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 […]
By Jessica Dacey | Within the Mojave Trails National Monument and just a few miles from historic Route 66, Bonanza Spring is a vibrant symbol of the desert’s intact ecosystem. Clustered among reeds and swarming with bees, the spring waters an extensive riparian area. It is the biggest wetland for 1,000 square miles, and it […]
By John Hiatt | Currently, the Air Force is proposing to expand the Nellis Test and Training Range (NTTR), in Southern Nevada, by some 300,000 acres, and the Navy wants to expand the Fallon Naval Air Station, in north central Nevada, by 769,724 acres, for a combined total of nearly 1.1 million acres. These proposed expansions come […]
By Alex Ertaud | As the snow thaws and creeks swell this time of year, many turn their eyes and thoughts upward, not to the heavens but to the Sierra High Country. The Sierra in the summertime provides much to us humans. A respite from the heat, clean mountain air and water, and immeasurable beauty in the […]
By Hilary Clark | After a strenuous three-and-a-half hour hike, I reach the top of Telescope Peak, Death Valley’s highest point at over 11,000 feet. I watch the sun set over Mount Whitney to the distant west. To the east, I see the expansive shades of desert brown. Bristlecone pines surround me like twisted works of […]
