Conservation of Aquatic Biodiversity in the Great Basin by Patrick Donnelly The Great Basin is among the driest regions in North America, and yet is blessed with abundant springs which punctuate the landscape's corrugated basin-and-range topography. In particular, the Great Basin has the densest concentration of thermal spring features anywhere on the continent, a vitally … Continue reading Species on the Edge of Extinction
Botanical Riches of Conglomerate Mesa
Threatened by Mining Exploration by Maria Jesus One of my most memorable trips to Conglomerate Mesa was on a hot summer day when I was looking for rare plants, but also keeping an ear out for helicopters. I had heard that K2 Gold, a Canadian exploration company, had received authorization to drill for gold at … Continue reading Botanical Riches of Conglomerate Mesa
Desert Home
A Photographer's Journey by Justin McAffee A desert is defined as a place receiving less than ten inches of sporadic rainfall annually. It doesn't mean a place uninhabited by flora or fauna, but the lack of rain certainly limits a desert's capacity to host large numbers of people, plants, and animals. But wastelands, they are … Continue reading Desert Home
March 2022
Fundamental Choices • About The Day The World Stops Shopping • How the Genie Escaped the Bottle: Our love-hate relationship with plastic Other articles • Indian Pass Protected • Voices From Death Valley's Chaos: Remembering Bennie Troxel and Lauren Wright • Desert Home: A Photographer's Journey • Desert Updates • Botanical Riches of Conglomerate Mesa … Continue reading March 2022
The Steady State Economy
Real Conservation by Brian Czech Birgitta Jansen's "Greening Of America" (September's Desert Report) was incredibly insightful and aptly alarming. And, as she described the environmental challenges of industrial solar developments, wind turbines, and deep-sea mining, we could see the economy sprawling between the lines. My job is to take the baton from between the lines … Continue reading The Steady State Economy
The Deadly Border Wall
A Human Tragedy by James Cordero "El Centro Project 2" was the name given to the section of border wall that was to be built inside the Jacumba Wilderness by the Army Corps of Engineers. When construction started in May 2020, two things were already guaranteed: the project would cost a lot of money, and … Continue reading The Deadly Border Wall
Gold Exploration in Long Valley
A NEPA Categorical Exclusion by Lynn Boulton Still in effect today, the 1872 General Mining Act makes it very difficult for the federal govern-ment to deny proposals for hard rock mining. The Act and rising gold prices reaching a height of $2,038/oz on August 5, 2020, has stimulated gold exploration in California and Nevada. Over … Continue reading Gold Exploration in Long Valley
December 2021
Fundamental Choices • The Environmental Crisis & Fundamental Choices • The Steady State Economy • Forced Urban Density And Energy Sprawl Other articles • Bears Ears: A Primer • The Deadly Border Wall • Water Security Throughout The Colorado River • Desert Updates • Gold Exploration In Long Valley • Song Of The Desert: Ode … Continue reading December 2021
The Greening of America
But Is "Green" Really "Green?" by Birgitta Jansen The article that follows is long and detailed, but the subject ought not be dismissed casually. The extensive documentation in end notes may be accessed at the Desert Report website by going to the bottom margin on any page and clicking on "reference." Since the 1950s, the … Continue reading The Greening of America
Nevada’s Outback
The Next Green Energy Ground Zero by Kevin Emmerich, Basin and Range Watch Large-scale renewable energy developers have been looking for ways to develop vast swaths of Nevada public lands for about twelve years now. Their problem has always been a lack of available transmission access and capacity. Just about every basin in Nevada has … Continue reading Nevada’s Outback