Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities
** Legislators have 24 days to save the Great Salt Lake
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Tuesday, February 7, 2023
Bonneville Salt Flats, Bureau of Land Management ([link removed]) Utah ([link removed])
The Great Salt Lake is quickly disappearing. Each year since 2020, the lake has received less than a third its average stream flow, leading to a total loss of 73 percent of its water ([link removed]) and 60 percent of its area. The Utah Legislature has until March 3rd to take immediate action to save the lake, according to an opinion piece ([link removed]) in the Los Angeles Times by Stephen Trimble.
A recent report ([link removed]) details the urgency of rescuing the largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere. According to the scientists, legislators and Utahns have underestimated the consequences of losing the lake. Saline loss triggers a long-term cycle of environmental, health, and economic suffering. The lake directly provides $2.5 billion in economic productivity each year from recreation and jobs, and without a coordinated rescue mission, this revenue will be lost.
Scientists are now calling ([link removed]) on the Utah Legislature to fund and facilitate the rescue, which will require a combination of substantial cuts to water use and purchasing of water to refill the lake at a rate of 2.5 million acre-feet per year, a marked increase from recent efforts that have returned only 0.1 million acre-feet per year. Unfortunately, waiting another year for meaningful action is not an option—if legislative action is not taken in the next 24 days, the lake will be completely gone in five years, Trimble warns.
Quick hits
** Judge largely affirms federal permit for Thacker Pass lithium mine
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Nevada Independent ([link removed])
** Bennet, Hickenlooper to BLM: End routine gas flaring, venting
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Grand Junction ([link removed]) Daily Sentinel ([link removed])
** Can bighorns, a bullet train and a huge solar farm coexist in the Mojave Desert?
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Los Angeles Times ([link removed])
** Opinion: The time is now to diversify NM from fossil fuels
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Albuquerque Journal ([link removed])
** Study: Because of humans, wildfires are burning more homes
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Missoulian ([link removed])
** A new mentality of collaboration in a river district
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Source NM ([link removed])
** Campaign urges agencies to keep big trees standing
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Sierra ([link removed])
Quote of the day
” We believe that our people, and all of the things in the Mojave Desert, came from this mountain, that life was given to us from this mountain. That's really the belief that my tribe has held since our existence.”
—Ashley Hemmers, Fort Mojave Indian Tribe tribal administrator, E&E News ([link removed])
Picture this
** @chiricahuanps ([link removed])
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Have you seen a deer during your visit to Chiricahua? They're definitely the most frequently seen large animal in the monument! 🦌
The species you likely see are the White-tailed Deer, in the subspecies Coues. Typically small in comparison to other deer, these animals are very well-adapted to the desert environment. Their small size means that the deer requires fewer resources. Does typically wait until the monsoon season to give birth, as this is when grass is moist and green and forage is plentiful. Their name comes from the fluffy, white underside of their tail, which it flips up when it is alarmed! Oftentimes, you'll see a large group at once. Be sure to drive slowly on our road -- they absolutely love hanging out on it!
#ChiricahuaNationalMonument ([link removed]) #FindYourPark ([link removed]) #EncuentraTuParque ([link removed]) #NPS ([link removed]) #Arizona ([link removed]) NPS Photo/Ron Stewart
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