Desert News, 9/16/24

September 16, 2024

9/4

Lawmakers seek bills to end ‘use it or lose it’ water law, expand water rights retirement program

Among the water bills being proposed in the Nevada Legislature is a measure that would allow water rights holders to conserve water without losing their rights.

9/5

Are you ready for solar panels on the southern shores of the Great Salt Lake?

More fallout from the release of the final EIS for the Western Solar Plan.

9/6

As crews chainsaw Joshua trees, Mojave Desert community protests solar energy project

Residents of Boron, California cite valley fever and destruction of protected desert trees as a main reason they oppose the Aratina Solar Project.

9/8

Broken water pipe for Grand Canyon should have been replaced years ago, expert says

A broken pipeline that supplies drinking water to the Grand Canyon led to hotel cancellations for thousands of visitors for a week, including Labor Day weekend. The pipe should have been replaced a long time ago, experts say.

9/9

Man Dies During River Trip in the Grand Canyon

The death is the seventh reported in Grand Canyon National Park since July 31.

9/10

'Bob the Goat' of Franklin Mountains dies amid relocation effort

A beloved local figure died in the process of being relocated to a farm from the El Paso area Franklin Mountains State Park. The relocation of the feral goat was arranged in order to free up safe habitat for potential reintroduction of desert bighorn sheep, which are susceptible to diseases carried by domestic goats.

9/11

Eleven burros found dead near Owls Hole Spring

Burro corpses surround the spring in the far southern reaches of Death Valley National Park, with toxic cyanobacteria in the water the likely cause of death. Though the spring is off the beaten path, NPS is cautioning visitors to keep themselves and their pets out of the water.

9/12

closeup of two burros' heads. One on the right seems to be laughing with eyes shut, but is probably just yawning.

Beatty burros are burdening town — officials aim to remove some members of massive herd

The Bureau of Land Management estimates the upper limit of a sustainable burro population in the immediate vicinity of Beatty, NV rests at about 80 animals. There are almost 1,000 burros in and near town, and even burro-loving locals say things have gotten out of hand.

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Dark cloud looms over weather seeding program

A cloud seeding program has increased snowpack in the Spring Mountains between Pahrump and Las Vegas by some 15,000 acre-feet, much of which is expected to end up in Pahrump’s groundwater. But the program has detractors.

9/13

Los Alamos lab claims local plutonium is safe

The department of energy tries to do damage control after researcher Dr. Michael Ketterer reveals plutonium levels orders of magnitude higher than levels generally regarded as posing minimal risk to health. Mike Ketterer will join Chris Clarke in an upcoming episode of 90 Miles from Needles.

Learn about all the wonderful ways to enjoy Grand Canyon National Park (video)

‘There’s no Planet B’: UNLV first Nevada university to launch climate change plan

The school has set a goal of slashing its greenhouse gas emissions 50 percent by 2030 and reaching net zero by the university’s 100th birthday in 2057.

9/14

a huge cave room with flow stones, stalactites and stalagmites, lit from below

Bag of Cheetos left behind in cave at New Mexico national park 'world changing,' officials say

Some doofus dropped a bag of Cheetos in the Big Room at Carlsbad Caverns National Park, creating an unnatural fungal outbreak that NPS spent hours cleaning up.