Nevada conservationists held a webinar to discuss the protection of Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge near the Nevada-California border from proposed mining activities. Mason Voehl, executive director of the Amargosa Conservancy, said the refuge is the largest remaining oasis in the Mojave Desert and is home to at least 26 endemic species. Voehl added that because Ash Meadows is entirely sustained by groundwater, its future depends on how that groundwater is managed in the basin. .
North Carolina is taking action to address environmental injustice, specifically targeting areas disproportionately affected by pollution and climate change. Gov. Roy Cooper signed Executive Order 292 to establish an Environmental Justice Advisory Council, made up of 11 people from state agencies and 11 appointed by the governor. .
Trees in urban areas provide benefits for people, including decreased temperatures and improved air quality, according to new research from Washington state. The Greening Research in Tacoma initiative measured air temperatures across a neighborhood in the city to understand the effects of urban trees. Ailene Ettinger, qualitative ecologist for The Nature Conservancy in Washington and the study s lead author, said temperatures were as much as 18 degrees lower in areas with trees. .