I went, I took some photos, I came back. I was really only able to explore the southwest corner of the site. I’ll be going back to look at the rest of the tract, especially as we get a chance of fall bloom. The ocotillos I saw were in full leaf, so there’s some chance of that.
I only explored a small portion of the proposed SEZ, like I said, and some of that time I spent looking at places about a hundred yards outside the SEZ — an artifact of the messed-up map I took with me. The portions I explored were upland, relatively: at about 1250 feet with better drainage, the saguaros and other big plants were fairly lush. Perhaps down by the Bouse Wash, lower and hotter and saltier, the land looks more like what the Wilderness Society claims it does as they advocate for this land to be turned into an industrial facility. Despite my suspicions and prejudices I haven’t honestly seen enough of the place to say whether TWS is right or wrong.
What I did see: sideblotched lizards and western whiptails scurrying for cover as I approached. Doves flying against a purpling sky. Acacia and palo verde twice my height or more, and mature saguaros possibly four times my age.
I saw sandy soil pockmarked everywhere with the homes of wild things, and close-packed desert pavement holding down the desert soil against a steady wind, devoid of life at first glance but showing a legacy of previous annual bloom to anyone who looked closely. I saw places where woodpeckers had made their homes, prime habitat for elf owls. (Didn’t see either bird species, but that’s what that hole in the saguaro says.)
I saw young saguaros and old ocotillos and I saw the sky turn dark and cool. I saw lots of things worth seeing.
But I didn’t see enough to know whether The Wilderness Society is wrong to offer to sacrifice the place. I cannot honestly say, based on my experience yesterday, that they are wrong. Maybe every other acre of the place is as they describe.
I need more data.
I will be going back.
Image_9203 shows a homestead with car tracks across the desert pavement which may be the defacto test for the BLM, after all John Woolard of BrightSource Energy said Ivanpah was degraded due to cattle ranching and off-roading, if I remember right.
While sounding ridiculous on the face of it, looking at the results so far with all these solar farms going up, this absurd test is as good as any other I have seen for approval- any signs of modern or ancient man habitation in the past, rubber stamp approval, regardless of environmental or other concerns.
Chris, I love the desert as much as anyone… in fact, I plan to retire to the high desert along hwy 395 south of the 395/108 intersection. But… I worry about you! You need a job that will put food on the table and pay for health insurance!
You’re a bright, thoughtful, sensitive guy; years of reading your blogs have taught me that. Your voice is needed in the collective cry for the protection of the desert, but not at the expense of yourself. And in fact, painful though it is, losing a bit of the desert to these projects can raise a huge rallying cry for “never again” and protect the rest!
There are several proposals for limiting access in the mountains east of the Owens Valley, for instance. Karen the geologist is aghast at these; some of the best geology stories in the country are told in those rocks. Karen the environmentalist applauds them. There are some very sensitive microclimates up there. (But still, the rocks….)
I don’t mean to sound all hopey-changey, because I know there are HUGE fights ahead. You, with your eloquence, can actually spearhead some of them. But you can’t do that with an empty belly and an untreated infection.
Go forth and try to sell me stuff, or document the doings of your local pols, or whatever. Add a Southern Desert t bureau to Sierra Wave. Come home at night and fight the good fight. But take care of yourself first. We need you.