CARBON SEQUESTRATION IN OUR DESERT LANDS Essential to California's 30X30 Initiative by Susy Boyd Background California's laudable efforts to conserve 30% of our state's lands and coastal waters by 2030 have not been lost on our desert region. In fact, a small but steadfast collection of environmental groups and scientists have been working over the … Continue reading Carbon Sequestration in our Desert Lands
When Is a Review Not a Review?
Greenlink Transmission Line Is Being Fast-Tracked by Shannon Salter Sometimes a word is repeated so diligently that it detaches from itself and becomes a dead thing. It represents a vague idea, or worse, an abstraction. The danger here lies in that the dead word takes the place of an individual's own thinking. It is a … Continue reading When Is a Review Not a Review?
Economic Growth and Sustainability
Introducing Peter Victor - an Ecological Economist by Birgitta Jansen In 1967, when Peter Victor was studying economics at the University of British Columbia, he asked an unusual question: "How is it that a whole economy does this damage to the environment on which our lives depend?" The question was unusual because these were still … Continue reading Economic Growth and Sustainability
Mutt Kupshuw – Éexil Kwáavichush National Monument
MUTT KUPSHUW - 'ÉEXIL KWÁAVICHUSH NATIONAL MONUMENT California's chaparral ecosystems and Tribal cultural values by David Hogan, Executive Director, The Chaparral Lands Conservancy A global hotspot for biological diversity. Special cultural places and resources to Indigenous people. Outdoor recreation backyard to millions of southern Californians. Sublime natural quiet and views. These are just a few … Continue reading Mutt Kupshuw – Éexil Kwáavichush National Monument
Air Pollution and the Lack of Awareness
How Awareness Can Help Solve the Air Pollution Problem in the Imperial Valley By A. Medina Sr. An Agricultural Burn in Imperial County photo by Alondra Gil When the governor visited the Master before beginning his campaign in the region, he begged for advice that could help him during his journey. "But I don't have … Continue reading Air Pollution and the Lack of Awareness
Moving Toward Recovery of the Amargosa Vole
Good News Is Welcome by Chris Otahal, Chair of the Amargosa Vole Recovery Team In the hottest and driest parts of the Mojave Desert lives the endangered Amargosa vole, a small mouse-like rodent with short ears and a short tail. This rare species only lives in small patches of habitat, about 75 acres spread across … Continue reading Moving Toward Recovery of the Amargosa Vole
Walking Box Ranch – Past, Present and Future
WALKING BOX RANCH - PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE A Unique Heritage by Judy Bundorf and Jim Stanger Nestled in the heart of the proposed Avi Kwa Ame National Monument, Walking Box Ranch represents a microcosm of Nevada history, including ranching, mining, entertainment, politics, and more recently, conservation of the flora and fauna of the Mojave … Continue reading Walking Box Ranch – Past, Present and Future
Solar Photovoltaics in the Energy Transformation
For the World and California by Robert Freehling In the early 1950s, scientists at Bell Laboratories invented the first modern silicon photovoltaic cell - a semiconductor crystal that could convert sunlight directly into electricity, using one of the most abundant materials on the earth.1 Some time either this year or next (2022 or 2023), the … Continue reading Solar Photovoltaics in the Energy Transformation
In the Face of Uncertainty
What Have We Learned - What Lies Ahead by Craig Deutsche Environmentalists and scientists understand that time is running short if an ecological disaster is to be avoided. We must immediately limit the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, and there have been many proposals on how this is to be done. Although some … Continue reading In the Face of Uncertainty
A Costly Omission in Planning for Climate Change
How Wide-scale Desert Soil Disturbance Releases Stored Carbon by Robin Kobaly Most people are not aware of the vast amount of carbon that is captured and stored underground in desert soils. When comparing carbon storage in desert landscapes to that in forest landscapes, for example, it is easy to underestimate carbon stocks in the desert, … Continue reading A Costly Omission in Planning for Climate Change