Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities
** Proposed Chuckwalla National Monument is a win for conservation and renewable energy
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Friday, November 17, 2023
Mecca Hills in the proposed Chuckwalla National Monument; Source: Bob Wick/BLM ([link removed])
The proposed Chuckwalla National Monument encompasses a 660,000 acre landscape ([link removed]) located south of Joshua Tree National Park and northeast of the Salton Sea in California. It includes vital habitat for threatened and endangered desert wildlife ([link removed]) , including the desert tortoise, bighorn sheep, and chuckwalla lizard as well as being the proposed location for the reintroduction of Sonoran Pronghorn antelope ([link removed]) , and also offers important outdoor recreation opportunities for nearby communities.
The proposal is the result of careful planning and outreach conversations ([link removed]) that prioritized conservation and cultural preservation, while still allowing renewable energy generation in the areas most compatible with development. These areas were designated through the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan (DRECP) ([link removed]) , a plan that balances conservation in the California desert with appropriate renewable energy development.
The proposed Chuckwalla National Monument rejects the idea that conservation and renewable energy development on public land are at odds and instead embraces the challenge of achieving what’s best for wildlife, people, and the planet through careful planning. Learn more about the proposed monument in the latest post ([link removed]) on the Center for Western Priorities' Westwise blog.
** Quick hits
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Logging group asks Supreme Court to review monument expansion
Bloomberg Law ([link removed])
Forest Service to release draft Thompson Divide withdrawal EA
Crested Butte News ([link removed])
The future is looking murky for Grand Lake
KUNC ([link removed])
Coalition urges Haaland to move forward with protections for Greater Chaco region
Native News Online ([link removed].)
New institute will provide resources to Tribal nations on water rights
KUNM ([link removed])
Experts urge federal support for wildlife migration corridors
Missoula Current ([link removed])
New climate report shows hazards of drought to human health in the Southwest
KUNC ([link removed])
BLM reconsiders Trump-era highway through desert tortoise habitat
E&E News ([link removed]) | Conserve Southwest Utah ([link removed]) [press release]
** Quote of the day
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” This region has been managed as a sacrifice zone for far too long... Now is the time for the Honoring Chaco Initiative to chart a new path forward for Navajo communities, phasing out extractive economies and centering protection of the land, air, water, and the sacred in Greater Chaco Landscape management.”
—Daniel Tso, former Navajo Nation Council Delegate, Native News Online ([link removed].)
** Picture This
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@Interior ([link removed])
When winter comes around, it brings the opportunity to experience public lands in a whole new way. But colder temperatures can present its own set of risks and can make your trip challenging if you are unprepared.
Photo by Bill Hayden / NPS
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