Sage and Sand: Oases of Hope
Water Is Life, and people are fighting to save our desert homes and the precious waters that sustain them
Water really is everything. Living at a small desert spring in the hottest, driest place in North America, I’m acutely aware of the fact that, as they say, Water Is Life. And without it, we’ll just dry up and blow away, like so much dust in the wind. Life in the desert is disproportionately concentrated around water sources, and their preservation must be the highest goal. People across the desert, and even outside the desert, are working to enhance our knowledge of and ability to protect desert springs and water sources, giving hope for future conservation. At the same time, it is on us to carry on the work and build the next generation of water defenders.
Another Future Is Possible. It is Essential.
That lithium mining is destructive is of course a given – all mining is destructive. However, that the two most prominent lithium mine proposals in the country, Thacker Pass and Rhyolite Ridge, have encountered steep resistance and litigation, is not inevitable. These mining proposals are the result of a series of choices made by the government – failing to reform the 1872 Mining Law, failing to rigorously implement Tribal consultation, failing to rigorously adhere to the Endangered Species Act, failing to have a plan for how to source lithium. And unless we change our ways, there will be many more Thacker Passes and Rhyolite Ridges – one lithium proposal after another destroying vital resources and cultural landscapes and encountering resistance and litigation. If you haven’t yet, please check out my exhaustively researched Western U.S. Lithium Project map, and you’ll see what I mean – these projects are everywhere.
Enter the Climate + Community Project, a progressive climate think tank led by some of the brightest minds approaching the climate crisis from a critical lens. A team from CCP, led by Providence College professor Dr. Thea Riofrancos, has issued a new report called “Achieving Zero Emissions with More Mobility and Less Mining”, and I am not exaggerating when I tell you that this is the most important thing ever written about the future of lithium production.
Dr. Riofrancos and co. analyzed a variety of possible futures for humanity’s consumption of lithium. One variable that turned out to be quite important in determining the relative level of future lithium demand was battery size. Will the EVs that dominate the roads over the next few decades be highly efficient, small, European-style cars with smaller batteries? Or will enormous vehicles like F-150s and Hummers dominate? President Biden weighed in recently, tweeting a photo of himself driving an electric Hummer.
The other key variable, which the report authors say is the most important factor in determining future lithium use, is patterns of transportation. Will we continue to be a culture dominated by single occupant vehicles, driving long distances to reach urban centers from far-flung suburbs and hinterlands? Or will we adopt a new mode of being, one focused on walkability, e-bikes, dense urban development, and public transport? This plays a huge role in determining future lithium demand.
With small vehicles and a new pattern of development and transportation use, we can very significantly reduce future demand. Throw in maximal circular economy efforts and recycling of lithium and CCP declares we can reduce our future lithium demand by 91%! 91%! That’s astounding. Just 9% as many Thacker Passes and Rhyolite Ridges to fight over. 9% of the potential mining activity.
The paper also takes a critical look at lithium extraction around the globe, discussing the impacts to communities and the environment and drawing out commonalities. The key commonality: impacts to groundwater resources. Mining in general, and lithium production in particular, pose a threat to groundwater resources wherever it occurs. Communities, biotic and human, depend on that water for survival.
The future of a lithium-intensive economy is not a given. We can change our ways. We can reduce demand for lithium, reduce the endless consumption machine, and chart a new path. Dr. Riofrancos’s report provides an essential vision of the future, but also reveals the widespread destruction of the current path we’re on. I can’t recommend this report enough – read it, and then start to act for change. Or we’ll be worrying about a lot more than just Tiehm’s buckwheat.
Read more: CCP Report [PDF], Riofrancos on NPR Weekend Edition, Grist.
So Long, Phil, And Thanks for All the Pupfish
“Having spent much of the past two decades responding to the cynical question: ‘What good are they?’ (in reference to my efforts on behalf of the pupfish and similar ‘insignificant’ organisms), I have made use of an effective counterquery: “What good are you?’” -Phil Pister
One of the giants of modern conservation biology, the great Edwin “Phil” Pister, has passed away at the grand old age of 94. Phil was the godfather of modern desert aquatic biodiversity preservation, a career fish scientist in the Eastern Sierra with the California Department of Fish and Game (as it was then known), and one of the founders and guiding forces behind the Desert Fishes Council (DFC). He leaves behind a veritable army of devotees, people whose careers, fields of study, and passions in life were directly influenced by his work and philosophy.
One of Mr. Pister’s claims to fame was the infamous Owens pupfish “in a bucket” incident. Fish Slough, the beautiful groundwater-dependent wetland and spring system north of Bishop, was rapidly drying up, posing a threat of extinction to the Owens pupfish that live there. Mr. Pister and a colleague raced to trap all the pupfish and transfer them to a more secure location. At one point with his compatriots gone to dinner and pupfish rapidly dying while awaiting rescue, Mr. Pister scooped up the remaining Owens pupfish and carried them in two buckets to his truck to get them to a secure location. It was the genesis of the famous “Species in a Bucket” essay, which summed up his devotion to desert fishes and has influenced the whole field of conservation biology. “For a few frightening moments,” Mr. Pister said, “there was only myself standing between life and extinction.”
Another claim to fame for Mr. Pister was being a driving force behind the Cappaert decision. Cappaert v. United States was a Supreme Court case decided in 1976 which ruled that the Cappaert family could not pump groundwater if it negatively impacted the water resources at Devils Hole such that it imperiled the Devils Hole pupfish. This is because Devils Hole is actually a disjunct section of Death Valley National Park (then-National Monument), and in creating such a reservation of public land, the federal government had reserved water rights in sufficient amount to maintain the purposes for which the reservation was made. So said Chief Justice Warren Burger in the Supreme Court decision. This proved enormously consequential for the management of groundwater in the West, since the ruling meant that federal reserved water rights could now apply to groundwater.
There was an additional consequence to the Cappaert ruling with regard to water rights – the Court held that “determination of such [federal] reserved water rights is not governed by state law, but derives from the federal purpose of the reservation…” In other words, the state cannot permit water withdrawals which negatively affect federal reserved water rights, and the federal government’s assertion of those water rights happens outside of the confines of state water rights systems. “Federal water rights are not dependent upon state law or state procedures, and they need not be adjudicated only in state courts; federal courts have jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1345 to adjudicate the water rights claims of the United States.” (Cappaert v. United States, 426 U.S. 145 (1976)).
Setting aside the fact that steam began blowing out of ears with cowboy hats perched on them across the arid West when those words became the law of the land, the ramifications of that ruling had effects on every federal reservation of groundwater dependent resources in the nation.
It also had practical effects right here in the Amargosa. The Cappaerts’ ranching operation was sunk at that point and they moved on. The next owners of the property wanted to build a small city called Calvada Lakes . I was just out at Ash Meadows last week and took a photo of an interpretive sign about Calvada Lakes which you can see in detail here. Due to the presence of abundant endangered species in the area, The Nature Conservancy began an ambitious project to save Ash Meadows and buy out the developers. It was surely a complicated endeavor, but the summary of it is that, after TNC had bought out the developers, they deeded the land to the federal government and in 1984 Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge was born. It’s one of the most significant conservation actions in the history of the Mojave Desert. It protected the densest concentration of endemic species in any wildlife refuge in the country – some 27 endemic or near-endemic species. It is truly a crown jewel of the National Wildlife Refuge System.
In addition to his tangible contributions to the conservation of desert fishes and desert springs, Mr. Pister also left an important legacy of building the next generation of desert aquatic scientists and conservation leaders. In his capacity leading the Desert Fishes Council, he supported early and mid-career scientists- his disciples likely number in the hundreds. It is not enough to do good work in our lives – we need to prepare the next generation to carry on and build on our work, otherwise it may be for naught.
Mr. Pister was memorialized across the desert and across the field of conservation biology last month, and with good reason. He’s a giant in his field, a mentor to a generation of biologists, but moreover, he was, by all accounts, a genuinely decent human being. We should all be so fortunate as to leave that legacy behind us. So long, Phil. We’ll keep up the work.
Read more: NPR All Things Considered, Aldo Leopold Foundation, Inyo Register.
Science on Mojave Desert Springs Comes of Age
A group led by The Nature Conservancy’s California Lead Scientist, Dr. Sophie Parker, has published an impressive body of work looking at springs across the California desert. This project was truly epic in scope, a spring survey that spanned the desert from the Whipple Mountains to Deep Springs Valley and all points between, gathering data on hydrologic parameters like chemical composition and stable isotopes of spring discharge; and in some of the springs gathering data on biological parameters like vegetation and floristic diversity and eDNA. In total nearly 400 spring sites were visited and surveyed.
The spark for this work was the late Bill Christian of The Nature Conservancy – a desert spring enthusiast who inspired a generation of desert spring scientists and conservationists, including yours truly. He passed away before the work came to completion but, even as he was entering hospice, he was still joining conference calls about the project and still offering encouraging words to his proteges. Like Mr. Pister, Mr. Christian spent his later years ensuring that the next generation would be there to carry on the work, and he succeeded beyond his wildest dreams. The initial round of this work was in the Amargosa Basin, where hydrologist Andy Zdon has distinguished himself and pioneered new techniques of tracing groundwater. This massive spring survey was an extension of that work across the California desert.
The group has published numerous papers documenting their findings. I will offer links and very brief summaries here:
“Conservation of Mojave Desert springs and associated biota: status, threats, and policy opportunities” in the journal Biological Conservation is an overview of the project, looking at the status of the springs surveyed, and the threats they face. The paper reports on hydrologic and biologic data as well as a pilot eDNA project. It is an instant touchstone for the conservation of desert springs, and something I’ve already cited in administrative documents and in litigation. This paper is open access.
“Groundwater forensics approach for differentiating local and regional springs in arid Eastern California, USA” in the journal Environmental Forensics examines the techniques used in the study to trace groundwater flowpaths and measure similarity in spring discharges. This is essential in determining the source of groundwater for springs, and thus establishing the threats to that groundwater. This paper is not open access, you can contact Andy Zdon at Roux Inc. if you’d like a copy.
I’m going to lump the next two papers together: “Floristic Patterns and Conservation Values of Mojave and Sonoran Desert Springs in California” and “Statistical evaluation of the similarity of characteristics in springs of the California Desert, United States.” These papers examine the springs surveyed, one looking primarily at hydrologic characteristics and the other looking at botany, to understand similarity or difference between the springs. The conclusion of these papers is probably the most important of any of this body of work: every spring is a snowflake. Every spring is unique. The level of botanical and hydrologic differentiation between springs is massive – no two are alike. As a result, the idea of mitigating harm to springs by simply conserving a spring somewhere else is highly questionable. Springs are irreplaceable, and no mitigation will ever make up for their loss. Very important conclusions. These papers are open access.
Finally, there’s an eDNA paper: “The utility of environmental DNA from sediment and water samples for recovery of observed plant and animal species from four Mojave Desert springs.” I’m less familiar with this paper because it’s so far from my realm of expertise but if you’re wanting to geek out all the way, check it out!
Collectively, this project is a tremendously important contribution to our understanding of desert springs and the ecosystems they support, and points a way forward for conservation of these invaluable resources. We are all indebted to Dr. Parker for taking the lead on this project and shepherding along these papers; and to all of the scientists who contributed to this impressive body of work.
Desert Companion On Fire
Recent Las Vegas transplant Meg Bernhard has a new piece in Desert Companion called “Refuge On Fire” which really knocked my socks off. She writes about participating in Mojave National Preserve’s Cima Dome Joshua tree restoration project, attempting to save and rehabilitate the world’s densest Joshua tree forest after the devastating Dome Fire of 2020. Ms. Bernhard reflects on what it means to lose something one never even knew, and what it means to be a part of bringing it back. Ms. Bernhard’s introduction to the desert world was a poignant piece in the New York Times, which I wanted to hate but which I absolutely loved. She approaches the desert with a rare humility, and with a willingness to accept the desert for what it is, not what she projects upon it. Rather than exploiting the desert as a literary prop, Ms. Bernhard brings us into the desert, not mythologizing it but getting dirt under our fingernails.
This piece is the start of a year-long residency with Desert Companion for Ms. Bernhard. Last year’s Desert Companion residency was with Las Vegas writer Krista Diamond, including articles like “In Defense of Las Vegas,” “Fantastic Beasts,” and the haunting piece that will linger with you long after you’re done reading, “Twenty-four Hours in Primm, Nevada.”
Desert Companion, sent gratis to Nevada Public Radio members, is the home of probably the best cultural writing in the state. Newly installed editor-in-chief Heidi Kyser is lighting a fire under us with these residencies, and getting the magazine in the mail is always a thrill. I can’t wait to see what Ms. Bernhard and Ms. Keyser throw at us next.
Read more: “Refuge On Fire.”
If It Goes Extinct Before NEPA Is Done, They Won’t Need Section 7
I swear to god, I’m not out here thinking, “What other Rhyolite Ridge news can I drum up?” I’m just a guy who goes to check on a buckwheat from time to time, and seemingly every time I go out there, there’s some new horrible thing going on. This time, it was… a laydown area for drilling operations. Within the newly designated critical habitat.
Basically, Ioneer wanted to do some more drilling out there, “geotechnical testing,” they call it. BLM said, sure no problem fellas, just try to avoid that there critical habitat for the endangered plant that’s caused all the kerfuffle. And sure enough, the drilling and new road construction is outside of the critical habitat – just outside, by a matter of like 20 or 30 meters at its closest point. But for some reason, their contractors decided to stage their operations within the critical habitat. On December 26, I encountered a truck, water tanks, materials and flammables storage, and lots of tracks and impacts. All within the buckwheat’s critical habitat. Now, they didn’t kill any buckwheats. But they disturbed the habitat, left a big damn mess, and invasive species including Halogeton glomeratus inevitably follow in the path of their activities out there.
So we sent a letter to BLM about it, and surprise of all surprises, BLM took action and gave Ioneer a trespass notice. Seriously, it was pretty shocking. Good on BLM for doing the right thing, even if it was to avoid a black eye.
Read More: Associated Press, Courthouse News.
On the Other Hand, It Could Have Been a Hell of a Bougie Tiny Home Subdivision
You’ve likely heard about former Arizona Governor Doug Ducey’s shameful border wall made of shipping containers, which defiled Coronado National Forest, leaving a path of destruction along the border with Mexico. Yahoo contractors with a bone to pick and who apparently don’t mind conducting illegal activity hastily moved hundreds of empty shipping containers to the border, stacking them two by two in a line that extended miles.
The Center for Biological Diversity spearheaded the resistance to this destructive farce, under the leadership of our Arizona borderlands campaigner Russ McSpadden. I had the opportunity to visit the shipping container wall as it was still going up, in November of last year. Mr. McSpadden gave me a front row seat to the destruction, and let me tell you it was both horrifying and terrifying. These yahoos, with their unidentified, unbadged private security, were truly unconcerned with both their own safety and the safety of people around them. Armed security menaced us at every turn as we observed the activity there. I’m used to doing my work in a pressure cooker, but it’s so different when there’s men with guns with little regard for the law standing you down. I have a ton of admiration and respect for Mr. McSpadden being able to go about doing his job in such conditions.
The Center used Mr. McSpadden’s compelling visuals and a righteous message to publicize this atrocity to the world. He helped organize local residents, who ended up mounting a round-the-clock occupation of the site, putting their bodies on the line and effectively preventing further construction. Our lawyers fired up the ol’ lawsuit machine and got us involved legally. Our political team cranked up the pressure on the Biden administration to do something about it. I have a lot of opportunity to be proud of the Center’s work, but the day Ducey announced that he was going to tear the whole thing down, that we’d won, I shed a tear of joy. I’m immensely proud of all of my colleagues who fought this disgusting travesty… and won. Wins on the border have been rare in the past few years, so this one felt good.
Chris Clarke and Alicia Pike cover the story on the newest episode of their podcast, 90 Miles From Needles. They have a long interview with Melissa Del Bosque, who writes and edits the newsletter The Border Chronicle, and in general gives readers a front row seat into the chaos on the border. The episode also features some audio I recorded from my visit there, which gives just a taste of what it was like in that lawless scene. Give it a listen and subscribe to 90 Miles From Needles – you won’t regret it.
Read more: The Border Chronicle, Arizona Republic, The Intercept.
Briefly…
This Jessica Hill story in the Review-Journal will leave you with a tear or two in your eye if you still have the ability to feel anything. A cancer cluster on the Duck Valley Indian Reservation in far northern Nevada traces its common root to a number of students who went to the school in Owyhee. Improperly disposed of fuel and auto maintenance waste contaminated the groundwater, and children who grew up drinking that water now seem to have increased incidences of cancer. The Review-Journal’s excellent staff photographer L.E. Briskow made the journey up to Duck Valley as well, and his images to accompany this story are stark.
Tiehm’s buckwheat made what I believe to be its first appearance in the Congressional Record, being discussed during a House Energy and Commerce Committee meeting about the energy sector and permitting. Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX), he of eyepatch fame, said, “In Nevada, we couldn’t build a lithium mine because of some useless plant called Tiehm’s buckwheat. I’m not kidding, look it up.” Notwithstanding the fact that this is simply false, I imagine it’s not the last time our diminutive buckwheat friend will be hurled around as a prop by Republicans. Read more in The Hill.
Gerlach resident Jason Walters sets the record straight in This Is Reno about the lawsuit against the proposed geothermal project in Gerlach, after Ormat spread a bunch of disinformation about the project, the lawsuit, and their relationship with people in Gerlach.
As my friend Kyle Roerink likes to say, “The sand stays, the water goes.” We’ll keep on pushing. We have no choice. Water is life.
Keep on down that long and dusty trail,
-Patrick
Great newsletter. I was just discussing the EV law in CA and what the impacts of that would actually be, as it didn’t seem like swapping gas vehicles for EV without changing anything else would make much of a positive impact.