March 2012 News of the desert from Sierra Club California/Nevada Desert Committee www.desertreport.org
BY JACK PRICHETT and SCOTT SMITH
21ST CENTURY THREATS The Old Spanish Trail
Tracking a historic 19th Century trade route and Management jointly administer the trails, with assistance from encountering a proposed solar power plant chartered trail associations comprised of concerned citizen volun- teers of which the Old Spanish Trail Association (OSTA) is one. An Early Pathway into California The 1829 to 1848 mule caravan trade over the OST fits neatly From high above, the Old Spanish Trail (OST) appears as a crease into the brief period between Mexico’s independence from Spain in the skin of the desert soil as it traverses Emigrant Pass east of (1821) and the end of the Mexican-American War (1848). Pack Tecopa, CA. The trace is a still vivid imprint left by Mexican pack trains of as many as 200 mules carried finished woolen goods more mule caravans that plodded the track between 1829 and 1848. It’s than 1,000 miles from Santa Fe, NM, to Los Angeles, CA. Both Fa track that the Tecopa chapter of the Old Spanish Trail Association pueblos were then remote regional capitals in Mexico’s northern has painstakingly followed and recorded as it stretches east from territory. In southern California, the woolen goods were sold. With the Pass toward Stump Spring, just across the Nevada border (Fig- the proceeds, the New Mexican traders purchased California live- ure 1, Page 16). And it’s a track that puts the Old Spanish Trail on stock, primarily horses and mules. The animals were larger than a collision course with the Hidden Hills Solar Energy Generating those available in New Mexico and sold at a high price at the end of System (HHSEG), a proposed solar plant in eastern Inyo County at the return trip to Santa Fe1. the Nevada border. The American period, which began in 1848, spurred two waves The Old Spanish National Historic Trail (Figure 2) is one of 19 of covered wagon traffic that built upon and followed the OST from U.S.-government-designated National Historic Trails. Federal agen- Utah into southern California. The first wave was a surge of Gold cies, including the National Park Service and the Bureau of Land Continued on page 16
Figure 2. Old Spanish Trail linked Santa Fe and Los Angeles during the 1830s and 40s Old Spanish NHT Segment under study BY JANINE BLAELOCH
RENEWABLE POWER TO THE PEOPLE
Transforming The Politics Of Big Solar
By now, some readers of the Desert Report are familiar with Solar Done Right, an ad hoc coalition working against the massive in- dustrialization of our deserts by Big Solar, and working for greater knowledge and support of the alternative—distributed generation In This Issue B(DG) in the built environment and on already-degraded lands. Af- ter 18 months of work, we at Solar Done Right have a pretty good The Old Spanish Trail: 21St Century Threats...... 1 grasp of what drives U.S. renewable-energy policy, what keeps it entrenched, and –we hope—what we can do to change it. Transforming The Politics Of Big Solar...... 2 We started at the bottom, the U.S. Congress, and are now Grazing On Public Lands: Another Perspective...... 3 working our way to the top—issuing a Call to Action to our fellow citizens for a better approach to renewable energy. (See page 13.) Elden Hughes 1931–2011 The Man And His Legacy...... 4 We began our outreach efforts in September 2010 with a trip to Washington, D.C. to talk with Members of Congress and staff Corralling California Poppies ...... 6 about the impact of Big Solar on public lands and the saner alter- Black Lave Butte & Flat Top Mesa At Risk From Wind Project...... 8 native of distributed generation. Four days of meetings confirmed the hunch that had led us there in the first place: (1) staffers work- Sierra Club Supports Mandatory Wind Guidelines...... 10 ing on energy issues had no inkling of the severe damage these A Conservation Alternative For Ivanpah Valley...... 14 projects would bring to public lands, and (2) staffers working on public land issues had no clue that there are alternatives that can Outings...... 18 spare desert ecosystems. How To Lie With Maps: A Selective Portfolio Of CA Desert Maps. . . . 20 The Powers That Be Pine Forest Recreation Enhancement Act Introduced...... 22 Democrats were generally sympathetic to concerns about the en- vironmental impacts of Big Solar, but were either resigned to the Many individuals have contributed to Desert Report during the past six supposed necessity of Big Solar in the desert or indignant that we would dare oppose any kind of renewable energy development. (To months and their support is both essential and appreciated. These Sponsors paraphrase, “Just what do you people want from us!?”) Republi- and Donors of Desert Report are: cans essentially wanted more oil and gas development and viewed distributed generation with suspicion. (“You can’t coerce people Tom Budlong Los Angeles, CA Georgette Theotig Tehachapi, CA into putting panels on their roofs!”). Shirley Cooperrider Fairfax, CA Eugene DeMine Yucaipa, CA That November, the Republicans won back the House and the Craig Deutsche Los Angeles, CA Lynn DuPratt Lancaster, CA entire the U.S. Congress settled into profound gridlock. It was clear that the divided and deeply dysfunctional state of Congress had Drew Foster Lee Vining, CA Kathleen Kalp Santa Barbara, CA made any kind of grassroots advocacy at that level unproductive. Richard Kangas Clovis, CA D.J. Masker Twentynine Palms, CA In the ensuing year, it has become downright futile. David Melton Rancho Mirage, CA Pam Nelson Warner Springs, CA To make matters worse, the Administration is incorrigibly committed to Big Solar and Big Wind on public land. President Megan Reed El Cajon, CA Dan Sullivan San Francisco, CA Obama, who seemingly has no feeling for public land, has essen- Gretchen Winfrey Mojave, CA David Jesse McChesney Joshua Tree, CA tially handed over our country’s renewable energy policy to the Interior Department--a real-estate manager not known for its envi- Susan Sorrells Shoshone, CA ronmental sensitivity, and led by the department’s worst Secretary Mojave Group, San Gorgonio Chapter/Sierra Club since James Watt. Santa Monica Mountains Task Force/Sierra Club In the meantime, while Interior hands out 30-year public land Continued on page 12 Twentynine Palms Inn Twentynine Palms, CA
2 DESERT REPORT MARCH 2012 BY ART STEINBECK
ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE
Grazing On Public Lands
Editor’s Note: The following was written move on looking for other water. Depend- as an explanation and comment to the ing on the situation they gang up on the December 2011 article on grazing by Jim next source they find. If their numbers are Caitlin. It highlights the challenges that too great at this point they could trample the Bureau of Land Management faces in a creek or spring or break a trough. One balancing the concerns of all groups. damaged water source has created a sec- ond damaged water source and so on. My wife and I have been ranching in West Ranchers closely maintain their waters to Central California since 1982. We have held prevent all this. If a rancher can’t get to United States Fish and Wildlife Service and his waters easily and with the necessary Bureau of Land Management (BLM) grazing equipment, his only recourse is to spread Mallotments for thirty years. We ranch, but his cattle numbers thinner over the per- we realize that grazing is only one of sev- mit. Once again, the number of cattle will
eral uses. That’s the difficulty for the BLM. It Continued on page 9 CRAIG DEUTSCHE must maintain an even handed approach to all the groups. None of the various groups have more or less valid concerns here. The BLM needs to speak to all the groups’ con- cerns equally. Grazing operations need continuity, consistency, and reliable access. These are at the core of survival for a livestock opera- tion. An example of this appears in a recent article in the Desert Report (p. 4, December, 2011). Mr. Catlin is concerned about under- reporting of permittee cattle numbers on grazing allotments. This is skewing the data as to what is actually happening in the study area. Hard to believe ranchers would will- ingly pay pasture on more cattle than they’re actually running. They are simply planning for uncertainty. If for any reason feed vol- ume or quality doesn’t meet BLM standards, a rancher can get a pretty short-term no- tice to move his cattle off the permitted al- lotment. Putting range cows in a pen and feeding hay is not an economic option on most range operations, and so the rancher would be foolish to put more stock on an allotment than he could support elsewhere if he should be required to move. CRAIG DEUTSCHE Top: Bitter Creek Wildlife Preserve was once private farm and grazing land. As public A similar situation can arise with stock land today, use for grazing here is regulated by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. water. When water storage is lost or water Above: Eld Cattle country south of highway 166. Notice the plowed land just across is not available in an expected place, cattle the fence. Firebreaks of this sort are common as most fires start along roads.
DESERT REPORT MARCH 2012 3 BY JOAN TAYLOR
1931–2011
Elden Hughes The Man And His Legacy
“Elden led a huge citizen effort in 1993 to support my Desert Protection Act. We will pass the second Desert Protec- tion Act, now pending in committee, in his honor.” – Senator Dianne Feinstein
As I sat beneath the cottonwoods and cliffs of Whitewater Canyon during the celebra- tion of Elden’s life, I discovered there were many sides of Elden Hughes I didn’t know. AHe was every bit the legend that surrounds him, and more. Friends and relatives recalled Elden as the adventurer, the river runner, and erst- while big game hunter on one hand, but as the loving friend and tender mentor to their children on the other. Elden’s own offspring related the lessons of love, loyalty, resilience, and zest for life he taught them, always by example. Who knew that Elden wrote his granddaughter a letter every day when she was in Africa with the Peace Corps? What devotion, not to speak of energy! Others testified to Elden’s pivotal role in preserving the Tuolumne, Kings, and Mer- MARK HUGHES ced Rivers, the Santa Monica Mountains, Elden, “Up to the neck or ass to the bottom!” and of course the California desert. We learned how Senator Feinstein, when faced with a new pickle in the desert, would often “The first time Jim and I ran across Elden was on an outing to the top of Hunter say “Call Elden!” Mountain,” recalled Judy Anderson. “We were camping, and when it came time for happy It would be impossible to give a full hour Elden pulled out a copy of the Desert Plan! You don’t bring an EIR with you on a sense of the man in one article, so I’ll touch camping trip, so that piqued our interest and we started pumping him. Elden had a rich on Elden’s love affair with the California background of people he knew from the desert and deep connections with Native Ameri- desert by passing on the words of those who cans and people living in the canyons. He had a curiosity for everything.” worked intimately with Elden over the years. Regarding Elden’s talent for lobbying, Judy mused: “He reminded me of a cat I owned who had a nose for the most powerful person around, and would go sit in their lap! Elden had an unerring instinct for who the room revolved around, he found them and made friends with them. That first encounter on Hunter Mountain was also a tip off to how Elden worked. He brought his guitar; having fun while you were out there in the desert was most important. ” Judy on the California Desert Protection Act (CDPA) campaign: “We kept in touch using a primitive email system, but it worked. On almost a daily basis, we posted what we
MARK HUGHES were doing: ‘Who’s going to be the next person going to DC, and what for?’ Then one day Elden and Patty, New York, 2002 Elden wrote to say he was going to take the tortoises and drive across the country!”
4 DESERT REPORT MARCH 2012 I asked Jim Dodson how decisions on phoning, I suppose, but that didn’t matter, Elden’s words carried the day.” the Desert Bill worked. “We respected each Elden cared nothing for conceit. Dave Bybee, a past cohort in Orange County Sierra other’s opinions,” he said. “There was a lot Singles, recalled “There came an evening when Elden, Bob Jones, Doug Falrodt and oth- of discussion, but we never had any seri- ers ginned up the ‘Hot Springs List’ while soaking in Owen Maloy’s hot tub. It was a spoof ous disagreement over what deserved to be on the arduous peak bagger’s list complete with T-shirts, patches and pins.” wilderness. There were other players too, a As a matter of fact, many years later one of Elden’s favorite “Eldenisms” was to group of people who met at Lyle Gaston’s proudly pronounce the rule for earning points for visiting a hot springs: “Up to the neck house at Riverside.” —or ass to the bottom!” “Elden was a man of many talents and As we know, Elden was a past master of the sound bite. But I never knew that Jim many interests. And a lot of energy,” added Dodson actually introduced to him to the term. Shared Jim, “He’d never heard of it, and Jim. “When Patty showed up with him, she it was like a light went on in his head. He loved the idea and he perfected it.” grew on us. She was a cheerleader, a rooter Who else would speak truth to power, and call out BLM as “bastards” for giving re- for Elden, and brought people around. I newable developers free reign to industrialize thousands of pristine acres of desert – des- remember a trip with Alan Cranston [U.S. ert that had been donated to BLM expressly for conservation? Only Elden, and the press Senator, CA from 1969–93]. We picked up loved it! As Frank Wheat wrote, Elden had a reputation for “drawing reporters as a lamp Alan in Las Vegas and drove down to Re- draws moths.” birth Rock near Hole in the Wall. Alan had Early on, I asked Elden, did those pithy phrases just pop into his head? He admit- to climb though, of course.” ted to me that he actually did give them some thought. Then, as time went on, I was Cal French recounted his first expe- immensely flattered when Elden would occasionally call me up to try out a sound bite. rience with Elden: “It was a voice I first Naturally, they were always brilliant. heard at Fossil Falls in the southern Owens As Cal French so beautifully put it: “I’ll never hear that wonderful voice directly Valley. I forget the date, but not the voice. again, even on the phone, ‘This is Elden Hughes …’ after which would come the question, That night there was singing around the the information, the call to action… So long, old friend and mentor. I will hear your voice campfire, and Elden entertained with rather and its messages in my head until my days end.” raunchy songs, accompanying himself on his I think I speak for all desert activists when I say that Elden was truly our pied piper. 12-string guitar. He could draw people in, Wither Elden went, we gladly followed. entertain them, inspire them, get them com- Why? Because of his inspiring words, his willingness to take on the power structure mitted to preserving wild places.” (if he couldn’t charm it) but most of all – be it rattling across the desert in his old Chevy Senator Dianne Feinstein told the LA Jimmy, exploring a canyon, gearing up for an important field hearing, or singing around Times, “Hughes dedicated his life to the pro- a campfire – because Elden made it such a grand adventure for us. tection and revival of our great Mojave Des- As past Club President, Larry Downing said that day at Whitewater when it started ert and its tortoises. I’ll never forget when spitting rain: “Nature is weeping.” he brought a couple of tortoises to a large So are we. constituent breakfast and the amazed and For more wonderful memories, Eldenisms, and photos of Elden, there is a great web- glowing faces of youngsters when he told site created by his son Mark, at EldenHughes.com. them they live for decades. He will be great- ly missed.” Joan Taylor has been a forty-year grassroots desert activist, working for Sierra Club and Attorney Johanna Wald, who collabo- several other conservation organizations. Currently, she is Chair of the California/Nevada rated with Elden on crucial lawsuits to pro- Desert Energy Committee and also sits on the governing boards of the Coachella Valley Moun- tect the desert, remembers the same event: tains Conservancy and Friends of the Desert Mountains. “I’d already known Elden for about 10 years when I had that first experience at the Senator’s breakfast, but being in that room and seeing how the Senator reacted really brought home to me what a political genius he was! No one else could have come up with that idea and no one else could have executed it with such flair and genuine en- joyment. There was really never anyone else like him and I doubt there ever will be again. Thank goodness he was on our side!” Vicky Hoover told me about a situation involving, not tortoise, but cows: “During the Desert Bill campaign there was a heated discussion over whether we should alert our troops to action on an important issue by sending letters, or whether we should phone them. The debate went on for quite a little while, when finally Elden settled the issue by interjecting ‘No one ever got milk from a WHITE HOUSE STAFF cow by writing it a letter!’ … nor did they by Elden, Patty, Tortoise (Scotty) charm President Clinton
DESERT REPORT MARCH 2012 5 BY MARK R. FAULL IS EITHER/OR THE ONLY OPTION? Corralling California Poppies Happenstance Over Stewardship And Planning
The year was 1976, during then-Governor Jerry Brown’s first term park users, businesses, and citizens contributed to the fund that, in office. A group of ecstatic citizens gathered in Los Angeles Coun- within five years, led to the purchase and establishment of the An- ty’s Antelope Valley. They were about to dedicate a wondrous new telope Valley California Poppy Reserve. In 1976, Governor Brown’s state park, the fruition of extended efforts to establish a preserve administration opened the park for public enjoyment. Tto protect the Antelope Valley’s famed wildflower displays. This The wildflower displays in and around the Poppy Reserve have stretch of the western Mojave Desert, separated from coastal Los become famous, and have helped to brand an identity for the near- Angeles by high mountains raised along the San Andreas Fault, by cities of both Lancaster and Palmdale. Each April, these commu- was relatively undeveloped, providing vast, stunning vistas cov- nities throw the Antelope Valley Poppy Festival, attended by thou- ered each spring by boundless poppies and other contrastingly col- sands of locals and tourists. orful wildflowers. Today, the western Antelope Valley remains a rural community It was a different time and place. A time when Californians of homeowners, farmers, ranchers, and others who enjoy the rela- wanted their nationally famed state park system to expand, pro- tive solitude of their spacious homeland. But all of that is about to tecting valued heritage, while providing new recreational outlets change. for their enlarging population. Within this cultural backdrop and The western Antelope Valley is on a fast-tracked collision course sensibility, citizens had called for the creation of a reserve, in with the rapid development of much-needed alternative energy which the glorious California Poppy, California’s brilliantly recog- sources. As the world demand for oil increases, and prices soar, and nizable State Flower, could be enjoyed in all of its splendor. While governments become increasingly concerned about global warm- much of California is blessed with patches of its silky brilliance, the ing and climate change, alternative renewable energy sources are undeveloped western Antelope Valley, west of Lancaster and Palm- becoming one of the most attractive and lucrative prospects upon dale, provided the most consistently stunning and overwhelming the energy horizon. Renewable energy resources are widely sup- displays of poppies in the state. ported by the California public. The sun and wind available within In a state where our school children salute a state flag graced the California’s Mojave Desert has made this landscape a hotbed of with a tragically extinct species—the California Grizzly, a unique rapidly progressing energy development proposals. Within this sce- subspecies of the remaining Grizzlies of the Rocky Mountains—it nario, the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve is on a collision perhaps might be a good investment to preserve the best examples course with an unknown destiny. of the grandeur of our state flower. So was born the Wildflower Antelope Valley resident Dorothy Bolt, an enthusiastic leader Preservation Committee of the Antelope Valley. of the Wildflower Preservation Committee’s 1970s campaign, who This movement, started by dedicated local volunteers, pro- is now 98 years old, has lived to see the unthinkable. All of those duced a statewide campaign to set aside a suitable reserve in cel- efforts to preserve the famed Antelope Valley wildflower display, ebration of our magnificent state flower. School children, families, begun over three decades ago, hang tenuously in the balance. The
This page: California Poppy Preserve. Opposite page: Dorothy Bolt, now 98 years old, was instrumental in helping to establish the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve during the 1970s. Dorothy is pictured here in May of 2011 wearing her park docent outfit at the Poppy Reserve. COURTESY CALIFORNIA STATE PARKS, 2012 PARKS, STATE CALIFORNIA COURTESY
6 DESERT REPORT MARCH 2012 scenic and cultural values of the western Antelope wealthy. Prudent planning flexibility is imperative, Valley have recently become threatened by a horde but so is a consistency of vision that reduces public of eager, short-sighted alternative energy develop- disputes through reasonable adherence to past deci- ers looking for the cheapest possible way to establish sion-making and published guidelines. much-needed renewable energy facilities. In a greater statewide context, California State It just so happened that, prior to its preservation, Parks are under assault. With one out of every four this outstanding wildflower landscape sported one state parks slated for closure come July 1st, the major power line corridor leading into the Los Ange- remainder routinely face varying threats similar to les basin. Normally not disturbingly noticeable, this those facing the Poppy Reserve. Perhaps Californians power line corridor, along with plans for its expan- should examine more closely the “new society” we are sion, have provided an impetus for solar and wind fast creating. Are we sliding slowly into a shapeless turbine energy companies to saturate the land sur- paradigm of happenstance? Do we continue to value rounding the transmission corridor with nearly 200 our heritage, or has the memory of the time when MARGARET RHYNE square miles of proposed energy projects. Why spend the when local Antelope Valley residents inspired a penny more than is needed to transfer power into the south- our citizens to dream of a California Poppy Reserve become a dis- ern California electric grid? For a company whose sole concern is tant luxury? profit, with no attendant societal values, this makes perfect sense. From one perspective, the question in the Antelope Valley is The Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve, which until whether Los Angeles County planners and politicians will honor now has sported long majestic vistas from its rolling hills and trails, their past commitment to countless Californians who unselfishly highlighting the solitude of the local landscape, is faced with be- contributed towards the dream of creating a Poppy Reserve—a ing completely boxed in by highly visible solar panels, and up to dream fostered by Los Angeles County residents during the 1970s. 400-foot-tall wind turbines. The once renowned charm and char- Or will they allow out-of-state big alternative energy developers to acter of the Antelope Valley wildflower display is at a precipice pursue a maximum-profit model at public expense. and crossroad. The old character may well vanish, replaced by a Alternatively, shouldn’t working together—an apparently un- visitor experience confined to looking down at the remaining ver- popular modern concept—prevail? Couldn’t state and county gov- nal island of preserved wildflowers, while trying to avoid seeing ernment officials work together with community advocates and an immediately juxtaposed, oppressive, and mechanized vista of energy developers to identify areas best suited for development? alternative energy. Has it become too audacious to believe that sound governance can The forces playing out upon the plains of the western Antelope provide us with new green energy projects without sacrificing our Valley are part of a much larger drama unfolding across our entire prized state parks? nation. Once again, corporate profits are pitted against ineffective At stake is the very essence of the Antelope Valley California government planning, guidance and oversight. Ironically, this mod- Poppy Reserve visitor experience. Sadly, our current Governor, ern scenario has put many ardent green energy supporters in inner whose early administration opened the doors of promise at the conflict, because of their concomitant passionate concern for pre- Poppy Reserve, has failed to continue this leadership and vision by serving at least some representative examples of California’s once defending the Reserve, or by proposing obvious alternative solu- vast unspoiled natural and cultural heritage. tions. Like California in general, he appears to be headed down the Those who do not accept the false dichotomy of “either/or,” path of a rather tortuous and conflicted legacy. see with concern where large mega-business and people of means Ultimately, the future rests with the California citizenry, who appear able to bend government to their will, while small business- collectively determine the course of our community history. Our es, average citizens, and even harmonious alternative solutions are voice (your voice) may be the prevailing factor. Within that para- not afforded similar reasonable consideration or opportunity. digm, the cost of silence becomes very apparent. Anyone who travels, even casually, through the western Mo- jave Desert, sees that there are vast corridors of open space avail- A native of northern California, Mark Faull moved to the eastern Kern able. One cannot help but wonder why it is necessary to sacrifice County region in 1984. For 20 years Mark worked at Red Rock Can- the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve when alternative yon State Park before retiring from California State Parks in 2004. lands are clearly available—if only government and business would His passion for and understanding of park values continues, as well work together on a less confrontational and far more harmonious as his study of the fascinating local human history and its connection long-term plan. At what point did our “Planning Departments,” to the desert environment. charged with ensuring compatible and harmonious growth, turn into little more than “Departments of Happenstance,” serving the will of citizens with means. Recent Developments California needs a green future. Does this green future have to come at the expense of numerous past commitments and published On January 24, 2012 the Los Angeles County Board of Su- visions, or can conflicts be avoided by integrating new societal pervisors unanimously denied two permits to construct data needs into past paradigms in a more holistic and less haphazard gathering meteorological towers in the western Antelope fashion? As California continues to grow, the role and foresight of Valley, apparently signaling disfavor with proposed wind turbine construction in this area. Left untouched at pres- Planning Departments will become increasingly paramount. Such ent was the issue of the appropriateness of industrial scale agencies must increase their public effectiveness and community solar facilities abutting the Antelope Valley California Poppy service. They must become far more proactive and far less reac- Reserve, which one Supervisor’s planning deputy indicated tive in shaping a balanced, harmonious society. They cannot be were moving through the county’s planning process swiftly. perceived as catering haphazardly to the whims of the elite or the
DESERT REPORT MARCH 2012 7 BY MICHELLE MYERS SAVING OUR DESERT, ONE BUTTE AT A TIME Black Lave Butte And Flat Top Mesa At Risk From Wind Energy Project
Imagine you’re just sitting around minding your own business and out of the blue a helicopter starts dropping sections of pipe onto your land. Imagine too that, without as Imuch as a by your leave, the invasion was authorized by the very people who manage the land on your behalf and that your acre- age has been leased at a peppercorn rent to speculators. That’s exactly what happened in July 2011 in bucolic Pipes Canyon, California when the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) leased Black Lava Butte and Flat Top Mesa to Oregon-based Element Power, and granted a permit for the company to erect a total of four masts to test wind speeds. Their ultimate aim -- to cover these signature buttes, located in southern San Bernardino County near Pioneertown, with 400-foot- tall wind turbines. THOMPSON JACK Black Lava Butte and Flat Top Mesa Cherry Good and Jon Nolte live at the foot of Black Lava Butte and were the first locals to be made aware of what was hap- be covered with ill-considered alternative energy projects, many of which make use of pening. Cherry immediately rallied residents the generous federal subsidies (and dollar-per-acre-per-year leases) that have been made and what resulted was a grassroots protest available where public land is used. group, Save Our Desert, also known as SOD. But for local residents it was a particularly bitter blow after barely recovering from And, yes, a pun, perhaps best appreciated by the battle to prevent the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power’s (LADWP) Green British nationals, was absolutely intended. Path North project from running transmission lines across the same terrain. That cam- (Cherry is British and in the U.K. “sod” can paign culminated in March 2010 with the withdrawal of LADWP’s application and a col- describe both the earth and also a cranky lective sigh of relief in this part of the Mojave Desert. individual who won’t back down.) Many locals believed the end of Green Path North meant that no further threats to the Not that the Element Power project is area would be contemplated. Unfortunately, however, the Obama administration’s fixa- an isolated incident. The desert is about to tion on covering the desert with solar and wind projects had ramped up in the meantime. While it would be no exaggeration to say that the community was caught unaware by this latest attempt to destroy pristine habitat, the community is united and prepared to take on what may be a very tough fight. And that fight has drawn generous support not only from Pipes Canyon residents but also the Homestead Valley communities that line Highway 247 as far as Lucerne Valley, areas that will be impacted by the Element project and, as was recently revealed, a mammoth solar project proposed by BrightSource Energy for Johnson Valley. Right now Element only has permission to test the wind speeds on top of the buttes.
SAVE OUR DESERT SAVE That permit expires in September 2013. However, Element could apply for a permit to The met towers were landed by helicopter implement a full-scale project at any time. The company will then be required to conduct as there are no roads. an environmental impact study that has to be much more comprehensive than the one
8 DESERT REPORT MARCH 2012 that was carried out to get the test permit. Grazing On Public Lands The preliminary study Element conducted concluded there was nothing of any significance on top of the buttes that would be im- pacted by the presence of 400-foot-high wind turbines. SOD be- Continued FROM page 3 lieves that study was deeply flawed by virtue of its superficiality and be less than the number permitted. contends that the buttes are home to desert tortoises, golden eagles I hope this example shows how something as basic as stocking – and most significantly, perhaps, a substantial number of Native rates on a grazing allotment can elicit three different perceptions American archaeological sites. SOD is currently engaged in identify- among BLM, Sierra Club, and the Permittee. All seem valid to me, ing and recording those sites, with the help of volunteer archaeolo- and when you consider the concerns of the users of Public Lands gists. Flora and fauna experts are helping to identify habitat. [i.e.; mining, logging, recreation, etc.] things get more complicated. SOD is also trying to raise consciousness. We know many peo- In the face of all this complexity the BLM’s guiding principal ple think that wind is natural and clean and so it must be good. should remain simple. Keep Public Lands Public. All the users have The reality is that wind is a wasteful way to generate energy. Prox- imity to the turbines themselves makes people sick. Birds and bats are killed in huge numbers. We also dismiss the argument that most of the downside to The various users of Public Lands are industrial scale wind projects can be mitigated. Moving tortoises not equal in their ability to articulate, promote and killing them in the process is not mitigation. or defend their concerns about usage. Although the immediate task at hand is the defeat of the Ele- ment project, SOD’s mission statement reflects our long-term con- sciousness raising goals. Namely, we must discourage utility-scale energy projects on unspoiled desert land and ensure that alterna- concerns that impose on some of the other groups. It’s up to BLM to tive energy sources are appropriately placed, preferably on resi- negotiate towards a balance among them. All the users have advo- dential and commercial rooftops. cacy groups that want to be their voice. Some of the advocates want To that end, SOD volunteers run a stall at the Joshua Tree to maximize their influence, not optimize it for the public. farmers market every Saturday. Passersby are engaged in discus- It’s up to the BLM to weigh all of this and arrive at a balance. sion about the Element project and are asked to sign protest pe- The various users of Public Lands are not equal in their ability to titions and letters. (Our volunteers must be pretty persuasive as articulate, promote or defend their concerns about usage. It’s up thousands of protest letters have gone out to everyone from Presi- to BLM to take up all the concerns. They are all equal partners. No dent Obama to local supervisor Neil Derry.) group, including the BLM, should be bullied or litigated to the point While Interior Secretary Ken Salazar’s recent declaration that that the balance is lost. the Department of the Interior is the new Department of Energy is dismaying, SOD does see glimmers of hope for the future. One of Art Steinbeck has managed cattle on his own land, on what is those, perhaps, may be BLM’s proposal that federal lands should now the Bitter Creek Wildlife Preserve and also on Carrizo Plains Na- not go to any qualified entity that makes an application and that tional Monument. Although he grew up in Los Angeles, he learned instead a competitive bidding process should be instituted that livestock as an employee of several ranches and then went on to run would generate fair market value for the land (and thereby hope- his own business. He lives west of Maricopa, CA, near the allotments fully encourage a more responsible and much less speculative ap- which he uses. proach by developers.) Another potential positive is that before competitive leasing for wind project sites can begin, the agency intends to designate wind development zones, something that could force the kind of clear-headed thinking about the siting of wind projects that, to date, SOD believes has been sorely lacking. In that regard, one of the issues SOD feels particularly strongly about is the use of unspoiled land for projects that may be more than a little experi- mental and thus run a substantial risk of abandonment. In the end, SOD hopes to contribute to the development of a coherent energy policy through education and outreach. We hope to persuade people of the problems inherent in siting industrial- scale projects in the desert -- namely that the ecosystem is so deli- cate that much of the damage caused by blasting and clearing of the land is permanent. Our mission statement makes it clear that our purpose is to preserve this land for future generations. And the incontrovertible fact is there are simply better ways to promote clean energy than by destroying our desert heritage.
Pipes Canyon resident Michelle Myers is also British and thus by CRAIG DEUTSCHE definition another difficult sod. She serves as Secretary to Save Our Part of the ranch used by Art Steinbeck. The brand “A lazy S” is Desert. on the gate with the approach road and sheds in the distance.
DESERT REPORT MARCH 2012 9 BY BARBARA BOYLE
A LETTER FROM MICHAEL BRUNE
Sierra Club Supports Mandatory Wind Guidelines For Wildlife Avoidance, Minimization, And Mitigation
Last year, Sierra Club signed comments with several other environ- ergy on birds and bats. Desert Energy Subcommittee Chair Joan mental organizations supporting U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Taylor brought this to the attention of Beyond Coal staff and volun- (FWS) proposed voluntary guidelines for avoiding, minimizing and teer leader Dick Fiddler, and the Club’s Vice President Dave Scott. mitigating wildlife impacts from wind energy projects (see Desert After a review, a decision was made to add to and clarify our posi- LReport September 2011 article for description of draft guidelines). tion on these guidelines. A letter signed by Michael Brune was then The rationale was that given the limited resources and authority sent to Interior Secretary Salazar making it clear that ultimately of FWS at this time, working with the wind industry through vol- the protective guidelines must be mandatory and that the resources untary guidelines offered a chance to actually extend protection and authority given to FWS must be enhanced so that they have the to endangered and threatened species in the near term. However, tools to do this important job. The following is the text of the letter. some Club activists were properly concerned that voluntary guide- – Barbara Boyle, Sr. Western Representative, Beyond Coal Campaign lines were inadequate to address the serious impacts of wind en-
10 DESERT REPORT MARCH 2012 DESERT REPORT MARCH 2012 11 Transforming The Politics Of Big Solar
Continued FROM page 2 leases to Big Solar and Wind, the Environmental Protection Agency environments. has identified 15 million acres of previously developed, degraded, The vehicle is our Call to Action for Energy Democracy, which and contaminated lands potentially suitable for solar energy devel- outlines the negative consequences of the current industrial-scale, opment across the country. Yet this much-maligned agency cannot public land-focused approach to renewable energy development get the support it needs to advance a better strategy on those lands. and demands a swift change over to the better alternative of DG in Behind the scenes, but in full control, are the same entities the built environment and on degraded land. We are now spreading that have controlled the “Fossil Fuel Era”—BP, Chevron, Morgan the Call to Action far and wide to citizen and community groups of Stanley, Goldman-Sachs. With entrenched corporate influences all types throughout the country to bring them on as signatories. steering our national policy toward industrial-scale renewables, as So far, we have dozens of groups signed on, from Public Citizen in opposed to small-scale, local, distributed renewable energy, it is Washington, D.C. to the Utility Consumers Action Network in San virtually impossible to counter them at the policy level. Diego. As we build our list, word will spread. With the strength Finally, bringing up the rear are the national environmental or- of civic passion behind it, the Call to Action will be delivered to ganizations such as The Wilderness Society and Natural Resources multiple levels of government, where better decisions can and Defense Council, who have bought into the model of desert renew- must be made. ables industrialization and ask only for a little tweaking here and some trimming there. Funded by the very foundations and corpora- Janine Blaeloch is Director of the Western Lands Project, which moni- tions that thrive on the status quo, their job is to create the illusion tors federal land sales and exchanges across the West and beyond, of change for the better, while ensuring that things stay essentially and which works to protect public and from privatization. She is also the same. a co-founder of Solar Done Right.
We Need Your Help
If you are affiliated with any organization, whether issue- oriented, religious, political, civic, or business, please take the Call to Action to your group(s) for sign-on. And for infor- mation to support your effort, visit solardoneright.org and partake freely of the resources offered there.
KEVIN EMMERICH DESERT COMMITTEE MEETING BrightSource industrializing the Ivanpah Valley The spring meeting will be held May 19–20, 2012 at the Black Canyon Group Camp at the Mojave National Pre- The Power That Must Be serve (across from Hole-in-the-Wall campground). David Daunting as this all sounds, there is one sure way to work around the entrenched political and corporate power arrayed on the side Lamfrom will chair. The summer meeting will be August of Big Solar: go to the people. Citizens don’t serve the monopolistic 18–19, 2012 in the White Mountains. John Moody will chair. utilities or make decisions based on what’s best for big investment firms--and by and large, they instantly understand how small, local renewables better serve their interests and the environment. Tell them about the havoc now being wrought upon desert ecosystems and they know it is wrong. Tell them they can have panels on their roofs and feed power into a community grid, and they’re all for it. The distributed generation (DG) approach is an angst-free answer that makes sense to virtually everyone. It serves taxpayers, rate- payers, job-seekers, and desert tortoises. In that light, Solar Done Right is now focusing on public edu- cation and engagement as the most effective way to end desert de- struction and bring DG to the forefront. We must generate a grass- roots upwelling of demand for localized, democratic, distributed generation in the built environment as the far superior alternative to massive solar and wind facilities on public lands and in fragile
12 DESERT REPORT MARCH 2012 www.solardoneright.org
CALL TO ACTION FOR ENERGY DEMOCRACY
Whereas, We must take rapid, effective, innovative action to change the ways we generate and use energy; Renewable energy is ubiquitous, offering a new model of energy generation that is local, democratic, and free from the abuses of a centralized monopoly; The US government’s current renewable-energy policy and the policies of most US states push industrial solar and wind development onto public lands; This industrial development is proposed for hundreds of thousands, possibly millions, of acres of our pub- lic lands—much of that acreage consisting of intact ecosystems which provide habitat for rare and endangered plants and animals, sequester carbon, and offer the chance for ecosystem adaptation to climate change; The utility-scale solar and wind generating plants now proposed, most with footprints of several thousand acres, would transform these ecologically-rich, multiple-use lands to single use industrial facilities, in effect priva- tizing vast areas of public lands; Once developed, those lands cannot be returned to their previous state after the life of a project–conversion is total and permanent, even though most such projects will generate power for only 15 to 30 years; The thousands of miles of new transmission infrastructure necessary to carry power from remote solar and wind electric generating plants to urban demand centers drastically inflates the cost of renewable energy, while imposing its own serious environmental impacts; The federal government has provided tens of billions of taxpayer dollars in cash grants, loans and loan guaran- tees for remote industrial-scale solar and wind development to many of the same corporations that have domi- nated the Fossil Fuel Era, created the problems renewable energy is designed to rectify, and helped hasten the recession, while states and local governments have incurred substantial costs to expedite these for-profit projects; Efficiency upgrades and “distributed generation”—point-of-use energy generation on rooftops, in parking lots and highway medians, brownfields, and throughout the built environment—are cost-effective, efficient, clean, and democratic strategies that are quick to implement, and would serve communities, ratepayers, and taxpayers by improving local economies and adding to home values, and creating millions of local jobs; Efficiency and distributed generation further have far less environmental impact than industrial-scale solar or wind power on intact ecosystems, while making our electrical power grid far less prone to catastrophic failure; Feed-In Tariffs (FITs) and true net metering programs, in which utilities purchase democratically produced, decentralized renewable energy at a fair price, have been proven a cost-effective way of stimulating rapid deploy- ment of local solar and other distributed generation, while providing economic stimulus to communities rather than multinational corporations, even in cloudy countries like Germany; The Environmental Protection Agency’s “Re-Powering America’s Lands” program has identified 15 million acres of degraded or contaminated land potentially suitable for renewable energy development, and is committed to working with renewable energy developers to remediate these lands for use as utility-scale renewable energy generation sites where large projects may be desirable.
Therefore, we demand: That the Federal and state governments abandon their current path of industrialization and destruction of our public lands; That any large-scale solar or wind installations be restricted to degraded, contaminated, or already-developed lands, including those identified by the EPA; That Federal, state, and local governments facilitate a massive deployment of efficiency upgrades and point- of-use solar power; That no new large, long-distance electrical transmission projects be approved to serve remote solar or wind projects until distributed power generation and energy efficiency are maximized; That the Federal Housing Finance Agency immediately lift its de facto freeze on property assessed clean en- ergy (PACE) loans, which provide critical low-risk financing for efficiency upgrades and home energy retrofits; That Federal and state funding and other incentives be made available to help states establish and expand generous Feed in Tariffs (FITs) modeled after successful programs like Germany’s, and improve net metering poli- cies, and that Congress work to establish the proven solutions of German-style FITs and less-restrictive net meter- ing at a national scale.
DESERT REPORT MARCH 2012 13 BY KEVIN EMMERICH ANOTHER SOLAR ENERGY FARM OR AN ACEC? A Conservation Alternative For Ivanpah Valley
For most people Ivanpah Valley is just a view from the oper, BrightSource Energy, originally predicted that windshield along Interstate 15. Many are not aware only 25 tortoises would be displaced by the 3,600 acre that the sweeping alluvial fans and spectacular desert project. We now know that up to 530 could be relo- peaks that they see support a unique and rare diver- cated and over 3,000 will be cumulatively impacted. Fsity of Mojave Desert flora and fauna along with a Many juvenile tortoises have been found on the site, rich cultural history. and juveniles are predicted to suffer a 90 percent mor- A major highway now runs through the center tality on the site. of Ivanpah Valley and serves as an artery between The Mojave Desert is recognized by scientists
Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Transmission lines, a rare KEVIN EMMERICH for its pristine quality among deserts and is one of earth mine, a golf course, a prison, 4,000 acres of so- the world’s last intact ecosystems. The Ivanpah Val- lar energy farms, and casinos now define the human use of this ley within it has been described by botanists as a biological core landscape. Pending development pressures include a 6,500 acre area of the East Mojave Desert. The diversity of plants is greater Clark County major airport on Roach Lake, a rare Earth mine on than found in the coastal redwood forests of the Pacific Northwest. the Nevada side, and a high speed railroad. Some of the remaining Ivanpah Valley provides habitat for numerous rare plants such as best desert habitat lies in the path of two pending federally “priori- Mojave Milkweed, White-margined Penstemon, and Desert Pin- tized” solar energy projects, both of which are under environmen- cushion. Many species have peripheral populations here, and the tal scoping by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) at this time. area is important for the long-term conservation of genetic diversity First Solar has applied for two major Right of Way grants in Cali- and evolutionary potential of these species, particularly within the fornia and Nevada to build these large-scale photovoltaic projects context of uncertain climatic changes to their habitat. The benefit of spanning about 15,000 acres. One of these, the Stateline project, preserving intact habitat and connectivity with surrounding areas is is adjacent to the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System, now well documented in conservation science literature. being built on high quality desert tortoise habitat. The proposed The alluvial fans of Ivanpah Valley have high cultural value Silver State Project lies in an essential desert tortoise connectivity for present Tribes. Chemehuevi, Mohave and Paiute elders say the zone identified by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. flats and fans were much used in their tradition, and still are today. One Chemehuevi interpretation of the word Ivanpah is “sweet Every shrub had a use, whether medicinal, for baskets, fiber, or water.” The Ivanpah Valley’s geographic boundaries span over 300 food. The Wolfberry (Lycium) thickets were highly valued for sea- square miles and cross over the boundary of California and Ne- vada. It is defined by the Clark Mountains, the Castle Peaks, the McCullough Mountains and the Spring Mountains. Bighorn sheep, burrowing owls, Gila monsters, kit foxes and badgers are among the wildlife that call Ivanpah home. The Ivanpah Valley is home to a healthy and robust popula- tion of desert tortoises which has been determined to be one of the most genetically unique among the species. Part of this popula- tion is already preserved in California in an Area of Critical Envi- ronmental Concern. This tortoise population is also important for maintaining a genetic linkage with populations to the north and east in Nevada. The Fish and Wildlife Service has recommended that a 3 mile wide corridor remain open so connectivity can be maintained for the future survival of these populations. These re- gions were originally proposed for inclusion in the Piute-El Dorado Area of Critical Environmental Concern, one of the original desert tortoise Critical Habitats. It seems ironic that this same habitat is now being considered for several square miles of solar panels. The number of desert tortoises that have been displaced by
Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System is alarming. The devel- KEVIN EMMERICH
14 DESERT REPORT MARCH 2012 sonal berry-picking. Every lizard species, as well as tortoises, were hunted for food. Ancient trails crossed the fans (and some can still be seen today) linking springs, agave roasting pits, cave habita- tions, geoglyphs, prayer spots, and deer/bighorn hunting areas on Clark Mountain. There is an extensive body of knowledge about Ivanpah Valley’s cultural uses and geography, and it is important to preserve this cultural landscape intact for future generations. While the visual resources of Ivanpah Valley have been al- ready impacted by existing development, it is important to re- member that the size of proposed energy projects have the abil- ity to further impact the visual resources of the valley along with designated conservation areas such as the Stateline Wilderness Area, the McCullough Mountains Wilderness Area, and Mojave National Preserve. Development pressures are threatening the remaining re- sources of Ivanpah Valley. Basin and Range Watch has nominated about 200,000 acres of this habitat to be preserved as an Area of
Critical Environmental Concern with the BLM, about 50,000 acres KEVIN EMMERICH in California and 150,000 in Nevada. We are asking that this be considered as a conservation alternative to the two major pending be incorporated where new occurrences are identified.(6) Pertinent solar applications that would remove habitat and block connectiv- protection measures identified in the Northern and Eastern Mojave ity. This nomination is supported by the Desert Tortoise Council Desert Coordinated Management Plan are to be adopted as neces- and the Desert Protective Council. sary to protect sensitive biological and cultural resources. Areas of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC) are part of In a recent meeting with BLM State Directors in Reno, Nevada, a conservation ecology program in the western United States, we were pleased to learn that our ACEC alternative will be consid- managed by the Bureau of Land Management. This program was ered in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Stateline conceived in the 1976 Federal Lands Policy and Management Act Solar Farm project. (FLPMA). FLPMA directs the BLM to protect important riparian Existing highways and transmission make Ivanpah Valley one corridors, threatened and endangered species habitats, cultural of the most vulnerable parts of the Mojave Desert. Large utility and archeological resources, and unique scenic landscapes that the scale solar energy development has now shifted to predominantly agency assesses as in need of special management attention. photovoltaic designs (solar panels). Smart alternatives to the recent The BLM defines an Area of Critical Environmental Concern boom of prioritized large scale energy applications are needed. Pub- as a designation that “highlights areas where special management lic lands management needs to include language that implements attention is needed to protect, and prevent irreparable damage to long term conservation measures to insure that biological and cul- important historical, cultural, and scenic values, fish, or wildlife tural resources can endure for the future. Public lands agencies also resources, or other natural systems or processes; or to protect hu- need to examine alternatives that site solar energy in the built en- man life and safety from natural hazards.” vironment and on degraded lands or brownfields. Distributed gen- Any individual or organization can nominate a region for an eration and private lands alternatives would help avoid situations ACEC designation during the development of a specific land use that are forcing us to choose between clean energy and preserving plan. In the case of Ivanpah Valley, Basin and Range Watch sub- treasured, irreplaceable habitats. We do not need to choose. We can mitted the nomination during a supplemental scoping period for have both if we take the time to site clean energy in the appropriate the Las Vegas Resource Management Plan Environmental Impact locations. A conservation alternative to the current rush for devel- Statement. Because Ivanpah Valley spans two states, nominations opment is appropriate. for both Nevada and California were submitted. The Bureau of Land Management and other agencies are reviewing the footprint Kevin Emmerich is a former park ranger and field biologist. He has of solar energy development impacts in California through the Des- lived in the Mojave Desert for 25 years and recently co-founded the ert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan and nationally through renewable energy watch group, Basin and Range Watch. He now lives the Solar Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement. Solar on a Nature Reserve in Nevada near Death Valley National Park. developers have submitted their own conservation plan for future development in Ivanpah Valley, but their plan grandfathers in sev- eral thousand acres of pending solar energy farms. Basin and Range Watch requested the following specific For More Information guidelines to be included in the designation: (1) All multiple use Basin and Range Watch Ivanpah Valley ACEC nomination categories in the new ACEC are to be designated as Limited. (2) http://basinandrangewatch.org/Ivanpah-ACEC.html Renewable energy projects are to be minimized or completely ex- cluded. (3) All lands within the expanded ACEC boundary are to Sign the Petition to support the Ivanpah Valley ACEC be withdrawn from mineral entry. (4) Private lands are to be ac- http://www.desertbiodiversity.org/ivanpah_acec quired from willing sellers and vehicle routes are to be designated. (5) Botanical surveys for special status plants are to be conducted The Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan http://www.drecp.org/ and conservation measures for the plants and their habitat should
DESERT REPORT MARCH 2012 15 The Old Spanish Trail – 21st Century Threats
Continued FROM pagE 1 Rush pioneers, prompted by the 1848 discovery of gold in northern California; some of the team has made several key findings relat- these caravans of gold-seekers chose to reach the Golden State by following the OST’s ing to the mule trace. desert segment, rather than crossing the Sierras. The second wave resulted from Brigham • This segment of the trace has been subject Young’s 1851 decision to establish a Mormon colony in California. After 1851, Mormon to little modern disturbance, except where wagon trains followed the Utah, Nevada, and California portions of the Old Spanish Trail it crosses modern roads. In 11 km, we have southwestward to San Bernardino, CA, and other newly founded Mormon outposts. found fewer than a dozen modern artifacts In some areas, the wagon trains followed the OST mule path; in other places, steep (e.g. soda and beer bottles and cans, plas- hills and narrow gullies forced the wagons to take alternate routes2. Over the years, the tic debris, or tire tracks (Figure 3). The team wagon trails branched and multiplied as parties discovered short cuts such as the “Kings- has found no Mexican-period artifacts, but ton Cutoff,” which avoided the climb over Emigrant Pass and cut miles off the mule route. these would be rare, since much of the pack- The dual-track trails left by the wagons became known variously as The Salt Lake Road, ers’ gear and mule tack was of cloth, leather, the Mormon Road, and the California Road, among other names that appear on 19th or wood. Rather, most artifacts (primarily century maps. bottles and lead-soldered tin cans) date to the late 19th century. This suggests use by OSTA’s Tecopa Chapter Records the Mule Trace post-Mexican period single riders, perhaps OSTA’s Tecopa chapter began tracking, GPS-recording, and photographing the mule scouts for wagon trains or government sur- trace in 2007. The goal is to record completely the route of the trace between two known vey parties. points on the OST: Resting Springs, CA, and Stump Springs, NV3. Currently, OSTA has • There is strong evidence that the trace did recorded more than 11 continuous kilometers of mule trace leading east from Emigrant indeed result from a single-file procession of Pass toward the Nevada state line. pack animals going from east to west. Mules OSTA’s field survey work took as its starting point the summit of Emigrant Pass, a in Mexican pack trains fell in line behind a widely acknowledged spot on the Old Spanish Trail mule trace. This is because virtually “bell mare,” which led the string of animals5. all trail scholars agree that the caravan trace is visible there4. In addition, numerous his- Where the trace crosses arroyos on the des- torical maps show the trail and the “Mormon road” crossing Emigrant Pass. ert floor, the U-shaped grooves cut into the Since the trace at Emigrant Pass is widely recognized as part of the 1829-1848 cara- lips of the gully are always deeper and wider van route, and since the OSTA team has documented the trace without a break from that on the west lip. This is consistent with heav- known point, we are confident that the 11+ kilometers we have recorded comprise an ily loaded animals “clawing” their way up a unbroken segment of that route. Through its detailed recording and field observations, steep bank. JACK PRICHETT JACK Figure 1. Old Spanish Trail area between Death Valley National Park and the Figure 3. The well defined mule trace passes California/Nevada border. through nearly pristine desert territory.
16 DESERT REPORT MARCH 2012 • The trace follows a “bee-line” course for target destinations, such as Emigrant Pass. This is consistent with findings by other trail researchers6. It is also consistent with fol- lowing the most efficient route, where flat terrain permits, between water sources. In the research area, mule caravans watered at springs along today’s Nevada state line, then headed west in a near straight-line course for Emigrant Pass. Once at the Pass, they descended to Resting Springs, the next wa- ter source.
Archival evidence for the route Historical documents and maps help flesh out details about the route of the Old Spanish Trail and its use near the Nevada border. We know that the Old Spanish Trail route proceeded west from Las Vegas and crossed the Spring Mountains, with a well- known stop at what today is Blue Diamond, NV7. Many historical maps show the trail leading out of the Spring Mountains and to Stump Spring near the Nevada border. JACK PRICHETT AND SCOTT SMITH PRICHETT AND SCOTT JACK Historical accounts by travelers make it clear, however, that the mule caravans and, Figure 4. Northern excursions from Stump Springs to other water sources created later, wagon trains almost certainly relied on branches of the trail near the HHSEGS project area. Some of the branches, such as those leading from Hidden Spring and Le Rocher qui pleu, likely crossed the project more than one spring in the area of Stump area. The westward extension of the trail from Stump Spring passed just to the south Spring. In some years, Stump Spring was of today’s Old Spanish Trail Highway, as chronicled in Fremont’s 1845 report. dry or provided inadequate forage for pack animals or oxen8. On such occasions, mule caravans or wagon trains would proceed vember 25, the party camped at Mountain Springs in the Spring Mountains. The next day, northwest to find water and grass at Hidden according to Bigler the party went 27 miles downhill, “where we struck the first water Hills spring, “Le rocher qui pleu” (roughly (Stump Spring), 3 or 4 clusters of willow trees growing nearby. We thought of Camping translated as “rock that weeps), ”Brown’s here but what little feed there had been was eat off. We turned to the right [i.e., north- Spring, or Mound Springs. These nearby west] about 4 m. and found plenty of bunch [grass] in a deep bed of a Creek, but no springs lie in a line along an escarpment at water, and camped.” The next day the party found water “about a mile and a half down the foot of the Spring Mountains, just inside the creek” [Hidden Spring? Rocher que pleu?]10. the Nevada state line. (Figure 4). Taken together, then, historical maps and archival documents make clear that the For example, Addison Pratt, who trav- Old Spanish Trail and later wagon trails stopped at Stump Spring and other springs near eled over the Old Spanish Trail from Santa today’s state line. This area surrounding the Nevada springs is precisely the area in which Fe in 1848 received a log with the follow- mule trace and wagon trails approach and intersect the project site for the Hidden Hills ing instructions from Ben Choteau, a trap- solar power plant (see Figure 4). From these watering spots, the trail proceeded west- per who had just returned from California. ward, crossed over Emigrant Pass, and descended to Resting Springs. Choteau told Pratt that, traveling eastward, he had stopped at Archiletta Spring (today Hidden Hills Solar Plant and the Old Spanish Trail called Resting Spring). He wrote, “Road bad HHSEGS will cover 3200 acres of desert near Charleston View, CA. It will include two to Archiletta Spring, large bagus grain grass. 750-foot high solar concentrator towers surrounded by 85,000 reflectors. The roughly Water good, but warm. From this one comes triangular project site is less than three miles from four of the Nevada springs just de- to Escarbada [Stump Spring]. If water is not scribed. The southern boundary of the Hidden Hills project is the two-lane Old Spanish found at the “Parage” about 5 m. N.W. of it Trail Highway (referred to on Nevada maps as Tecopa Road). This southern boundary of [probably Hidden Spring], we will find it a the project is less than a mile or so north of the Old Spanish Trail as reported by Fremont Le Rocher qui pleu [spelling is Choteau’s]”9. (1845) and Steiner (1999:158). The solar project is also just north of the OST corridor as defined by the National Similarly, PRICHETT JACK Steiner cites the diary of Hen- ry Bigler, who traveled with a wagon train Park Service11. This corridor appears to be based on Fremont’s description of his 1843- from Utah to Los Angeles in 1849. On No- Continued on page 19
DESERT REPORT MARCH 2012 17 California/Nevada Regional Conservation Committee Desert Committee Outings
These trips are not rated. If you have not previously par- Sunday we will hike from Midhills to Hole-in-the-Wall. This is ticipated in an outing of the type you are considering, call an 8-mile, downhill hike and if the timing is right could have the leader and ask about the suitability of the trip given wonderful windflowers. For those wanting to arrive on Friday your conditioning and experience. Distance and elevation we can go out to the Rock Springs Loop Trail. For those want- ing to stay over night on Sunday we can primitive camp near gain can give an indication of the difficulty of a hike, but the Kelso Dunes and hike the dunes on Monday morning. For the condition of the trail, or lack of a trail can change the reservations, contact Carol Wiley at [email protected] or level. An eight mile, 900’ elevation gain hike on a good 760-245-8734. CNRCC Desert Committee trail would be easy to moderate, a similar hike up a brush- filled canyon could be strenuous. BIRDS, FLOWERS, AND FENCES IN THE CARRIZO For questions concerning an outing, or to sign up, SERVICE TRIP please contact the leader listed in the write-up. For ques- April 14-15, Saturday-Sunday tions about Desert Committee outings in general, or to re- This is an opportunity to visit and to assist in the Carrizo Plain National Monument. On Saturday, we will assist monument ceive the outings list by e-mail, please contact Kate Allen staff in the removal and/or modification of fences to allow at [email protected] or 661-944-4056. pronghorn antelope freer access to the range. Sunday is The Sierra Club requires participants to sign a reserved for sightseeing or hiking as the group decides. standard liability waiver at the beginning of each The views from the Caliente Mountains are spectacular; trip. If you would like to read the Liability Waiver be- spring flowers may be blooming; and the monument fore you choose to participate, please go to http:// is known for the number and variety of raptors pres- www.sierraclub.org/outings/chapter/forms/, or con- ent. Contact leader for information and sign-up: Craig Deutsche, 310-477-6670, or [email protected]. tact the Outings Department at 415-977-5528 for a CNRCC Desert Committee printed version. For an updated listing, visit the Desert Report website OWENS PEAK WILDERNESS SERVICE TRIP at www.desert report.org and click on Outings. April 20-22, Friday-Sunday The Sierra Club California Seller of Travel number is CST We will work with the Student Conservation Association crew, 2087766-40. (Registration as a seller of travel does not a group of college age interns who have been doing resto- constitute approval by the State of California.) ration work in this wilderness area for several months. We will meet at 8:30 in Ridgecrest and car caravan to the work area. Work project has not yet been determined, but will most likely be either building fences or camouflaging illegal roads. Work Friday and Saturday. Pot luck Saturday night with the SCA crew. On Sunday, the crew will lead us on a hike of the WHIPPLE MTS DESERT SERVICE area. Leader: Kate Allen, [email protected], 661-944-4056. March 16-18, Friday-Sunday CNRCC Desert Committee/Antelope Valley Group of the Sierra Join CA/NV wilderness committee and Mojave Group’s annual Club. service trip with the Needles office of BLM; for this patrician greening of the desert, we’ll return to the Whipple Mts, home ESCALANTE RIVER CANYON SERVICE TRIP/ of elusive saguaro cactus. Actual work project details still a BACKPACK secret, to be revealed to those who sign up with leader Vicky April 29-May 5, Sunday-Saturday Hoover, 415-977-5527, or [email protected]. Central We will work with National Park Service Ranger Bill Wolverton commissary. CNRCC Wilderness Committee on this ongoing Russian olive eradication program. 42 miles of the Escalante River have been cleared. This project will clear MOJAVE NATIONAL PRESERVE CAR CAMP AND more, using loppers, small handsaws, and herbicide. Meet in HIKING Escalante Sunday morning, caravan to the trailhead and hike in April 7-8, Saturday-Sunday about 7 miles. Expect knee to thigh deep river crossings, and Saturday morning we will meet at Teutonia Peak trailhead on some bushwhacking. We work 4 days, dayhike 1 day and hike Cima Road for a hike to Teutonia Peak and out onto Cima Dome out Saturday morning. Participants must follow work-clothing and then camp at Sunrise Rocks, which is primitive camping. requirements, provide their own food and gear on the trail, and
18 DESERT REPORT MARCH 2012 travel expenses to the trailhead. For more information contact less, an analysis of the existing field survey data, geophysical data, leader, Paul Plathe at 209-476-1498. Delta-Sierra Group/Moth- and historical sources clearly establishes that some parties following er Lode Chapter the trail to California went to Hidden Springs or Rocher qui Pleu in search of water and grass. These parties--whether mule caravans or The following activity is not sponsored by the Sierra Club. wagon trains--must have created branch trails that cut across the proj- The Sierra Club makes no representations or warranties ect site on their way toward Emigrant Pass (Figure 4). about the quality, safety, supervision, or management of this OSTA has found indications on the ground that this is the case. activity. It is published only because it may be of interest to For one thing, we have located “stubs” of the trace on the north side the readers of this publication. of OST Highway, leading toward the northern springs. One of these stubs, for example, is consistent with a branch trace leading south MOJAVE NATIONAL PRESERVE SERVICE PROJECT from Mound Springs. March 10, Saturday Moreover, in 1964 as part of the Nevada Centennial, OST trail Spend the day in the Mojave National Preserve with a group markers were placed near Brown Springs and on Hidden Hills Ranch, of volunteers cleaning up private land recently donated to the near Hidden Springs. OSTA has not yet found documentary evidence National Party Service and now legally part of the Preserve. indicating why Sherwin “Scoop” Garsides elected to place markers in Starting at 9 am and working through the afternoon, we will these two locations, but it is clear that Garsides and the Centennial collect and remove junk, garbage, and other solid waste from a commission believed that Brown and Hidden springs were on the Old site in the Lanfair Valley on the eastern side of the park. Bring water, sunscreen, a hat, and lunch. Layers of clothing are best Spanish Trail. OSTA plans archival research of the Garside Collection, as temperatures can be unpredictable. Gloves, garbage bags, housed at UNLV’s Library, Special Collections Department, to substan- and tools will be provided. The Hole-In-The-Wall and Mid-Hills tiate Garsides’ reasons for placing monuments at these springs. campgrounds (with water and vault toilets) are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Sturdy tents with strong stakes Visual Impacts are advisable in case of high winds. The Mojave National Pre- The towers--each three-quarters the height of the Empire State serve Conservancy is pleased to partner with the Park Service Building--will introduce a major visual impact to the Old Spanish Trail on this service project. Contact Sid Silliman for details and to travel corridor. Surrounded at the top with a bright halo produced by RSVP ([email protected]). the intensity of the reflected sunlight, they will impose unavoidably in the field of vision of drivers on the OST Highway. Moreover, in terms of the visual resources criteria specified by the National Register of Historic Places and the BLM’s newly-issued management standards for the National Landscape Conservation System, the towers will neg- atively impact the ability of passersby to “vicariously experience” the Old Spanish Trail corridor. Today, a vicarious experience is possible from the vicinity of Stump Spring, Hidden Springs and many other Old Spanish Trail observation points; in the future, it may not be.
The Old Spanish Trail Corridor Continued FROM page 17 The route leading from springs just east of the Nevada state 44 route12 and on Steiner’s plotting in his Map 2313. According line to Resting Springs, in California, is an ancient route for Native to the Park Service, the width of this representational corridor is American trade. Portions of the Old Spanish Trail used these same not precisely defined. As a rule of thumb, such representational routes, following well-developed native footpaths leading from water corridors are frequently considered to extend one-quarter mile hole to water hole across the desert. In turn, Mormon wagon trails to either side of the center line, but will be defined in specific followed the mule caravan tracks and used the same watering holes. localities depending on local topography and local management The 20th century saw the building of a modern highway through the priorities. Determination of the actual corridor width at any given same corridor. location awaits completion of a comprehensive management plan Taken together these historical routes comprise a significant cul- for the Old Spanish National Historic Trail. That plan is currently tural resource that reflects the rich heritage of commerce and emi- in preparation. gration in California, Nevada, and the Southwestern U.S. Given the impacts of the Hidden Hills solar plant to the Old Spanish Trail, OSTA The Hidden Hills Solar Plant’s Impacts is likely to seek mitigation measures to counter adverse effects to cul- Cultural Resources. The Hidden Hills project will negatively tural and visual resources in the area. impact the Old Spanish Trail travel corridor, which consists of branches of the 1829-1848 Mexican mule caravan route and of A bibliography and references for this article can be found online in the wagon trails from the American period. Notes section of www.desertreport.org. OSTA’s field recording of the mule trace had just reached Charleston View when the application for the Hidden Hills solar Jack Prichett is president and Scott Smith is secretary of the Old Span- plant was filed with the California Energy Commission in 2011. ish Trail Association’s Tecopa chapter. Prichett is a former historical Thus, the field survey is incomplete in the project area. In addi- archeologist. tion, the ground in the Charleston View area is disturbed, both by a graded street grid and by construction and dwellings. Neverthe-
DESERT REPORT MARCH 2012 19 BY PAT FLANAGAN HOW TO LIE WITH MAPS Points Of View A Selective Portfolio Of California Desert Maps
“A single map is but one of an indefinitely large number of maps that might be produced for the same situation or from the same idea.” How to Lie with Maps – Mark Monmonier
Landscape Conservation Cooperatives (LCC)–Dept. of Interior (DOI) Secretarial Order No. 3208 (Sept. 2009) Point of view – Maps the 22 LCC areas. Note: The LCC is a network of public-private partnerships that provide shared science to ensure the sustainability of America’s land, water, wildlife and cultural resources to protect our quality of life and economy. LCCs are in their planning infancy.
BLM Solar Development Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (SDPEIS) 2011 Ad- ministrated Lands in California Available for Solar Energy ROW Authorization. Point of view – Shows that all BLM lands, except wilderness, are up for solar development under different alternatives – ‘No Action’ Alternative, Modified Program Alternative, and Modified Solar Energy Zone (SEZ) Alternative. Note: There are no ‘exclusion’ lands shown on this map.
Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan (DRECP) Preliminary Conservation Strategy Point of view – Shows areas of low and moderate to high biological values, the renewable energy study areas and condor study area.
BLM SDPEIS 2011 Desert Tortoise Conservation Areas and Proposed Connectivity Areas Point of view – Maps desert tortoise conservation and connectivity areas showing overlap with variance lands (pink and blue) and Solar Energy Zones (SEZ). Note: Desert tortoise conservation areas are not in agreement with maps 5 and 6.
DRECP – High Value Desert Tortoise Habitat Point of view – Shows high value desert tortoise habitat in the planning area. Also online: A. Renewable Energy Action Team Starting Point B. Composite of Moderate to High Biological Value Areas C. Bighorn Sheep Critical Linkage, Mountain habitat and Intermountain Habitat
20 DESERT REPORT MARCH 2012 US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) – Recommended Desert Tortoise Linkages Between Critical Habitat/Desert Wildlife Management Area (DWMA) Units Point of view – FWS recommends that BLM exclude areas to provide for desert tortoise linkages between Critical Habitat/DWMA units. Shows desert tortoise critical habitat. Note: There are significant differences between this map and map #4 above.
Linkage Design for Joshua Tree – Twentynine Palms Connection Point of view – Shows the Least Cost Union with Species Overlay The desert tortoise linkage is the reddish-brown linkage in the eastern basin. Note: This report was completed in 2008 but not referenced by BLM Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (DPEIS) nor incorporated into the BLM Conservation and Connectivity Areas map for desert tortoise.
California Desert Connectivity Linkage Planning Areas (in process – map has been available since 2009) Point of view – Shows the 23 science-based desert linkages. The completed Joshua Tree- Twentynine Palms linkage design is shown in yellow. Note: These linkage areas not referenced in BLM DPEIS.
Morongo Basin Wildlife Linkage Designs & BLM Preliminary Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) Jan 2012 Point of view – This map was constructed to show the overlay of the BLM variance lands (map 1, pink and blue shaded areas) on the linkage design (map 7) and local communities.
The Nature Conservancy – Conservation Value of the Mojave Desert Point of view – Shows the ecological core lands needing a high level of protection; the eco- logically intact lands needing protection that allows areas to continue to support ecological processes and connectivity; and the moderately disturbed and highly converted lands.
The Nature Conservancy – Anthropogenic Disturbance of the Mojave Desert Point of view – Scores human disturbance on the landscape using color with dark blue being very low disturbance, and orange being very high disturbance.
The Nature Conservancy – Conservation Landscape of the Sonoran Desert Point of view – Scores conservation categories in 6 landscape units.
“The California deserts collectively represent perhaps the largest intact functioning ecosystem left in North America. And the California des- erts remain one of the floristic frontiers in the United States with an estimated 6-10% of the plant species undescribed. Over the past 50 years we have been discovering 25-30 new species each decade, and projected forward, we will add up to 200 additional species this century”. - James M. Andre, Director, Sweeney Granite Mountains Desert Research Center & Sacramento Mountains Reserve
A list of resources related to this article can be found online in the Notes section of www.desertreport.org.
DESERT REPORT MARCH 2012 21 BY MARGE SILL EFFORTS UNDERWAY TO PROTECT NEVADA WILDERNESS Pine Forest Recreation Enhancement Act Introduced
On November 2, 2011, the entire Nevada The Humboldt County Commission unanimously approved this bill after it was pre- Congressional delegation introduced the sented and explained at a County Commission meeting. Senator Reid of Nevada has point- Pine Forest Recreation Enhancement Act ed out what a local process involving the whole community can do in protecting important which designates 26,000 acres of wilder- federal lands. He and Senator Heller expect to have hearings on the bill as early as this Oness within the Blue Lakes and Alder Creek March. It is hoped that Representative Amodei will be able to schedule hearings in the Wilderness Study Areas (WSA). This bill rep- House as soon as possible. With bi-partisan support, the bill should be approved and sent resents the culmination of a decades long to the President for signature this year. effort to protect this area which is located Although this area is not known to many outdoor enthusiasts because of its remote northwest of Winnemucca, Nevada, near location, the Toiyabe Chapter of the Sierra Club has led several trips over the years into the Oregon border. The Pine Forest Range this wonderful place, and in 1996 the CA/NV Wilderness Committee visited the area over may be the best-watered of any Bureau of Memorial Day where several participants climbed Duffer Peak, at 9,400 ft the Pine Forest Land Management (BLM) areas in Nevada, Range’s high point. We who love the Pine Forest Range hope that you readers are inspired and, as such, is home to the Lahontan Cut- to visit this magnificent oasis in the Great Basin Desert. throat Trout and a large herd of mule deer, bighorn sheep, and pronghorn. Thick for- Marge Sill is the Wilderness Chair for the Toiyabe Chapter and the Nevada Coordinator for ests of white-bark pine and aspen provide the CA/NV Wilderness Committee. habitat for many species of birds and small mammals. Thirty years ago, the BLM closed the primitive road leading into Blue Lake be- cause of resource damage to the shores caused by unwise off-road vehicle use. This closure proved to be very successful in re- storing the shores of the lake and has been applauded by all interests, including fisher- men. This action set the stage for the pres- ent two-year effort to gain protection as wil- derness for this beautiful and unique wild area. Coordinating this effort has been Jim Jeffress of Trout Unlimited who has brought together a group of environmentalists (es- pecially staff of Friends of Nevada Wilder- ness), sportsmen, ranchers, off-road vehicle enthusiasts, and Humboldt County busi- nessmen to look at the areas on the ground and to come to agreement as to where the wilderness boundaries should be placed. Only 1,500 acres of the existing WSA lands are released, and the BLM is directed to ex- change federal lands surrounding nearby ranches for private parcels within the exist-
ing WSA’s which would then be managed WILDERNESS OF NEVADA BRIAN BEFFORT/FRIENDS as wilderness. Alder Creek Wilderness Study Area
22 DESERT REPORT MARCH 2012 Editorial Staff Coordinators MANAGING EDITOR CALIFORNIA WILDERNESS Stacy Goss DESIGNATION AND PROTECTION [email protected] Vicky Hoover (408-248-8206) [email protected] 415-928-1038 CO-EDITORS Published by the Sierra Club California/Nevada Desert Committee Craig Deutsche NEVADA WILDERNESS [email protected] DESIGNATION AND PROTECTION All policy, editing, reporting, and graphic design is the Nate Krumm Marge Sill [email protected] work of volunteers. To receive Desert Report please mail [email protected] 775-322-2867 Amelia Rodelo the coupon on the back cover. Articles, photos, letters [email protected] and original art are welcome. Please contact Stacy Goss DESERT WILDERNESS Ingrid Crickmore ([email protected], 408-248-8206) about contribu- DESIGNATION AND PROTECTION [email protected] tions well in advance of deadline dates: February 1, May 1, Terry Frewin [email protected] August 1, and November 1. CIRCULATION 805-966-3754 Kate Allen [email protected] Our Mission IMPERIAL COUNTY (661-944-4056) The Sierra Club California/Nevada Desert Committee works Terry Weiner [email protected] OUTINGS EDITOR for the protection and conservation of the deserts of Cali- 619-342-5524 Kate Allen fornia, Nevada and other areas in the Southwest; monitors [email protected] and works with public, private, and non-profit agencies to EASTERN SAN DIEGO COUNTY (661-944-4056) Donna Tisdale promote preservation of our arid lands; sponsors education [email protected] GRAPHIC DESIGN and service trips; encourages and supports others to work 619-766-4170 Jason Hashmi for similar objectives; and maintains, shares and publishes [email protected] information about the desert. EASTERN RIVERSIDE COUNTY (626-487-3791) Donna Charpied [email protected] Officers 760-347-7586 CHAIR Terry Frewin Desert Forum DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK [email protected] If you findDesert Report interesting, sign up for the CNRCC George Barnes (805-966-3754) Desert Committee’s e-mail listserv, Desert Forum. Here [email protected] 650-494-8895 VICE CHAIR you’ll find open discussions of items interesting to desert Joan Taylor lovers. Many articles in this issue of Desert Report were CARRIZO NATIONAL MONUMENT (760-778-1101) developed through Forum discussions. Electronic subscrib- Craig Deutsche ers will continue to receive current news on these issues— [email protected] OUTINGS CHAIR 310-477-6670 Kate Allen plus the opportunity to join in the discussions and contrib- [email protected] ute their own insights. Desert Forum runs on a Sierra Club PANAMINT/INYO MOUNTAINS (661-944-4056) listserv system. Tom Budlong [email protected] 310-476-1731 Funding for Desert Report is To sign up, just send this e-mail: made possible, in part, by the To: [email protected] COACHELLA VALLEY generous, ongoing support of Jeff Morgan the following: From: Your real e-mail address [very important!] [email protected] Subject: [this line is ignored and may be left blank] 760-324-8696 Sierra Club California Message: www.sierraclub.org/ca SUBSCRIBE CONS-CNRCC-DESERT-FORUM ENERGY ISSUES Joan Taylor (California) Desert Protective Council YOURFIRSTNAME YOURLASTNAME 760-778-1101 www.dpcinc.org [this must fit on one line.] Laura Cunningham (Nevada) Desert Tortoise Council [email protected] www.deserttortoise.org By return e-mail, you will get a welcome message and 775-513-1280 some tips on using the system. Please join us! OFF-ROAD VEHICLE ISSUES Toiyabe Chapter, Sierra Club Questions? Contact Jim Dodson: www.nevada.sierraclub.org Terry Weiner [email protected] (661-942-3662) [email protected] EarthShare California 619-342-5524 www.earthshareca.org George Barnes (public lands) [email protected] The Wildlands Conservancy JOIN SIERRA CLUB 650-494-8895 www.wildlandsconservancy.org From community issues and action to lobbying on a nation- Phil Klasky (private lands) [email protected] The Desert Legacy Fund at The al level, membership helps you take action on many issues. 415-531-6890 Community Foundation Serving As a member, you’ll have opportunities to get involved with Riverside and San Bernardino local chapters, as well as be part of a large national net- MINING ISSUES Counties Stan Haye www.thecommunityfoundation. work of environmental advocates. Your voice will be heard 760-375-8973 net through congressional lobbying and grassroots action. www.sierraclub.org/membership NEVADA WATER ISSUES Anonymous John Hiatt [email protected] 702-361-1171
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