** Tribes seek protections for Nevada's sacred swamp cedars
------------------------------------------------------------
Tuesday, October 19, 2021
Great Basin Water Network ([link removed])

Ecologists have long puzzled over a stand of swamp cedars in eastern Nevada's Spring Valley ([link removed]) . “This endemic growth of Rocky Mountain junipers, or swamp cedars, should be at 8,000 feet or above elevation. These are growing at 5,000 feet,” says Kyle Roerink, executive director of the Great Basin Water Network. “Wrong elevation, wrong soil, complete wrong habitat. No one understands why they grew here, nor how they continue to survive.”

Native American tribal members have long viewed the valley as sacred, holding ceremonies to commemorate three 19th century massacres that decimated the Western Shoshone, including two committed by the U.S. Army. “Swamp cedars in the Spring Valley embody the spirits of the lives lost during those massacres," said ([link removed]) Ely Shoshone elder Delaine Spilsbury. "Our relatives are in those trees.” Now, members of the Duckwater, Ely, and Goshute tribes are asking the Biden administration to protect Spring Valley—also known as Bahsahwahbee—as a national monument.

The proposed protections come as Spring Valley is facing increased pressure from major water users in southern Nevada, who have long sought to siphon water ([link removed]) from the region and send it to Las Vegas. Water pipelines could have a devastating impact on the swamp cedars, lowering the water table and depleting aquifers that support them.

Efforts to protect Spring Valley have gained steam ([link removed]) . Earlier this year, Nevada's governor signed a law making it illegal for people to destroy swamp cedars without state permits, and the Nevada Legislature passed a resolution urging Congress to protect the evergreens by creating a national monument or adding the region to Great Basin National Park. Now, it's up to Congress and President Biden to act.
Quick hits


** Satellites reveal the secrets of water-guzzling farms in California
------------------------------------------------------------

NPR ([link removed])


** California records driest year in a century
------------------------------------------------------------

Los Angeles Times ([link removed])


** The Colorado River's Humpback Chub faces an uncertain future
------------------------------------------------------------

National Geographic ([link removed])


** Amid drought crisis, the Colorado River delta sprang to life this summer
------------------------------------------------------------

Audubon Magazine ([link removed])


** As wildlife vanishes worldwide, here are six Arizona species that face extinction
------------------------------------------------------------

Arizona Republic ([link removed])


** Heat-loving bacteria kills thousands of Washington salmon
------------------------------------------------------------

KUOW ([link removed])


** As Utah grows, coal communities face continued decline
------------------------------------------------------------

Salt Lake Tribune ([link removed])


** Indigenous tribes push for national monument status for eastern Nevada's Bahsahwahbee
------------------------------------------------------------

National Geographic ([link removed])
Quote of the day
They think the mines will last forever, but our whole future is changing when it comes to energy, with electric cars, solar farms, windmills and whatnot. People are looking towards the future, and coal isn’t really in it.”
—Janice Hunt, former coal miner, Salt Lake Tribune ([link removed])
Picture this


** @BLMNational ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
This National Wildlife Refuge Week, join our friends at @USFWS ([link removed]) to celebrate the great network of lands and waters that conserves and protects Americans’ precious wildlife heritage [link removed] ([link removed]) .

============================================================
** Twitter ([link removed])
** Facebook ([link removed])
** Medium ([link removed])
** Instagram ([link removed])
Copyright © 2021 Center for Western Priorities, All rights reserved.
You've signed up to receive Look West updates.

Center for Western Priorities
1999 Broadway
Suite 520
Denver, CO 80202
USA
** View this on the web ([link removed])

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can ** update your preferences ([link removed])
or ** unsubscribe from this list ([link removed])