The desert around Joshua Tree National Park is a sacred area to many, with ancient trees peppered across its gorgeous vistas and home to the most badass band on Earth. Each year, over 1.6 million visitors head to the national park, and as we saw last year with the senseless cutting of the Joshua Tree depicted in U2’s legendary album of the same name, people can be pretty damned foolish when it comes to treasured desert landmarks.
The latest instance of Joshua Tree vandalism involves British singer Beth Orton, who posted and then un-posted a music video that that depicts the artist spray painting a federally-protected Joshua tree. Orton’s music video for her recently-released song “1973” was shot on location in the desert, and depicted the spray painting of both a Joshua tree and a cholla cactus, neither of which were cleaned after the video’s production crew packed up and left.
The property on which the video was shot is reportedly owned by the Noah Purifoy Foundation. A spokesperson for the foundation tells Z107.7 News that Orton and her crew did not seek permission to shoot at the site, and the foundation “never would have allowed such a thing.”
Local residents are in an uproar over the vandalism, while Orton has apologized on her Facebook page: “I am so sorry. I feel sick with disgust. I was told the tree was already dead. … Please let me know what I can do to help make some kind of amends. I did not direct the video and was following direction but now I know what I have been part of I feel utterly devastated and of course take responsibility for my part. I am truly and deeply sorry.”
