by Neil Havlik | When several proposals for solar power facilities in the Carrizo Plain area of eastern San Luis Obispo County, California, became publicly known in 2009, those proposals raised many questions. How big would they be? How would they be managed? What would be the environmental and social impacts of their creation? […]
by Pat Flanagan | I live in the Morongo Basin community of Desert Heights on top of a Sand Transport Path (STP). This geologic feature is a wind-driven sand deposit over 140 miles long that begins at Emerson Dry Lake in the 29 Palms Marine Base, twenty-three miles north of the Sunfair community in […]
by Emily Swaim | Air pollutants in the Imperial Valley impact the public’s health and can be exceedingly dangerous to young ones, elderly, and those living with certain medical conditions. These pollutants can cause a variety of lung diseases and respiratory problems including emphysema and asthma, as well as inducing brain and nervous system damage. […]
by Wynne Benti | On October 7, 2016, residents of Gabbs had little notice that the Navy was coming. There is no newspaper in Gabbs, Nevada, a quiet mining and ranching community about an hour and forty-five minutes northeast of Bishop, California. Nothing was posted or publicized about the last of the Navy’s public […]
by Frances Nicklen | I have lived in the Imperial Valley, specifically the city of El Centro, since I was four years old. I have suffered through dust storms and dry spells and polluted air for fourteen years of my life – but I didn’t always know it. Before my family moved to the valley, […]
by Ruth Nolan | “In the beginning…they laid a woman, Ninmaiwaut (palm) on her back…took a wooden spindle and drilled her. First blood, then fire came forth. This woman then became a palm tree.” –from Tempalpakh: Cahuilla Indian knowledge and usage of plants It’s a very windy March afternoon, and I’ve just driven into […]
by Christian Schoneman | The Salton Sea, near Californa’s southern border, is a GREAT place. It is home to lots of birds, a State Recreation Area, a State Wildlife Area, and a National Wildlife Refuge. It is California’s largest lake. It has been a military training ground and a set for movies. NASA uses it […]
The Ongoing Fight Against Environmental Injustice | by Marina Barragan | When you talk about current events you are usually discussing an event that happened recently, something that happened today, yesterday, and sometimes they are even talking about ongoing events. When I am talking about the right to breathe I am talking […]
Airborne Dust and Valley Fever | By Edie Harmon and Craig Deutsche | It began with a mild cough that would not go away. After three weeks it was apparent that something was seriously wrong. When the cough became so racking that sleep was impossible, medical intervention was sought. The doctor listened to […]
Bringing a Tiny Mammal Back from the Brink | by Tanya Henderson | “What is a vole?” That is a question that I often hear when telling people about the Amargosa Conservancy’s work on behalf of the Amargosa Vole. Voles are small (larger than a mouse, but smaller than most rats), stocky, short tailed […]
