Joshua Tree reopens climbing area after baby hawks take flight

A climbing area at Joshua Tree National Park is open again following the flight of at least two baby hawks that were nesting there.

Access in the area had been restricted by the park since March 30 to protect the red-tailed baby hawks. Park officials believe the two chicks matured to adulthood and left their nest.

Park wildlife ecologist Michael Vamstad says this is the third consecutive year red-tailed hawks were able to successfully mature in an area near the center of the park called the Towers of Uncertainty.