Basin & Range Watch
@BasinRange
Followers
4,905
Following
1,229
Media
2,452
Statuses
9,708
Explore trending content on Musk Viewer
Georgia
• 326639 Tweets
#BUS_KnockKnockKnock_KhonKaen
• 135208 Tweets
Bama
• 104063 Tweets
スプリンターズS
• 78277 Tweets
Beck
• 52220 Tweets
Ryan Williams
• 47189 Tweets
#صباح__الخير
• 22534 Tweets
#RIZIN48
• 17072 Tweets
サトノレーヴ
• 16829 Tweets
ナムラクレア
• 16217 Tweets
ママコチャ
• 16208 Tweets
ショアキーパー
• 13748 Tweets
マッドクール
• 13186 Tweets
中山11R
• 11858 Tweets
Ashton Jeanty
• 10156 Tweets
4,200 Joshua trees are scheduled to be removed are replaced by solar panels for the Aratina Solar Project near Boron, CA in June of this year. They will not be salvaged but funds based on the size of the tree will be placed in a mitigation bank.
1K
1K
3K
Lake Manly, Death Valley has about 595 to go to reach historic levels, but still pretty big. Biggest we have seen in 33 years.
13
87
567
We are happy that President Biden established the Avi Kwa Ame National Monument, Nevada today with no apparent carve out for wind or solar development. It is over 500,000 acres. Also happy that our work stopping 2 wind projects on this land helped make this monument possible.
6
71
439
Soon to be bulldozed:
Aratina Solar, CA 2,400 acres - 4,200 Joshua trees
Oberon Solar, CA, 2,700 acres - ancient desert ironwoods destroyed
Gemini Solar, NV, 7,100 acres - over 1,000 desert tortoises
Yellow Pine Solar, Nevada, 3,000 acres - over 90,000 Mojave yuccas
39
192
380
These are particularly painful before/after pics of the Oberon Solar Project near Joshua Tree National Park, CA. Ironwood trees over 1,000 years old were blocking the sun, so they got rid of TREES IN THE DESERT! Second photo by Bloomberg Law
39
140
362
Super bloom of desert gold (Geraea canescens) at Lake Hill, Panamint Valley, Death Valley National Park
3
60
305
Lake created by recent rain in Death Valley National Park, California
5
38
240
Sunset and snow on the Sheep Range, Mojave Desert, Nevada
4
30
206
Johnson’s devil claw cactus (Sclerocactus johnsonii) blooming in dolomite hills of eastern Inyo County
#CaliforniaDesert
#rareplant
3
28
202
It is the ultimate oxymoron to believe that ecocide is the only way to save the environment.
Opening up 22 millions acres of public lands in the American West to possible solar energy development may sound scary. But it’s a hell of a lot better than climate change.
My column in today’s
@latimes
:
622
80
330
16
47
190
Green energy started mowing down desert Joshua trees about 13 years ago. This the Alta East Wind Project in 2010.
19
64
190
Some good news today
President Biden has officially designated Avi Kwa Ame in Southern Nevada as a national monument via proclaimation. This designation protects nearly 514,000 acres of Mojave Desert from development.
68
271
2K
0
30
177
This LA Times artcle is the result of the viral post we put up here on this Joshua tree killing Aratina Solar Project. It will be paywalled for some however.
Solar Project to Destroy Thousands of Joshua Trees in the Mojave Desert
10
93
181
Sunset in the Indian Springs Valley Nevada. Site of the proposed 4 to 8 square mile Bonanza Solar Project. This area is determined to be the most critical desert tortoise connectivity corridor in Nevada. Support our conservation alternative:
7
48
175
Desert tortoise fence surrounds the 3,000 acre Yellow Pine Solar project, South Pahrump Valley, in the fragile Mojave Desert. Everything inside the fence will be bulldozed. These were your public lands.
16
80
170
Large bloom of Woolly desert marigold (Baileya pleniradiata) on Sarcobatus Flat, NV
4
15
169
These photos say all. Photo one by Teresa Pierce of thousand year old desert ironwood trees killed in minutes for the Oberon Solar Project near Desert Center, CA. Second photo by BRW is the before. This does not save the planet. This is insanity masked as green.
7
40
167
Amargosa Valley from Death Valley National Park. The Interior Department is drooling over these public lands and wants them covered with transmission and endless solar panels. But still beautiful right now.
6
41
161
Our ancient, timeless Mojave Desert gone in seconds for the Yellow Pine Solar Project. Four and a half square miles of living desert now being bulldozed for solar panels. Solar Shit Show. Video by Lisa Ortega
18
67
157
Photo of the raging Amargosa River 3 days after remains of Hurricane Hillary hit the Mojave Desert.
2
13
141
Providence Mts from just off the Kelbaker Road, Mojave National Preserve
0
18
143
Basin & Range Watch cofounder Kevin Emmerich: Solar energy should be developed on rooftops, over parking lots and on previously disturbed sites, not on intact habitat.
9
45
133
Desert tortoise surveys happening now on proposed 4,300-acre Kawich
#Solar
Project on top of crucial connectivity corridor in S Nevada for federally threatened tortoise. Pristine undisturbed ecosystem. Yet CPUC guts rooftop solar policies. This has got to stop!
4
44
140
We’re camping in the Heart of the Great Basin along The Loneliest Highway. Greater nighthawks swoop, sagebrush is green. Stay tuned tomorrow for live-tweeting about Solar applications waiting for Greenlink North Transmission Project
#publiclands
#Nevada
4
19
135
Three new solar projects now being reviewed west of Tonopah, Nevada and would cover part of the ecologically sensitive Columbus Salt Marsh. Rare plants, pronghorn, cultural sites on about 24,000 acres total. Meetings announced.
15
66
136
This is the Mojave Desert on Death Row. The Bureau of Land Management has been working overtime to approve the Bonanza Solar Project west of Indian Springs, Nevada in spite of opposition. The fact that it is on a crucial desert tortoise area seems to mean nothing to them.
6
54
130
The Death Valley Lake Manly story with our friend Patrick on the cover pic!
2
30
130
The Bureau of Land Management will auction off 37 square miles of public land in Amargosa Valley, Nevada to solar developers on Tuesday.
21
62
117
People are justifiably outraged by the removal of nearly 4,000 Joshua trees by Boron, CA for a solar project but most are not aware that the Greenlink West Transmission Project will remove over 500 in Southern NV. Seen here on Gold Mountain.
3
75
131
BLM is so proud of their solar failures, they are calling this crap the "Heart of the Mojave".
12
23
129
We think the Mojave Desert is gonna bloom big time again!
8
24
127
Crazy good wildflowers now in Death Valley south. Sand verbena, desert gold, evening primrose
1
54
113
About 50 percent of the Joshua trees in the East Mojave Desert in California are flowering.
0
24
119
1
49
116
Claret cup cactus, also called
#Mojave
mound cactus (Echinocereus triglochidiatus), eastern Mojave Desert CA
1
48
111
Sad to see this "green" energy rush threaten the groundwater and landscape of Death Valley.
4
43
120
Joshua trees in the North Mesquite Mountains Wilderness, California
0
14
115
Lilac sunbonnet (Langloisia setosissima), Funeral Range, Death Valley National Park CA
0
51
109
Watching the mainstream environmental movement go insane like this can be somewhat disturbing...
24
16
114
Desert bloom (Geraea canescens) and the Spring Mountains, Nevada
3
14
114
About 4 inches of rain along the Amargosa River, Nevada so far. Be careful - water is moving fast all over the Mojave Desert. On a positive note - the desert got a record amount of rain in the last year and is very green.
1
17
115
Last summer's 43,000 acre Dome Fire in Mojave National Pererve was heartbreaking and burned over one million Joshua trees. But it was nice to see a number of Joshua trees recovering from the burn last week at the low elevations!
2
21
111
Beautiful Eastern Sierra landscape and Mono Lake today, California
0
15
110
Big bloom of Desert gold (Geraea canescens) at Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, NV
2
16
110
Stunning show of mariposa lilies (Calochortus kennedyi) now at 5,000 ft in Mojave Nat Preserve CA
3
40
108
Large bloom of desert gold (Geraea canescens) happening now (in December!) in Panamint Valley, Death Valley National Park, CA. Cold temps may be the end of these soon.
1
13
104
The BLM and Forest Service need to stop clearing pinyon-juniper forests.
2
32
105
The BLM just made this map showing the cluster-fuck of large-scale solar applications in Amargosa Valley, Nevada many surrounding Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge. No concern at all for impacts. Over 100 square miles. Insane mis-management of your public lands.
15
44
98
Here is your Green New Hell, exclusively brought to you by the Interior Department. This is the Yellow Pine Solar Project, Pahrump Valley, Nevada - 3,000 acres of once functioning Mojave Desert, now a dust bowl with solar panels exporting power to Silicon Valley and Monterey Bay.
4
35
100
Desert tortoises are out in the East Mojave Desert. Drive carefully.
1
24
98
Finally, some good news. The Stagecoach Wind Project has been "suspended indefinitely" over sage grouse 'impacts and would have built over 100 wind turbines nearly 700 feet tall in Nevada's Great Basin along Highway 50.
0
20
100
The area south of Joshua Tree National Park is getting engulfed by large-scale solar. Photos by Teresa Pierce. The third photo show the pile of killed desert microphyll trees - this time for the 2,000 acre Victory Pass Solar Project. Desert trees are an obstical for developers.
8
33
95
Pronghorn on the path of the Greenlink West Transmission Project north of Walker Lake, NV
2
10
100
There are flowers in Death Valley National Park. The good areas are about 5 miles or so north of Furnace Creek. The flowers are late this spring due to cool overnight temps that delayed the bloom.
1
22
99
Missed this article by 3 weeks. Does destroying the habitat and growing the plant in a greenhouse 200 miles away really protect this species?
10
16
102
It is hard to forgive the Interior Department under the Biden Admistraion for all of the major industrialization and habitat removal they are enabling on public lands in the Sonoran Desert.
I have never been more confident in our clean energy future. I joined
@BLMNational
& local leaders to celebrate clean energy going into the grid from the Ten West Link. With historic resources from
@POTUS
, collaboration and consultation, we will achieve great things.
29
107
396
12
30
101
We attended the BLM Rhyolite Ridge Lithium/Boron Mine meeting last night in Tonopah, NV. It was not a real meeting - just a 2 minute intro by BLM - no comments or questions taken. BLM people were not even identified with name tags.
10
19
102
We visited the famous and endangered Tiehm’s buckwheat (Eriogonum tiehmii) Silver Peak Range, NV recently. If BLM gets their way, a large lithium strip-mine will be development in this area by this time next year.
6
25
99
The 22 million acres they want to give away is an utter insult for public lands advocates everywhere. Just an industry fire sale of public lands. Creating a few BLM managed national monuments will never make up for this.
9
32
96
Truly an evening primrose, Yellow evening primrose (Oenothera primaveris) opens at sunset. Amargosa Valley NV
0
32
91
Yes, this is wishful thinking, but we are hoping the frequent rains and mild temperatures we are seeing will create a decent wildflower year in the Mojave Desert.
1
7
93
Bat Mountain, Funeral Range, Amargosa Valley winter storm
2
13
95
Congress wants ANOTHER Public Lands Renewable Energy Development Act - this time they want an additional 60 GW on public lands by 2030. We are opposing this but are being asked to support it from Green groups. Please oppose this madness. :
12
47
97
Looking east towards the Great Basin from Trail Canyon, White Mountains, NV
4
10
90
We decided not to share the recent LA Times article we were featured in. We feel it is so biased against distributed energy and desert conservation, that it is doing far more harm than good. The article talks up doomsday with no credible solutions.
7
13
90
Soaking rain in the Mojave Desert this week. Desert National Wildlife Refuge, Sheep Range yesterday.
0
6
93
Solar industry pushes for extinction of the desert tortoise. "Exclusions for desert tortoises alone would eliminate roughly 40 proposed solar projects, said Peter Weiner, a partner with Cox Castle who represents solar developers."
7
42
92
Off roading is not allowed on public lands in Clark County, NV over a Habitat Conservation Plan - unless you are a sleazy solar developer. Geotechnical investigation just permitted on the proposed Rough Hat Clark County Solar Project on tortoise habitat.
3
27
91
Full moonrise on a playa in the middle of nowhere,
#Nevada
Desert. Can’t get much better than this
2
16
89
This is desert tortoise Critical Habitat🙁
Today, the Bureau of Land Management issued approval to Gold Discovery Group to proceed with exploratory drilling for gold on their existing mining claims on BLM-managed public lands north of Johannesburg in Kern & San Bernardino counties.
To learn more:
10
0
5
2
22
90
BLM saying that desert tortoises "enjoy" getting dragged out of their burrows, poked and prodded by researchers and possibly killed by predators and drought - because destroying their habitat for "green" energy is better for them than leaving old growth desert alone.
Nestled in burrows and hidden beneath the leathery leaves of a jojoba bush, desert tortoises that were translocated in 2023 from an area slated for a renewable energy project, are adapting nicely to their new home. 🐢🌵
Read more about this success:
17
0
14
4
26
87
BRW quoted "“These tortoise would have to be dug out of their burrows and translocated, resulting in a certain percentage of mortality,” they say. “We find this unacceptable when solar panels can go on disturbed lands, on rooftops and over parking lots.”
2
39
87
The Biden Administration fast-tracks a mine for electric vehicle batteries in important habitat for the jaguar, ocelot and Pima pineapple cactus. You want to destroy something, just label it "green".
2
37
87
The 2 large-scale solar projects planned by BLM in the Pahrump Valley, NV that have the most desert tortoises are called Rough Hat Clark Solar and Copper Rays Solar - at nearly 10,000 acres and will remove 251 adults and likely kill 3 times as many juveniles.
3
44
91
No shortage of idiots visiting national park lands. They almost killed themselves, but sadly, we all get stuck with their damage.
11
28
88
64,000 acres of public lands are being targeted by the BLM for solar sacrifice in Esmeralda County, Nevada. Several diverse arid habitats, wildlife, rare plants and outstanding archeology sites would be lost for 7 solar projects. Comments due by 10/24.
8
57
94
Very sad news, this will be built over riparian areas like the San Pedro River. Not enough vocal green groups.
9
25
87
Death Valley from 2,000 feet up. A lot of green vegetation coming up at this elevation.
2
5
84
Justify destroying thousands of Joshua trees for energy waste? Can't we do better? And is rooftop solar really as inefficient as the article says?
The justification - "Human civilization consumes unimaginable amounts of energy. Fueling our coffee makers, cars and computers".
Thousands of Joshua trees are getting destroyed to make way for a solar project. Stupid idea, right?
It’s not so simple.
My latest
@latimes
column, on the hard choices ahead as we race to confront the climate crisis:
236
41
123
6
25
86
BLM tells us they are moving forward on 4 large-scale solar applications west of Indian Springs, Nevada. They were once very concerned about the high value region for desert tortoise, cactus diversity and hydrology, but now are pushing nearly 17,000 acres of development.
11
42
84