Desert Bill 521 (Desert Protection Act), which has passed the House and is headed for the Senate may be stalled again. At this time, Senator Seymour, who has not been in favor of the bill, appears to be leaning heavily towards calling for another hearing on the bill, possibly in March. Still time to express your views (Senator Seymour, Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C., 20510.)
Good news on the annual motorcycle race across the Mojave - it has been "postponed" again this year, a win for our desert tortoise. We are still working on getting the status of this race changed from "postponed" to permanently "canceled".
Mining is becoming a big issue for the California desert. (For those of us who climb in, camp in and enjoy the desert, and who have seen the effects of large scale mining on the desert environment, it always HAS been an issue.) Current reform efforts are now underway in congress to attempt to bring the Mining Law (written in 1872) into step with modern times. I will attempt to find out more details on this to bring to you in the next Desert SAGE.
MORE CONSERVATION
The average car produces 20 pounds of carbon dioxide for every gallon of gas it burns. Caltrans confirms this and the basis for the statement follows:
The average car produced .95 pounds of carbon dioxide per mile and it burns one gallon of gas every 20.9 miles. Therefore, each gallon of gas burned-combined with oxygen-produced approximately 20 pounds of carbon dioxide.
Environmentally Speaking..
Did you know that dumping one quart of motor oil down a storm drain can contaminate 250,000 gallons of water?
Motor oil, paint products, pet wastes, and chemicals used in hones and gardens are washed into gutters and storm drains daily by rainwater and water from lawns, or they are illegally dumped into landfills. These pollutants flow into local creeks and empty directly into our rivers, lakes, and bays, where they harm wildlife and ruin recreation areas. This is called nonpoint source pollution.
Arid even though you live miles from one of these major water outlets, you could be polluting it without even knowing it.
YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!!!
A new Sierra Club video examines the threat posed by open-pit mines, off-road vehicles, grazing and resort development to the California Desert. The 28-minute program, produced by Doug Prose in cooperation with the Sierra Club Desert National Parks Steering Committee, portrays the desert as a wounded ecosystem, one that is fast losing its ability to regenerate. The program concludes with an urgent appeal to voters and Congress to support the California Desert Protection Act (5.21 and H.R.2929), which conservationists view as the last, best hope for the desert's survival.
Copies of "Desert Under Siege" may be purchased ($25 each for Sierra Club members; $35 for non-members) or rented ($20 for three days, members; $30 for three days, non-members) from The Video Project, 5332 College Ave., Suite 101, Oakland, CA 94618. To order by phone, dial 1-800-4-PLANET. To receive the discount price, include your Sierra Club membership number with your order.