Advocating for the Preservation of Desert Wildlands
Neon Desert
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I was struck by the bright colors of the lichen on the lava rock, and a blooming chia (Salvia columbariae) in the foreground. This was taken at the cinder cones in the Mojave National Preserve.
The Department of Defense (DOD) is poised to release details next month regarding its proposal to take over a significant portion of the Desert National Wildlife Refuge (DNWR), close public lands, and incorporate them into the Nellis Test and Training Range. A review of documents made public so far, however, suggests DOD may be inflating its need to close public lands and assume control of the wildlife refuge. The Nellis Test and Training Range already spans 4,608 square miles, and within those vast lands there probably are opportunities to accommodate DOD's training needs without significantly eroding public access or wildlife protection. The options that DOD has proposed so far, however, seem to ignore innovative management approaches and technological solutions that can limit the impact on our public lands.
Lay of the Land: 4,608 Square Miles: Total area of the current Nellis Test and Training Range.3,292 Square Miles: Portion of the Nellis Test and Training
Range where the …
The Department of Interior, after announcing plans to review and potentially scale back protections for public lands, just re-posted the 2016 winner of its "Share the Experience" photo contest in the category of "scenic landscape." It is indeed a beautiful photo of Fantasy Canyon on public lands in Utah. But I have to wonder if the Secretary of Interior is sending a signal about the future of scenic landscapes by sending this around on social media today. Had the photographer zoomed out much more, they would have revealed a landscape that not many of us consider scenic.
Fantasy Canyon is a small parcel - about ten acres - of land surrounded by dozens of square miles of oil drilling rigs and mining.
Clark County Commissioners seem intent on approving more urban sprawl in the Las Vegas Valley at a meeting on February 7. On the meeting's agenda is a plan by Gypsum Resources to build a nearly 5,000-home community on top of Blue Diamond Hill on the edge of Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, a popular outdoor escape near Las Vegas, Nevada. The County Commissioners have been advised by their own planning commission not to approve the project because the development would be a significant departure from the county's original master plan that requires the area remain low-density and rural.
The County is suing a grassroots community group opposed to the Blue Diamond Hill sprawl in an effort to undermine opposition to the plans, suggesting the County Commissioners are on the side of the developer. If built, the tract homes and businesses would be visible to visitors at Red Rock Canyon, increase light pollution, and add significant traffic congestion to nearby roads that…
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