- Desert Environmental News
- Posts
- Desert News, September 2
Desert News, September 2
Flash floods and drying rivers
August 25
Vegas-sized solar project could come to Nevada's smallest county; residents not thrilled
Environmentalists and some residents say the proposed Esmeralda 7 project could threaten wide-open spaces and central Nevada culture.
August 27
Man Dies After Boat Flips on Colorado River in Grand Canyon
The death of an 80-year-old man was the fifth fatality in the National Park in a month, officials said.
Wells show San Pedro water levels too low to meet court order
The San Pedro River is now below court-ordered minimum levels in four of nine monitoring wells. A judge set those levels about a year ago when he issued an order specifying and quantifying the amount of federal reserved water rights in the San Pedro National Riparian Conservation Area.
August 28
Mysterious New Organism Found in Mono Lake Could Rewrite the History of Life
The salty, arsenic- and cyanide-laced waters of the Eastern Sierra Nevada’s Mono Lake is an extremely hostile environment. Aside from the abundant brine shrimp and black clouds of alkali flies, very few organisms live there. Now, researchers from UC Berkeley have discovered a new creature lurking in the lake’s briny shallows — one that could tell scientists about the origin of animals more than 650 million years ago.
Disney’s new mega-neighborhood is taking shape in the California desert. Some locals are dubious
“Bill Miller, a gardener and environmentalist who bought a Palm Springs property in 2000, is worried less about the architecture and more about the wildlife being cleared out to make room for nearly 2,000 new homes.
“‘Critters are being pushed out. Birds, bees, butterflies, rabbits, lizards, roadrunners — none of these are considered when the landscaping goes in,’ he said.”
Breaks in water supply line limit camping, hotels at Grand Canyon's South Rim
Overnight lodging at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon has been shuttered as the national park moved to limit operations after damage to the Transcanyon Waterline.
2 men are charged with toppling ancient rock formations at Lake Mead trail
The incident, which was caught on video and subsequently shared on social media, caused more than $1,000 worth of damage, federal prosecutors said. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
As Zion National Park braces for Labor Day weekend crowds, here's what visitors should know
Visitors should expect long lines, traffic congestion, flash floods, and dangerously high temperatures. Enjoy your visit!
August 29
AG seeks to hold Pecos River landowners in contempt over barriers
In October, the state of New Mexico filed a complaint against property owners who blocked public access to the Pecos River following a 2022 New Mexico Supreme Court decision. The court affirmed that the public has a right to access the water — as long as they don’t trespass onto the shore. But landowners aren’t giving up without a fight.
Thanks for reading Desert News! This post is public so feel free to share it.
North Carolina hiker's death is believed to be 6th in a month at Grand Canyon National Park
The 60-year-old man was trying to hike the Thunder River Trail-Deer Creek loop and was reported missing after he didn't check in with his family, the National Park Service said.
August 30
Finalized federal plan outlines future of Nevada, Western solar development
Nearly one-fifth of Nevada’s public lands could open up to utility-scale solar development under the Bureau of Land Management’s final Western Solar Plan — drawing the support of solar developers and the ire of conservationists. The document released Thursday designates about 18,000 square miles or 11.8 million acres — roughly 17 percent — of the state’s public lands for possible large-scale solar projects, identified as 5 megawatts and larger.
The next episode of our podcast 90 Miles from Needles will cover the Western Solar Plan. Also see this recent issue of Letters From the Desert.
August 31
Navajo Nation adopts changes to tribal law regulating the transportation of uranium across its land
The updated law calls for more advance notification of plans to ship uranium ore from the Pinyon Plain Mine in northern Arizona to a mill in Utah. The payment of transport fees and the filing of emergency preparedness plans also are among the mandates. The tribe in 2005 banned uranium mining across the sprawling reservation, pointing to the painful legacy of contamination, illness and death that was left behind by the extraction of nearly 30 million tons of the ore during World War II and the Cold War.
September 1
Michael Heizer began ‘City’ 50 years ago. Does it hold up today?
When construction of City began in 1970, few Americans had a problem with building a monument in the middle of Nevada. But 50 years later, City opened into a different world, one in which a greater understanding of Indigenous genocide and colonialism’s ongoing impacts stoked criticism of the work’s sociopolitical context and questions about its own message concerning the land.
This Joshua Tree search and rescue team tries to head off calamity before it strikes
Park Ranger Anna Marini is working to rescue visitors to the popular National Park before they get in trouble by doing “Preventative search and Rescue”: meeting visitors at trailheads to advise them on safe hiking.