Joshua Tree National Park Kicks-off Restoration Projects in Preparation for 75th Anniversary

TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif., Oct. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- In partnership with the National Parks Conservation Association, Arrowhead® Brand Mountain Spring Water today announces the first jointly supported, volunteer-based restoration project at the iconic Joshua Tree National Park to help revitalize and restore the park, leading up to its 75th Anniversary. Breaking ground this weekend, Arrowhead Mountain Spring Water employees will team-up with park officials and community volunteers to restore two highly travelled areas of the park -- the Hidden Valley Trailhead and trails leading out to the popular rock climbing area, Houser Buttress. Once a refuge for cattle rustlers and mountain lions, Hidden Valley is now one of the park's most popular rock climbing, picnicking and hiking destinations, and it's in critical need of conservation and restoration efforts.

Among the group of volunteers are Boys and Girls clubs from Yucca Valley and Desert Hot Springs, and marines from the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center located in Twentynine Palms, CA. Volunteers will perform critical work to prevent soil erosion and destruction around the trailhead, which has created a flipping hazard to hikers. Volunteers will also eliminate "social trails" created when visitors walk off the designated trail-areas. Additionally, participants will plant native vegetation, lay vertical mulching to curtail erosion, remove wooden ties that line the trail and replace them with rocks to restore the area, and dig postholes for fencing to secure the site. Finally, old trail signage will be replaced with new ones that better describe trails for hikers and help preserve the desert's natural landscape.

"Arrowhead Mountain Spring Water is proud to support the National Parks Conservation Association and eager to participate in such an important restoration project at Joshua Tree National Park," said Angela Barile, Group Marketing Manager, Nestle Waters' Regional Spring Water brands.  "As a company that values nature's special places, we're excited to help restore and protect these trails from additional destruction and take another step in furthering our two organizations' common mission: to preserve nature's treasures."

"We are pleased to have our partner, Nestle Waters North America's Arrowhead Mountain Spring Water, help in ensuring the trails at Joshua Tree are safe and accessible to our visitors," said Tom Kiernan, President, National Parks Conservation Association. "As Joshua Tree prepares for its 75th Anniversary celebration, it's great to have local volunteers help protect and preserve our national treasure for our children and grandchildren to enjoy."

As the exclusive bottled water partner of the National Parks Conservation Association, Nestle Waters North America through its Regional Spring Water brands is helping support NPCA's work to preserve the parks. This includes helping ensure that America's national parks are fully funded and restored for 2016, the centennial anniversary of the National Park Service. To support this key goal, Nestle Waters North America, on behalf of its Regional Spring Water brands, has donated $600,000 to the organization, driving awareness on-pack and through retail, in addition to consumer engaged-fundraising through a Facebook Cause campaign, raising nearly $40,000 in incremental funding for NPCA.

To learn more, go to http://www.arrowheadwater.com.

About the National Parks Conservation Association

Since 1919, the nonpartisan National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) has been the leading voice of the American people in protecting our national parks. With 350,000 members and supporters, NPCA is the largest independent, membership organization dedicated to protecting the natural, cultural, and historic treasures of our National Park System. Our mission is to protect and enhance our national parks today for our children and grandchildren tomorrow. To learn more visit www.npca.org.

About Nestle Waters North America

Central to the leadership of Nestle Waters North America Inc. is its 32-year experience and single-focus on producing bottled water products.  The company's dedication to product quality, manufacturing expertise, low-cost production, employee development and environmental stewardship, especially in the areas of water use, energy and packaging, has led Nestlé Waters to the number one bottled water position in the U.S.  Simply said, to reach success the company follows its credo:  Respect for each other, respect for the environment and respect for the community.

SOURCE Arrowhead Brand Mountain Spring Water