Forty
years ago, stifled by life in a small Michigan town, Jacqueline
Guevara's vibrant, fun-loving mother loaded her 1972 Cadillac Coupe
de Ville and hit the road with her teen-aged daughter for a new
start in Palm Springs. Driving into this desert oasis was Jacque's
first experience with desert.
In
this episode, Jacque describes working in the Palm Springs
hospitality industry in the 1980's and the life skills she acquired
in those jobs. A change in ownership lead to a subsequent lay-off
from her job at the Palm Springs Country Club leaving Jacque
jobless for the summer. With her sons out of town visiting their
dad, Jacque wasn't sure what to do with the time on her hands when
a friend teaching ceramics at Desert Arc invited
Jacque to come and volunteer. Jacque was immediately hooked with
the idea of helping people and suddenly found herself in a career
in social work and, eventually, non-profit management.
Some
of those positions required Jacque to travel frequently between Los
Angeles and her home in the Morongo Basin - her description
of the feeling of 'the day coming off you' as she climbed
those grades will be relatable to those familiar with the
route.
Jacque
describes herself as a new and 'accidental conservationist' in her
work with Mojave Desert Land Trust and eventually in her
current role with the Joshua Tree National Park
Association, where Jacque leads teams carrying out a
number of initiatives from staffing the park's visitor centers to
providing adult education opportunities through The Desert Institute.
Jacque also gives us some insight into the the Association's role
at the National Park, specifically where they take their cues and
direction from and the part that plays in park operations,
particularly shut-downs of the park.
About the Podcast
Desert Lady Diaries: 30-minute conversations with women who live in the desert. Find out why they came, what they do here and why they stay.