Conservation organizations nominated a high-value Mojave Desert habitat for protection to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), requesting the establishment of a 58,000-acre Cactus Springs Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC) located just north of Cactus Springs, Nevada, in the Indian Springs Valley northwest of Las Vegas. The region has been described by the US Fish and Wildlife Service as the “most critical desert tortoise connectivity corridor in Nevada.”

This part of the Mojave Desert is viewed as a very important wildlife corridor for the federally threatened Mojave desert tortoise. Wildlife corridors link habitats which provide opportunities for breeding and genetic viability. Habitat connectivity is defined as the degree to which the landscape facilitates or impedes animal movement and other ecological processes. This is especially important to mitigate the impacts of climate change on this declining species. Both the Indian Springs Valley and Mercury Valley provide a link from the North Las Vegas Valley to Amargosa Valley and Pahrump Valley. Most of the land to the south is heavily urbanized by Las Vegas, Nevada. The Fish and Wildlife Service has determined that the desert tortoise has seen a 37 percent decline in population throughout its range.

Left: Mapped out Priority One Desert Tortoise Connectivity Habitat with the Bonanza Solar project overlayed on top.

The site also contains important habitat for other significant Mojave Desert species such as the Mojave yucca, Gila monster, burrowing owl, American badger, and the rare Parish’s club cholla—which is found on a limited range in Nevada and California. The region averages over 60 cacti and yuccas per acre. Big galleta grass, a staple food for the desert tortoise is abundant in local washes this year after significant rain. The proposed ACEC would also protect the fragile riparian habitat of Cactus Springs located on BLM lands. Cactus Springs is a unique small spring mound with non-flowing surface water. Historically there were two or more springs. A dense honey mesquite woodland thrives here with a shallow groundwater table, as well as a stand of cottonwood. The riparian trees and mesquite thickets provide a rare stopover for Neotropical migrant birds during spring and fall.
Phainopeplas – unique desert songbirds with black plumage and a pointed crest – are common here, feasting on the berries of mistletoe.


The ACEC would not close existing roads or routes, nor would it change existing land uses. But it would limit the proliferation of large-scale solar energy projects on habitat. The area is seeing pressure to develop utility-scale solar projects and associated transmission projects on over 12,000 acres of this local habitat.
^Spring mound at Cactus Springs
Three large-scale solar projects have been proposed for the area - Bonanza Solar, Kawich Solar and South Ridge Solar on about 12,000 acres so far.
The push to develop renewable energy and transmission on public lands by the Interior Department is creating a land rush of large-scale energy applications on significant habitat for imperiled species and carbon-sequestering ecosystems. The ACEC is proposed as an alternative to sprawling solar energy projects on these important public lands.

The ACEC nomination can be viewed here 
^Site of the proposed Bonanza Solar Project. The BLM established an Energy Corridor through these two basins. Existing and proposed transmission infrastructure is attracting big solar developers to the region. The project is moving quickly through the BLM review process. The Cactus Springs ACEC Nomination is proposed to be a long-term conservation alternative to proposed solar sprawl.
Left: Rare Parish's club cholla on Bonanza Solar Project site. These cacti should be protected, not bulldozed!


Sample Support Letter to Send to BLM: Below is a letter that can be copied and sent to the BLM in support of the ACEC. The letter can be sent to the BLM Southern Nevada District Manager, Angelita Bulletts at abulletts@blm.gov. It is always good to modify the letter and add your own thoughts. 



Dear Ms. Bullets,

I am writing this letter to ask you to establish a Cactus Springs Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC) as an alternative to the large-scale solar applications that are being proposed for the Indian Springs Valley and Mercury Valley in the Mojave Desert, Nevada. At this point, there are nearly 12,000 acres of solar projects proposed for the region including Bonanza Solar which BLM is reviewing at this time. The ACEC would provide a long-term projection to diverse high desert species, unique wetlands and spectacular view-sheds. The Fish and Wildlife Service has identified the area as being "the most critical desert tortoise connectivity corridor in Southern Nevada". The desert tortoise is protected under the Endangered Species Act and has seen a range-wide decline of 37 percent. Now is the time to keep important identified habitat for the species undeveloped. Nevada contains some of the nation's most valuable public lands and the Cactus Springs ACEC presents a great opportunity to not only protect the desert tortoise, but also additional valuable resources in the area. 

Thank you,

(Your Name and Info Here)