Mission

Ash Meadows and the greater Amargosa Basin face many threats - our flights provided the aerial perspective to county officials, USFWS officials, conservationists, Tribal leaders, media, and filmmakers to increase stakeholder support for the proposed 270,000 acre Amargosa Basin mineral withdrawal.

Check out Amargosa Conservancy's Blog - Hanging in the air: Meditations on an aerial journey over the Amargosa River

We flew over the Amargosa Basin, a vast stretch of desert that creates vital habitat connectivity between Death Valley National Park and Mojave National Preserve. The life-sustaining Amargosa River, from its headwaters north of Beatty, NV, flows largely underground and drains into Badwater Basin, the lowest point in the US. We flew over a section of the river that is designated as Wild and Scenic, a rarity for an intermittent desert waterway.

The basin is rich in cultural and natural resources. The area contains historic footpaths of the Timbisha-Shoshone and Southern Paiute people, wagon routes of the Mormon Trail, old railroad beds, mining roads, and off-road recreation routes. In the extremely hot and dry habitat, the river supports a variety of plants and animals and over 26 endemic species. Many of these species live in the Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, one of the first RAMSAR Wetlands of International Importance designated in the US.

Our flight explored the beautiful Ash Meadows Wildlife Refuge and other gems like the Atwood Preserve. These preserves protect critical species and biodiversity and represent huge wins for the local ecosystems and communities. However, nearby energy and mineral development still threaten these ecosystems, sacred Tribal lands, and vital groundwater.

From the air, we examined proposed lithium developments, threats of open-pit mining, and solar energy expansions that must be carefully managed to balance ecological integrity with renewable energy needs. EcoFlight’s flight partners have banded together to push for a more balanced approach to solar energy development in the watershed. Local communities, Tribes, conservationists, and regional government leaders are also rallying for enhanced protections for the Amargosa Basin through a proposed 270,000 acre mineral withdrawal. The mineral withdrawal would prohibit new oil and gas and mining leases for the next twenty years, providing time and opportunity to actuate meaningful long-term protections for this sensitive desert landscape.

EcoFlight is committed to providing the aerial perspective on these large-scale challenges and using our aerial platform to advocate for the diverse and unique Amargosa River Basin.

Click for photos from the flights, geo-referenced photos, audio recordings from the first flight and the second, and aerial footage.