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
Carbon Sequestration in our Desert Lands
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
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
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