Desert Environmental News, April 7, 2025

Military presence along the U.S.-Mexico border is expected to grow in the next few weeks as part of a border security mission, according to a report from Marfa Public Radio.

Utah is currently in the thick of it, with winds blowing in dust from the West Desert, the shrinking Great Salt Lake and even smaller sources like gravel pits.

Those planning to camp at Grand Canyon National Park in the coming months should expect to pay a little more.

The federal Bureau of Land Management greenlit seven massive solar projects that, combined, would cover an area about the size of Las Vegas.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates there are only 162 Mexican gray wolves living in New Mexico right now.

The application of waivers and the interpretation of their scope has repeatedly expanded, such that border walls are now privileged over all potential legal constraints short of the U.S. Constitution.

Joshua Tree National Park will move forward with a significant infrastructure upgrade project that will last into early 2026.

Mono County Public Health has confirmed a third death due to Hantavirus in the Town of Mammoth Lakes. Hantavirus is a serious and often fatal illness which people can get through contact with infected deer mouse droppings, urine, or saliva.

On the Las Vegas Strip, almost every drop of water used indoors is treated and sent back to Lake Mead.

The Utah Trust Lands Administration said it received a tip about the illegal dumping in February 2024.

The Arizona Department of Transportation will begin construction this month of a wildlife crossing to provide safe travel for drivers and wildlife.

More than 300,000 historic mining operations threaten Nevada’s safety, water and air.

Cadence’s Central Park has new life, attracting birds and worrying officials about potential effects on Lake Mead.

This free program helping detect lung cancer early and save lives is celebrating 25 years.

DEMING — The campaign for a proposed Mimbres Peaks National Monument faltered last year after local governments rejected it, but contention and mistrust over the prospect still simmer in Luna.

Tiny endangered pupfish have returned to Ayer Lake at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum after the lake was drained for dam repairs.

The order, issued Thursday, calls for a detailed review of each park’s operating hours, trail closures and other limits on visitor services.

The weather forecast for Tucson calls for high temperature in Tucson to flirt with 100 degrees on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

The Trump Administration has put on hold a nearly $500 million federal grant to a Benson power cooperative and a $1.8 billion loan guarantee to Phoenix utility giant Arizona Public

The Senate and Assembly are considering separate, but similar, bills that would implement a program to buy back and retire water rights in some of the state’s most over-appropriated basins.

The stakes — for the Northern Nevada economy and companies powering its growth — are high. The state has received the most federal investments per capita from the law.