Damage from the California Gold Rush still lingers in the High Sierra.
Is this email difficult to read? View in your web browser. > ([link removed])
News of the world environment
NEWSLETTER | JULY 18, 2025
([link removed])
([link removed])
([link removed])
The Scars We Leave Behind
I spent last weak soaking up the beauty of the California High Sierra. I waded into lakes, dove into rivers, hiked to waterfalls, and generally took advantage of my access to the great outdoors. I’ve been to the region many times over the years. And while most of my attention is typically pulled to the natural landscapes there, I can’t help but notice the less natural landmarks as well. This is Gold Country, after all.
Some of these landmarks are obvious. The old mine shafts, dilapidated miners’ cabins, and abandoned rusty equipment that can easily be spotted on hikes. Others blend in a bit more with their surroundings, at least to the unassuming eye: An old hydraulic mine carved out of the hills that is now dotted with trees. A popular swimming spot that is actually an old tailings pond.
These last two, which I hadn’t noticed until my latest trip, got me thinking about the lasting scars we humans leave on the landscape.
Gold Rush era mining peaked in the 1850s. Hydraulic mining was effectively banned in California in the 1880s. Though some mining operations continued for decades longer, much of the damage from the industry was done more than a century ago. Yet the impacts linger. Not only in the carved-out mountains and old infrastructure — physical reminders of the rush for gold — but also in the displacement of Indigenous peoples, the public safety threat ([link removed]) posed by abandoned mines, and the toxins that were left behind in the soil and waters.
The scale of the damage caused by the California Gold Rush is nothing compared to that caused by global mineral mining and fossil fuel extraction today. I hold out hope that, 150 years from now, we will be treading more lightly. And that the scars from today’s extraction, whatever form they take, will serve as poignant reminders of another era ended — and an extractive mindset that we’ve left behind.
Zoe Loftus-Farren
Managing Editor, Earth Island Journal
Photo by Don Graham ([link removed])
Let’s grow the movement! Share this email with an environmentally conscious friend or colleague (or copy this easy signup link ([link removed])).
THE LATEST ()
([link removed])
Prickly Art ([link removed])
Thorns, bark, and brambles collected from the arid scrublands outside the Indian city of Bengaluru are the raw materials of Sandilya Theuerkauf’s unique sculptural-relief works, which celebrate “the moment of awareness and communion with nature.”
READ MORE ([link removed])
([link removed])
Move Past the Apocalypse Trope ([link removed])
In place of uncovering the root causes of climate change and the MAGA movement head-on, news reports during the Trump 1.0 era opted for an end-of-the-world angle that obscured the threats of the here and now. The national press needs to do a better job this time round, writes media analyst Hanna E. Morris.
READ MORE ([link removed])
([link removed])
Cuts Add to Climate Chaos ([link removed])
The deadly Texas floods could signal a new norm in the US, as the Trump administration dismantles crucial federal agencies that help states prepare for and respond to extreme weather, experts warn.
READ MORE ([link removed])
([link removed])
People-Powered Journalism ([link removed])
Because of generous reader donations, Earth Island Journal can say things that corporate media won’t say.
Reader support gives us the independence to amplify voices and perspectives that strengthen communities, especially communities that don’t have access to corporate media.
Your support is essential to our long-term success. And with your help, we can reshape the media landscape. Won't you join us today?
I Support Earth Island Journal ([link removed])
Latest Podcast
On this episode of Terra Verde, host and producer Hanna Wilton speaks with Tracy Quinn of Heal the Bay ([link removed]) and marine ecologist Dr. Zoë Kitchel ([link removed]) about the unprecedented amount of toxic ash and debris that went into the ocean during and after the January fires in Los Angeles and the implications for coastal ecosystems and marine life. ▶️ Listen now ([link removed])
ICYMI
Wild Frenemies ([link removed])
Researchers at Cocha Cashu Biological Station in southeastern Peru set up a camera trap to study bird behavior and instead filmed an unexpected predator-prey couple wandering along the trail. Turns out, this odd pairing had been recorded before. (New York Times ([link removed]), gift link)
Corralling Trash ([link removed])
Kentucky’s “River Cowboy” has spent decades pulling 3,000 to 4,000 discarded tires from state’s waterways. Now this is a kind of swashbuckling we totally appreciate! (The Guardian ([link removed]))
Did a thoughtful friend forward you our newsletter?
What a great friend! Sign up here. ([link removed])
([link removed])
Follow ([link removed])
([link removed])
Follow ([link removed])
([link removed])
Subscribe ([link removed])
Thanks for supporting Earth Island Journal, the independent media arm of the nonprofit Earth Island Institute. Reader donations to our Green Journalism Fund ([link removed]) helps to cover the costs of our in-depth investigative reporting on environmental issues.
([link removed])
You are receiving this email newsletter because you signed up on our website.
No longer want to receive these emails? Update your preferences ([link removed]).
Make sure we land in your primary inbox: Add Earth Island Journal to your address book.
Our mailing address is:
Earth Island Journal
2150 Allston Way Ste 460
Berkeley, CA 94704-1375
Copyright © 2025 Earth Island Journal, All rights reserved.
