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Park rangers battle Australians seeking rare earth minerals in old Mojave gold mine

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Friday, February 28, 2025

MOJAVE NATIONAL PRESERVE, Calif. — Deep in the Mojave National Preserve lies an old open pit mine where workers dug and drilled for gold and silver from the late 1800s to the 1990s. Miners are back at the Colosseum Mine today — but now they’re also looking for rare earth minerals used in advanced technologies.The National Park Service is trying to stop it — at least until the agency can review and sign off on the activities. It claims that the mining company, Australia’s Dateline Resources Ltd., is operating the Colosseum Mine without authorization, giving federal officials little ability to minimize environmental damage in an area ecologists say is rich with rare plants.The mining company says it has the right to work the mine under a plan its prior operators submitted to the Bureau of Land Management more than 40 years ago. Several elected officials are backing the company against the Park Service, pointing to the national security importance of developing America’s capacity to produce rare earth minerals, which are used in smartphones, advanced weapons and electric vehicles. China dominates the market. “Any discussion of the mine should start with its importance to national security due to its potential to contain rare earth materials,” San Bernardino County Supervisor Paul Cook said in an email. “To my knowledge, it’s the single best opportunity in the United States to bring American rare earth production online in a timely manner and help break the Chinese Communist Party’s global monopoly.” Environmentalists are watching closely, saying the conflict will be an early indicator of the Trump administration’s policies toward commercial exploitation of public lands.“How the Trump administration responds to the situation with Colosseum Mine will be an indicator as to how they respond to threats to our public lands in general over the next four years,” said Chance Wilcox of the National Parks Conservation Assn. “Will they favor an unauthorized foreign mine or will they better support the institution that protects America’s treasured landscapes?” Chance Wilcox with the National Parks Conservation Assn. looks out over Clark Mountain. Ecologists say the range has the second-highest concentration of rare plants of any range in California. (Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times) The Colosseum Mine sits near California’s border with Nevada, about 10 miles west of Primm. Gold was first discovered there in the late 1860s and mining for it continued intermittently until 1939, later resuming in the 1980s and ‘90s. The rocky shelf road leading to the mine winds through every layer of the Mojave. Desert tortoise habitat gives way to yucca- and cholla-studded hills, followed by stands of pinyon pine, juniper and white fir, interspersed with bursts of buckwheat, Mormon tea and desert lavender.“Stunning — it’s one of the most spectacular spots in the Mojave,” Wilcox said on a recent afternoon as he stood on an overlook and took in views of the Clark Mountains’ lush peaks. He turned and pointed to a yawning, barbed wire-ringed pit sitting beneath denuded hills. “Without the mine, all of this would’ve looked the same.”As gold prices soared in the 1980s, the BLM and San Bernardino County agreed to allow the mineral rights holders to resume gold mining following review under the California Environmental Quality Act and the National Environmental Policy Act.Mining began again in late 1987 and ceased in 1992, with milling operations coming to an end the following year, according to an Environmental Protection Agency site visit report. By then, the mine was owned by Lac Minerals Ltd., which took over responsibility for groundwater inspection and monitoring required by the local water quality control board. The Mojave National Preserve was established in 1994, transferring oversight from the BLM to the Park Service. The Park Service notified Colliseum Inc., a subsidiary of Lac Minerals, that it could continue operations until environmental reclamation was completed, according to a 1995 letter from then-field director Stanley Albright.After that, the letter said, the operators would have to submit a new proposed plan of operations to cover a years-long monitoring phase. Dateline Resources took over in 2021, telling shareholders that a review of U.S. Geological Service data had revealed radiometric anomalies on the southern end of its mining claims suggesting the presence of rare earth elements. The anomalies were similar to those documented at the nearby Mountain Pass Rare Earth Mine, which is the only domestic producer of rare earth elements and provides about 16% of the world’s supply, the release noted.While the company would focus primarily on the potential for gold at the mine, it would also include rare earth elements in its planned exploration program, it announced.The National Park Service declined to make officials available for an interview or to provide information about its discussions with the mine owners. The agency said in a statement that it is working with the Department of the Interior and the mine owners to ensure that laws are followed and the resources of the Mojave National Preserve are protected.But hundreds of pages of letters and emails exchanged by park officials, the mine owners, their legal representatives, and county and federal officials, released in response to a Freedom of Information Act request filed by the National Parks Conservation Assn. and shared with The Times, reveal a dispute dating back several years.The National Park Service’s first contact with Dateline took place in May of 2022, when a law enforcement ranger encountered a contractor demobilizing a diamond-core drilling rig from the mine, according to correspondence from park officials. The contractor told the Park Service he’d been conducting an exploratory drilling operation for Dateline subsidiary Colosseum Rare Metals, the correspondence states. The National Park Service and owners of the Colosseum Mine in San Bernardino County have been involved in a years-long dispute. (Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times) Park Service staff later inspected the road leading to the mine and found damage from the unpermitted movement of equipment and unauthorized roadwork, according to letters from park officials. Heavy earthmoving equipment had been driven off road, large perennial shrubs were uprooted and an acre under active restoration was razed by bulldozer, the letters state.That June, the preserve’s then-superintendent, Mike Gauthier, notified Dateline managing director Stephen Baghdadi that the mine was operating without authorization. Gauthier demanded that the company cease work until it submitted an operations plan to the Park Service and won the agency’s approval. This would typically give the Park Service the opportunity to analyze the environmental effects of the proposed work and add terms and conditions to conserve park resources. A lawyer representing the company, Kerry Shapiro, responded in a November 2022 letter saying the Park Service had no basis to require permits or a new plan of operations because the activities were already authorized under existing approvals.Shapiro said the mine would seek to restart mineral extraction activities, which were consistent with the plan for the mine approved by the BLM in 1985. The Park Service authorized that plan 10 years later when it told the mine’s prior owners that they could continue existing operations until reclamation was complete, wrote Shapiro, of the law firm Jeffer Mangels Butler & Mitchell. A warning sign at the Colosseum Mine in San Bernardino County. (Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times) A regional NPS official, Frank Lands, said in a February 2023 response to Shapiro that the 1995 temporary authorization was intended to cover just a short period so that closure of the mine could be completed. That 2023 letter explicitly revoked the authorization and ordered Colosseum Rare Metals to cease and desist any activities other than water quality monitoring.Shapiro said in a statement that Colosseum has been working for years to resolve what it feels are a series of misunderstandings by the Park Service, but that the agency’s files on the mine were destroyed by water damage, hampering these efforts. “Nevertheless, Colosseum is continuing to work to resolve these misunderstandings in its ongoing efforts in connection with this important mine site,” he said. In March of 2023, a Park Service law enforcement ranger encountered Baghdadi and a contractor on the road to the mine supervising a bulldozer and backhoe that were performing unpermitted roadwork, according to a letter the preserve’s then-acting superintendent, Kelly Fuhrmann, sent to Cook, the county supervisor. The ranger told them to stop work and remove the equipment but returned the next day to find the work had gone forward, destroying hundreds of perennial plants, the letter states.The Park Service eventually sent the mine operators and two contractors a $213,387 bill for costs and damages stemming from the incident, along with the roadwork allegedly performed the previous May. The parties met at least once to discuss settlement, but no agreement has been reached.Colosseum is actively disputing the allegations but does not comment on ongoing administrative proceedings, Shapiro said.U.S. Rep. Jay Obernolte (R-Hesperia) and San Bernardino County Supervisors Dawn Rowe and Cook wrote letters in 2023 to the Park Service urging the agency to let the mine continue operating.In a statement provided to The Times, Cook wrote that the Colosseum Mine has protected mining rights that were established long before the Park Service had any jurisdiction over the land.“From my vantage point, the NPS actions over the past several years to deny rights at Colosseum Mine amount to unnecessary agency overreach,” Cook wrote.Rep. Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) said he disagreed with that legal analysis and that the mine operators should obtain approval from the Park Service. The national parks system is an intergenerational trust, and to the extent that extractive uses are allowed, there needs to be oversight to ensure such uses are sustainable, he said.“We don’t hold these public lands so that our corporate pals can just monetize them and wreck them permanently,” he said.Mining companies often tout the potential presence of rare earth elements to justify destructive practices, Huffman added. He pointed to the proposed Pebble Mine in Alaska, which was scrapped in 2023 after the EPA determined its waste would harm salmon fishery areas in the Bristol Bay watershed.Wilcox of the National Parks Conservation Assn. said environmentalists are not only concerned that mining operations will damage the ecosystem, but that the disregard for the permitting and review process will also pave the way for others to do the same, particularly during a presidential administration that’s sympathetic to industry.“Essentially, this mine is managing the destruction of one of the largest units in our national parks system, which are the crown jewels of America,” Wilcox said. “We’ve never seen anything like this.” The Clark Mountains in San Bernardino County hold a wealth of rare plants, ecologists say. (Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times) The Clark mountain range is one of California’s most botanically important areas, said Jim Andre, director of UC Riverside’s Granite Mountains Desert Research Center. It’s estimated to harbor the second-highest density of rare plants of any of the state’s mountain ranges, second only to the New York Mountains directly to its south, he said.In all, about 65 plant species in the Clark Mountains are ranked as rare by the California Native Plant Society, and at least 41 of them are protected under CEQA, Andre said. By comparison, the entirety of Joshua Tree National Park — which is nearly 20 times larger — has just 45 listed plant species, he said.Andre estimates that at least half of the mountain range’s rare plant species are directly or indirectly affected by the mining activities at Colosseum.These plants tend to support specific, sometimes rare species of pollinators like bees, hummingbirds, butterflies and moths, Andre said. “They’re not just prized luxury items, they’re actually a functional part of the ecosystem,” he said.And the eastern Mojave Desert is still a frontier for species discovery, meaning that scientists don’t actually have a full picture of what could be lost, he said.“What’s concerning to me about the Colosseum Mine is that it doesn’t seem to be following a regulatory process that would provide an opportunity or requirement to even go out and do preconstruction surveys,” he said. “That’s the mystery of the activities we’re seeing right now, is that they seem to be shrugging off the due process ... and it’s happening within a national park, which is kind of astounding.”

The National Park Service and an Australian company are at odds over an old Mojave Desert gold mine, where the company is seeking to extract rare earth minerals.

MOJAVE NATIONAL PRESERVE, Calif. — Deep in the Mojave National Preserve lies an old open pit mine where workers dug and drilled for gold and silver from the late 1800s to the 1990s. Miners are back at the Colosseum Mine today — but now they’re also looking for rare earth minerals used in advanced technologies.

The National Park Service is trying to stop it — at least until the agency can review and sign off on the activities. It claims that the mining company, Australia’s Dateline Resources Ltd., is operating the Colosseum Mine without authorization, giving federal officials little ability to minimize environmental damage in an area ecologists say is rich with rare plants.

The mining company says it has the right to work the mine under a plan its prior operators submitted to the Bureau of Land Management more than 40 years ago.

Several elected officials are backing the company against the Park Service, pointing to the national security importance of developing America’s capacity to produce rare earth minerals, which are used in smartphones, advanced weapons and electric vehicles. China dominates the market.

“Any discussion of the mine should start with its importance to national security due to its potential to contain rare earth materials,” San Bernardino County Supervisor Paul Cook said in an email. “To my knowledge, it’s the single best opportunity in the United States to bring American rare earth production online in a timely manner and help break the Chinese Communist Party’s global monopoly.”

Environmentalists are watching closely, saying the conflict will be an early indicator of the Trump administration’s policies toward commercial exploitation of public lands.

“How the Trump administration responds to the situation with Colosseum Mine will be an indicator as to how they respond to threats to our public lands in general over the next four years,” said Chance Wilcox of the National Parks Conservation Assn. “Will they favor an unauthorized foreign mine or will they better support the institution that protects America’s treasured landscapes?”

A man stands in front of a mountain range.

Chance Wilcox with the National Parks Conservation Assn. looks out over Clark Mountain. Ecologists say the range has the second-highest concentration of rare plants of any range in California.

(Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times)

The Colosseum Mine sits near California’s border with Nevada, about 10 miles west of Primm. Gold was first discovered there in the late 1860s and mining for it continued intermittently until 1939, later resuming in the 1980s and ‘90s.

The rocky shelf road leading to the mine winds through every layer of the Mojave. Desert tortoise habitat gives way to yucca- and cholla-studded hills, followed by stands of pinyon pine, juniper and white fir, interspersed with bursts of buckwheat, Mormon tea and desert lavender.

“Stunning — it’s one of the most spectacular spots in the Mojave,” Wilcox said on a recent afternoon as he stood on an overlook and took in views of the Clark Mountains’ lush peaks. He turned and pointed to a yawning, barbed wire-ringed pit sitting beneath denuded hills. “Without the mine, all of this would’ve looked the same.”

As gold prices soared in the 1980s, the BLM and San Bernardino County agreed to allow the mineral rights holders to resume gold mining following review under the California Environmental Quality Act and the National Environmental Policy Act.

Mining began again in late 1987 and ceased in 1992, with milling operations coming to an end the following year, according to an Environmental Protection Agency site visit report. By then, the mine was owned by Lac Minerals Ltd., which took over responsibility for groundwater inspection and monitoring required by the local water quality control board.

The Mojave National Preserve was established in 1994, transferring oversight from the BLM to the Park Service. The Park Service notified Colliseum Inc., a subsidiary of Lac Minerals, that it could continue operations until environmental reclamation was completed, according to a 1995 letter from then-field director Stanley Albright.

After that, the letter said, the operators would have to submit a new proposed plan of operations to cover a years-long monitoring phase.

Dateline Resources took over in 2021, telling shareholders that a review of U.S. Geological Service data had revealed radiometric anomalies on the southern end of its mining claims suggesting the presence of rare earth elements.

The anomalies were similar to those documented at the nearby Mountain Pass Rare Earth Mine, which is the only domestic producer of rare earth elements and provides about 16% of the world’s supply, the release noted.

While the company would focus primarily on the potential for gold at the mine, it would also include rare earth elements in its planned exploration program, it announced.

The National Park Service declined to make officials available for an interview or to provide information about its discussions with the mine owners. The agency said in a statement that it is working with the Department of the Interior and the mine owners to ensure that laws are followed and the resources of the Mojave National Preserve are protected.

But hundreds of pages of letters and emails exchanged by park officials, the mine owners, their legal representatives, and county and federal officials, released in response to a Freedom of Information Act request filed by the National Parks Conservation Assn. and shared with The Times, reveal a dispute dating back several years.

The National Park Service’s first contact with Dateline took place in May of 2022, when a law enforcement ranger encountered a contractor demobilizing a diamond-core drilling rig from the mine, according to correspondence from park officials. The contractor told the Park Service he’d been conducting an exploratory drilling operation for Dateline subsidiary Colosseum Rare Metals, the correspondence states.

A trail down to a mine.

The National Park Service and owners of the Colosseum Mine in San Bernardino County have been involved in a years-long dispute.

(Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times)

Park Service staff later inspected the road leading to the mine and found damage from the unpermitted movement of equipment and unauthorized roadwork, according to letters from park officials. Heavy earthmoving equipment had been driven off road, large perennial shrubs were uprooted and an acre under active restoration was razed by bulldozer, the letters state.

That June, the preserve’s then-superintendent, Mike Gauthier, notified Dateline managing director Stephen Baghdadi that the mine was operating without authorization. Gauthier demanded that the company cease work until it submitted an operations plan to the Park Service and won the agency’s approval. This would typically give the Park Service the opportunity to analyze the environmental effects of the proposed work and add terms and conditions to conserve park resources.

A lawyer representing the company, Kerry Shapiro, responded in a November 2022 letter saying the Park Service had no basis to require permits or a new plan of operations because the activities were already authorized under existing approvals.

Shapiro said the mine would seek to restart mineral extraction activities, which were consistent with the plan for the mine approved by the BLM in 1985. The Park Service authorized that plan 10 years later when it told the mine’s prior owners that they could continue existing operations until reclamation was complete, wrote Shapiro, of the law firm Jeffer Mangels Butler & Mitchell.

A warning sign at the Colosseum mine.

A warning sign at the Colosseum Mine in San Bernardino County.

(Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times)

A regional NPS official, Frank Lands, said in a February 2023 response to Shapiro that the 1995 temporary authorization was intended to cover just a short period so that closure of the mine could be completed. That 2023 letter explicitly revoked the authorization and ordered Colosseum Rare Metals to cease and desist any activities other than water quality monitoring.

Shapiro said in a statement that Colosseum has been working for years to resolve what it feels are a series of misunderstandings by the Park Service, but that the agency’s files on the mine were destroyed by water damage, hampering these efforts.

“Nevertheless, Colosseum is continuing to work to resolve these misunderstandings in its ongoing efforts in connection with this important mine site,” he said.

In March of 2023, a Park Service law enforcement ranger encountered Baghdadi and a contractor on the road to the mine supervising a bulldozer and backhoe that were performing unpermitted roadwork, according to a letter the preserve’s then-acting superintendent, Kelly Fuhrmann, sent to Cook, the county supervisor. The ranger told them to stop work and remove the equipment but returned the next day to find the work had gone forward, destroying hundreds of perennial plants, the letter states.

The Park Service eventually sent the mine operators and two contractors a $213,387 bill for costs and damages stemming from the incident, along with the roadwork allegedly performed the previous May. The parties met at least once to discuss settlement, but no agreement has been reached.

Colosseum is actively disputing the allegations but does not comment on ongoing administrative proceedings, Shapiro said.

U.S. Rep. Jay Obernolte (R-Hesperia) and San Bernardino County Supervisors Dawn Rowe and Cook wrote letters in 2023 to the Park Service urging the agency to let the mine continue operating.

In a statement provided to The Times, Cook wrote that the Colosseum Mine has protected mining rights that were established long before the Park Service had any jurisdiction over the land.

“From my vantage point, the NPS actions over the past several years to deny rights at Colosseum Mine amount to unnecessary agency overreach,” Cook wrote.

Rep. Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) said he disagreed with that legal analysis and that the mine operators should obtain approval from the Park Service. The national parks system is an intergenerational trust, and to the extent that extractive uses are allowed, there needs to be oversight to ensure such uses are sustainable, he said.

“We don’t hold these public lands so that our corporate pals can just monetize them and wreck them permanently,” he said.

Mining companies often tout the potential presence of rare earth elements to justify destructive practices, Huffman added. He pointed to the proposed Pebble Mine in Alaska, which was scrapped in 2023 after the EPA determined its waste would harm salmon fishery areas in the Bristol Bay watershed.

Wilcox of the National Parks Conservation Assn. said environmentalists are not only concerned that mining operations will damage the ecosystem, but that the disregard for the permitting and review process will also pave the way for others to do the same, particularly during a presidential administration that’s sympathetic to industry.

“Essentially, this mine is managing the destruction of one of the largest units in our national parks system, which are the crown jewels of America,” Wilcox said. “We’ve never seen anything like this.”

A desert landscape with a mountain the background.

The Clark Mountains in San Bernardino County hold a wealth of rare plants, ecologists say.

(Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times)

The Clark mountain range is one of California’s most botanically important areas, said Jim Andre, director of UC Riverside’s Granite Mountains Desert Research Center. It’s estimated to harbor the second-highest density of rare plants of any of the state’s mountain ranges, second only to the New York Mountains directly to its south, he said.

In all, about 65 plant species in the Clark Mountains are ranked as rare by the California Native Plant Society, and at least 41 of them are protected under CEQA, Andre said. By comparison, the entirety of Joshua Tree National Park — which is nearly 20 times larger — has just 45 listed plant species, he said.

Andre estimates that at least half of the mountain range’s rare plant species are directly or indirectly affected by the mining activities at Colosseum.

These plants tend to support specific, sometimes rare species of pollinators like bees, hummingbirds, butterflies and moths, Andre said. “They’re not just prized luxury items, they’re actually a functional part of the ecosystem,” he said.

And the eastern Mojave Desert is still a frontier for species discovery, meaning that scientists don’t actually have a full picture of what could be lost, he said.

“What’s concerning to me about the Colosseum Mine is that it doesn’t seem to be following a regulatory process that would provide an opportunity or requirement to even go out and do preconstruction surveys,” he said. “That’s the mystery of the activities we’re seeing right now, is that they seem to be shrugging off the due process ... and it’s happening within a national park, which is kind of astounding.”

Read the full story here.
Photos courtesy of

‘All the birds returned’: How China led the way in water and soil conservation

The Loess plateau was the most eroded place on Earth until China took action and reversed decades of damage from grazing and farmingIt was one of China’s most ambitious environmental endeavours ever.The Loess plateau, an area spanning more than 245,000 sq miles (640,000 sq km) across three provinces and parts of four others, supports about 100 million people. By the end of the 20th century, however, this land, once fertile and productive, was considered the most eroded place on Earth, according to a documentary by the ecologist John D Liu. Continue reading...

It was one of China’s most ambitious environmental endeavours ever.The Loess plateau, an area spanning more than 245,000 sq miles (640,000 sq km) across three provinces and parts of four others, supports about 100 million people. By the end of the 20th century, however, this land, once fertile and productive, was considered the most eroded place on Earth, according to a documentary by the ecologist John D Liu.Generations of farmers had cleared and cultivated the land, slowly breaking down the soil and destroying the cover. Every year, the dust from the plain jammed the Yellow River with silt (this is how the river gets its name), sending plumes of loess, a fine wind-blown sediment, across Chinese cities – including to the capital, Beijing.And so in 1999 the Chinese government took drastic emergency action with the launch of Grain to Green, a pilot project backed by World Bank funding, to regreen the plateau and reverse the damage done by overgrazing and overcultivation of the once forested hillsides that would become what the bank described in 2004 as “the largest and most successful water and soil conservancy project in the world” (pdf).Eroded valleys and terracing in Loess plateau, Gansu, before the conservation project began. Photograph: Universal Images Group/GettyThe primary focus was to restore agricultural production and incomes in the plateau, but the dust storms descending on already polluted cities, “making people cough even more”, also became a driver, says Peter Bridgewater, an honorary professor at the Australian National University’s Centre for Heritage and Museum Studies.World Bank participants spent more than three years designing the project, working with experts as well as communities, officials and farmers on how to overturn the longstanding but unsustainable grazing and herding of livestock. Tree-cutting, planting on hillsides and uncurbed sheep and goat grazing were banned. The sustainable practices demonstrated in some small villages were scaled up.The project was extraordinarily ambitious, and was powered through by China’s authoritarian system. “If you want major change, the Chinese system is well adapted to making major change,” says Bridgewater wryly.There were grain and cash subsidies for people converting farmland to grassland, economic forest or protected ecological forest. There were tax subsidies and benefits to offset farming losses, long-term land use contracts and conversion to more sustainable farming including orchards and nuts, and widespread tree-planting employment programmes.By 2016, China had converted more than 11,500 sq miles of rain-fed cropland to forest or grassland – a 25% increase in vegetative cover in a decade, according to a study published in Nature Climate Change. Other studies showed large reductions in erosion and positive changes in plant productivity.“When the environment improved, all the birds returned. The forest has developed its ecological system naturally,” the forestry worker Yan Rufeng told the state-run news channel CGTN.Terraces on the Loess plateau covered with layers of green wheat seedlings and dotted with golden rape flowers in Yuncheng, Shanxi province. Photograph: CFoto/Future Publishing/GettyIt wasn’t straightforward, however. There was some community resistance, particularly to demands to plant trees on farming land. “What about the next generation? They can’t eat trees,” said one man interviewed for Liu’s documentary.In the early years there also appeared to be a correlation between the project and a sudden drop in grain yield. Over the years, officials would debate whether the programme was harming China’s food security, although studies found there to be several factors at play, and that yields later improved.In hindsight, the early methods employed to regreen the dusty hills were also problematic. “There was a lot of mass tree planting – not necessarily natives – and in plantation format, in other words, monocultural stands,” says Bridgewater.Mass-species planting eventually began to replace the monoculture plantations, helping to increase wildlife, but there were also issues with water management, with the burgeoning tree cover and agriculture taking more and more water out of the Yellow River system.“It’s looking like there is a point at which the revegetation will become too successful in that it actually then swings the water balance of the landscape, reducing the potential for water to go into the rivers and be available for human use,” says Bridgewater.skip past newsletter promotionThe planet's most important stories. Get all the week's environment news - the good, the bad and the essentialPrivacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.after newsletter promotion“So this is another element that was not really thought about at the start, because the aim wasn’t ‘let’s stabilise the system’. But it’s a good lesson as to how all these interconnecting factors need to be thought about very carefully before you launch into these things.”Eroded terraces on the Loess plateau, Shaanxi province, in 2007. Photograph: China Span Keren Su/Sunset/Rex/ShutterstockA big factor in the success and demands of the programme was and remains the changing climate. The plateau sits in a transition zone between arid and semi-humid climates. The varied natural factors of the region, combined with unsustainable human activity, had contributed to the fragility of the plateau, a 2021 study found. “At the same time, the climate in this region has shown warming and wetting, particularly in the south in which precipitation increased by 20-50 mm from 2000 to 2014.”The climate around the Loess plateau is changing, which means what existed, or even thrived, several decades ago can’t necessarily be put back, says Bridgewater. “But we can produce something, a system that will produce ecosystem services at a better range and a better quality and more regularly than the systems that we’ve destabilised.”An aerival view of Loess plateau terraces after wheat harvest in Yuncheng, Shanxi province, in June. Photograph: NurPhoto/GettyBridgewater adds: “Given the speed of climate change, and not just climate but hydrology and all the other associated global changes, we need to be thinking about what we want. What we want out of our ecosystems are actually services.“We need to think actually in multi-dimensions … to develop a whole new way of thinking as to how we manage the landscape. And in a way, the whole Loess plateau project is a good example of that, [even if] that wasn’t the way of thinking at the start.”Lu FuChin, a former farmer, told the official state news outlet Xinhua that the programme had boosted local employment. “I used to cut trees for firewood, but now I grow them instead,” said the 52-year-old forestry worker. “It used to be that people had to go far for work, but now they can find employment by the Yellow River. As the environment is improving, I believe the villagers’ lives will become more prosperous too.”Additional research by Jason Tzu Kuan Lu

Democratic Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva of Arizona Dies of Complications From Cancer Treatment

Democratic U.S. Rep. Raúl M

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic U.S. Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva of Arizona, who championed environmental protection during his 12 terms in Congress, died Thursday of complications from cancer treatments, his office said.Grijalva, who was 77, had risen to chair the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee and was the top Democrat on the committee until earlier this year. He had been absent from Congress as he underwent cancer treatment in recent months. Grijalva’s office said in a statement, “From permanently protecting the Grand Canyon for future generations to strengthening the Affordable Care Act, his proudest moments in Congress have always been guided by community voices.”Grijalva, the son of a Mexican immigrant, was first elected to the House in 2002. Known as a liberal leader, he led the Congressional Progressive Caucus in 2008 and dedicated much of his career to working on environmental causes on the Natural Resources Committee. He stepped down from that position this year, after announcing that he planned to retire rather than run for reelection in 2026.During his time in Congress, Grijalva championed protections for endangered species and wilderness areas, as well as stronger regulations on the oil and natural gas industries. He played a key role in writing the National Landscape Conservation System Act and the Federal Lands Restoration Act, which were passed and signed by President Barack Obama.Grijalva had announced in April last year that he had been diagnosed with cancer, but would be able to continue his work. He also sought reelection and won easily in the blue-leaning district.Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Photos You Should See - Feb. 2025

Long Island Wildfires Began With Backyard S’mores, Police Say

The wildfires began accidentally when someone in Suffolk County tried to light a fire to make s’mores, officials said. They were fully contained by Monday.

The wildfires that broke out on Long Island Saturday afternoon and spread over hundreds of acres appeared to be accidental, caused by a failed attempt to make s’mores in a backyard, local officials said on Monday.The preliminary determination came after detectives with the Suffolk County Police Department conducted an investigation into the cause of the fires, interviewing 911 callers and using drones and helicopters to determine whether arson had played a role.What started as a backyard fire in Manorville, near Sunrise Highway on Long Island’s South Shore, became several blazes as strong winds contributed to the embers’ spread, officials said at a news conference on Monday. The fires were under control by Sunday morning and were 100 percent contained on Monday, said Amanda Lefton, the acting commissioner of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.Kevin Catalina, the Suffolk County police commissioner, said that around 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, a person in Manorville was trying to make s’mores but was initially unable to light a fire because of the wind. The person used cardboard to light the fire, he said, and soon the backyard area went up in flames.That fire was put out within an hour, the commissioner said, but a few hours later, another fire was reported less than a quarter mile southeast of the initial fire. “The wind was blowing very strongly from the northwest, so that path makes perfect sense,” he said, adding that two additional fires were reported later.“It is believed that the embers from each fire traveled and continuously started more fires,” he said.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe.

US lost a fifth of its butterflies within two decades

However the researchers say butterflies may be able to recover if urgent conservation measures are taken.

US lost a fifth of its butterflies within two decades Maddie MolloyBBC Climate & ScienceJack CochranThe Danaus eresimus, commonly known as the soldier butterfly, is among the 20 butterfly species experiencing the steepest declineButterfly populations in the US shrank by more than a fifth within the space of two decades, according to a new study.Numbers fell by 22% between 2000 and 2020, according to research by Binghamton University in New York.A third of species saw serious decline, with some, like Julia's Skipper, losing more than 90% of their populations.However, the researchers say butterflies may be able to recover if urgent conservation measures are taken.The study published in the journal Science measured butterfly "abundance" - the number of individuals of a species within a specific area. It analysed 12.6 million butterfly sightings from 76,000 surveys across 35 monitoring programmes.This included data from citizen science programmes like the North American Butterfly Association's Fourth of July counts.Using statistical models, they estimated population trends for 342 species.The results showed that 33% were in significant decline, with many exhibiting extreme losses - 107 species declined by more than 50%."While the results aligned with global trends, seeing the extent of the decline at such a large spatial scale was sobering," said Prof Eliza Grames, an assistant professor of biological sciences at Binghamton University.Randy BodkinsThe West Virginia White (Pieris virginiensis) - a woodland butterfly - has declined in abundance by more than 98%Some of the most affected species include the Florida white, Hermes copper, tailed orange, Mitchell's satyr, and West Virginia white, all of which have declined in abundance by more than 98% within the US.The West Coast lady, once a common backyard butterfly, has declined by 80%, raising alarm as even this highly adaptable species struggled."That's alarming because it suggests even common butterflies aren't safe," Prof Grames said.Habitat loss, pesticides, and climate change are key causes of this decline, according to the researchers.Butterflies are crucial pollinators, supporting plants and crops. Experts say their decline could disrupt food production and entire ecosystems.They also serve as indicators of environmental health - when butterfly numbers fall, it signals trouble for other species.Southwest US most affectedSpecies are declining most severely in the US Southwest, one of the hottest and driest regions, researchers say. They believe drought may be a major contributor to these losses."Drought is a double threat - it harms butterflies directly and also affects their food and host plants," Prof Grames explained.The results could help drive important conservation efforts, such as prioritising species for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species and Endangered Species Act protection.Despite the decline, there is hope for recovery."Butterflies can recover quickly because they have short generation times. Small actions like planting wildflowers, reducing pesticide use, or even leaving part of a backyard unmowed can significantly improve their chances," Prof Grames said.She also stressed the need for government action."Insects are fundamental to life on earth, and we need conservation actions and policies that support insects."

Prep for spring with Oregon gardening workshops on pruning, beekeeping and more

Learn about conservation and wildlife or order native plants with one of these late winter events

Events are free unless noted. Please email calendar submissions at least three weeks in advance to events@oregonian.com.ONGOINGMetro Parks and Nature Winter 2025: Various times and locations through March 15. Connect with nature this winter and learn more about wildlife, explore a new hobby or volunteer in your community. Individuals, families and groups are welcome to register for a guided class, walk, stewardship activity or hands-on experience at a Metro park or natural area. Free to $6 registration at oregonmetro.gov/calendar or 503-220-2782; oregonmetro.gov/GuidedActivities.Portland Rose Society Pruning Demonstrations: 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. (demo at noon) various dates and locations through March 23. Representatives from the Portland Rose Society will be demonstrating how and when to cut back different classes of roses, including hybrid teas, floribundas and shrubs. The society will also offer free pruner sharpening and soil pH testing. Visit portlandrosesociety.org, call 503-201-7847 or email bboehne@gmail.com.Spring Native Plant Sale: Order through March 30 from a selection of more than 115 species of native plants to be picked up in April or May at choice locations. sparrowhawknativeplants.com.East Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District free webinars: Discover how to care for land in ways that benefit people, water and wildlife. From stormwater solutions to biochar to water conservation, these workshops will help you save time, money and energy. Register at emswcd.org/workshops-and-events/upcoming-workshops.Greater Portland Iris Society meeting: 7 p.m. first Tuesday of the month in March, April, September, October and November. Enjoy discussions of irises with guest speakers. Ainsworth House, 19130 Lot Whitcomb Drive, Oregon City; greaterportlandirissociety.org.Walk With a Friend at Tualatin Hills Nature Park: 9 a.m. first Wednesday and third Sunday of the month. Take a guided walk and learn about the plants, wildlife and history of the park. Tualatin Hills Nature Park, 15655 S.W. Millikan Way, Beaverton; thprd.org.Happy Valley Garden Club monthly meeting: 9 a.m.-noon second Tuesday of the month. Happy Valley Baptist Church, 14095 S.E. King Road, Happy Valley.Canby Garden Club monthly meeting: 1 p.m. second Tuesday of the month. Canby Public Library, 220 N.E. Second St.; canbygardenclub.com.Ikebana for Every Season: 1-3 p.m. second Tuesday of the month. Become knowledgeable about basic concepts, techniques, tools, equipment and care for ikebana. $50 includes instruction, plant material and containers to practice with. The Resource Center, 219 S. Main Ave., Gresham; GreshamJapaneseGarden.org.Portland Dahlia Society monthly meeting: 7 p.m. second Tuesday of the month February through November. Take part in a discussion of seasonal topics. Oaks Park Dance Pavilion, 7805 S.E. Oaks Park Way; portlanddahlia.com.Oregon Fuchsia Society monthly meeting: 7 p.m. third Tuesday of the month. Western Seminary (Bueermann Hall), 5511 S.E. Hawthorne Blvd.; oregonfuchsiasociety.com.Estacada Garden Club monthly meeting: 1-3 p.m. second Thursday of the month. Estacada Public Library, 825 N.W. Wade St.The Art of Bonsai: 1-3 p.m. third Thursday and third Saturday of the month. Instructor Mark Vossbrink will guide you through the creation of a bonsai project. $40 includes instruction, plant, container, soil and all materials. The Resource Center, 219 S. Main Ave., Gresham; GreshamJapaneseGarden.org.WEDNESDAY, MARCH 5Introduction to Residential Beekeeping: 6:30-8 p.m. Learn about the differences between beekeeping in a rural versus urban setting, types of bees, flow hives and more. Gresham Japanese Garden, 219 S. Main Ave., Gresham; GreshamJapaneseGarden.org.THURSDAY, MARCH 6Wildlife and Water Friendly Garden Series: (online with an option for in-person screenings) noon-1 p.m. The Clackamas Community College Environmental Learning Center is hosting free weekly workshops with industry professionals that will discuss gardening for wildlife and water quality, with a theme on climate resilience and impacts of climate change on wildlife. bit.ly/ELCgardenseries2025.Introduction to the Aesthetic Pruning Approach: (online via Zoom) 6-8 p.m. Instructor Maryann Lewis will discuss how to apply the aesthetic pruning approach to trees and shrubs, including how to assess plant material, identifying the role they play and developing a pruning plan to achieve your goals. $30; GreshamJapaneseGarden.org.FRIDAY, MARCH 7Lane County Home & Garden Show: Noon-9 p.m. March 7, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. March 8 and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. March 9. Explore, shop and compare more than 300 exhibits featuring experts and new products and services for homes, gardens and yards. $5 or free with three cans of food; Lane Events Center, 796 W. 13th Ave., Eugene; EugeneHomeShow.com.TUESDAY, MARCH 11Webinar: Journey Down the Clackamas: Thermal Habitat Across Time and Space: 6-7:30 p.m. Join a virtual seminar series about the watershed and its natural resources. Register at clackamasriver.org; email Dakota@ClackamasRiver.org.SATURDAY, MARCH 15Garden Discovery Day: 9 a.m.-noon. Join the Clackamas County Master Gardener Association for in-person workshops, discussions, demonstrations, free soil testing and more. Milwaukie Community Center, 5440 S.E. Kellogg Creek Drive; clackamascountymastergardeners.org.Blueberry Pruning: 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Learn best practices for pruning blueberry plants with guided instruction and hands-on practice. Sliding scale starts at $40; registration required at homeorchardeducationcenter.org; Home Orchard Education Center Community Orchard, 19600 Molalla Ave., Oregon City; email info@homeorchardeducationcenter.org.TUESDAY, MARCH 18Pruning Small Fruits: 11 a.m.-1 p.m. This session will cover best practices for pruning small fruiting shrubs, including how to encourage growth and abundant harvests. Sliding scale starts at $40; registration required at homeorchardeducationcenter.org; Home Orchard Education Center Community Orchard, 19600 Molalla Ave., Oregon City; email info@homeorchardeducationcenter.org.WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19Weed Wranglin' Workshop: 6-7:30 p.m. Join this workshop and jump into some tips to help get those pesky weeds under control. Metzger Park, 8400 S.W. Hemlock St.; tualatinswcd.org.FRIDAY, MARCH 21Deepwood Plant Sale & Horticultural Tours: 9 a.m.-3 p.m. March 21-22. Shop a variety of Oregon native and companion plants, pottery, botanical art and more. Deepwood Museum & Gardens, 1116 Mission Street S.E., Salem; DeepwoodMuseum.org.Plant Spirit Journey: 6:30 p.m. Take part in a plant sit and learn about practical uses of seasonal species. From $25; Hedgerow Herb Co., 811 E. Burnside St., Suite 116; hedgerowherbco.com.SATURDAY, MARCH 22Tree School Clackamas: Opens at 7:15 a.m. Attend any of 73 classes covering forestry and tree grower topics key to the support of successful management of small woodlands. Participants will learn about forest management, tools and techniques, wildfire preparedness, marketing and business, forest health, wildlife habitat, weed management, forest fungi and more. $70 Clackamas County resident, $85 out of county, $35 ages 14-18 with adult; registration required at beav.es/tree-school-clackamas; Clackamas Community College, 19600 Molalla Ave., Oregon City.Grow Your Own Kiwifruit: It’s Easier Than You Think Workshop: 10-11:30 a.m. Join the WSU Extension Clark County Master Gardener program for an experiential workshop on getting started on your own growing adventure at a kiwi demonstration site in Vancouver. $10 registration at eventbrite.com; visit extension.wsu.edu, call 564-397-5738 or email Erika.d.johnson@wsu.edu.Gardening With Pacific Northwest Native Plants: 10 a.m.-noon. Join the Washington County Master Gardener Association to learn about native plants that thrive in the region, how to naturescape in support of wildlife and pollinators, and consider the possibilities the Backyard Habitat Certification Program offers through its customized yard assessment. PCC Rock Creek (Building 4, Room 103), 17705 N.W. Springville Road; washingtoncountymastergardeners.org.TUESDAY, MARCH 25Growing and Caring for Blueberries: 6-7:30 p.m. This seminar will review the main parts of a blueberry plant, soil conditions, how and when to fertilize, varieties, harvest times and more. Gresham Japanese Garden, 219 S. Main Ave., Gresham; GreshamJapaneseGarden.org.SATURDAY, MARCH 29Yamhill County Master Gardeners and OSU Spring into Gardening: 8:45 a.m.-4 p.m. Sign up for gardening classes on flowers, healthy gardens and climate resilience, talk to garden experts, enter the annual raffle and more. $40, add lunch for $17; Linfield University, Keck Science Center, 356 Linfield Ave., McMinnville; register at YCMGA.org.Perennials: How to Choose, Plant and Maintain for Year-round Flowers: 10 a.m.-noon. This class will provide an overview on types of perennials, how to best care for them in terms of planting, pruning, fertilizing, pest control and maintenance, plus tips to extend blooming time for year-round color. PCC Rock Creek (Building 7, Room 105), 17705 N.W. Springville Road; washingtoncountymastergardeners.org.SATURDAY, APRIL 5Soil School 2025: 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. This event offers eight sessions led by experts discussing how improving soil health improves plant, garden and habitat health. $35 registration includes breakfast and lunch; Portland Community College, Rock Creek Event Center, 17705 N.W. Springville Road; wmswcd.org.SATURDAY, APRIL 12Top-working Fruit Trees: 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Top-working is a term used to describe the process of adding new varieties to an existing tree. This hands-on workshop will teach you about grafting tools, compatibility and methods for top-working. Sliding scale starts at $30; registration required at homeorchardeducationcenter.org; Home Orchard Education Center Community Orchard, 19600 Molalla Ave., Oregon City; email info@homeorchardeducationcenter.org.SATURDAY, APRIL 19Earth Day Trash Cleanup: 10 a.m.-noon. Volunteer and help with trash cleanup on a Clackamas River Basin Council restoration site. Beebe Island (exact location TBD); register at clackamasriver.org; email Dakota@ClackamasRiver.org.SATURDAY, APRIL 26Pub Talk: Mussels & Macroinvertebrates: 5:30-7:30 p.m. Learn about and discuss mussels, macroinvertebrates (bugs) and freshwater ecology. Ruzzo’s Retreat, 15252 OR-224, Damascus; register at clackamasriver.org; email Dakota@ClackamasRiver.org.SATURDAY, MAY 3Gardenfest Plant Sale 2025: 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Choose from more than 5,000 plants selected for the Pacific Northwest, including natives, perennials, shrubs, vegetables, houseplants and more. PCC Rock Creek, 17705 N.W. Springville Road; washingtoncountymastergardeners.org.Spring Candling and Maintenance on Pines: 1-3 p.m. Instructor Laura Dufala will candle, needle and prune pines while discussing the whys and hows of the process. $45; Gresham Japanese Garden, 219 S. Main Ave., Gresham; GreshamJapaneseGarden.org.SATURDAY, MAY 17Creating Pollinator Habitat for Your Garden and Home: 10-11:30 a.m. Learn how to preserve and protect certain types of native butterflies and the best ways to provide valuable nectar to all pollinators including bees, moths and hummingbirds. Gresham Japanese Garden, 219 S. Main Ave., Gresham; GreshamJapaneseGarden.org.Gathering in the Garden: Celebrating Gardening and the Appreciation of Community Green Spaces: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Enjoy live music and a silent auction while shopping for organic tomato starts, shrubs, plants, garden art, ceramics, accessories and more. Children can learn how to pot plants, and the Portland Rose Society will sharpen hand pruners for free. Eastmoreland Garden, Southeast 27th Avenue and Bybee Boulevard; eastmorelandpdx.org.Work Party: Garlic Mustard Pull: 1:30-3:30 p.m. Grab your favorite hand tool and head out to a springtime work party to help pull invasive and noxious garlic mustard. Milo McIver State Park, 24401 S. Entrance Road, Estacada; register at clackamasriver.org; email Dakota@ClackamasRiver.org.SUNDAY, MAY 18Pub Talk: An Invader Among Us — The Emerald Ash Borer: 5:30-7:30 p.m. Take part in an evening of learning and discussion on invasive insects including the emerald ash borer. Oregon City Brewing, 1401 Washington St., Oregon City; register at clackamasriver.org; email Dakota@ClackamasRiver.org.SATURDAY, MAY 31Pruning Flowering Shrubs: 1-2:30 p.m. Learn the basic cuts through a hands-on demonstration of pruning rhododendrons and azaleas. Garden Director Jim Card will speak about flowering shrubs and when and how to prune. Gresham Japanese Garden, 219 S. Main Ave., Gresham; GreshamJapaneseGarden.org.SATURDAY, JUNE 7Propagating Broadleaf Shrubs: 1-3 p.m. Learn how to successfully propagate deciduous and evergreen plants and other suitable woody plants from cuttings. Instructor Norm Jacobs will explain plant physiology as it pertains to propagation, selection of containers and soil mixes, and the role of rooting compounds. $55 includes all materials; Gresham Japanese Garden, 219 S. Main Ave., Gresham; GreshamJapaneseGarden.org.-- Corey SheldonStay in the loop. Sign up to receive a weekly newsletter and join the conversation at the Homes & Gardens of the Northwest on Facebook

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