In the heart of the Amargosa Valley, the Amargosa River quietly winds its way through the hottest and driest desert in North America. Though invisible on most maps, this rare desert river is nothing short of miraculous. To the rural communities that call the Amargosa Valley home, it is essential.
As elsewhere in the Southwest, and especially in the Mojave Desert, water is the lifeblood of our communities. But due to the unique geology of the Amargosa Valley, the benefits the Amargosa River provides to our communities are fragile. That is why the proposed Amargosa Valley “mineral withdrawal” is a necessity, both to protect against immediate threats and to secure our future.
This initiative seeks to withdraw approximately 309,000 acres of public land in the Amargosa Valley from mineral exploration and new mining, with valid existing mining rights and operations remaining intact. While mineral extraction has played a role in the history of our region, the stakes today are far too high. The pressure on our water resources has never been greater. New mining in this fragile area would pose a significant risk of depleting, diverting and contaminating the Amargosa River, which is already stretched to its limits.
The communities of the Amargosa Valley have lived in the shadow of resource extraction for decades. And yet, this time is different. The threat of widespread mining and renewable energy development has united us, as it must. Our communities are rallying behind this proposal because we understand that water transcends boundaries, ideologies and political divides. Without water, there is no agriculture, no economy, no wildlife and no future.
The Amargosa River’s reach is astonishing. For our rural towns, the river is the source of drinking water, irrigation for crop and a draw for ecotourism, which is an increasingly vital part of our local economy. Without the river, Amargosa Valley and our neighboring communities will become ghost towns.
The river also feeds Ash Meadows, an incredible desert oasis that is prized by locals, sought after by visitors from around the world and home to 26 species of plants and animals found nowhere else on Earth. It helps maintain the delicate balance of Death Valley’s ecosystems, where even the smallest disruption can have cascading effects. These interconnected concerns have forged an unprecedented coalition: local governments and federal agencies, conservationists and tribes, scientists and small-business owners. We are all standing together, urging the Department of the Interior to act swiftly and decisively by withdrawing these lands from new mineral exploration.
The stakes could not be clearer. Protecting the Amargosa Valley through this mineral withdrawal is not just an act of good stewardship, it is an act of common sense, of community survival. We cannot afford to wait. Every delay puts this fragile system and my town closer to irreversible harm.
President Donald Trump’s Interior Department has the power to make this vision a reality. By finalizing the proposed Amargosa Valley mineral withdrawal, they can help ensure that current and future generations of Nevadans that cherish their rural way of life can continue to not just survive, but prosper.
Let’s leave a legacy that proves we understand the value of both our natural resources and of the storied and unique rural communities like mine that are part of the fabric of the American West. Time is of the essence. Our community is calling for help, and we look to our leaders to answer.
Carolyn Allen is the chair of the Amargosa Valley Town Board.
