Southwestern Deserts
Rainbow over desert plain. Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California.
Having grown up largely in the Great Basin, I have always had a fondness for the simplicity and solitude of the Southwestern deserts. These areas of wilderness are, like wilderness everywhere, threatened by ongoing human development and population growth that takes no notice of critical resource constraints: in these regions, the scarcity of water is the most obvious of these. In many cases, once thriving riparian microhabitats have been decimated by drastically lowered water tables--the consequence of human exploitation of regional aquifers at a pace far beyond what precipitation can replenish. Another plague in these arid regions are the thoughtless hoards of off-road-vehicle enthusiasts who see little more than a great sand box for their amusement, doing enormous damage.
In recent years, the desert's problems have grown to include a more sympathetic group--illegal immigrants coursing across the Mexican border in search of a better life. Despite the danger to their own lives, these immigrants have crossed in the millions in recent years--reflecting geopolitical and economic imbalances, and a disingenuous government immigration policy that pretends to care about the problem while refusing to enforce relevant labor laws, this in the service of large agricultural and industrial interests that depend upon these immigrants to pad their profit margins. With U.S. policy creating such incentives, it is difficult to see how the mass immigration can be controlled. The immigrants are exploited by U.S. companies and interests, rather than aided by any far-sighted policy that might improve prospects in their home countries. And there are serious environmental consequences. In addition to the resulting massive population growth--which, in the United States more than in any other country on Earth, corresponds with an enormous additional stream of consumption and waste--this influx leaves the Southern deserts trampled, littered and seriously damaged. This should not be read as a diatribe against immigration (being married to a legal immigrant, I could hardly be opposed to immigration per se): it is merely a recognition of facts, of consequences, that ought not to be silenced in the name of political correctness. The mass-movement of human populations, especially in a chaotic, uncontrolled manner, has deleterious consequences for migrants and for the environment alike. We owe the issue honesty, at the very least. It is also imperative that the blame be placed where it belongs--not on would-be immigrants seeking to better their lives, but on the government policies that create the driving imbalances of wealth and opportunity, and on the private business interests that exploit that disparity for their own economic gain.
Despite these challenges, the deserts continue to offer critical habitat, solitude, and great beauty. Exhibiting some of the most unique geology in the world, and supporting an amazing variety of life, these places deserve greater protection.
Joel Curzon.
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