By Jora Fogg | The rush to implement new technologies to meet California’s renewable energy mandate has spurred several new proposals for pumped storage in the Eastern Sierra. This technique involves pumping water up hill between two or more reservoirs during times of low energy demand and then releasing it downhill to power turbines to generate electricity at […]
By John Hiatt | As a result of the passage of the Free Roaming Wild Horse and Burro Act in 1971 (the Act), wild (feral) horses and burros on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Forest Service lands in the West have enjoyed federal protection against capture, killing, or harassment. Without significant natural enemies, horse and burro […]
By Anthony Tróchez | This essay does not directly deal with desert issues. Instead it is concerned with a worldview that threatens all aspects of our environment. It will be controversial and perhaps even offensive to some. On the other hand, it represents a point of view that can not be entirely dismissed and deserves […]
By Ileene Anderson and J.P. Rose | In the wild heart of California, at a crossroads where valleys, mountains, and deserts meet, lies Tejon Ranch, California’s quintessential natural landscape. Home to the California condor, Tejon encompasses more than 270,750 acres of private land between Los Angeles and Bakersfield – and it continues to be threatened […]
By Robin Kobaly | We are witness to assaults on our desert landscape every day, but we usually recognize only what we see above ground. In fact, these surface alterations result in critical changes below ground that have far-reaching implications that are mostly unnoticed or unappreciated. If we could see the intricate systems that […]
By Thomas Egan | The endangered Sonoran pronghorn, or “Desert Ghost,” may be returning soon to its historic haunts in the southern California Deserts. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service is in the process of finalizing an Endangered Species Act Non-essential, Experimental Population Rule, which would allow this Spirit of the Desert to […]
By Doug Karpa | This article is rather technical, but please don’t be dissuaded. It is important and worth the effort to understand the problem that it discusses. – Editor. One of the most important battles in desert conservation isn’t about deserts at all, but rather about removing the unfair barriers to clean local energy. To […]
By Linda Castro and Frazier Haney | On February 12, 2016, President Barack Obama designated three national monuments in our desert – Sand to Snow, Mojave Trails, and Castle Mountains. For reasons that will be explained later in this article, the focus of this piece will be Mojave Trails National Monument which was placed […]
The links in this article take you to astonishing videos that illustrate the assertions of the article. They are a must-see − Editor. By Malachi D. Whitford, Grace A. Freymiller, Rulon W. Clark | In any predator-prey interaction, the predator is attempting to subdue the prey and the prey is attempting to evade capture. […]
By Bill Christian | Groundwater stored in our desert basin aquifers is an increasingly valuable and scarce resource, sustaining both people and groundwater dependent ecosystems. Desert springs, where groundwater surfaces, are rare and easily threatened sources of water, critically important for a wide range of desert plants and animals. Perennial springs and seeps often serve as […]
