By Patrick Donnelly | Native American nations, Nevadans, and public lands lovers across the country are in opposition to the proposed land seizure by the U.S. Air Force of the Desert National Wildlife Refuge. With newly introduced legislation pending, it appears the multi-year campaign to save the Desert Refuge is headed for a showdown. But […]
In This Issue: • In The Military Crosshairs: Nevada’s Desert National Wildlife Refuge • Vanishing Wetlands and a Die-Off of Screwbean Mesquite • Going Beyond Rooftop Solar • An Interview With Death Valley National Park Superintendent Mike Reynolds • Conflicts Of Interest: Industrial Solar vs. Basic Biology • Connecting the Desert Mountains: Hazards for Bighorn […]
By Joan Taylor | Will attention lead to action? Inaction in the face of a massive ecological and public health crisis is unacceptable. In spite of its dying fishery and hazardous exposed shoreline, the Salton Sea is still a stunningly gorgeous place and well worth saving. Proposals to fix the Sea’s problems have always been many, but […]
By Bill Albright | Not long ago the Anchorage Daily News published a letter (7 Dec 2017) from Northern Dynasty Minerals VP for External Affairs about the controversial Pebble Mine on the Alaska Peninsula. The author stated that the development team had decided to place a liner underneath the tailings impoundment. This was likely received as good […]
By Birgitta Jansen | Death Valley’s Backcountry Law Enforcement Ranger Bernard and I were driving down Panamint Valley Road enjoying the impressive sweep of the valley surrounded by rugged mountains, when we spotted a dot in the sky. Being long-time Mylar balloon watchers, we knew immediately what it had to be: a Mylar balloon. It looked […]
In This Issue: • Up, Up and Away… But Not Quite • From the Editor • When Mine Tailings are Stored… • Keep Long Valley Green • Off Highway Routes in the Amargosa Basin • Federal Legislation • The Amargosa Niterwort • Paradise Valley: Leapfrog Development Turned Down • Desert Updates • The Players and […]
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 […]
In This Issue: • Pumped Storage Proposals in the Eastern Sierra • From the Editor: We Need To Hear From You! • Gold Butte National Monument: Two Years Later • Wild Horses and Burros: A Most Contentious Issue • A Brief History of Death Valley Junction • The Silent Menace: Wind Turbine Infrasound, Part 2 […]
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 […]
