Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/687891
desert soils in place and reduce dust storms. Deep-rooted species, such as ironwood, mesquite and creosote, sequester carbon di- oxide, reducing the carbon that otherwise fuels climate change. "Any activity that re- duces desert plants, from unrestricted off- road vehicles to industrial scale solar devel- opment, reduces the ecosystem benefits that those desert plants provide." Renewable Energy and the L.A. Connection O n the jeep tour, Levine talks about the valley's many windmills, solar panels and geothermal plants. But Barrows points out that even green energy brings environ- mental costs. "e desert is where entrepreneurs are most actively prospecting for sites to generate that energy," he says. Conservation planners must balance diverse needs: those of energy producers, conservationists, tourists, and the native plant and animal populations. "People living in L.A. love the beaches, the mountains and the desert as a means to escape and reconnect with nature," Barrows says. "ose millions of visitors to the desert every year need places to go—campgrounds, hiking trails and scenic drives. Places to enjoy unparalleled vis- tas, wildflowers and wildlife. ey don't want those vistas marred by industrial-scale energy facilities or charred landscapes." L.A.'s infamous smog also affects the valley. It flows into the desert, where it falls onto this arid landscape in the form of nitrogen oxides. "ose compounds are essentially a fertilizer," Barrows says, which encourages non-native grasses to in- vade and flourish. "ose grasses then fuel wildfires in habitats that otherwise have little or no ecolog- ical relationship to fire, and so no adaptations to respond and regenerate aer fires occur," Barrows says. "It can take centuries to recreate the natural desert plant and animal communities aer fire." What Can You Do? If the desert is so fragile, should you even visit? Definitely. But in a mindful way. • See the desert by foot or bike, rather than ATV. • Learn about endangered desert animals large and small, from the bighorn sheep down to the desert pupfish, fringe-toed lizard (pictured top right) and Casey's June beetle. • Stay in hotels that take green measures, such as one of the four Marriotts in the Coachella Valley or the Hyatt Regency Indian Wells Resort. Desert Adventures Red Jeep Tours http://red-jeep.com/ Santa Rosa & San Jacinto National Monumenthttp: www.fs.usda.gov/detail/sbnf/aboutforest/districts/?cid=fsb- dev7_007801 Big Wheel Tours http://bwbtours.com/tours/ Photo top: Robert E. Lovich june/july 2016 31