Are Cattle Grazing Leases Appropriate? by Jeff Aardahl, Senior California Representative, Defenders of Wildlife In September 2022, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) published an Environmental Assessment (EA) for a proposal1 to issue new 10-year cattle grazing leases which include portions of the Bright Star and Kiavah Wilderness Areas. Managed respectively by the Ridgecrest and … Continue reading Bright Star & Kiavah Wilderness Areas
Climate Change is Here
Rain Events in Death Valley National Park by Birgitta Jansen On Thursday, August 4, Law Enforcement Ranger April Stiltz looked up at the sky and noticed "a high, light grey cloud ceiling; the light was soft and diffuse. There was a slight drizzle but that just made for a pleasant day in the desert. Nothing … Continue reading Climate Change is Here
Ninety Miles from Needles
Could a podcast help protect the desert? by Chris Clarke and Alicia Pike There are in the neighborhood of 5 million podcasts in the world. Something like 500,000 of them released at least one episode in 2022. In the United States, nearly 80 million people listen to podcasts on a weekly basis. Half of those … Continue reading Ninety Miles from Needles
The Colorado River:
Is it Simply a Water Problem? by John Hiatt Some 40 million people in the western United States depend wholly or in part on the Colorado River for their water supply. After some twenty years of drought or climate change (your choice) Lakes Mead and Powell are down to about 25% of capacity and inflow … Continue reading The Colorado River:
Life Beyond the Alarms
How I found My Place in an Era of Climate Chaos by Mason Voehl There's a little sound I hear whenever I open my door. It sings from the security keypad next to the doorframe, It is a two-note chime. Ba-dah, it says. Someone is entering or exiting. Be aware, it says. This could be … Continue reading Life Beyond the Alarms
Salton Sea – the Saga Continues
Current status? Complex, to say the least by Joan Taylor, Jenny Binstock Like the proverbial blind men and the elephant, the Salton Sea means many things to many people: a critical stopover on the Pacific Flyway threatened with collapse; environmental justice communities faced with escalating health hazards; a potential multimillion dollar international canal; and even … Continue reading Salton Sea – the Saga Continues
The Desert is Alive
And Large Scale Solar Energy Facilities Are Threatening It by Chris Clarke At this point, no one with any sense disputes the reality of climate change. It is happening, it is getting worse, and human society is responsible for it because of our adding incomprehensible amounts of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere over the last … Continue reading The Desert is Alive
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
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