Mojave Desert Blog

The Cadiz company intends to pump 16 billion gallons of water a year for 50 years from the Mojave desert and sell it to a water district in Orange County.  This plan would harm natural springs that dozens of species of wildlife depend upon for survival, according to a peer-reviewed study.  The California legislature has one more opportunity to put an end to this terrible idea if it can pass Assembly Bill 1000 (AB1000).  The bill was introduced in Sacramento last year and would require additional scrutiny of plans by the company to export desert groundwater for profit.  If you are a California resident, you can call the office of State Senator and Appropriations Committee Chair Anthony Portantino at (916) 651-4025 and ask that he release AB1000 for a vote.   You can also call your State Assembly Member and State Senator and tell them you support Assembly Bill 1000.


Cadiz's absurd plan has benefited from shady connections with officials in the Department of Interior and through p…

A preliminary study released by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) further underscores that the proposed Crescent Peak Wind project will spoil an outdoor gem in southern Nevada, threatening a golden eagle hot spot and impeding mule deer and bighorn sheep habitat.  The Sweden-based wind company hopes to begin construction of this project on public lands by next year if it can secure BLM's approval.

Study Shows Turbines Would Jeopardize Golden Eagles


The study, contracted by project developer Eolus Wind, erroneously downplays the potential impact on golden eagles. However, the data presented shows that golden eagles use the proposed project site extensively.  According to the preliminary study, nearly 118 golden eagle nests were identified within ten miles of the proposed project.  During the surveys golden eagles were spotted flying above the proposed project site 36 times. The data clearly establishes that golden eagles frequently use the area for forage, and fly at heights that w…

A quintessential rite of passage for Mojave explorers will no longer offer the same journey into unconfined and wild desert that generations of travelers have shared if a Sweden-based company gets its way.  A document released by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) under a Freedom of Information Act request indicates that towering wind turbines of the proposed Crescent Peak Wind project would be visible from a majority of the Mojave Road in the eastern Mojave desert.


The Mojave Road is a historic route traversed for centuries by Native Americans, European explorers and present-day adventurers.  Much of the route crosses public lands and the natural character of the landscape provides travelers an experience not much different from that of generations past.  Joshua trees and creosote bushes dominate the landscape for miles around, with little reminder of the industrial era.  But that could change now that the BLM is reviewing an application by Sweden-based company Eolus Vind to develop…

The Department of Interior abruptly changed its assessment regarding the threat posed to the endangered Yuma Ridgway's rail (also called the Yuma Clapper rail) by industrial-scale solar projects, clearing the way for First Solar to build  the Sunshine Valley Solar project next to one of the bird's few remaining strongholds.  In 2014, Interior initially described the potential for the endangered birds to die at the Sunshine Valley Solar project as "likely."  The more recent Interior memo, obtained by Basin & Range Watch,  now describes the threat as "unquantifiably low." Interior's recent memo does not explain why it downgraded the threat even after two of the endangered birds were found dead at large-scale solar projects in the desert southwest in recent years. 


Fewer Than 1,000 Birds Remaining

The reclusive Yuma Ridgway's ail is known to nest and forage in marshes along the Colorado River, the Salton Sea, and at Ash Meadows National Wildlife …

The Bureau of Land Management is seeking public input on a Sweden-based company's plans to replace several thousand acres of public lands in southern Nevada with towering wind turbines and dozens of miles of wide access roads.  The Crescent Peak Wind project would involve as many as 220 wind turbines each standing 410 feet tall.  Public comments can be e-mailed to blm_nv_sndo_crescentpeak@blm.gov by June 13.

I have hiked and camped on the wildlands that would be industrialized by this project.  The area hosts a beautiful Joshua tree woodland that is rich with wildlife.  The photos below were all taken within the proposed footprint of the Crescent Peak Wind project.   The BLM should deny the permit for this wind project, and instead protect this area for its amazing biodiversity and opportunities for primitive recreation.

Local officials in Las Vegas have are looking to expand the metropolitan area's urban sprawl much deeper into desert wildlands, encroaching on two National Conservation Areas and bolstering plans for an ill-conceived major airport south of the city that would send air traffic over the Mojave National Preserve.

The Nevada Independent reported that Clark County - home of Las Vegas - wants Congress to consider legislation that would hand over nearly 62 square miles of public lands to the County for future urban development.  The effect of continued urban sprawl would span across much more than just the 62 square miles of land bulldozed for more roads, housing, strip malls and warehouses.   For one, urban encroachment would reach the doorstep - or begin to surround - prized recreation areas.  Hiking in Sloan Canyon or parts of Red Rock Canyon will be less desirable if the sights and sounds of human develop begin to intrude on areas that currently offer a natural escape from these eleme…