@bitterwaterblue.bsky.social
Coming to you from a remote outpost on the edge of Death Valley. Great Basin director, Center for Biological Diversity & CBD Action Fund. Groundwater and endemic species. "Reviled for Refusal to Stick to Decorum." http://linktr.ee/bitterwaterblue
We are fighting back against a cynical industry lawsuit to strip protections away from the Dixie Valley toad. Read more:
biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press...
Vindication today as the feds announce a new round of analysis for the Greenlink North transmission boondoggle. Turns out of if you're going to violate your own laws by sending the sage-grouse to extinction, you at least need to show your work.
biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press...
I'm sorry, but have you looked at the Washington Post editorial page lately? For God's sake. @postopinions.bsky.social
Merry Christmas Eve, mining executives.
courtesy Meg Bernhard, NYT Mag. www.nytimes.com/2025/01/24/m...
Here's the contest-winning photo legally required to be on the National Parks Annual Pass next to the pass Trump is forcing everyone to use instead.
You tell me, which best invokes the majesty and beauty of America's national parks?
Lawsuit filed!
“Blotting out the majesty of America’s national parks with a closeup of his own face is Trump’s crassest, most ego-driven action yet.
The national parks are not a personal branding opportunity. They’re the pride and joy of the American people"
biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press...
I meant dunking on him
It's a victimless crime
If I've learned one thing from 21 years in conservation biology it's to document everything. No matter how insignificant, no matter how repetitive. If you took 50 photos or data points, turn around & get 50 more. You only get one chance to contemporaneously collect data. Use it wisely.
Join me Fri Dec 12 @ 2pm PT for a for a presentation with Huntington-USC Institute on California and the West. I'll be discussing how "Mining for the Renewable Energy Transition Threatens Endemic Plant Diversity". Zoom info in the link dornsife.usc.edu/icw/upcoming/
Here as the majestic National Parks and #PublicLands featured on the last 14 America the Beautiful - National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands passes:
The 2014-2022 National Park passes.
Not a bloated ego in sight.
Every president but Trump, regardless of political party, agreed that National Parks are America's great treasure, above partisan politics & personal ego. That's why the law mandates the image reflect timeless Nature, not politicians
Which of the 2023-2026 National Park passes do u think meet the legal standard of being "used as a means to educate the American people about Federal recreational lands and waters"?
Which pass screams: "Look at me! I'm not a failure. I'm not cringy sensitive to flattery. I'm extremely powerful"?
@biologicaldiversity.org is suing to wipe Trump's face off the America the Beautiful National Parks pass.
By law, the pass must display the winning photo of a federal #PublicLands picture contest. Instead, Trump plastered his own face on it.
Trump's vanity pass is not American, beautiful, or legal
It’s hard to believe, it's already been three weeks since I married my love and #Teambuckwheat co-conspirator @bitterwaterblue.bsky.social in a beautiful ceremony in the Amargosa River Basin. 💕
ISO a used multiparamater water meter for taking field readings. DM me if you've got one lying around you don't need...
This cement plant & limestone mine would be directly in the communities of Moapa Valley in So. Nevada. Mining shouldn't just be able to roll into your town & ruin your homes & your way of life. Glad the Clark County Planning Commission saw how bad this project is.
nevadacurrent.com/2025/11/06/m...
I've never met a mining executive who didn't immediately tell me that he was an environmentalist.
The entire album Nebraska would like a word.
Predicting wildflower blooms is a fool's errand. I'll just note that October rains often yield impressive desert blooms in spring. Germination gets a head start, if sufficient rain comes during the winter... 🌼🌺🌸
I'll also note that we've gotten over 20% of annual precipitation in the past 3 weeks 🤔
Our planet faces a global #ExtinctionCrisis. Scientists predict that over 1 million species are on track for extinction.
But there’s still time to stop it — and we need your help.
Check out our current action alerts to tackle the extinction crisis from every angle.
Take action ➡️ bit.ly/4h2BWJ4
Data center load growth is accelerating climate change. No data centers are good for the climate, even if powered by renewables, because they are simply gobbling up those renewables which should be instead used to reduce fossil fuel consumption.
Abundance is a myth.
We've just teamed up with the Amargosa Conservancy to launch a lawsuit against BLM's approval of mining exploration on the doorstep of Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge. We allege that this authorization violates the Endangered Species Act. Read more:
biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press...
My latest newsletter just dropped. The grand Greenlink plan string wires all across rural Nevada has hit some snags...
sageandsand.substack.com/p/sage-and-s...
Our Tecopa weather station came in at a dismal 1.98" this water year, about 56% of normal. If we have another bad winter we could be looking at effects as grim as the drought of 21-22. Fingers crossed that predictions are wrong and this winter is a deluge.
October 1st, Happy New Water Year to all those who celebrate.
You know that water is a damn ice cube
Great Basin National Park:
The sublime beauty of an aspen stand in autumn; the horror of widespread conifer die-off.
The forests are telling us something. Will we listen?
Climate folks who trivialize or disregard the threat of lithium battery fires look both foolish and hopelessly out of touch with the realities and perceptions of normal people.
Nothing around these parts to speak of. We only got 0.18".