Although most people may not see much importance in a huge chunk of desert named Death Valley, it is actually one of the last remaining large national parks in the U.S. Death Valley, which is the largest national park in the lower 48 states, is now at risk for having new highways built on it that would cut right through the park.
Because of the sheer size of Death Valley, it is one of the few remaining California deserts wherein its populations are protected from the dangers of fragmentation. This kind of environment is especially important in Death Valley because it serves as a home to species whose populations may be in trouble such as the desert tortoise and bighorn sheep.
Furthermore, the overall benefit of laying roads through Death Valley seems very little me. This situation is very similar to the debate taking place over drilling in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Although it may be at the opposite end of the thermometer, the dilemma is very similar. The average person doesn’t see the benefit of protecting what appears to be miles and miles of snow and ice when it can be drilled into to provide oil. However, by taking the smallest shred of effort and researching the topic a little bit, one would quickly realize how important and rare a place like ANWR is…not to mention the fact that the amount of oil there wouldn’t even last us for a year, and that’s at the high end of the estimates.
It seems to me that the only thing additional highways will do is make driving a little more convenient for those who frequently drive in the Death Valley area. However, anyone who is aware of the uniqueness and environmental imporance of a place like Death Valley would say you’d have to be crazy to scar a place like that just to make driving more convenient.
Thankfully, there are many who have come to the aid of Death Valley. Earthjustice, a nonprofit law firm is currently fighting the decision for the roads to be laid. As of now, it is not official that the roads will be built, so all we can do for the time being is wait and hope that people will realize the craziness in what is trying to be done.
A map of Death Valley: http://www.earthjustice.org/assets/subject/objects/dv_map_lores.jpg
http://www.enn.com/net.html?id=1795&ref=rss
