California. This expansion allowed visitors an opportunity to learn about survival skills, cultural history, indigenous peoples, and the arts. Classes such as Desert Survival, Native American Basket Weaving Skills, Poets in the Park, and Orienteering: Map & Compass were designed for college graduates but without accreditation.

Nancy Downer arrived as Executive Director of Joshua Tree National Park Association with a vision for the growth and future of the Desert Institute. The program expanded 56% and assumed total administrative responsibility with University of California remaining an important accreditation partner for the classes in 2002 under Nancy’s guidance. This year was also the beginning of the Desert Institute’s special programming. Its first contract program, Desert Survival, was designed for Yucca Valley High School. Further diversification came in 2003 as classes were designed to provide “interpretive education about the park’s natural and cultural history, including plant life, wildlife, geology, environmental ethics and human history.”

By the end of 2004 the Desert Institute had developed three distinct areas of focus; field classes, special programming, and lecture series. During this time the number of classes and subject areas continued to increase with a high of 28 classes in the spring of 2005. Special programming became more frequent with Step on Bus Tours and an Indians of California class created for individual groups. The focus of the Desert Institute broadened to include more community outreach. Erin Adams, Program Director at that time, worked to expand the number of programs offered at other venues by creating partnerships and offering lecture series in the surrounding areas.

In the spring of 2004, the Desert Institute reached out to the Yucca Valley community with two additional lectures series. The Black Rock Lecture Series at Black Rock Canyon Campground offered free one-hour lectures on natural science topics such as Venomous and Dangerous Animals of the Desert by Jim Cornett and A Birders Delight: Spring Migration in the Morongo Basin by Dee Zeller. The second lecture series was in partnership with the Hi-Desert Nature Museum and presented lectures on natural science, cultural history, and the arts.

The Desert Institute’s lecture series expanded again in the spring of 2005 to the Coachella Valley. A collaboration started with the Historical Society of Palm Desert to offer three lectures with a focus on cultural history topics. In addition, the Desert Institute used grant money from the Desert Legacy Fund to establish a lecture series with the Palm Springs Public Library in the spring of 2006.

Today, the Desert Institute continues the vision begun in 1999 by Joe Zarki and the Association’s Board of Directors by offering fifty-five field courses and special programming upon request in cultural history, natural science, survival skills and the arts. Seven classes are available for university credit through the Desert Institute’s long-time partner University of California Riverside. Outreach continues with our park and regional partners to expand awareness and educate local residents and visitors about the wonders of our natural world with five lecture series in the Morongo Basin and Coachella Valley:

• Old School House Lecture series in cooperation with the Twenytnine Palms Historical Society
• Black Rock Lecture Series
• Palm Springs Lecture Series with the Palm Springs Public Library
• Old Firehouse Lecture Series in cooperation with the Historical Society of Palm Desert
• California State Class with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, California State University, San Bernardino, Palm Desert Campus

Looking to the future, the Desert Institute plans to continue offering 10-15% additional new programming per year, foster a closer relationship with Joshua Tree National Park, and start a volunteer program this coming spring to sustain the growing needs of expansion. On a personal note, it is my dream to create a program supported by the community with the potential to impact the way people relate to the natural world.

Karina White, Desert Institute Program Director, 2007