It took more than a year, but crews at Joshua Tree National Park, aided by professional conservators from the University of New Mexico, have largely "erased" graffiti scratched into the Barker Dam, a historic site inside the California park.

Joshua Tree National Park is looking for some volunteers to help with the fight against non-native weeds that are creating a host of problems, and one project requires some folks who are able to both cut--and pull--the mustard. Projects set for April 4 and 11 will target Sahara mustard plants.

The timing no doubt was coincidence, but while Interior Secretary Sally Jewell was celebrating the country's largest solar project in California, two U.S. senators were introducing legislation to protect desert landscapes in the state.

Many national parks include inholdings, privately-owned property which poses a potential threat for development that would be detrimental to surrounding park lands. Unfortunately, Congress often fails to appropriate funds in a timely fashion to purchase these inholdings, even if an owner wants to sell to the NPS. In the case of three California desert parks, a non-profit partner is helping to fill this gap.