IndyCar to use sustainable tires made from desert shrub
February 23, 2023 GMTIn IndyCar’s effort toward environmental sustainability, one of the world’s largest tire manufacturers will rely on a desert shrub to produce a new source of natural rubber for its tires.
Bridgestone Americas said Thursday it has used the offseason to incorporate more sustainable and bio-circular materials into its tires this season.
VP Harris touts Arizona-California power transmission line
January 20, 2023 GMTTONOPAH, Ariz. (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris and two cabinet secretaries on Thursday celebrated the start of construction of a new high-capacity power transmission line between Arizona and California, which they hope will lead to future solar energy farms in the desert outside Phoenix.
New Mexico seeks tougher provisions for US nuclear dump
December 20, 2022 GMTALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — State officials on Tuesday released a draft permit that includes tougher provisions for the U.S. government to meet if it wants to continue dumping radioactive waste from decades of nuclear research and bomb-making in the New Mexico desert.
Water stations OK’d for Southern California bighorn sheep
December 15, 2022 GMTDESERT CENTER, Calif. (AP) — In response to years of drought, Southern California conservationists are planning to install water stations in inland desert regions that are home to bighorn sheep.
Salt, drought decimate buffaloes in Iraq’s southern marshes
November 23, 2022 GMTCHIBAYISH, Iraq (AP) — Abbas Hashem fixed his worried gaze on the horizon — the day was almost gone and still, there was no sign of the last of his water buffaloes. He knows that when his animals don't come back from roaming the marshes of this part of Iraq, they must be dead.
S. Korea’s leader discusses megaprojects with Saudi prince
November 17, 2022 GMTSEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol hoped for greater cooperation with Saudi Arabia — including on its $500 billion futuristic desert city project — as he met the kingdom’s powerful crown prince Thursday, Seoul officials said.
‘Rogue Heroes’ offers thrilling war adventure in the desert
November 15, 2022 GMTNEW YORK (AP) — Think of a military unit and you'll likely get an image of fresh-pressed uniforms, crisp saluting and a strong sense of hierarchy. But a new TV series offers a much messier alternative — one that can be even more effective.
Saudi Arabia has ‘green vision’ at COP27, critics unmoved
November 13, 2022 GMTSHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt (AP) — Hydrogen cars and vehicles that capture their tailpipe pollutants. Computer mice made from recycled ocean waste plastic. Hundreds of millions of trees planted in the desert.
Rare fish species in Nevada desert cavern on the rebound
October 8, 2022 GMTDEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK, Calif. (AP) — The annual fall count of an extremely rare fish species that lives in a single Mojave Desert cavern found the highest number in 19 years, the National Park Service said.
Pastor-led group seeks missing migrants in border desert
September 15, 2022 GMTIRONWOOD FOREST NATIONAL MONUMENT, Arizona (AP) — After strapping on knee-high snake guards and bowing his head to invoke God’s protection, Óscar Andrade marched off into a remote desert at dawn on a recent Sunday to look for a Honduran migrant.
Endangered status sought for snail near Nevada lithium mine
September 13, 2022 GMTRENO, Nev. (AP) — Conservationists are seeking Endangered Species Act protection for a tiny snail half the size of a pea that is known to exist only in high-desert springs near a huge lithium mine planned in Nevada along the Oregon state line.
California desert parks still working to repair flood damage
August 18, 2022 GMTJOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. (AP) — Timelines for repair of flash flood damage to roads in California's vast desert wilderness parks are being extended even as monsoonal rains cause new problems along with unseasonal plant and animal activity.
Governor signs $1.2B water plan as Arizona faces cutbacks
July 6, 2022 GMTPHOENIX (AP) — Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey signed legislation Wednesday that will provide $1.2 billion over three years to boost long-term water supplies for the desert state and implement conservation efforts that will see more immediate effects.
Arizona fires sweep land rich with ancient sites, artifacts
June 20, 2022 GMTFLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — As Jason Nez scans rugged mountains, high desert and cliffsides for signs of ancient tools and dwellings unique to the U.S. Southwest, he keeps in mind that they're part of a bigger picture.
Leaders meet in Madrid to mark world day to fight drought
June 17, 2022 GMTMADRID (AP) — Politicians and experts met in Madrid on Friday to discuss ways to tackle drought and the increasing spread of deserts across the globe.
"The consequences of drought can affect up to three quarters of humanity by 2050.
California won’t immediately list Joshua tree as threatened
June 16, 2022 GMTSACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California won't be listing the iconic western Joshua tree as a threatened species for now after the four-member Fish and Game Commission couldn't reach agreement Thursday on how best to protect the plant from climate change.
California debates listing western Joshua tree as threatened
June 16, 2022 GMTSACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California officials are weighing whether to list the iconic western Joshua tree as a threatened species, a designation that would make it harder to remove the trees for housing, solar or other development projects.
Company tests high-altitude airship over New Mexico desert
June 14, 2022 GMTALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A technology company that wants to bring broadband to more remote areas and monitor methane and other emissions from the oil and gas industry launched one of its airships from the New Mexico desert on Tuesday as part of a key test on the way to commercial operations.
Security concerns, lack of support stall Africa’s Green Wall
May 23, 2022 GMTOUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso (AP) — A series of complex challenges, including a lack of funding and political will as well as rising insecurity linked to extremist groups al-Qaida and the Islamic State in Burkina Faso, are obstructing progress on Africa's Great Green Wall, according to experts involved in the initiative.
Judge: Trump administration illegally withdrew bird listing
May 18, 2022 GMTRENO, Nev. (AP) — A federal judge has ruled the Trump administration acted illegally in 2020 when it withdrew an earlier proposal to list as threatened a hen-sized bird found only in the high desert along the California-Nevada line.
Climate change to make droughts longer, more common, says UN
May 11, 2022 GMTThe frequency and duration of droughts will continue to increase due to human-caused climate change, with water scarcity already affecting billions of people across the world, the United Nations warned in a report Wednesday.
Jordan’s restoration efforts push back on degrading land
April 27, 2022 GMTSABHA, Jordan (AP) — Efforts to restore damaged but once fertile land in Jordan's desert are sprouting hope for one of the world’s most water-scarce nations, as a land assessment report Wednesday warned of the growing scale of global degradation.
Missing Indiana couple found after man dies in Nevada desert
April 7, 2022 GMTRENO, Nev. (AP) — A single, desperate cry for help went through to family members too late to save a woman’s husband after the Indiana couple had been lost in Nevada’s high-desert wilderness for more than a week.
Archaeologists find 9,000-year-old shrine in Jordan desert
February 23, 2022 GMTAMMAN, Jordan (AP) — A team of Jordanian and French archaeologists said Tuesday that it had found a roughly 9,000-year-old shrine at a remote Neolithic site in Jordan’s eastern desert.
The ritual complex was found in a Neolithic campsite near large structures known as “desert kites," or mass traps that are believed to have been used to corral wild gazelles for slaughter.
Agency: Sonoran desert tortoise doesn’t need US protection
February 12, 2022 GMTTUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Federal officials have concluded that Sonoran desert tortoises native to Arizona have a relatively stable population that doesn’t need protection from environmental threats but conservation groups say they’re still not convinced that the reptiles’ well-being is a sure thing.
9th Circuit lifts 90-day ban at geothermal plant in Nevada
February 8, 2022 GMTRENO, Nev. (AP) — A federal appeals court has lifted a temporary ban on construction of a geothermal power plant in Nevada opposed by a tribe and conservationists who say the site is sacred and home to a rare toad being considered for endangered species protection.
Lawsuit seeks to block 2 geothermal power plants in Nevada
December 31, 2021 GMTRENO, Nev. (AP) — Conservationists and tribal leaders are suing the U.S. government to try to block construction of two geothermal plants in northern Nevada’s high desert that they say will destroy a sacred hot springs and could push a rare toad to the brink of extinction.
Tiny pygmy owl has renewed chance at protection in Arizona
December 24, 2021 GMTTUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — A tiny desert owl known for nesting in Arizona’s saguaro cactus may get some federal protection restored, according to a proposal from federal wildlife officials.
Desert death traps: PVC mining markers still killing birds
December 12, 2021 GMTRENO, Nev. (AP) — Nevada conservationists and state wildlife officials are stepping up efforts to find and destroy hollow PVC pipes that are used to mark mining claims across the West but also serve as death traps for nesting birds that get stuck inside them.
Rural communities push back against solar projects in Nevada
November 30, 2021 GMTPAHRUMP, Nev. (AP) — Residents of a desert town west of Las Vegas are protesting plans for a massive solar panel installation they say could harm the community and surrounding environment.
Citizens Against Nye Co Solar Farms Project held a protest on Saturday against the Rough Hat Nye County Solar Project in Pahrump, a town of fewer than 40,000 residents near the California-Nevada line.
Nevada solar project racks up big fines for blowing dust
November 23, 2021 GMTBOULDER CITY, Nev. (AP) — A solar power project in the southern Nevada desert has been fined nearly $220,000 since April for failing to control dust during construction, county officials said.
Interior head: Chaco protections ‘millennia in the making’
November 22, 2021 GMTCHACO CULTURE NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK, N.M. (AP) — A few big rigs carried oilfield equipment on a winding road near Chaco Culture National Historical Park, cutting through desert badlands and sage.
New Mexico spaceport boss seeks funds to keep momentum going
November 16, 2021 GMTALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Operations are ramping up at Spaceport America in New Mexico, and the executive director told lawmakers Monday that he needs an additional $2 million in annual funding to keep the momentum going.
Endangered status proposed for Nevada flower at lithium mine
October 1, 2021 GMTRENO, Nev. (AP) — Federal wildlife officials proposed endangered species protections Friday for a desert wildflower known to exist only on a remote Nevada ridge where an Australian company plans a lithium mine.
Egypt team identifies fossil of land-roaming whale species
September 14, 2021 GMTCAIRO (AP) — Egyptian scientists say the fossil of a four-legged prehistoric whale, unearthed over a decade ago in the country's Western Desert, is that of a previously unknown species. The creature, an ancestor of the modern-day whale, is believed to have lived 43 million years ago.
Once green, prehistoric Arabia drew early humans from Africa
September 1, 2021 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — Huw Groucutt passes rolling sand dunes as far as his eye can see when traveling to archaeological sites in the northern Arabian Peninsula. But the same desert regions were once intermittently lush and green, attracting early humans and large animals such as hippopotamuses migrating out of Africa to linger at ancient lakes, new evidence suggests.
Park ranger videos highlight upbringing in Sonoran Desert
August 21, 2021 GMTPHOENIX (AP) — It would be hard to find anyone who loves his job more than Freddy Fernandez-Ramirez, who claims to bleed “Sonoran green.”
The 30-year-old ranger at Saguaro National Park in southern Arizona was recruited eight years ago as part of an effort to draw younger generations to national parks.
Escaped desert hawk recovered after 3 weeks, thinner, hungry
August 4, 2021 GMTQUECHEE, Vt. (AP) — After escaping from the nature nonprofit that was her home three weeks ago, a desert hawk was recovered Monday by a trainer who said she had lost weight and was hungry.
The hawk, which was born in captivity and participated in flight demonstrations at the Vermont Institute of Natural Science in Quechee, flew away on July 13.
Plans for largest US solar field north of Vegas scrapped
July 23, 2021 GMTOVERTON, Nev. (AP) — The push to transition from carbon-emitting fuel sources to renewable energy is hitting a roadblock in Nevada, where solar power developers are abandoning plans to build what would have been the United States' largest array of solar panels in the desert north of Las Vegas.
Study: Wildfire smoke may add to COVID-19 risk
July 19, 2021 GMTCARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — Nevada-based scientists argue in a new study that wildfire smoke may increase the risk of contracting the coronavirus.
A study published last week by scientists at the Desert Research Institute found that coronavirus infection rates increased disproportionately during wildfire season in 2020, when smoke from fires in neighboring states blanketed much of northern Nevada.
Blue Origin brings space tourism to tiny Texas town
July 19, 2021 GMTVAN HORN, Texas (AP) — For years, the official letterhead for the small town of Van Horn, tucked neatly among the foothills of the Guadalupe Mountains, read simply: “Farming, ranching, mining.”
And while there is still some farming and ranching in this far West Texas community, and a talc mine still operates near the edge of town, there’s another booming business in its midst: space tourism.
US land agency plans to round up burros near Lake Mead
July 5, 2021 GMTLAS VEGAS (AP) — The U.S. Bureau of Land Management is proposing rounding up more than 500 wild burros in the desert north of Lake Mead.
The feral donkeys are stripping the land of vegetation and could die off if the population isn't managed along the Arizona-Nevada line, the agency said.
Annual California bighorn sheep count canceled after death
July 4, 2021 GMTBORREGO SPRINGS, Calif. (AP) — An annual count of bighorn sheep scheduled for this weekend in a Southern California desert was canceled after a volunteer died while preparing for the excursion amid scorching heat, according to a newspaper report Sunday.
Fear of wildfires forces forest closures across Arizona
June 24, 2021 GMTFLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — When temperatures are sweltering in Arizona's desert areas, people head to the forests to camp, hike, fish and just cool off.
But options for finding respite from the heat will be slim now that all but one of Arizona's national forests are enacting broad shutdowns amid high fire danger and as firefighting resources run thin with blazes already burning across the state.
Rare poached cacti found in Italy sent home to native Chile
June 18, 2021 GMTROME (AP) — Armed with a search warrant, Italy’s police wildlife unit entered the house of a suspected cactus trafficker, finding over 1,000 rare cacti poached from Chile's Atacama Desert in a locked room.
Advocates work toward new southern Nevada national monument
June 14, 2021 GMTLAS VEGAS (AP) — Advocates in southern Nevada are building momentum toward setting aside a wide desert area rich with biological diversity and Native American cultural significance for permanent environmental protection.
Spirituality underpins migrant activism in US borderlands
June 8, 2021 GMTTUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Alvaro Enciso plants three or four crosses each week in Arizona’s desert borderlands, amid the yellow-blossomed prickly pear and whip-like ocotillo, in honor of migrants who died on the northbound trek.
Spirituality underpins migrant activism in US borderlands
June 8, 2021 GMTTUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Alvaro Enciso plants three or four crosses each week in Arizona's desert borderlands, amid the yellow-blossomed prickly pear and whip-like ocotillo, in honor of migrants who died on the northbound trek.
US sued over road project in Mojave desert tortoise habitat
June 4, 2021 GMTSALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A coalition of conservation groups on Friday sued the U.S. government over the Trump administration’s decision to allow construction of a new four-lane highway through a national conservation area in southern Utah that includes protected habitat for the Mojave desert tortoise.
Federal agency: Nevada flower near mine should be protected
June 3, 2021 GMTRENO, Nev. (AP) — An extremely rare wildflower that grows only in Nevada’s high desert where an Australian mining company wants to dig for lithium should be protected under the Endangered Species Act, the U.S.
Vegas teen finds deflated balloons so desert tortoises don’t
May 8, 2021 GMTLAS VEGAS (AP) — Look closely in the desert foothills a few miles northwest of Las Vegas, and you might see shades of color dotting the cloudless landscape of cactus and mounds of dirt with mountains to the west...
US fights new deadline for rare plant protections in Nevada
May 4, 2021 GMTRENO, Nev. (AP) — The Biden administration says a U.S. judge exceeded his authority when he gave federal wildlife officials a May 21 deadline to decide whether to formally propose endangered species protections for a rare desert wildflower at the center of a fight over a proposed lithium mine in Nevada...