Category: Uncategorized

A New BLM Rule Affecting Development by Kevin Emmerich, Cofounder of Basin & Range Watch The vast Amargosa Desert by Death Valley National Park has remained mostly unchanged for the 32 years I have lived in the region. It lies mostly in Nevada, includes unique wetlands at Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, the Devil's Hole, … Continue reading Large Scale Solar on Public Lands

Questions Remain but Response is Largely Positive by Clayton Daughenbaugh The Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) directs the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to manage the public lands under its charge "on the basis of multiple use and sustained yield" and to do so "in a manner that - among other things - … Continue reading New Conservation Rule for BLM Administered Lands

Threatened by Large-Scale Renewable Energy Projects by Laura Cunningham, Basin & Range Watch Clark County, Nevada - Two proposed large-scale energy projects could significantly damage Ice Age fossils on public lands in southern Nevada. Both the Greenlink West Transmission Project and Golden Currant Solar Project would be built on significant Pleistocene fossil beds representing a … Continue reading Ice Age Fossils in the Nevada Desert

Cadiz Inc. Tries Again by Chris Clarke, NPCA When you think of possible new sources of water for a thirsty California, it's unlikely the Mojave Desert would be the first source to come to mind. The Mojave is famously the driest place in the United States. Bagdad California, a former stop on Route 66 about … Continue reading Harvesting Desert Groundwater

A Proposed Limit on Water Bottler's Claim in the San Bernardino National Forest by Ileene Anderson California State Water Board May Soon Act to Limit BlueTriton Brands Siphoning of Water from Springs in the Strawberry Creek Watershed in the San Bernardino National Forest for Bottling Water is essential to life. In California, where overtaxed water … Continue reading Whose Water Is It?

Action That Is Long Overdue by William Martin & Charming Evelyn Let's discuss groundwater! You can find many definitions of groundwater - it is basically water stored underground through millennia via the process of snowmelt and rain seeping through the porous earth to an aquifer. Groundwater fills the spaces between rocks, gravel, and soil beneath … Continue reading Groundwater & SGMA

The Importance of Health Impact Assessments by Candice Youngblood In October 2022, Comite Civico Del Valle held its 11th Environmental Health Leadership Summit at Imperial Valley College - the first in three years since the COVID-19 pandemic. Over 300 government leaders, academics, advocates, and supporters came together to discuss questions on equity in minerals extraction, … Continue reading The Lithium Industry in Imperial County

Nothing is Simple by Cameron Mayer Endangered species conservation remains controversial in the realm of environmental management. The case of the western Joshua tree in California's Morongo Basin provides an example. This issue has been framed as a winner-take-all scenario wherein conservation interests or development proponents garner either complete victory or defeat in pursuit of … Continue reading Protection for Joshua Trees

A Zero Emission Alternative by Lorraine Anderson Local solar is the key to a clean, safe, and reliable energy future, as the August 2022 issue of Desert Report makes abundantly clear. In my vision of that future, solar panels on every rooftop go hand in hand with solar cookers in every backyard. Cooking meals outdoors … Continue reading Cooking with Sunshine