Desert Survivors

05/28/2026

Good news if you like birds or you’re a map geek.

Exciting news for desert bird and habitat conservation!

After years of collaboration among USGS, the University of Arizona, Wildlands Network, and the Sonoran Joint Venture, a new high-resolution transboundary vegetation community map has been completed for Bird Conservation Region 33, covering large portions of the Sonoran and Mojave Deserts across the U.S.–Mexico border.

This 30-meter resolution binational land cover map is the first known dataset of its kind for this region, using a consistent classification system across both countries. The map identifies 152 land cover classes across more than 38 million hectares, providing an important new tool for conservation planning, habitat restoration, and recovery efforts for migratory birds and other species.

The interactive map and report will help partners, land managers, and researchers better understand vegetation communities across this vulnerable desert region and support cross-border conservation work.

Many partners and contributors made this effort possible, including Dr. Pamela Nagler, Dr. Kamel Didan, Dr. Armando Barreto-Munoz, Myles Traphagen, Madeline Melichar, Eduardo Jiménez Hernández, Dr. Daniel Bunting, and the many graduate students, post-docs, and collaborators involved.

This work was funded in part by the Science Support Partnership Program, a nationwide collaboration supported by the USGS Ecosystems Mission Area, through which USGS and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service staff address priority research needs identified by FWS.

Explore the resources:
Full report: https://iris.fws.gov/APPS/ServCat/Reference/Profile/178257
Interactive map: University of Arizona VIP Research Lab
https://vip.arizona.edu/viplab_data_explorer.php?id=LCM_BCR33

05/23/2026

Gateway to Death Valley.

Have you ever seen in the world’s tallest thermometer? What do you think they should do with this piece of property?

A famous roadside attraction outside Las Vegas is up for sale

05/16/2026

Easter may be over but bunnies are still an important topic. These little one need are help.

BREAKING: WWP and WildEarth Guardians and Earthjustice are fighting for the little guys. The world's smallest rabbit, in fact.

Across the American West, pygmy rabbits are losing the sagebrush landscapes they depend on to livestock grazing, oil and gas drilling, invasive species, catastrophic wildfire, and accelerating climate change. Now, even after acknowledging two years ago that Endangered Species Act protections for the tiny rabbit may be warranted, the Trump administration is refusing to act.

These rabbits, about the size of a soda can, now occupy an estimated 10% of their historic range. In parts of Idaho devastated by wildfire, surveys found “no pygmy rabbits… and no active burrows” remaining after the habitat burned. And yet, the federal government has already indicated it does not plan to complete a listing decision until 2028, four years past the deadline required by law.

We cannot allow that. Read more: https://westernwatersheds.org/2026/05/conservation-groups-sue-trump-administration-to-protect-worlds-smallest-bunnies/

Photo by © Morgan Heim

05/14/2026

Help protect the Oregon desert. Yes there is a desert in Oregon.

The McDermitt Caldera is a thriving ecological haven in southeastern Oregon. These public lands are one of the most important expanses of intact sagebrush in the West, providing critical habitat for pronghorn, greater sage-grouse, and Lahontan cutthroat trout and holding significant cultural value.

Now, all of this is at risk. The federal government has approved a mining exploration plan that paves the way for the largest mine in Oregon.

The plan would allow Jindalee Lithium, a transnational corporation, to drill 168 holes, build 21.5 miles of new roads, and pump 18,000 gallons of groundwater daily. This would permanently degrade nearly 7,200 acres of public lands in the caldera, devastating imperiled wildlife and local communities.

Read our latest blog to learn more about the wildlife that depends on this breathtaking landscape, the native communities that cherish these sacred lands, and everything we risk losing if industrial mining comes to eastern Oregon’s public lands: ONDA.org/what-we-risk-losing/

Then, take action by signing our petition to protect the McDermitt Caldera from this threat by next Friday, May 15: ONDA.secure.nonprofitsoapbox.com/defend-mcdermitt-caldera

Photo: John Aylward

05/13/2026

We would like to wish Sir David Attenborough a happy 100th birthday and thank you for bringing the natural world to so many people.

05/11/2026

There is lots to see both day and night in the desert. Go out at dusk and look up. When all the bird have gone to bed except for owls and nighthawks it’s time to find our only flying mammal.

Sorry, Rocky the flying squirrel doesn’t count.

05/09/2026

Fish in the desert?
Part two. Devil’s Hole pupfish.

The Devils Hole pupfish, a critically-endangered species and an icon of conservation, ekes out a precarious existence in Death Valley National Park. There, in the scorching desert, guarded by fences and video surveillance, this fish swims around in a sunken fishbowl made of rock that's been its only natural home for millennia.

About a year ago, the population abruptly dropped to just 20 fish. Wildlife managers were so alarmed that, for the first time ever, they decided to release some pupfish that they'd been breeding in a huge tank for over a decade as a kind of insurance policy. They started by putting 19 captive-bred fish into Devils Hole, and later added about 50 more.

This spring, biologists saw 77 fish swimming around in the hole. "We're breathing a lot easier at 77 than 20," says Olin Feuerbacher, a biologist with the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service who manages the backup fish population in captivity.

But the move to augment the population in the wild happened so quickly — in part because of uncertainty about massive federal layoffs and a looming government shutdown — that the lab didn't take genetic samples from the first batch of captive-raised pupfish released into Devils Hole.

🔗 Hear the full story: https://tinyurl.com/4mvfzta2
✍️ Nell Greenfieldboyce | NPR

05/08/2026

Fish in the desert? We’re not talking about pup fish, either.

Trout, you say?

If you’re in the Tahoe area on May 20, then grab a brew and watch the documentary.

Join for a screening of The Desert Trout, a powerful short documentary exploring the fight to save Nevada’s native Lahontan cutthroat trout.

05/06/2026

Learn more about Great Basin National Park and how it became a national park. All from the comfort of your couch.

Join us for the inside story behind Great Basin National Park’s designation - where political resolve and decades of hard work by dedicated individuals turned an unlikely vision into a national treasure. Hear from important players who helped make the dream of the Park a reality. This webinar is p...

05/04/2026

This is tragic. Advocate for more wildlife crossings and drive like a tortoise.

We are deeply saddened to hear of the death of a mountain lion trying to cross State Route 62 in the California desert. The death adds renewed urgency to a state-funded project led by MDLT to design two wildlife crossings over this busy highway. The lion was struck by a vehicle while moving from the San Bernardino Mountains side of the highway towards Joshua Tree National Park. The collision happened near one of the proposed crossings on Sunday April 26.
The lion was part of a population listed as a Threatened Evolutionarily Significant Unit under the California Endangered Species Act. Joshua Tree National Park has documented mountain lion activity in numerous locations over the last 20 years (see photo), with the most frequent being in the vicinity of the proposed wildlife crossings. Directing megafauna away from roads reduces the danger posed to people - in some instances, crossings have reduced wildlife-vehicle collisions by up to 90%.
In February, California’s Wildlife Conservation Board awarded MDLT with grant funding for the planning phase of two wildlife crossings. We urgently need to complete the planning of these wildlife crossings so we can help re-establish the natural movement of animals across the land, reduce dangerous wildlife-vehicle collisions, and strengthen the health of the ecosystems that sustain us.

Read our full press release.
https://www.mdlt.org/press-releases/mountain-lion-death-underscores-need-for-desert-wildlife-crossings