Remember a few years back, when everyon'e favorite utility company SDG&E was trying to route the infamous Sunrise Powerlink through Anza Borrego ? Well it was good news for Park lovers when an alternate route was chosen, but unfortunately the approved southern route forever marred many pristine areas of the San Diego backcountry. In addition many so called Green projects, fueled by government subsidies and corporate greed are currently destroying miles upon miles of desert ecosystems. The battle is far from over; grass roots efforts are springing up everywhere to stop the destruction of our natural desert resources. In the me... [More]

Jim Pelley of Ocotillo graciously supplied these photos of the first day of the Ocotillo Express Wind Farm construction. Pattern's Earth Moving equipment has already caused substantial damage to the fragile desert outside of Ocotillo. Crushed Ocotillo plant. Ocotillo plants can live 60 years and there have been reported cases of 100 year old Ocotillo. Unfortunately this one had its' life cut short by Pattern's Earth Moving equipment. Another crushed Ocotillo plant. Good chance this dormant Ocotillo in the foreground won't be standing much longer My favorite part about this picture is the BLM L... [More]

Ocotillo residents are fighting to preserve 12,500 acres of desert habitat from being destroyed. The 465-foot-tall industrial Wind Turbines would be visible for miles. Large numbers of Ocotillo, the beautiful desert plant that gives the tiny desert town its' name will be destroyed. Picture hundreds of 465 foot tall metal wind turbines as far as the eye can see. Funny part was, when we were driving around the proposed project site this past weekend, there was barely a hint of a breeze. Coincidence?   What's at stake if the Ocotillo Wind project goes thru. Following photos were provided by Gidon and were taken from Piedras G... [More]

Ocotillo Express Wind Farm Map In case you had any doubt that the Ocotillo Express Wind Farm is a huge project which will destroy miles and miles of desert habitat take a look at this interactive Google Earth Map. Thanks to Mojave Desert BLOG for the image which I then overlaid in Google Earth. Large Version

 After driving out to Ocotillo to voice my concerns over the proposed Ocotillo express Wind Farm, I came to realize that the  Bureau of Land Management's definition of "public input" was a bit inconsistent with mine. Representatives from the BLM, Imperial County officials and Pattern Energy were all given center stage, but when it came time for Ocotillo residents and others to voice their concerns, the presentation quickly came to an end.  We were told that this was an informational meeting only and comments would only be accepted via email and letters. Personally I think the whole project makes the BLM very uneasy.... [More]

There has been an unprecedented assault on our deserts and backcountry in the name of renewable energy. While the Anza Borrego Desert State Park was spared the bulldozer's blade back in 2008, many so called "green" projects have been popping up all over California. Although these remote solar and wind projects may seem environmentally friendly on the surface, there is a dark side that seems to be ignored by the media. In order to be financially viable, large scale solar and wind projects require thousands of acres of public lands to be scraped clean in order to make room for the dishes or towers. These are areas that have important bio... [More]

In the small desert town of Ocotillo, CA the winds may be changing. Pattern Energy, a San Francisco based energy company is proposing to turn 15,000 acres of public lands bordering the Anza Borrego Desert State Park into a 561 megawatt wind farm with 240 wind turbines. Unfortunately for the small town of Ocotillo and the Imperial Valley, little would be gained as the power would be funneled to San Diego over the infamous Sunrise Powerlink. John Calaway, Pattern Energy director of wind development states that the area would benefit from 400 construction jobs during the two year construction period of the Ocotillo Express Wind Farm. Let me ... [More]