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Catch up on your Land Desk reading

Jonathan P. Thompson
May 5, 2021
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Clouds loom over Mesa Verde, Ute Mountain, and the White Mesa uranium mill. April 2021. Jonathan P. Thompson photo.

I know that it can be overwhelming to receive three, word- and info-packed newsletters every week—more if there’s some sort of breaking news—so I wanted to give y’all, and me, a little pause in which to catch up on things. Even the most devoted readers sometimes slide past a Land Desk dispatch, thinking they’re going to read it later, but then forget. To find the ones you’ve missed, just go to the archives and scroll on down the list (if you didn’t read my piece about an ill-fated backpacking trip, check it out).

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And then there are the free-riders (you know who you are), who only get the free dispatches, but remain woefully unaware of the premium content they’re missing. A few recent examples of what non-subscribers have missed:

  • Context (and maybe a little rage and heartbreak) on the desecration of the Birthing Rock petroglyph panel near Moab.

  • A very packed, and contextualized, news roundup and analysis on Biden’s pick to lead the BLM, California’s “fracking ban,” amazing photos of Glen Canyon, and more.

  • And a thoughtful essay on “The Rise of the Land-healing Industry.”

And, coming up, for subscribers only:

  • Dust, snow, and diminishing albedo: An essay about spring dust storms and the way they are messing with ecosystems and water supplies—as well as the role humans have in exacerbating them.

  • Methane: A series of posts—scattered about temporally, so as not to overwhelm—delving deeply into the issue of the potent greenhouse gas; the oil and gas industry; abandoned wells; maps of methane pipeline leaks; the electrify-everything craze; lots of data; and even a crazy effort to capture stray methane and use it to mine cryptocurrency.

  • Dams, dams, and more dams… You may have thought the dam-building era had ended, but now, even as Glen Canyon and Hoover become obsolete, a flurry of new dam-building (on a much smaller scale) is on the drawing block for the West.

  • And the important news affecting the lands and communities of the Western U.S.—in context.

So sign up now, support independent journalism, keep this venture going, and never miss out on another Land Desk dispatch. It’s only $6/month or $60/year (two free months!). Better yet, donate $100+ and become a Land Desk Founding Member, which will give you all of the benefits of a yearly subscription, plus you’ll receive a signed copy of Sagebrush Empire: How a Remote Utah County Became the Battlefront of American Public Lands, a Land Desk t-shirt or tote bag, and a groovy sticker (all of which will be shipped in August, when the book is released).

Be a Land Desk Founding Member

***

Okay, it is a pause day, but we couldn’t let this one slide. Like most national media outlets, the New York Times ran a piece on the fatal bear attack near Durango, which, like most stories, was a rewrite of the Colorado Parks and Wildlife press releases. But unlike other stories, the Times’ description of where the attack happened was straight out of bizarro world:

Uhhh…. wait. First off, Trimble is not a town, it’s a vaguely defined place marked by a road (Trimble Lane) and a hot springs. Second, the attack took place about 38 miles south of Telluride. Third, and most important, the attack took place just a few miles outside of Durango, which is a much larger town than Telluride. Oy.

Twitter avatar for @Land_DeskThe Land Desk @Land_Desk
Oh, come on, @nytimes !? This is so wrong: A. The bear attack took place a few miles from Durango, a bigger town the Telluride; B. It was about 40 miles south of Telluride, not 100. C. Trimble is not a town. Oy. If you’re not going to hire local journos, at least look at a map!
Image

May 3rd 2021

14 Retweets92 Likes
Twitter avatar for @maeamy_coAmy Maestas @maeamy_co
@Land_Desk @nytimes When I read this this morning, I was enraged. But for professional reasons, I held off on my dunk. I can't help but think Telluride was the place marker because NYT's white affluent readers know what it is but not Durango.

May 3rd 2021

13 Likes

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