Desert Environmental News, June 23, 2025

Hundreds of people gathered across Santa Cruz County to contribute their part to a global movement known as “No Kings,” which protested President Donald Trump’s authoritarian policies, organizers said.

Southern New Mexico residents joined the congressional delegation and many others in opposing a Donald Trump administration effort to target the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument.   …

Protesters armed with flags and colorful handmade signs turned out in Patagonia last Saturday for a large 'No Kings' demonstration.

A report notes the state could produce 163 gigawatts of geothermal power — more than 15 times its electrical output capacity in 2023.

Conservationists have been sounding the alarm about a looming “genetic crisis” in the Mexican gray wolf community as reintroduction continues.

Researchers and volunteers are conducting a snowy plover population survey to look at the effects of a changing Great Salt Lake on these migratory birds.

A protest in Alpine over the weekend against the Trump administration came and went mostly without incident. Around 150 people gathered on the Brewster County Courthouse lawn, holding signs and waving to oncoming traffic.  In the last 10 minutes, a vintage Dodge with a camper shell circled the block a handful of times, […]

Interior is boosting the longtime goal of Cadiz, Inc. to sell water from underneath the Mojave Desert.

Lithium has become a crucial commodity in the global transition toward green energy. With most of it mined and refined abroad, companies are racing to tap into a vast reserve buried deep under the Salton Sea.

The wayfaring wolf, captured twice in Northern New Mexico, recently set her sights on a new horizon: motherhood.

Las Cruces is suffering a blanket of smoke this week due to the Trout Fire in the Gila National Fire. The fire has grown large enough to prompt Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham to declare a state of emergency on June 17. With that declaration, the state can tap federal grants to help with fire management.

Those planning to explore some of Southern Utah's most remote and technical slot canyons will now need a permit.

The Yavapai County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a $796,570 appropriation, including a $557,370 two-year state grant, to fund a full-time deputy for the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office for OHV law enforcement during its Wednesday, June 4 meeting. “[YCSO] was awarded funding through the Arizona State Park Board OHV Law Enforcement Assistance Program for a […]

A coalition of 16 environmental organizations formally challenged the federal government’s environmental review of the proposed South32 Hermosa mine project, citing critical flaws in the analysis.

A set of Glen Canyon Dam pipes that were eroding from the inside have been recoated — two months early and under budget, according to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.

In rural Nevada, a battle is brewing over whether the state has an obligation to protect the sodaville milkvetch flower.

New information is emerging about what's being negotiated between the seven states who rely on the Colorado River: an "amicable divorce" between the Upper and Lower Basins.

About 20 groups are helping plan the rally, which they hope will telegraph New Mexico's support for federal lands.

“Our district is home to some of the most breathtaking landscapes in the United States, and is a source of clean water, jobs, tax revenue, and recreation. Local buy-in is the key to preserving these spaces and guaranteeing that our policies benefit the people we represent. I will not support legislation that excludes local leaders from having a meaningful seat at the table for these important decisions,” said Rep. Kevin Kiley.

U.S. Border agents from the Yuma Sector’s Wellton Station recently apprehended three Mexican nationals after they allegedly crossed illegally into the United States through the Sonoran Desert.

A bipartisan bill in Washington proposing an expansion of Big Bend National Park in West Texas unanimously cleared a recent U.S. Senate hurdle.

As monsoon kicks off in Southern Arizona, it’s not just about staying dry — it's also a chance to save both water and money through rainwater harvesting.

The new project will use funds from a 2021 congressional appropriation to “close critical openings in the border wall" following the halt of border wall construction under former President Joe Biden, the CBP announced June 18.

In 10 days, two wildfires in and around the Gila National Forest have burned over 100,000 acres, forced evacuations and spurred Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to sign an executive order

Since El Paso joined Operation Lone Star in 2022, migrant remains discovered in the desert west of the city have increased every year, even as they have declined in every other border sector.

The Nature Conservancy’s Davis Mountains Preserve will open to the public for outdoor recreation during select weekends in July and August 2025, offering rare access to one of Texas’ most scenic and biologically significant areas.

More than 18 million acres in Utah managed by the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management could be eligible for sale under a Senate bill.

Advocates say the passage of America's Red Rock Wilderness Act is crucial for protecting economies dependent on tourism, wildlife and cultural resources in Southern Utah. The region is the ancestral

The worst-case forecast has Lake Powell falling to low enough levels by the end of next year to halt electricity production at the Glen Canyon Dam.

Imperial Valley native Julius Olivas began his filmmaking journey at home. “I’m from Imperial Valley, but right now we’re shooting in Tennessee,” Olivas said in an in-depth interview

“It is a much shorter period than what we're used to,” says an El Paso Water executive. “Usually, we get water from the river from March through October.”

About 20 people gathered in San Juan County on Saturday to protest the planned reopening of the Velvet-Wood uranium mine.

The Forsyth fire has grown to nearly 6,000 acres, with 0% containment as of Sunday afternoon.

Dixie National Forest officials estimated that the France Canyon Fire has reached 15,750 acres as of Sunday morning. It is 10% contained, with 619 personnel on scene.