Amargosa Conservancy

Feds approve mine drilling in Amargosa critical environmental area • Nevada Current The mining exploration project proposed by St. Cloud Mining Company will drill 43 boreholes on public lands just west of the Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge in search of mineral zeolite – a clay-like material used in water filtration, odor control, and soil conditioner. 

California BLM has approved St. Cloud Mining's plan to drill 43 exploration holes near Ash Meadows, despite widespread opposition and serious concerns over groundwater impacts.

Amargosa Conservancy will respond. Stay tuned and stand with us.

Read more in the Nevada Current: https://loom.ly/3uezcEk

We’re hiring! Amargosa Conservancy seeks a visionary Executive Director to lead desert conservation in the Amargosa River Basin.
$70k–$90k/year
Remote + field-based
Must reside in Las Vegas, NV or within 100 miles of Shoshone, CA
Apply by August 22. Details: https://loom.ly/rUl4Scw

Public lands are on the chopping block — including vast swaths of the Amargosa Basin.

A single vote in Congress could sell off YOUR public lands to fund tax cuts for the wealthy.

Tell Congress: our public lands are not for sale! https://loom.ly/1xBnWfc

To fully appreciate the wonder that is the Amargosa, you must see it in the summer. The heat and the intense sun combine with a constant input of water from deep groundwater-fed springs to create a perfect storm for rapid plant growth. This ecosystem is running in peak condition.

These Ash Meadows Amargosa Pupfish aren't frolicking... they're fighting. May and June mark the peak of breeding activities, with males fiercely territorial. This drama was unfolding at Point of Rocks in Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge.

Photo Credit: Nevada Department of Wildlife

Check out these tarantula hawk wasps feeding on milkweed nectar. Although they're most known for their powerful sting, they're also important pollinators for milkweed. Don't worry- if you give them space, they'll leave you alone. That stinger is for laying eggs in tarantulas!

Nevada’s Legislature has spoken.
Lawmakers from both parties came together to pass a resolution opposing any resumption of explosive nuclear weapons testing in the state.
We applaud Nevada’s Legislature for showing what it means to put people and principles first.
#NoNukeTests #NVLeg

This photo of Amargosa Canyon from 1976 is a good example of the ecological change the Amargosa Wild and Scenic River has gone through. 50 years ago, the riparian corridor was dominantly a grass meadow. Today, honey mesquite and salt cedar dominate. Photo credit Russell Scofield / BLM.

Tell Lawmakers to Vote NO on Public Land Sell Offs Public lands belong to everyone—not for budget deals. Tell your lawmakers to vote NO on land sell offs.

Keep public lands in public hands! Contact your representative here: action.outdooralliance.org/a/reconcilia...

Our public lands must not be sold - High Country News Former BLM Director Tracy Stone-Manning warns of the very real threat to the nation’s common ground.

www.hcn.org/articles/our...

⚠️ IT'S HOT OUT HERE!
The Amargosa region hit 104 degrees over the weekend. Mornings may be cool, but temps can increase rapidly by 40 degrees or more in the afternoon.
Please stay safe, dress appropriately, and bring a ridiculous amount of extra water if you choose to hike during the summer.

The magnificent Nopah Range, Inyo County, California.

Environmental endeavors and proponents of the planet The local Earth/Arbor Day Celebration featured dozens of groups working to protect and preserve natural resources.

Thank you to NyE Communities Coalition for hosting Earth Day Pahrump and to Pahrump Valley Times for covering the event!

We were grateful to meet so many Nye County locals who are passionately engaged in keeping our environment clean and healthy.

pvtimes.com/news/environ...

It’s shorebird season! We went out with Red Rock Audubon Society to help with the semiannual Intermountain West Shorebird Survey at Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge. This is an an ongoing effort to monitor shorebird populations across the West.

We're holding a phragmites root 😵‍💫 these reeds are rhizomatous, so they spread by sending horizontal roots. Phragmites competes with three-square bulrush, which is the habitat for endangered Amargosa voles.

Had a great time botanizing last week with the California Botanic Garden team! We even found a new population of the endangered Amargosa Niterwort around the Tecopa Hot Springs area, making it the southernmost known population on record.

We will be tabling at Pahrump Earth Day celebration tomorrow from 10am-3pm. Come say hello and hear about how we are working to protect and heal Mother Earth!

🌿 Just look at that mesquite pop!
Spring-fed wetlands like Willow Creek provide year-round water that allows riparian plants to put on a spring show regardless of how little rain the desert receives in a year like this one.

Comment here: www.amargosaconservancy.org/save-ash-mea...

Tomorrow is the last day to submit a public comment to the BLM in support of a mineral withdrawal at Ash Meadows! Visit the Save Ash Meadows page on our website to write your comment and submit.

Just over a week ago, we got rain and even a little snow on the Nopah range. Today it's pushing 100. Must be spring in the Amargosa!

Facing Our Shifting Baselines: Introducing Morrigan to Amargosa Conservancy - Amargosa Conservancy By Morrigan DeVito, Restoration & Plant Stewardship Coordinator I guess you could say birds brought me to the Amargosa. It was the joy of birding in the urban wetlands of […]

Welcome to our new staff Morrigan DeVito! Read about what she is bringing to our team on the AC blog: www.amargosaconservancy.org/introducing-...

Hike in a sweet oasis 80 miles from Las Vegas — PHOTOS Pick a date before the weather gets too warm to hike along a path winding through bewildering geology and hardscrabble history in a desert oasis.

www.reviewjournal.com/livewell/hik...

"The Senate and Assembly are now considering bills that would implement water buyback programs...sellers must show the sale would protect the state’s natural resources, bring groundwater basins that have been overpumped back into balance, should address conflicts with existing rights."

People in Washington, D.C. are calling for resuming explosive nuclear weapons testing in Nevada. Help
send a unified message from Nevada: #NoNukeTests

Thanks for this, attended because of your post on IG!

On his way home from the Amargosa last weekend, Mason stopped in the Tecopa badlands to practice his new hobby of night sky photography. He caught something really weird hovering near the eastern horizon, coming from the direction of Area 51... what do we think, could this be a UFO?

#tbt Spring Brittlebush blooms in Amargosa Canyon circa 2007, photo by AC founding member Bill Christian

(credit BLM)

Last week, Scott and Morrigan went to the Carson Slough for piezometer monitoring to collect data on groundwater levels. Alkaline wetland plants, like the Amargosa niterwort, depend on groundwater, and fluctuations by just a few feet could mean life or death for these sensitive populations.

Notice: BLM has issued a closure of the burned area at the Borehole hot spring. The closed area does NOT include the spring pool and path from the road. Soaking in the borehole is still permitted, but BLM requests that people not enter the burned area so that the marsh can recover.