THE DRECP PLANS TO GUIDE THE WAY The Future … DRECP PLANS TO GUIDE THE WAY BY SHAUN GONZALES The...

December 2014 News of the desert from Sierra Club California/Nevada Desert Committee

THE DRECP PLANS TO GUIDE THE WAY

BY SHAUN GONZALES

The Future Of The California Desert

TThe draft Desert Renewable Energy Con-servation Plan (DRECP), released by state and federal agencies last September, pro-poses to overhaul the way we manage desert wildlands in California. The draft identifies a “preferred alternative” that would grant conservation status to sig-nificant stretches of desert that are cur-rently unprotected from projects, and also corral large-scale wind, solar and geother-mal energy development into designated development focus areas (DFAs) judged to be of less importance to the ecological health of the desert. The location and size of these DFAs are the most contentious aspect of the DRECP, although the com-plexity and size of the document has chal-lenged the public’s ability to comment on the plan.

A DESTRUCTIVE BIAS? One of the principal aims of the DRECP is to streamline the permitting of large-scale renewable energy projects in DFAs on both public and private lands, helping companies obtain “take” permits if their projects are expected to kill or ha-rass endangered species. The DRECP as-sumes that as much as 20,000 megawatts (MW) of large-scale renewable energy projects will need to be built in the Califor- D

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The Silurian HillsContinued on page 6

DESERT REPORT DECEMBER 20142

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BY STACY GOSS

It Takes All Kinds

AN APPEAL FROM THE MANAGING EDITOR OF DESERT REPORT

It takes all kinds of people to help out our desert, each bringing their unique set of skills. Some people don’t think of themselves as activists but are terrific at organizing and leading trips – whether those are hiking, backpacking, or service trips. And of course those service trips need volunteers to pull tamarisk, build trails, and haul out garbage. Others are captivating speakers and are com-fortable commenting at public meetings on issues such as wind and solar projects, the DRECP, or the destruction of wide-open spaces by illegal OHV activity. Still others are wonderful writers and help fill Desert Report with a broad range of timely and inter-esting desert-related topics. Our hats off to all of these volunteers. However, if you do not feel that you can help in any of these areas – either due to time, energy, or skills, there are still other needs. While there is no subscription cost to receive Desert Report in your mailbox every quarter, this does not mean that there is no cost to provide this service. Although the writing, editing, and design are all done by volunteers, it costs approximately $17,000 annually for printing and mailing. Where does this money come from? A couple of places. Al-though they are listed on the inside back cover of each issue, I

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IN THIS ISSUE1 11 21 3

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DRECP Plans to Guide the Way: Future Of The CA Desert

An Appeal From The Managing Editor Of Desert Report

Volunteers: The Untrammeling Of Death Valley’s Wilderness

Juniper Flats

Energy Versus Tortoises: The Sequel

Watching The Southwest Border

Poems by Ruth Nolan

Timely Documentary Film On Desert Underway

The Ash Meadows Fish Conservation Facility

Outings

The Salton Sea State Recreation Area

want to acknowledge and thank our large organizational donors: Desert Protective Council, Desert Tortoise Council, Sierra Club Cali-fornia, The Wildlands Conservancy, The Desert Legacy Fund at the Community Foundation, and the Sierra Club San Gorgonio and Toiyabe Chapters. Your assistance has kept us in publication. It is essential and is appreciated. Approximately $2,500 a year comes from small individual do-nations. These donations are critical in showing that we have a broad base of support and that individuals value what they are re-ceiving. So if you’d like to make a difference for the desert but don’t feel comfortable with public-speaking, writing articles, or leading trips, this is your opportunity to step up and show your support in another way. Become a financial volunteer. Instructions for how to donate are on the back cover of every issue of Desert Report. We’ve also recently added a Paypal link to our website to make it even easier to donate. Check it out at www.desertreport.org. How does your money help? Of course Desert Report arrives in the mailbox of any activist who is interested in subscribing. But it also reaches all the elected local, state, and federal representatives in CA and NV who can help protect desert lands. It also goes to all of the local, state, and federal agencies that manage desert lands in CA and NV. This includes all the State Parks located in desert areas, as well as the BLM agencies in the CA Desert District, and any National Park and Forest Service Agency that includes desert. While we can’t force these people to read it, we can make sure that it arrives in their mailboxes each quarter. Who knows – they may catch themselves reading an article or two. I believe that we reach far more readers than we realize. On several occasions, I have received phone calls from people who I never suspected were actually paying attention to what appeared in our publication, news publications land-use folks who read our publication even though they are not individual subscribers. Having a printed ver-sion of Desert Report allows us to hang around in offices and break rooms and be accessible to people who we never dreamed would be readers. We continue our valuable work with your support. As the end of the year approaches, I ask you to please help us preserve our deserts by making a contribution to Desert Report. Your donations and support mean we can keep getting the word out about the beauty, importance, and threats to the deserts of CA and NV. There is room in the desert for whatever you have to offer. Please offer whatever it is you do best.

DESERT REPORT DECEMBER 2014 3

SSix volunteers stand gazing upward, their eyes widening as apprehension starts to filter through their veins. What they are looking at is a road. Well, sort of a road. This road is carved out of the side of a mountain with a steep descent on the right and a steep ascent on the left. And this road is rocky. Very rocky. Char-lie Callagan, Death Valley’s Wilderness Coordinator, calmly instructs two of the park volunteers. They will each be driving one of the two pick-up trucks that need to go up the mountain. Their destination: South Park in the Panamint Mountains. “Your flattest section of the road is right here at the beginning. Use it to accelerate and take that truck up the road. Once you start you are committed. You do not stop. Keep it steady and maintain your speed.” “What if we get a flat?” someone asks. “As I said”, Charlie answers, “You do not stop no matter what. You get a flat, you focus on controlling the vehicle and continue on. Think about it. We’re not going to be changing a tire on that slope”. Then he turns and looks at the two drivers. “You’re ready?” They may have felt a little twitchy on the inside, but without hesitation they nod affirmatively. They are eager for ad-venture and ready to work. There are wil-derness restoration projects waiting at the other end of that road. Every year around 220 volunteers come to Death Valley National Park. Some are in the park for a weekend. Others work for six months or more. Together they donate approximately 40,000 hours, which is the equivalent of nineteen full time employees and a significant con-tribution to the park. Volunteers work in each of the five branches: Visitor Protec-tion, Interpretation, Resources Manage-ment, Maintenance, and Administration. Campground hosting is the most popular

BY BIRGITTA JANSEN

The Untrammeling Of Death Valley’s Wilderness

VOLUNTEERS MAKE A DIFFERENCE

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position, but each year there are approximately 45 hardy souls who come to work in Death Valley’s backcountry and wilderness areas. Most come in groups such as AmeriCorps and the Sierra Club service trips. One or two individuals may intern with Charlie Callagan for a season. There is no shortage of work, especially in areas that were added to the park and designated wilderness in 1994 when Death Valley National Monument became a National Park. When, in the fall of 2008, the Sierra Club’s Kate Allen called Charlie and said: “Charlie, we’d like to come to Death Valley, and we will do anything you’d like us to do”, he lost not a minute to arrange their first service trip for November. They went to Saline Valley, an area

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Crossroads group at the Panamint Valley plane crash site in November, 2014. At least a dozen groups have worked on this site.


Juniper Flats

TO SAVE IT IS TO LOVE IT

II have to admit that I didn’t even know Juniper Flats had a name until we almost lost it to a utility-scale wind farm. If I wanted to describe the area to someone, I simply said, “the north-facing foothills of the San Bernardinos between Apple Valley and Lucerne Valley, where the High Desert meets the mountains.” Although this landscape has been close to my heart for a very long time—I was born in Victorville, and spend most of my week-ends in Lucerne Valley—it took the specter of that grotesquely offensive wind farm to get me better acquainted with what we have, and what we almost didn’t have. Happily, the would-be de-veloper of the North Peak Wind Project has withdrawn its appli-cation to slap up 71 giant wind turbines on the high ridgelines of Juniper Flats. But they didn’t just change their mind. They heard from High Desert residents. More than 17,000 of them signed a petition op-posing the project, thanks to the tireless, boots-on-the-ground ef-forts of the Alliance for Desert Preservation, of which I’m an active member. We told them how preciously we value our High Desert landscape, its wildlife, its vegetation, and its beauty. And we told them that we didn’t want that landscape sullied by an industrial project that would have sliced up Juniper Flats with roads as wide as 44 feet, and blighted our skyline with wind turbines brightly blinking with nighttime aviation lights. On another happy note, much of Juniper Flats has been des-ignated an Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC) in the preferred alternative of the Desert Renewable Energy Conserva-tion Plan (DRECP). That’s good. But now we need to give it the Bu-reau of Land Management’s highest level of protection. We need it to be declared National Conservation Land and added to the Na-tional Landscape Conservation System, so that no other developer get North Peakish notions about desecrating this beautiful stretch of land.

A DAZZLING LANDSCAPE The full extent of Juniper Flats comprises 101,272 acres, ad-ministered by the BLM and stretching about 21 miles east-west, from the Big Bear–bound switchbacks of the Cushenbury Grade to the Mojave River. The southern boundary abuts the San Bernardi-no National Forest, while the northern boundary drops down to the desert floor at the base of the mountains.

The far view of Juniper Flats is one of jagged peaks rising above a series of rugged canyons. Regal boulder formations tower above the upper reaches of those canyons. When sunrise gives the hills a pink glow, or when the sun sets behind the western finger of the range, Juniper Flats suddenly softens. Glorious. Dig into the details, and it becomes all the more dazzling. As I learned in the course of helping to spare it, Juniper Flats is home to no less than 45 endangered and threatened species

BY ROBERT EARLE HOWELLS


Juniper Flats hillside

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Energy Versus TortoisesThe Sequel

DRAFT DRECP THREATENS DESERT TORTOISE RESEARCH NATURAL AREA

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The Tortoise Research Natural Area in March; Top: Desert tortoise in spring flowers

Considered a rare success story in the conservation of the threatened Aggasiz’s desert tortoise, the Desert Tortoise Re-search Natural Area is now itself threat-ened by California’s Desert Renewable En-ergy Conservation Plan. Resolutely making its way across the arid landscape, the iconic desert tortoise is a flagship species of the Mojave Desert. In color, texture, and shape, it seems to be a small piece of desert that decided to take a walk. Even the slow deliberate gait seems to reflect the pace of desert life under the intense midday sun. No won-der so many people who love the desert hold a special place in their hearts for this unprepossessing, yet unquestionably charming and charismatic reptile! Despite this affection and respect, humans have put the fate of desert tor-toises in jeopardy. Mining, grazing, mili-tary activity, off-highway vehicle recre-ation, construction, and now solar and wind farms are pushing the species to the brink. The numbers of this desert native are but a fraction of what they were 40 years ago, and the decline continues. Forty years ago, Dr. Kristin Berry and others were concerned about conserving tortoises and habitat. They lobbied the Bu-reau of Land Management (BLM) and oth-er agencies to establish a protected area for tortoises. They chose an area in the Rand Mountains and Fremont Valley of Kern County, CA, with the highest density of desert tortoises ever recorded. The ef-forts of Dr. Berry and her allies were suc-cessful, and, in 1973, the BLM started the process of establishing a Desert Tortoise Natural Research Area. From the initially

10 square miles, the area has expanded, and today comprises more than 39.5 square miles. In 1974, the Desert Tortoise Preserve Committee, Inc. (DTPC) was formed to act as the principal long-term caretaker and advocate for the area. In the 40 years since its establish-ment, the DTPC has made significant acquisitions of habitat that allowed for expansion of the protected lands. As a result of this effort, the Desert Tortoise Research Natural Area has grown from 31 square miles to more than 39.5 square miles. Beyond advocating for the expansion of the Research Natural Area on public land, the DTPC has purchased private land within the preserve boundaries and has transferred almost 4 square miles to the BLM. The DTPC not only buys land for tortoise conservation, but initiates work for its restoration. Much of the land purchased had suffered from off-road vehicles, target practice, unregu-lated bonfires, and illegal dumping of refuse. Education is also an integral part of the mission of the DTPC, and it has developed and presented educational programs throughout southern California and created and installed multi-media educational displays at desert access areas. As part of the mission, the DTPC,

BY MOSHEH WOLF

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The Future Of The California Desert

nia desert. That means that enough projects would be built in the desert to meet one-third of California’s current peak energy demand. Building enough large-scale renewable energy projects to generate 20,000 MW probably would industrialize 443 to 568 square miles of land, but the DRECP designates roughly 3,162 square miles as DFAs, offering industry more than enough real estate from which to choose. (Although the DRECP Executive Summary notes that total ground disturbance is estimated at approximate 276 square miles, Appen-dix F3 includes higher figures that also count the full acreage required for wind energy project footprints. Wind projects do not disturb every acre of a right-of-way, but project impacts are not limited to disturbed ground.) The federal and state agencies that drafted the DRECP discarded an alternative that would focus on meeting the 20,000 MW target through distributed generation – such as rooftop solar. The DRECP interprets policy initiatives as requiring that a substantial portion of energy demand should be met through large-scale projects, rather than distributed gen-eration. This is unfortunate when one considers that a UCLA Luskin Center study (http://innovation.luskin.ucla.edu/content/profile-clean-energy-investment-potential) found that Los Angeles County rooftops alone could host 19,000 MW of solar panels.

PRIVATE LAND – RISK AND OPPORTUNITY The majority of DFAs identified in the preferred alternative are located in the west-ern Mojave and Imperial Valley on private land, rather than public land. Some of the pri-vate land hosts intact desert habitat, and other parcels are in use for agricultural devel-opment. The checkerboard nature of these regions – where private acreage equals, if not exceeds public acreage – makes both development and conservation difficult. Whether these regions turn into industrial zones or whether they protect what is left of wildlife corridors will depend primarily on how much local landowners and communities value conservation.

The DRECP cannot force private land-owners to allow renewable energy devel-opment; rather, the chance that a renew-able energy project is built on private land will depend mostly on the inclinations of the landowner and on the land use poli-cies of the local government. What is clear is that human development in both the western Mojave Desert and the Imperial Valley has already taken a toll on wild-lands, and remaining intact desert habi-tat carries the heavy burden of sustaining wildlife while also serving as a recreation outlet for local communities. Sandwiched between DFAs in these regions are areas identified as important for conservation. The DRECP identified tenuous wildlife corridors linking eco-systems across areas already encroached upon by housing developments, high-ways, and agriculture. Examples of this can be seen in the Lucerne and Victor Val-leys, where blocks of wildlife habitat to the north and south of each community are connected by relatively narrow strips of mostly private land where homes and roads are barely outnumbered by Joshua trees and creosote bushes. Whether or not these regions main-tain their rural character and continue to host these vital wildlife corridors depends less on the DRECP than on local voices (and dollars) to salvage the call of coyotes at night and wildflower blooms in the spring. Even without DFAs in the western Mojave, in twenty years the beauty of the desert might still be just a memory held by older residents if action is not taken today. In my own experience, stucco-clad houses and swimming pools have re-placed the burrowing owls and leopard lizards across the street from my child-hood home in Victorville.

DELAYED TRAGEDY DEEPER IN THE DESERT? More remote areas of the Mojave and Colorado desert regions generally fare bet-ter in the DRECP, although there is a catch. The “preferred alternative” of the DRECP would prohibit new energy projects on much of the public lands – administered primarily by the Bureau of Land Manage-ment (BLM) – that lie further from popu-lation centers. For example, currently unprotected desert valleys in between the Nopah, Kingston, and Ibex Wilderness

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areas would be included in the National Landscape Conservation System (NLCS), as would lands east of the Imperial Sand Dunes. The draft DRECP would also extend area of critical environmental concern (ACEC) status to lands southwest and east of Ridgecrest, and across the Granite Mountains east of Apple Valley. However, the BLM’s conservation designations are adminis-trative, and do not have the relative permanence of wilderness and monument status that only Congress or the President have the power to bestow. This means that the BLM could eventual-ly revise the land use plan in California to remove ACEC or NLCS designations. Additionally, the draft “preferred alternative” allows for fu-ture decisions with potentially negative environmental impact. State and federal agencies could not decide whether some areas should be protected or carved up for energy projects, so they were labeled as “Special Analysis Areas” and “Future Assessment Areas.” The BLM will decide at a later date – or when a company submits a proposal for an energy project – whether the lands should be in-cluded as DFAs or made off-limits to developers and protected for conservation purposes. For example, a Special Analysis Area in the Silurian Valley could become a DFA, spoiling a largely untouched landscape that provides an opportunity for us to see the desert as it was experienced by previous generations (the BLM’s rejection of Iberdrola’s proposal to build a solar project in this Special Analy-sis Area provides some hope that the final DRECP will grant this whole area conservation status). The same goes for a Future As-

sessment Area in the Cadiz Valley along Route 66. Imagine a giant solar power tower dwarfing the iconic Amboy Crater, and visible from some of the most remote corners of the Mojave Desert.

WILDLIFE AT STAKE Regardless of whether a renewable energy project is built on private or public land, it can pose a risk to wildlife. Although the DRECP conservation designations protect significant portions of the desert, the DFAs threaten to encourage a myriad of hurdles to wildlife. The DRECP identifies conservation management actions to minimize the impacts of renewable energy projects on wildlife. But we are left to guess how effective these measures will be when so little is known about some species and how they are threatened by various types of renewable energy technology. For example, we are just beginning to find out that birds mi-grating long distances can make the fatal mistake of confusing a solar plant with a body of water where they can rest and forage for food. And solar power towers, like the three built by BrightSource Energy in the Ivanpah Valley, can burn birds and insects to death in the super-heated air created by hundreds of thousands of gi-ant mirrors. Wind companies can refuse to cooperate with wild-life studies that cast a negative light on the industry, obscuring our understanding of how many birds and bats are killed by wind turbines. Assuming that the tide of large-scale renewable energy projects being built in the desert continues as it has since 2009, the challenge for the DRECP will rest on its ability to monitor the status of wildlife and step in to curtail or stop developments that jeopardize them.

SPEAK UP, STAY ENGAGED There is an 80-acre parcel of desert that I grew up with in Victorville. It is an area so small that it would probably go unno-ticed in the environmental review of a large-scale solar project. But I could tell you where you could find an old creosote ring, the best place to smell the perfume of desert dandelions in the spring, where the ravens would go when they left their nest among the crooked arms of the Joshua tree, and where you could follow the wash and spot the tracks of countless desert rats that had scurried about the night before. If the DRECP had been proposed 20 years ago, I would be writing my letter about this seemingly insignifi-cant patch of land, and why it deserved to grace future generations long after I had expired. Today it shows up in the DRECP maps coated in grey – “impervious land” that has been paved over by asphalt, manicured lawns and homes clad in Spanish tile. The DRECP is another chapter in the long story of the desert, and it will tell a tale that will leave a lasting impression. You may not have time to understand every page of this document, but somewhere in the DRECP is an acre of desert with which you are probably intimately familiar, and you do not need to be a “sacred poet” to sing its praises. The deadline for the public to submit com-ments on the DRECP is February 23, 2015. (http://www.drecp.org/about/contact.html#comments)

Shaun Gonzales is a Sierra Club member and desert activist.

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BY CRAIG DEUTSCHE

WHO ARE THE BORDER PATROL, REALLY?

Watching The Southwest Border

In our national concern about immigra-tion policy we sometimes overlook the people who are assigned the job of polic-ing the borders, and we tend to forget that these are human beings like the rest of us. I was recently given the opportunity to spend half a day with three of these agents and tour their patrol area: the El Centro sector between the Jacumba Mountains and the Imperial Sand Dunes. In spite of the difficulty of their job, I was impressed with their professionalism, their commitment to their job, and in-deed their humanity. Pat Whipple serves as an Assistant Chief Patrol Agent and has been with the Border Patrol many years. He grew up in San Diego, was a sheet metal worker for several years, completed college, and ap-plied for federal law enforcement. Miguel Garcia grew up speaking Spanish and is currently serving as the Public Affairs Su-pervisor in the El Centro sector. Nick Fen-ley grew up in El Centro and came from a family very much involved in public service. Military service is an asset when applying for the Border Patrol, and know-ing this, Nick did a four-year hitch in the Coast Guard before applying for the Bor-der Patrol. As the most recent of the three to have worked in the field, Nick was the driver as we toured the area. The El Centro sector covers 70 miles of linear border. It includes a mountainous Wilderness Area, long stretches of open desert, and the urban surroundings of Calexico and Mexicali. In the mountains, horseback patrol and seismic intrusion devices are employed. In the open desert there is a rail fence that has been effec-tive in reducing motorized incursions but is crossed easily by wildlife and humans.

Cameras utilizing both visible and infrared light are employed here to alert the Border Pa-trol of activity. Near and within Calexico, the border fence is between 14 and 16 feet tall and is impervious to anything larger than a gopher. Still, it can be climbed easily and must be constantly watched. Within Calexico itself, bicycle patrols are employed. Where do recruits come from and what training do they receive? They come from all over the country, although a greater number of those assigned in El Centro grew up in or near the southwestern deserts. All spend nineteen weeks at a training center in New Mexico, and most, but not all, will graduate. The graduates who are assigned in El Centro receive further training specific to the local area. For all new agents the first year is proba-tionary. They are assigned to work with an experienced agent and learn on the job. I asked Pat if some persons did not complete the probationary period. “Yes, some decide that the work was not what they expected and resign. A few are not able to pass the tests that are given during the year and may be rejected.” I hesitated to ask, but on his own, Pat brought up the subject of attitude. The experienced agent may submit a report if a trainee uses poor judgment or does not meet the expected standards of behavior. Yes, trainees have been oc-casionally rejected on these grounds as well.

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The California-Mexican border in the El Centro Sector

9DESERT REPORT DECEMBER 2014

How are most apprehensions made? They most commonly occur on foot in the open desert, and they very probably involve tracking and perhaps a chase. Several dirt roads running paral-lel with the border are dragged daily with an array of tires to re-move old footprints. If tracks are found crossing this drag, then the tracks are recent and the agent probably heads into the brush following them. Tracking is the premier skill needed for this work. Depending on the size of the group, the weather, or other circum-stances, the agent may radio for air surveillance, for backup, or for a check on the next dragged road that the tracks are likely to cross. When I asked how a single agent can apprehend a larger group, eight or twelve persons, the first answer was, “Surprise is essential. If the group sees an agent coming from far off they can scatter in all directions and the difficulties become immense.” The second answer was that the personal authority of the agent was crucial. Agents learn to make it clear that the group will be treated with respect, that escape is not possible, and that they must all sit and wait till the Border Patrol van arrives. Water is always an issue. By the time persons have come twenty miles across the desert, they are tired and thirsty. Many are ready to give up, and a simple offer of water may be enough to elicit cooperation. In the current year there have already been 15 rescue missions (35 rescues in Fiscal Year 2013) for persons known to have gone missing in the heat while traveling north. In addi-tion to search and rescue, there are a number of radio beacons in the backcountry where a desperate person can signal the Border Patrol and call for rescue. The work is a cat and mouse game. When I asked how it was even possible for a vehicle to cross the heavy rail barriers, the an-swer was: “They cut them, either with tools or torches, and some-times they use ramps to go up and over.” At one location there is a small mountain on the Mexican side, and one person standing at the top can see everything on the flat below, including the disposi-tion of Border Patrol trucks and agents. With a cell phone he will attempt to direct a crossing group away from the agents. Clearly the committed smugglers are also professional smugglers. As for crossing the dragged roads without leaving tracks, it may be possible to simply brush tracks out. Another method uses a blanket to create a wind that will drift dust over the tracks. Near Calexico an aluminum ladder was once used to bridge the road so no one even touched the ground. The most curious strategy glues pieces of soft foam to the soles of shoes so that the print left in the dirt is faint and nothing like a boot. There is even a gas station on the Mexican side of the border that sells these foam pads. Going along a wide, dirt road in the open desert, I remarked that it didn’t seem to have been dragged. All three laughed, “Oh, yes it has. Over there, along the side.” I asked if they had been watching for tracks as we drove, and Pat said, “Of course. It be-comes a habit, and I’ve been watching all day.” Nick agreed and said that it was impossible for him to even walk in his own neigh-borhood without watching for the signs. Every occupation has its side effects. Some new agents have difficulty adjusting to El Centro and the desert, especially if they are from an eastern city. Pat said that every effort was made to ingrate them into a community larger than just the Border Patrol. This is easier if an agent is married and has kids. Then there will be PTA, church, Little League, and

the families of their children’s friends. For wives without chil-dren it can be more difficult. The Border Patrol does have a wives’ group that meets regularly and attempts to provide support for new arrivals. Many of the agents have become integral to their community: soccer coaches, first aid responders, and simply good neighbors. I asked, “What experience or event has been most gratifying in your career?” Pat thought a long time and then said that once he had been involved in tracking a group for three full days. There was a great feeling of accomplishment when they were successful.

“What were their worst memories of the job?” Of course, finding a body in the desert was near the top of the list. Pat also men-tioned that a few years back an agent had been killed in the line of duty near San Diego. Miguel indicated that this had been someone whom he had known since high school. I clearly sensed that all the agents are family, and if one is killed, it is like losing a brother. By the end of our conversation, I was impressed that the agents were extraordinarily professional and took real pride in do-ing their job. I was also impressed that other than persons actively engaged in smuggling drugs or people, they had no hostile feelings toward persons that they stopped. All this is corresponds with my own experience meeting agents in the field over the past fifteen years: they have been consistently courteous and businesslike. If I were arrested, I might prefer that it happen at the hands of the Border Patrol than at the hands of some other law enforcement agencies. The Border Patrol would certainly cut me no slack, but they would be fair -- not a bad recommendation at all.

Craig Deutsche is a former editor of the Desert Report, an long-time explorer in the California and Nevada deserts, and a regular volun-teer in the Carrizo Plain National Monument.

Rail fence and a drag immediately east of the Jacumba Mtns

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and species of special concern. The Cushenbury herd of bighorn sheep migrates through en route from the San Bernardinos to the Granite Mountains, as do badgers and mountain lions. Golden eagles nest near its tallest ridges. Bald eagles soar over en route to win-ter abodes at Big Bear and Arrowhead. The critically threatened southwestern willow fly-catcher, least Bell’s vireo, and yellow-bellied cuckoo call it home. Myriad other bird species migrate through, often at night, and I shudder to think of their would-be encounter with wind turbines. The area is critical for the Mohave ground squirrel and desert tortoise. And let’s not take for granted the usual cast of desert characters—mule deer, coyote, his nemesis the roadrunner, and his favorite meal, the jackrabbit. The flora are equally astounding. The flanks of barren canyons spring to life with poppies in early April, when vast quantities of bursage and brittlebush get equally showy, as do ephemerals that I never get around to identifying, but al-ways hold in awe. Less obvious are certain plants in Juniper Flats that grow nowhere else in the world. I wouldn’t know Cushenbury milkvetch unless it came up and introduced itself, but I’m happy to know that it’s among several carbonate-endemic plant species that thrive nowhere in the world but here, in the same high-grade limestone soil that makes the northern flanks of the San Bernardinos so attractive to the cement and chemi-cal industries. Juniper Flats is all about transitions, from creosote flats to Joshua tree and juniper hills to high-country piñon and oak woodlands. That variety results in some curiously clustered combinations. Up in the higher reaches I’ve seen some of the densest stands of

Joshua trees I’ve encountered anywhere in the Mojave standing right up against a grove of piñons, showing that the two can get along quite nicely. The presence of water in the desert is always capricious and often fleeting, but Juniper Flats is blessed with perennial seeps and springs that look like a magic wand has touched certain canyons. Sud-denly sage and cholla and brittlebush give way to a realm of cottonwoods and rabbitbrush and grasses that would look at home surrounding the average marsh. Arrastre Canyon is a great example, as is a neighbor the locals call Elderberry Canyon. The natural abundance of Juniper Flats has long attracted humans, primar-ily the Serrano Indians. A Serrano named Santos Manuel led a 32-day campaign against local militia forces in the San Ber-nardino Mountains in 1866. That tribe is now known by the name of its then-lead-er: the San Manuel Band of Mission Indi-ans. The band deeply values sites in the area that are unmarked and little known to the general public—but are another reason why National Conservation Land status is so important for Juniper Flats. I mentioned those boulder forma-tions that rise above the canyons. I’m al-ways surprised that more rock climbers haven’t staked them out and claimed first ascents and naming rights. Picture Dead-man’s Point (Bear Valley Road at Highway 18), then put it up on a tall ridgeline far from whizzing traffic. I know one of the formations as Castle Rock. Others have no names that I know of, but they harbor tempting routes on high-friction granite, as well as chimneys and passageways that make for fun exploring for climbers and landlubbers alike—if they’re willing to trundle up to the ridgelines.

THE BIG VIEW Not that trundling up there is easy, even though it lies within a few miles of Apple Valley and Lucerne Valley. Access to Juniper Flats is moderately tricky. Its primary “highway” is Coxey Road, also known as Coxey Truck Trail, accessed from the west via Bowen Ranch Road in Apple Valley. Historic Coxey Road was built in the 1860s to transport ore from Holcomb Valley near Big Bear Lake to the Victor Valley. It requires a sturdy high-clearance vehicle, as does Grapevine Can-Boulder formation above Grapevine Canyon looking north toward the Granite Mtns

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Juniper Flats is all about transitions, from creosote flats to Joshua tree and juniper hills to high-country piñon and oak woodlands.


yon Road, accessed from the north in Lucerne Valley. Both roads get you up into the highest reaches of Juniper Flats before they head over the crest into the San Bernardino National Forest. The views from the ridgelines are thrilling. A northern panorama takes in the Southern Sierra, the Granite Mountains, Ord Mountain, the Rodman Mountains, Rabbit Dry Lake, Lucerne Dry Lake, and the scattered abodes and ranches of Lucerne Valley. The BLM knows that Juniper Flats is special—after all, it sin-gled out much of its acreage for proposed ACEC status under the DRECP preferred alternative. And it has praised Juniper Flats as an “extremely diverse and dense region for cultural resources …[with] numerous sites that meet criteria for the National Register of Historic Places …[and which are] of great importance for the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians.” But the BLM must make difficult choices, because it is also under a directive to open up its land holdings to large-scale renewable energy development. We who love the California desert can make the BLM’s choice much easier by showing support for the protection of this small but awe-inspiring slice of public land. As Congress proclaimed in passing the California Desert Protection Act in 1994, our desert is

“fragile, easily scarred, and slow to heal.” Let’s not permit unneces-sary scars upon our treasured Mojave. Let’s preserve Juniper Flats.

Robert Earle Howells is a contributing author for National Geo-graphic books, editor of Just Ahead GPS Audio Guides, and a board member of the Alliance for Desert Preservation. A petition to pre-serve Juniper Flats is online at a4dp.org.

Rock climbers are beginning to discover the towering boulder formations in the upper elevations of Juniper Flats, here above Grapevine Canyon, with Lucerne Valley in background

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BY RUTH NOLAN

Point Happy / Cow on Vah al ham ah

This is an Indian village site,where the Cahuilla dug walk-inwells by hand for hundredsof years down to where thefickle desert river never stoppedflowing. This is where oceanonce slurped at land. Thisis where the fish surgedon high tide into rock traps,where the old shoreline liesto us with promises of deepwater. This is now the siteof a fast food restaurant whose busy drive-thru overflows withcustomers, forever thirsty,stumbling in from the mirage.

“Point Happy / Cow on Vah al ham ah” originally published in “Fresh Ink,” September 2012.

Dark Medallion, Quarter Moon

Near California’s Interstate 40,a few miles along Water Road,in the heart of the Mojave Desert,the deceased ancestors walk throughWard Valley, 60 miles long,until they reach the Milky Wayin the throat of the Turtle Mountainsand the wildcats and coyotesmark their paw print sunrise timenear the Old Woman Rock Tower,and the villagers grind grain on stoneon a February morning, long before calendars are born. One soft moccasinprint is left behind, and it’s advisedto follow the turtle to live a long life.Cars speed by, stars blink: good night.


I

BY SALLY KAPLAN

DESERT TO BE THE STAR OF THE SHOW

Timely Documentary Film On Desert UnderwayIt all began in early May 2013. Terry Weiner of Desert Protective Council had seen ‘California Forever,’ our two-part PBS Special on California State Parks. She was impressed by the segment, which contrasts high-adrenaline off-road vehicle users in Ocotillo Wells State Vehicle Recreation Area with more contemplative visitors to neighboring Anza Borrego Desert State Park. “How did you take such a controversial issue,” Terry asked, “and present it in a way that doesn’t offend either side?” I explained to her that as film-makers, no matter what our personal opinion, we try to leave it up to the viewer to assess. Terry went on to say that with so many pressing issues now facing desert, wouldn’t it be great to devote an entire film to desert? My husband and partner, David Vassar and I emphatically agreed. In fact, years ago, David wrote a treatment for a proposed film on Death Valley. Although that film never got produced, we shared the treatment with Terry to see if it reso-nated. It did. “How do we begin?” Terry asked. The first step, I ex-plained, was to raise starter funds for research, location scouting, and writing. A final treatment and presentation package would then be created and used to raise large film production funds. Six months later, with $25,000 successfully raised, David and I began our journey in earnest. We brainstormed with a group of desert conservationists in Shoshone to gain a better grasp of the most pressing issues deserts face today. We came home and read Bruce Pavlik’s book on the California Desert and we realized it could serve as a wonderful template for the film. Over Reuben sandwiches at Saul’s Delicatessen in Berkeley, Pavlik agreed that film was the best format to provide the uninitiated with an experi-ence of desert. Thrilled at the thought of illuminating many of his book’s themes in a documentary, Bruce agreed to serve as chief advisor to the project. In March 2014, David and I set off to visit areas in the desert with which we were not yet familiar. We stayed at the Granite Mountains Research Center to spend time with Senior Botanist, Jim Andre (also an advisor to the project) who served as our guide to the Mojave and nearby areas. Thereafter, we travelled through Joshua Tree National Park, then drove up the long lonely highway to Fallon Nevada to visit Spirit Cave before wandering back home to the Sierras. During the trip, David took still photographs and I kept a journal. (See: http://backcountrypictures.tumblr.com/). David then began the daunting task of writing the film treat-ment based on continued research I assisted in providing – and once he completed the first draft, we tag-teamed to get it right. In summary, the film we envision is a multi-paced documenta-ry exploring the Mojave, Great Basin and Sonoran deserts; three

magnificent places largely overlooked and little understood by the majority of the 20 million people who live in nearby Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Phoenix. Establishing the desert as the film’s protagonist and star of the show, the film unfolds with images and sounds that immerse the viewer in the legendary power of the place. Scientists and re-searchers emerge seamlessly from the landscape to describe com-plex ecosystems as well as individual plants and animals that have evolved mechanisms allowing them to thrive in a land of little water and torrid temperatures. The film also takes a cultural journey, highlighting the sur-prising ways in which the human perception of desert has evolved over time. It begins 3,000 years ago when the Coso and Mojave

Hoodoos in New York Mountains, Mojave National Preserve

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people created iconic petroglyphs reflecting a worldview inspired by desert. Desert also plays a central role in the foundation of the world’s great religions; Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Also included in the film is a cast of characters that allow viewers to see the desert from their point of view, as well as lyrical desert writing in voice over and clips from classic Hollywood mov-ies that create an at times humorous mash-up of desert clichés. The film’s conclusion presents desert lands as easy targets for the development of sustainable energy - wind and solar, which could be the new ‘gold rush.’ Rather than generate power on roof-tops in the cities where it’s consumed, deserts are under siege. Bird deaths due to getting caught in wind turbines or burning on solar panels are rising exponentially. Native American lands are at risk, as are numerous species of plants and animals. The completed film is aimed for theatrical release as well as PBS television. Aware that preaching to the choir isn’t enough, our intent is to introduce a large general audience to the desert with the hope of igniting their respect and concern for this at-risk area. Our hope is to impart to those who might still perceive the des-ert as a ‘wasteland’ that in fact, it is anything but a ‘wasteland’. With industrial-scale renewable energy development apace (and its negative impacts proving to be significant), these issues are no longer under the radar. But if we are to create renewable energy correctly, the public must be educated about the complexity sur-rounding wind and solar development in the desert. As legendary ocean researcher Sylvia Earle has often stated, “If you don’t know, you can’t care, and if you don’t care, you can’t act.” To date, this project has not been without difficulty. One of the challenges we face is how to best handle the extremely charged opinions surrounding renewable energy in the desert. As natural history/environmental filmmakers, we often delve into themes that provoke passion on either side of the issue. However, our style is not investigative. Instead, we are known for our ability to powerfully engage audiences emotionally with a landscape. In


this case, we want individual audience members to first, fall in love with the desert. Once we are assured we have enchantingly drawn them in, we then present the challenges this delicate land-scape now faces. In addition, the rush to develop industrial-scale renewable wind and solar power in the desert also risks tremen-dous loss of biodiversity, along with the threat of a growing popu-lation in and near the desert, and intensified competing claims for water. By the end of the film, rather than insist on one point of view or solution, we leave audiences with question marks and issues to ponder more deeply. We hope to impart that rather than a worthless wasteland, the desert is a remarkable place; a place we risk losing; a place worthy of preserving; a place we must care for and fight to protect. Another challenge we face is successfully raising the large dollar amount of funds needed for production. Although filming from an airplane may be the best way to capture for viewers the enormous desert vistas as well as the mystery and grandeur of the place, aerials are one of the most costly aspects of film production. We are looking into drone technology, but the jury is still out on what drones with cameras can technically accomplish. An additional fundraising challenge lies in the fact that high-ly charged, polarized viewpoints held by desert lovers and activists on how to respond to the current rush to develop renewable energy on these lands turns some potential funders off. They don’t want to get involved in something so ‘heated’, especially when some of their own donors might be on the side of those who are trying to find a way to develop solar and wind power ‘right’ – or who are engaged in persuading policy makers to include compromise. Finally, many foundations and conservation organizations committed to granting funds to support environmental causes

Hoodoos in New York Mountains, Mojave National PreserveA coral of cattle beneath solar panels, used both to generate electricity as well as shade the cows

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David Vassar in Afton Canyon

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The Untrammeling Of Death Valley’s Wilderness

Continued from page 3where most of them had not been before, to complete a wilderness restoration proj-ect. They loved it. That was the start of approximately three to four annual ser-vice trips by the Sierra Club --each last-ing three days-- usually over a weekend. A Bishop-based volunteer group, Friends of the Inyo, and student groups from schools like Crossroads in Santa Monica, CA, started volunteering around 2010. In 2012 AmeriCorps crews started coming into the park. Considering current project funding conditions and park staffing lev-els, these clean-up projects would not get done without the efforts of the volunteers. Cheryl Chipman, Death Valley Na-tional Park’s Volunteer Coordinator, com-mented: “It is astonishing how much work is accomplished. The volunteers are so generous with their time.” In an era where so much is all about money, the volunteers are moved by a different spirit; a deep and passionate love for the natural world. To name a few of the backcountry and wilderness projects that park volun-teers have participated in: fence removal to allow wildlife access to a spring; re-moval of berms left from an old road to restore a watercourse; trail restoration and maintenance; clean-up of dilapidated backcountry cabin sites; picking up gar-bage from roadsides; removing graffiti; dismantling illegal fire rings; and raking out vehicle tracks left by visitors who suc-cumb to an urgent desire to leave their mark and drive where humankind has not driven before. One particularly challenging task which many volunteer groups have par-ticipated in has been the recovery of de-bris from military airplane crashes. Char-lie Callagan explained: “The needs and circumstances of this park are unique be-cause we are surrounded by military bas-es and military training. Over the years there have been approximately twenty aircraft accidents within park boundar-ies. This is not a huge number, but sig-nificant. Every plane debris site has a big impact. I was quite taken aback when I discovered how much was left behind.” Needless to say, large debris fields do not enhance the wilderness character or the spirit of a place. A good example is a crash that oc-

curred in 1979 on the east side of Panamint Valley. An F-105G fighter jet crashed and burned on public land that is now designated wilderness within the boundaries of Death Valley National Park. The military did the initial recovery and removal of sensitive material and major components, but left thousands of scattered small and large pieces of debris. The Park Service determined the debris to be non-historic and approved clean-up of the site. The Sierra Club volunteers were tasked with the first survey of the debris field, which turned out to cover nearly fourteen acres. Four pieces, too large to carry out, were left alongside the eight foot deep impact crater as a memorial to Captain William H. Carroll Jr., who piloted this plane and perished in the crash. Since 2008, the Sierra Club volunteers and other volunteer groups have removed over ten tons of debris. As much as possible has been recycled--especially the metal that came from the airplane crash sites. Money received in payment for recycling is put right back into the Wilderness Program to fund other projects. Clearly there are outstanding benefits to the natural landscape from the work that Charlie and the volunteers do. But there is yet another, perhaps unexpected, benefit, i.e. the impact that working in the backcountry has had on the volunteers themselves. For younger volunteers, such as members of the AmeriCorps crews or school groups, their work and stay in Death Valley has often been a precursor to a change in direction in their life’s path. Twenty-two year old Samuel*, born and raised in Chicago, had never spent time outside the city or camped before. When asked what he thought of it all, he replied: “This has opened my mind.” He loved the whole experience and has decided that he wants a career that will involve working in the outdoors. Susan, age 18, had this to say: “The tough-est day we had here was my high point. I am learning what I can do. I’ve learned new life skills and my work ethic has greatly improved.” Twenty-three year old Shelley from Dal-las, TX, commented: “The park staff care about people and the environment. That inspires me and motivates me to work more with the parks.” She added with a great big smile and a sparkle in her eyes “There is so much to learn, so much to love.” The Sierra Club’s service trip participants expressed equally positive sentiments from a somewhat different perspective. Their main motivating factor has been that the service trips give them not only the opportunity to enjoy the company of like-minded people, but

AmeriCorps at Panamint Valley plane crash clean up

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even more significantly, they are a way to “give back to the land”. Nathan Krumm summed it up this way: “My primary motivation is that I believe passionately in our public lands and appreciate giving back so that other people can enjoy them too.” Dean Wad-sworth commented “If nobody takes care, then what?” He lament-ed “Most of California has been so heavily impacted by humans. It is getting pretty depressing.” He ended on a more hopeful note: “But the desert is not so trammelled.” Seventy-eight year old Toni Wagner joyfully exclaimed: “I just love these trips!” She loves the fact that the work they do has meaning. She loves spending time in places where not many visi-tors go. Galoppo So simply stated: “I get to be in nature. Nothing is better than that. Nature teaches. I am learning.” Seventy-seven year old Tom Budlong commented: “These trips are such a positive experience and a great excuse to be out there. If it weren’t for those trips I probably wouldn’t have gone into the park.” The highlight of their ventures? Dean Wadsworth knew ex-actly how to answer that question: “It is the time after we’ve com-pleted a good day’s work and back in camp, we sit in our lawn chairs and soak in the calm desert evening, the solitude, the si-lence and then, the night sky….. To know that there are places that are protected like Death Valley, that is what really matters.”

* Names of AmeriCorps crew members have been changed.

Birgitta has volunteered in Death Valley National Park since 2008. Currently she and her husband, photographer Neal Nurmi, are working together documenting Death Valley’s backcountry cabins and other structures.

Travis Fulton, Wilderness Intern in 2013, worked with the AmeriCorps Crew at Last Chance spring removing a fence to allow wildlife access to the spring.

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Desert Documentary

and stewardship may not immediately see how a film or televi-sion program meets their funding criteria. They prefer making grants to on-the-ground conservation efforts with measurable outcomes versus media programs about conservation issues. We believe emphatically that the effects a film like this could have in favor of desert preservation, however, could be off the scale, thus immeasurable in outcome. But timing of such a film is pertinent. And we feel that the time is now. Riding on the success of our most recent 2-part PBS special, ‘California Forever’, we are confident the desert documentary will share a similar success in reaching a wide audience. We could use as much support as possible from individuals who agree such a film would be an invaluable tool to engage large members of the general public on the pressing issues surrounding the California and Southwest Deserts. David Vassar and I are so excited to continue the arduous journey toward completing this important and timely documen-tary film.

David Vassar and Sally Kaplan of Backcountry Pictures have es-tablished a solid repertoire of films that inspire stewardship of the natural environment in its many forms. Often ahead of the curve, Backcountry Pictures has been ‘green’ when it was just another color. Currently, David Vassar and Sally Kaplan are developing a documentary on the California and Southwest deserts; their deli-cate ecosystems; their false perception as a ‘wasteland’ rather than an iconic landscape worth preserving; and the mounting challenges deserts face.

Take Action

The film producers seek donors who care deeply about the des-ert and agree a film such as this could help preserve it. If you know of anyone you feel might be willing to step up with major funds to move the project forward, please pass along to them links to the desert documentary presentation and film treat-ment. Smaller donations are also welcome. In fact, $10,000 is needed ASAP to produce a trailer many granting organizations require. Every donation counts!

Desert documentary described in detail:http://backcountrypictures.com/BCP_Desert_Doc_Presentation.pdfDesert documentary creative treatment:http://backcountrypictures.com/BCP_Desert_Doc_Treatment.pdf

Tax-deductible donations can be sent to International Docu-mentary Association, Fiscal Sponsorship Program Officer, 3470 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 980 Los Angeles, CA 90010 (On subject line of check write Desert Documentary/Backcountry Pictures). Do-nations to the Desert Documentary can also be written directly to Backcountry Pictures and sent to Backcountry Pictures, PO Box 309, Murphys, CA 95247.

For more information go to www.backcountrypictures.com or www.cal4ever.com. Ms. Kaplan can be reached at [email protected] or 209 728-8476.


I

BY AMBRE CHAUDOIN

A LIFEBOAT IN THE DESERT

Isolated in the Mojave Desert of southern Nevada, nestled within an oasis called the Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, is a very unique place that houses a refuge for a very unique fish. The place is the Ash Meadow Fish Conservation Facility; the fish is the endangered Devils Hole pup-fish. Part laboratory, part hatchery, and part “ecosystem,” the Ash Meadows Fish Conservation Facility (AMFCF) is operated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and is focused on the captive propagation of this iconic species. The Devils Hole pupfish (Cyprinodon diabolis) has perhaps the most limited natural range of any vertebrate species. It is found only in Devils Hole, a fracture spring with a surface area of approxi-mately 165 square feet that opens to an extensive cavern system and carbonate aquifer of unknown depth. This tiny (less than 1 inch in average length), iridescent blue Cyprinodont is one of the few isolated remnants of pupfishes that flourished in the Pleistocene lakes that once blanketed this now harsh, arid environment. Devils Hole’s average water tempera-ture of 93 F and extremely low levels of dissolved oxygen provide an inhospitable environment for fish. Despite these condi-tions, the Devils Hole pupfish has persist-ed for perhaps millennia. Only fairly re-cently has this species faced a new threat — humans. The population plummeted in the 1970s, when groundwater pumping for agriculture lowered the water level in Dev-ils Hole. The pumping exposed the shallow rock shelf that provides essential spawn-ing and foraging habitat for the fish. The ensuing battle to save the pupfish from extinction was carried all the way to the United States Supreme Court, which, in 1976, ruled that the water level must be

The Ash Meadows Fish Conservation Facility

May 1972: Edwin “Phil” Pister (center), California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG), Peter Sanchez (bottom left), National Park Service, Death Valley (NPS, DEVA), and other NPS, CDFG, and Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) staff rescuing Dev-ils Hole pupfish from a drastically lowered water level in Devils Hole, Nevada. Phil and fellow biologists and conservationists that made up the Desert Fishes Council were instrumental in the Supreme Court decision to restore and maintain the water level over the shallow shelf, thus saving the species.

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maintained at or above a designated minimum. Although this new water level was significantly lower than historic (pre-pump-ing) levels, the species was spared immediate extinction. More-over, the struggle to save this one small fish proved instrumental in the creation of the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Devils Hole pupfish subsequently rebounded to fall highs of 450–550 individuals and spring lows of 150–250 individuals. The fish spawn primarily during spring and the population is larg-est in the fall, with numbers then declining over the winter due to expected mortality. The pupfish live only about a year. These numbers remained relatively constant until the mid-1990s, when the population once again began a sharp decline. In spring 2013, the population was estimated at a mere 35 fish, and only 65 were counted in fall 2013. Respective to season, these were the lowest population estimates on record since biologists began regularly monitoring the fish in the late 1960s. The National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service responded rapidly with on-the-ground adaptive management efforts that included enhanced supplemental feeding and deployment of artificial habitat on the shelf. These emergency measures enabled a slight rebound of the population to an estimated 92 fish in spring 2014, and 107 in fall 2014. Despite this upturn, the Devils Hole pupfish remains in a precarious situation. Their limited distribution combined with extreme environmental conditions, habitat alteration, and small population size places the species at high risk of extinction. Compounding the problem, the Devils Hole pupfish is noto-riously difficult to breed. Multiple attempts at propagating the species in laboratory aquaria over the past several decades have shown essentially no success. The reasons for this are unknown. Refuge populations initially fared better in larger, outdoor con-crete tanks. However, these also ultimately failed, due to equip-ment malfunctions, lack of staffing, or hybridization with a close-ly related pupfish. The AMFCF is the most high-tech and energy-efficient pupfish refuge constructed to date. It has full-time onsite staff who moni-tor system conditions, run biological assays, perform husbandry, and continuously monitor fish health. The facility provides im-proved electronic control of water quality conditions through the use of a SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) system, redundant equipment, and auto-dial alarms to notify staff if un-expected problems or changes in conditions occur. Photovoltaic panels on the roof of the facility provide net-zero energy usage. Its proximity to Devils Hole—less than a mile away—also allows the use of chemically identical well water from the same aquifer that feeds Devils Hole, and enables improved transfer of biological materials from Devils Hole to the facility. The AMFCF features a 100,000-gallon refuge tank that simu-lates key aspects of the Devils Hole environment, including a shal-low shelf that provides habitat for most fish spawning and forag-ing activities, and a deeper (22 foot) “cavern” area for the fish to use. The refuge tank has been stocked with Devils Hole algae and invertebrates, and is more similar to Devils Hole topographically, chemically, and ecologically than previous Devils Hole pupfish ref-uges. This similarity will hopefully enable the captive population bred at the facility to remain as genetically and morphologically similar to the wild population as possible. This is critically impor-tant because pupfishes are known to exhibit a high degree of plas-

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ticity when held under different environmental conditions. Some species can even gain or lose entire sets of fins or change body shape and behavior after just a couple of generations. The applications of what is learned at the AMFCF extend far beyond simply helping preserve the future of this very cute fish. The concept of utilizing automation to efficiently and effectively replicate such a complex ecosystem has applications in food-fish culture. For example, marine species are particularly difficult to rear in captivity, and in many cases their rearing requirements are completely unknown. The systems being developed at the AMFCF could, with the addition of a salt mix and changing a few computer set-points, just as easily replicate a coral reef or open ocean environment. This sort of adaptable technology is critical to learning how to propagate species never before kept in captiv-ity, according to Olin Feuerbacher, a fish biologist at the AMFCF. “Our primary focus is conservation of the pupfish, but we also see great opportunities to transfer technologies developed here to ag-ricultural and research applications,” said Feuerbacher. “The fish itself holds potential. The unique physiological adaptations that allow it to survive in conditions that would be lethal to most other fish species are not well understood and may shed light on novel metabolic pathways.” Feuerbacher is hopeful that laboratory culture may also ad-vance understanding of why the wild population is struggling, and understanding this will allow scientists to better predict and effi-ciently respond to challenges other imperiled species may face as climates change. The AMFCF also houses a propagation room with over 1,000 gallons of custom-designed aquarium systems. Here, pupfish eggs collected from Devils Hole are hatched and larvae are reared to adulthood. To collect eggs, staff from the AMFCF, National Park

Wild Devils Hole pupfish eggs collected from Devils Hole, Nevada, 2013.


18 DESERT REPORT DECEMBER 2014

Energy Versus Tortoises, The Sequel

Continued from page 5in partnership with the BLM have stationed a Naturalist at the Re-search Natural Area every spring since 1990, to provide guidance and information to the thousands of people who have come to visit. The DTPC also supports research efforts on various wildlife species and plant communities inside and outside the Research Natural Area, which explains the “Research” part of the name. This preserve has proved invaluable as an undisturbed site for Masters and Ph.D. projects. Even more important, the preserve has been the site of major discoveries regarding the tortoise such as the highly selective nature of feeding habits and requirements, the catastrophic nature of raven predation on juveniles, and the new and emerging infectious upper respiratory tract disease. The value of fencing in protecting animal populations and habitat has been amply demonstrated through research as well. The Research Natural Area has not only been a preserve for desert tortoises but also for many other species. Many threatened species of special concern live and flourish in the preserve thanks to conservation efforts on this desert gem. The Mohave ground squirrel thrives there, as does the burrowing owl and recently discovered populations of the Barstow woolly sunflower. Studies have demonstrated that densities of tortoises and several lizard and bird species are significantly higher within the Research Nat-ural Area than in areas outside the fence. The 40 years of pro-tection and restoration have allowed this unique place to become flourishing, diverse desert habitat. However, these achievements are threatened by proposed changes in management and land use under the draft Desert Re-newable Energy Conservation Plan (DRECP). This draft plan has a No Action Alternative and five Action Alternatives. The Indepen-dent Science Review for the DRECP has pointed out multiple errors and problems with the biological information and habitat model-ing in an earlier draft. In the current draft of the DRECP, the Desert Tortoise Research Natural Area does not receive adequate attention and protection. You can look through the maps of each plan alternative that were made available to the public and you will not find any outline or title indicating where the Research Natural Area is or what its boundaries are (the maps are available to the public for free at http://www.drecp.org/maps). Although the Research Natural Area is mentioned several times in the Environmental Impact Report, there is little indication of its importance, its status as a BLM Re-search Natural Area, or even where it is exactly, except somewhere in the West Mojave. To find an actual map of the DTRNA you must sift through the Appendices. It’s hidden in Appendix L: Appendix L_BLM Worksheets - ACEC_Part_12_8.pdf in Appendix_L_5.zip which can be downloaded from http://www.drecp.org/draftdrecp/ . The maps in this document are not available for review through the DRECP Gateway, nor are many of the details appearing on these maps included in the maps that are available through the Gateway. However, the real issue is that, of the five Action Alternatives, three have incentives to develop areas within the Research Natu-ral Area and immediately adjacent to it. These Alternatives also encourage development on areas farther to the north which ear-lier plans designated critical tortoise habitat. Worse yet, another Action Alternative actually eliminates the DTRNA, and creates in-centives to develop almost 85% of the preserve’s present lands as

solar and wind farms. No alternative treats the preserve as though it was an existing conservation area. The most obvious disregard of the Research Natural Area is in the No Action Alternative. This alternative, which is required by law, should present the existing land use plan which is, in this case, the 2005 West Mojave Plan. According to this plan, the Re-search Natural Area and the area to the north are to be managed for the conservation of the desert tortoise and for research. This area is also to be open for limited, low impact use (e.g., hiking and photography). Erroneously, the maps for the No Action Alternative present the Research Natural Area as open for development and as managed for “recreation emphasis.” In the past, this preserve has always been managed for research, education, and contemplative forms of recreation. Billed as a “conservation plan” with a photo-graph of a desert tortoise in the center of the first page, the DRECP should have placed more importance on recovery of this flagship of desert species. Land use planning is a long process involving many compet-ing views. The DRECP is still in draft form, and comments from the public can make a difference. The plan alternatives can still be modified, and the choice of alternative can still be influenced. To view and comment on the DRECP, go to http://www.drecp.org/. When viewing the DRECP, don’t forget the Appendices. Anyone who feels strongly about the California Desert is encouraged to comment on the plan whatever their position. Comments that are specific and contain recommendations are more likely to be influ-ential. After all, these are our public lands.

Mosheh Wolf, PhD. works for the Desert Tortoise Preserve Com-mittee Inc. He is deeply committed to the conservation of the desert, its ecosystems, and its organisms. In a previous incarnation he has taught ecology, evolution, conservation planning, and statistics. While he has lived and worked in many locations, he is happy to be back in his favorite, the desert, working to preserve this amazing landscape and its denizens. He would love it if you followed him on Twitter (twitter.com/Gaggasiz) where he tries his best to be pithy while tweeting about desert tortoises.

Desert Tortoise Research Natural Area after first rain

FREY

A RE

DER



Ash Meadows Fish Conservation

Service, and Nevada Department of Wildlife deploy egg recovery mats (ERMs), on the shelf in Devils Hole. The ERMs consist of 30 cm x 30 cm ceramic tiles covered with carpet. The pupfish deposit their eggs on these mats. After the ERMs soak for several days, they are carefully collected and transported to the facility, where staff processes their contents under microscopes. This is a painstaking process that involves searching for the tiny (about 1 millimeter in diameter), clear Devils Hole pupfish eggs. When found, eggs are placed in aquaria for anti-parasitic/bacterial/fungal treatments, hatching, and rearing. During rearing in the propagation room, the fish are, in part, fed invertebrates that were also initially col-lected from Devils Hole and cultured in the propagation room. Upon reaching adulthood, fish are transferred to the refuge tank. There, they can mingle, mate, and hopefully build a thriving cap-tive population. To date, 29 pure Devils Hole pupfish raised from wild eggs collected from Devils Hole have been introduced into the refuge tank, thus establishing the first captive population of the species in almost 10 years, and the first ever using these unique methods. Signs of recruitment have also been observed in recent months, with at least five larvae and juveniles recorded during surface and snorkel surveys, bringing the captive population to approximately one-third the current size of the wild population. The primary intent of establishing a captive refuge popula-tion of Devils Hole pupfish is to reduce the species’ risk of extinc-tion. These additional populations provide a safety net against complete loss of the species in the case of extinction in the wild. The Recovery Plan for the Endangered and Threatened Species of Ash Meadows, a federal document which guides recovery and conservation, lists the establishment and long-term maintenance of at least two backup populations of Devils Hole pupfish among the criteria for potential down-listing of the species. The AMFCF is also focused on conducting research and providing information to support the successful establishment of refuge populations of Devils Hole pupfish and other desert aquatic species, and to sup-port management and recovery of the wild population of Devils Hole pupfish and the ecosystem upon which it depends. Partners on this project include: the National Park Service, Nevada Department of Wildlife, Shark Reef Aquarium (Mandalay Bay), University of Nevada–Las Vegas, Great Basin Institute, Desert Research Institute, University of California, Davis, and University of Colorado Boulder. Operations are closely coordinated among three U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service programs: National Wildlife Refuges, Fisheries, and Ecological Services.

Ambre Chaudoin, M.S., is a biologist with the Great Basin Institute’s Research Associate Program. She grew up in northern California, where she studied coastal ecology, but discovered a love of the desert and its unique inhabitants after moving to Tucson, Arizona for her master’s research on the Devils Hole pupfish. She currently lives in southern Nevada where she works with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at the Ash Meadows Fish Conservation Facility on the cap-tive propagation of the Devils Hole pupfish and Devils Hole biological community. The Ash Meadows Fish Conservation Facility is located at 1042 E. Warm Springs Rd., Amargosa Valley, Nevada, 89020.

Next Desert Committee MeetingsTHE WINTER MEETING will be held February 7-8, 2015 at Shoshone in the Flower Building and will be a joint meet-ing with the Wilderness Committee. Terry Frewin and Vicky Hoover will co-chair. And remember there is a service project on Friday, Feb 6 in the Mojave Preserve, which will end in time to get to Shoshone for dinner at the Crowbar. Details are in the Outings section on page 20.

THE SPRING MEETING will be held May 9-10, 2015 at Mis-sion Creek Preserve near Palm Springs. Craig Deutsche will chair.

We encourage local citizens in the area to attend, as many of the items on the agenda include local issues. Email Tom Budlong at [email protected] or call 310-963-1731 to be put on the invitation list.

Wildflower DrawingIf you are interested in learning to draw wildflowers, consider the following class: “Botanical Illustration of Desert Flora” at the Desert Studies Center at Zzyzx, CA. http://tinyurl.com/k8s9rxa; March 20-22, 2015, Fri-SunCourse Number: ART X454.5, Donald DavidsonExperience how artistic and scientific skills work together in learning how to draw wildflowers of the East Mojave to under-stand the form, function, and identification of native plants. Great skill development for enhanced field work, journaling, or just for art-making.

The wildflower drawing above is by Donald Davidson www.nps.gov/plants/cw/watercolor/index.htm


California/Nevada Regional Conservation Committee Desert Committee

Outings

For questions concerning an outing, or to sign up, please con-tact the leader listed in the write-up. For questions about Des-ert Committee outings in general, or to receive the outings list by e-mail, please contact Kate Allen at [email protected] or 661-944-4056. For the most current listing, visit the Desert Report website at www.desertreport.org and click on outings. The Sierra Club requires participants to sign a standard liability waiver at the beginning of each trip. If you would like to read the Liability Waiver before you choose to participate, please go to http://www.sierraclub.org/outings/chapter/forms/, or contact the Outings Department at 415-977-5528 for a printed version. The Sierra Club California Seller of Travel number is CST 2087766-40. (Registration as a seller of travel does not consti-tute approval by the State of California.) There may be additional outings this fall, visit www.de-sertreport.org and check out the Outings page. Activities marked “non-Sierra Club” are not sponsored by the Sierra Club. The Sierra Club has no information about the planning of these activities and makes no representations or warranties about the quality, safety, supervision or manage-ment of such activities. They are published only as a reader service because they may be of interest to the readers of this publication.

HOLIDAY SERVICE IN CARRIZO PLAIN Dec. 29-Jan. 2, Monday-FridayWe return to this National Monument to celebrate the end of the year and to offer service to the pronghorn antelope. This vast grassland between Bakersfield and San Luis Obispo is also home to tule elk, kit fox, and a wide variety of birds. Wel-come hike Dec. 29, 2 ½ days of service modifying barbed wire fencing, and a full day for hiking and exploring. Includes use of accommodations at one of the old ranch houses. Limit 12, $30 covers four dinners and breakfast on New Year’s morning. Contact leader: Craig Deutsche, [email protected], 310-477-6670. CNRCC Desert Committee

DEATH VALLEY WILDERNESS RESTORATIONJan. 29-31, Thursday-SaturdayJoin us in restoring wilderness values in this remote and beau-tiful National Park. We were not able to access the area on the last trip, so the work this time is again the clean up of mari-

juana grow site. We will gather early Thursday afternoon and work on an as-yet-undecided project, work on the grow site on Friday, and possibly Saturday. Group size limited. Leader: Kate Allen, [email protected], 661-944-4056. CNRCC Des-ert Committee

MOJAVE NATIONAL PRESERVE RESTORATION EVENT(NON-SIERRA CLUB ACTIVITY)February 6, Friday Join the California/Nevada Desert Committee and the Na-tional Park Service in a restoration project on February 6, one day before the Desert Committee meeting on Saturday and Sunday. We will gather on Friday at 9 am, work through mid-afternoon, and adjourn in time to reach Shoshone for the din-ner hour. Bring water, sun screen, a hat, and lunch. Tools will be provided. Contact Sid Silliman for project details, for direc-tions to the site, and to RSVP ([email protected]). Don’t miss this annual, pre-Desert Committee service opportunity. It’s good work and we will have fun.

SOUTHERN NEVADA VALENTINE’S DAY SERVICE TRIPFebruary 13-14, Friday (evening)-SaturdayGive our public lands a valentine by helping on a Feb 14 ser-vice project with the CA/NV Wilderness Committee. We will be working together with the BLM Las Vegas office and Friends of Nevada Wilderness to enhance wilderness characteristics in one of the southern Nevada BLM wildernesses. Sociable campout Friday night. More details & sign up: Vicky Hoover, 415-977-5527 or [email protected]. CA/NV Wilder-ness Committee

DEATH VALLEY EXPLORATIONMarch 6-9, Friday-Monday Four days of hiking and touring. Hikes include Golden Can-yon, Amargosa Canyon, Mosaic Canyon, Natural Bridge and the Mesquite Sand Dunes, all 4 miles or under. Visits to China Ranch, Salt Creek, Zabriskie Point, the Artist Palette and Bad-water. Two nights of primitive camping, one night at a devel-oped campground. Potluck on Saturday night. Contact leader Carol Wiley at [email protected] or 760-245-8734. Mo-jave Group/CNRCC Desert Committee


GHOST TOWN EXTRAVAGANZAMarch 14-15, Saturday-SundayExplore the ruins of California’s colorful past in this spectacu-lar desert landscape near Death Valley. Camp near the histor-ic ghost town of Ballarat (flush toilets). Sat. a challenging hike to ghost town Lookout City with expert Hal Fowler who will regale us with tales of this Wild West town. Return to camp for Happy Hour and a special St. Patty’s Day potluck and camp-fire. Sun. a.m. a quick visit to the infamous Riley townsite. Group size strictly limited. Send $8/person (Lygeia Gerard), 2 sase, H&W phones, email address, rideshare info to Ldr: Lyge-ia Gerard, P.O. Box 721039, Pinon Hills, CA 92372, 760-868-2179. CNRCC Desert Committee

SERVE AND DISCOVER THE CARRIZO PLAINSMarch 14-15, Saturday-SundayWe pray for winter rains, and if they arrive we can look for-ward to spring wildflowers in the Carrizo Plain National Mon-ument. Our service on Saturday will either remove or modify sections of fence to facilitate the mobility of pronghorn ante-lope. These residents prefer to crawl under rather than jump fences to escape predators. Sunday will be, at the choice of the group, either a hike in the Caliente Range or else a tour of pop-ular viewing areas in the plains. Leader: Craig Deutsche, [email protected], 310-477-6670. CNRCC Desert Committee

DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK - SPRING WEEKENDMarch 18-22, Wednesday-SundayOur car-camping trip is planned when temperatures are mild and wild flowers may be blooming. We’ll hike to waterfalls in-cluding oasis-like Darwin Falls, through stunning desert can-yons including Titus Canyon, visit ghost towns and mining ar-eas, and explore some lesser known but truly fantastic areas outside of the Park. We will also tour Scotty’s Castle. The hikes are rated moderate to strenuous with several hikes off main-tained trails. Strenuous hikes to the most interesting locations require short sections of rock scrambling and minor exposure to heights. The hikes range from five to ten miles, with eleva-tion gains up to 500 feet. Cost is $60 per person and includes 4 nights of camping and tour of Scotty’s Castle. Group size lim-ited to 15 people. Email or call leader for reservation informa-tion. Leader: Rich Juricich, [email protected], 916-492-2181. Sacramento Group/CNRCC Desert Committee

OLD WOMAN MOUNTAINS SERVICE TRIPMarch 27-29, Friday-SundayJoin Mojave Group and the CA/NV Wilderness Committee for our annual desert wilderness service project with the Needles office of BLM. This year’s is in the Old Woman Mountains--we’ll

work on restoring a 5-mile stretch of Sunflower Spring Road or development of an interpretative trail of the area. BLM is part-nering with Native American Lands Conservancy here, and we’ll enjoy a joint campfire and stories with their tribal elders Saturday night. Central commissary, contact Vicky Hoover 415-977-5527 or [email protected]. CA/NV Wilder-ness Committee/Mojave Group

MOJAVE NATIONAL PRESERVE OUTING April 10-13, Friday-MondayMeet on Friday April 10 at Amboy Crater at noon and hike up the crater for lunch. Primitive camping Friday night near Granite Pass. Saturday head to Kelso Dunes for a hike up the dunes. Sunday visit the Kelso Depot and then the lava tube with camping at Midhills Campground. Monday we can hike to Cima Dome on the way out. All hikes are moderate (easy to some). Saturday night we will have a potluck (optional). There are no services in the preserve. Contact leader Carol Wiley at [email protected] or 760-245-8734. Mojave Group/CNRCC Desert Committee

SERVICE IN THE CARRIZO PLAINS NATIONAL MONUMENTApril 25-26, Saturday-SundayThis trip is scheduled late in the wildflower season, and we pray that rains have produced a wonderful and long-lasting display. Our service on Saturday will remove or modify sec-tions of fence to facilitate the mobility of pronghorn antelope. Sunday will be, at the choice of the group, either a hike in the Caliente Range or a tour of popular viewing areas in the plains. This is an opportunity to combine carcamping, day-hiking, ex-ploring, and service in a relatively unknown wilderness. Con-tact leader for details: Craig Deutsche, [email protected], 310-477-6670. CNRCC Desert Committee

COYOTE GULCH BACKPACKJune 19-24, Friday-WednesdayBackpack 30 miles through some of the best of Utah’s red rock, with shear high-walled canyons and cathedral-like campsites. Trip starts with obtaining permits at the Escalante visitor cen-ter. 4-5 miles of travel each day. Most of the hiking is moder-ate, but requires wading back and forth across the creek. One steep trail to bypass waterfalls. There are side trips so bring a small day pack. This is the warm season, but usually quite pleasant. Trip details and agenda available on sign-up. Limit 12. Leader: David Hardy, email preferred, [email protected], 702-875-4826. S. Nevada Group/CNRCC Desert Committee


W

BY CONNIE BROOKS

COME VISIT BEFORE IT IS GONE

What an incredible place. Beautiful sunsets, incredible sunrises. Close your eyes and feel yourself sitting in a kayak out in the openness of the great Salton Sea, gently rocking back and forth with the water. Your face is chilled but you feel it warming slowly. You hear pelicans, egrets and Black-Necked Stilts talking to each other. You hear the gentle waves washing up on the barnacle en-crusted shore. Your face is getting warmer. You slowly open your eyes to the most incredible sunrise. The tendrils of the sun dance on your hands and face. The brightness giving new life and col-or to the water around you. The pelicans extend their immense wings and take flight, soaring over you and your kayak, welcom-ing you to their home. This mysterious body of water holds a bounty full of wonder and excitement. At approximately 33 miles long and 13 miles wide, the Salton Sea struggling to stay alive, still lives, still very much alive. On your visit to the sea you must walk her shoreline, it’s like no other. You are walking on barnacles and fish bones. The bar-nacles were brought here on the bottoms of the WWII sea planes and in the bilge of amphibious vehicles. They have no predators here. More than 400 million Tilapia also live here. Statistics note that during the height of fishing season, a fisherman will catch a Tilapia every 17 seconds. Tilapia are a tropical warm water fish from South Africa; if the water temperatures drop too low, the Tilapia die. Because the Salton Sea is now 55% saltier than the Pacific Ocean, there are no other fish in the Salton Sea that have survived the salinity increase. You will notice on your walk down our shoreline a brown/green algae washing up with the little swells. The Sea offers up three different types of algae: brown, green and red, all full of nutrients for fish food. Algae is also made into Bio-fuel. When the red algae blooms and rather quickly dies, it sucks the oxygen out of the water killing the Tilapia that hover in the shallower waters. With over 400 million Tilapia, the hungry birds, a few fisherman and an occasional red algae bloom are about all the Tilapia have to worry about, so they continue to reproduce at a much greater rate than they die. There are over 424 species of birds that visit the Salton Sea annually. During November and December you can look up in the sky at almost any given time and see lines and lines of pelicans, white and brown, soaring above the Sea returning to their winter home. At the southern end of the Salton sea in Imperial County, be-tween October-February you can see some 30,000 Snow and Ross geese feasting on rye grass, wheat and cow peas. These crops are

planted by the Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge to help keep the geese out of the farmer’s fields. Sand Hill Cranes can also be observed there. Imperial Valley also plays host to the larg-est Burrowing Owl population in California. I’m sure if you have ever searched the internet about the Salton Sea, you will have seen the word “polluted” mentioned time and time again. Please note, however, the Salton Sea has never been closed due to pollution. We kayak, swim, sail, water ski, pad-dle board and have a great time. Our Salton Sea and our fish, are monitored by the USGS.Come and experience this incredible place before it is gone. I have yet to meet anyone who hasn’t fallen in love with the sea after their first visit. Come witness the beauty and diversity for your-self. The Salton Sea State Recreation Area on the northeast side of the Salton Sea offers bird walks, interpretive kayaking, kayak rentals, bird festivals, a Visitor Center and much more. You will be amazed.

Growing up in San Diego, Connie didn’t know about the Salton Sea even though it was almost in her back yard. Five years ago she an-swered an ad for a ‘kayak volunteer” at the Salton Sea State Recre-ation Area and hasn’t left. She hopes that someday people will begin to take the issues of the Salton Sea seriously.

The Salton Sea State Recreation Area

Pelican at sunset

JAM

ES O

NGL

EY


EDITORIAL STAFF MANAGING EDITOR Stacy [email protected](408-248-8206)

CO-EDITORSCraig [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

CIRCULATIONKate [email protected](661-944-4056)

OUTINGS EDITORKate [email protected](661-944-4056)

GRAPHIC DESIGNJason [email protected] (626-487-3791)

Published by the Sierra Club California/Nevada Desert Committee

All policy, editing, reporting, and graphic design is the work of volunteers. To receive Desert Report please see details on the back cover. Articles, photos, and original art are welcome. Please contact Stacy Goss ([email protected], 408-248-8206) about con-tributions well in advance of deadline dates: February 1, May 1, August 1, and November 1.

OUR MISSIONThe Sierra Club California/Nevada Desert Committee works for the protection and con-servation of the deserts of California, Nevada and other areas in the Southwest; moni-tors and works with public, private, and non-profit agencies to promote preservation of our arid lands; sponsors education and service trips; encourages and supports others to work for similar objectives; and maintains, shares and publishes information about the desert.

JOIN SIERRA CLUBFrom community issues and action to lobbying on a national level, membership helps you take action on many issues. As a member, you’ll have opportunities to get involved with local chapters, as well as be part of a large national network of environmental ad-vocates. Your voice will be heard through congressional lobbying and grassroots action. www.sierraclub.org/membership

OFFICERSCHAIRTerry [email protected](805-966-3754)

VICE CHAIRJoan Taylor(760-778-1101)

OUTINGS CHAIRKate [email protected](661-944-4056)

COORDINATORSCALIFORNIA WILDERNESS DESIGNATION AND PROTECTIONVicky [email protected]

NEVADA WILDERNESS DESIGNATION AND PROTECTIONMarge [email protected]

DESERT WILDERNESS DESIGNATION AND PROTECTIONTerry [email protected]

IMPERIAL COUNTYTerry [email protected]

EASTERN SAN DIEGO COUNTYDonna [email protected]

EASTERN RIVERSIDE COUNTYDonna [email protected]

DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARKGeorge [email protected]

MOJAVE NATIONAL PRESERVESid [email protected]

CARRIZO NATIONAL MONUMENTCraig [email protected]

PANAMINT/INYO MOUNTAINSTom [email protected]

COACHELLA VALLEYJeff [email protected]

ENERGY ISSUESJoan Taylor (California)760-778-1101Laura Cunningham (Nevada)[email protected]

OFF-ROAD VEHICLE ISSUESTerry [email protected] Barnes (public lands)[email protected]

MINING ISSUESStan Haye760-375-8973

NEVADA WATER ISSUESJohn [email protected]

Funding for Desert Report is made possible, in part, by the generous, ongoing support of the following:

Sierra Club California sierraclub.org/ca

Desert Protective Council dpcinc.org

Desert Tortoise Council deserttortoise.org

EarthShare California earthshareca.org

The Wildlands Conservancywildlandsconservancy.org

The Desert Legacy Fund at The Community Foundation Serving Riverside and San Bernardino Countiesthecommunityfoundation.net

Sierra Club San Gorgonio Chapter sangorgonio.sierraclub.org

Sierra Club Toiyabe Chapternevada.sierraclub.org

Anonymouswww.desertreport.org

Please send me Desert Report by mail Please send me email notification when the latest Desert Report is available online I would like to help with a $ . . . . . . . . . . . . donation. I would like to become a sponsor for Desert Report ($100)

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