The Ivanpah Valley is one of the Mojave Desert’s fragile but important functioning ecosystems, outstanding cultural resources and spectacular visual treasures.
Ivanpah Valley is a core area of the biologically rich eastern Mojave Desert where biological diversity rivals that of the primeval coastal redwood forests of the Pacific Northwest. It lies at the heart of the Mojave Desert, an area treasured by scientists throughout the world for its unparalleled pristine quality among deserts, and recognized as one of the world’s last functional ecosystems. Ivanpah Valley is a floristic frontier where botanists continue to discover species new to science, and it harbors high concentrations of rare plant species.
Desert tortoise populations in Ivanpah Valley are robust, generally healthy and breeding. Dense populations can be found in both the Nevada and California portions of Ivanpah Valley. Desert tortoises in Ivanpah Valley are genetically distinctive, and constitute a crucial genetic link between populations in Nevada and California. Maintaining important tortoise habitat connectivity in the Ivanpah Valley is something only an ACEC in the Valley can achieve.
The alluvial fans of Ivanpah Valley are highly regarded by Native people for their cultural values. Chemehuevi, Mohave, and Paiute elders say the flats and fans were much used in their tradition, and still are today. Every shrub had a use as a source of medicine, fiber, or food. Ancient trails crossed the fans from village sites across the valley (and some can still be seen today), linking springs, agave roasting pits, inhabited caves, geoglyphs, prayer spots, and deer/bighorn hunting areas on Clark Mountain. The Native body of knowledge of Ivanpah Valley’s cultural geography is extensive, and should be preserved for future generations in an intact cultural landscape.
In 1994, the Mojave National Preserve was established along with the Stateline and North Mesquite Mountains Wilderness areas under the California Desert Protection Act. Later, Nevada would establish the McCullough Range Wilderness Area. The spectacular visual resources of the Ivanpah Valley were part of the justification for establishing the conservation areas.
The Ivanpah Valley is the site of numerous proposals for high-speed rail and air transport, mining, and solar energy development. The biggest demand for the land is for solar energy. The 3,600 acre Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System is now under construction and is expected to displace over 500 desert tortoises and impact approximately 3,000 tortoises in the area. Habitat for 10 rare plants is now being permanently removed; the impacts of the project can be seen from dozens of miles away. Smart alternatives for placing solar energy in the built environment and on degraded lands should be considered before any more development is permitted in Ivanpah Valley.
This campaign has been endorsed by the Desert Tortoise Council and Desert Protective Council.
