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Defending the Great Basin

Nevada and Western Utah’s Great Basin and Range Country is a vast region of rugged beauty and dramatic geology. This arid landscape is made up of vibrant but fragile ecosystems and small agrarian communities.

As peaceful and pristine as this country seems, it is at immense risk caught in the maelstrom of an insatiable need for water generated by Las Vegas’s runaway growth. At risk are the rural communities that depend upon the vast regional aquifer for their survival. These same groundwater systems are the lifeblood of the Desert National Wildlife Refuge Complex, the Great Basin National Park, Lake Mead National Recreation Area and the Death Valley National Park.

Working with ranchers, conservationists, urban community health and social justice activist, the Western Environmental Law Center is working hard to protect these valuable lands and the way of life of the communities who depend on them.

White House drops forest appeal: The Bush administration has dropped its appeal of WELC’s 2007 district court victory protecting 193 million acres of national forest lands.
VICTORY! WELC Wins Battle for Off-Road Records: WELC has won a two-year battle to gain access to U.S. Forest Service’s data on the damage caused by off-road vehicles and unmaintained roads on national forests around the West.
Protecting Waters and Communities from Pesticides: In retaliation for our 2001 victory in Headwaters v. Talent Irrigation District, the pesticide industry asked EPA to exempt certain types of aquatic applications and aerial applications of pesticides from the Clean Water Act.
Protecting Public Health and the Environment from Big Dairies: Confined animal feedlots, in this case Big Dairies with over 2,000 cows crammed into pens of a few acres, excrete tremendous amounts of manure (120 lbs/day per cow). WELC is working with several organizations to require the EPA and states to regulate these facilities to protect public health and the environment.
Protecting the Conservation Reserve Program: Without public participation and without reviewing the impacts of its decision the USDA is altering the wonderfully successful Conservation Reserve Program.

WELC Sues Forest Service Over Attempts to Remove Protections for Wildlife Across the Country: WELC files suit on behalf of 14 conservation organizations

Related News: WELC Sues Forest Service Over Attempts to Remove Protections for Wildlife Across the Country; More news...

Also See: Welcome to our Climate Change Center; Staff; Our Work by Region