The Land Desk

The Land Desk

Share this post

The Land Desk
The Land Desk
Lamenting the McElmo effect and loss of irrigation-landscapes in an era of aridification

Lamenting the McElmo effect and loss of irrigation-landscapes in an era of aridification

On the side-effects of necessary water use cuts

Jonathan P. Thompson's avatar
Jonathan P. Thompson
Mar 29, 2024
∙ Paid
9

Share this post

The Land Desk
The Land Desk
Lamenting the McElmo effect and loss of irrigation-landscapes in an era of aridification
13
Share

🥵 Aridification Watch 🐫

Irrigated landscape in McElmo Canyon in the summertime. Jonathan P. Thompson photo.

Last week, on my way from Durango to southeastern Utah to get my sagebrush and slickrock fix, I drove through one of my favorite places anywhere: McElmo Canyon. The evening light, filtered through a series of spring squalls moving across the Grea…

Keep reading with a 7-day free trial

Subscribe to The Land Desk to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in
© 2025 Jonathan P. Thompson
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start writingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture

Share