Jonathan Thompson at the Land Desk
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landdesk.bsky.social
Jonathan Thompson at the Land Desk
@landdesk.bsky.social
810 followers 240 following 46 posts
journalist, editor, trail runner, cyclist, runs the Land Desk newsletter covering lands and communities of the Western U.S.-Four Corners Region.
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Reposted by Jonathan Thompson at the Land Desk
sammyroth.bsky.social
Et tu, Cisco? Developer looks to turn Utah "ghost town" into "our town." www.landdesk.org/p/et-tu-cisc... via @landdesk.bsky.social
Et tu, Cisco? Developer looks to turn Utah "ghost town" into "our town."
Plus: Surfing and gentrifying the desert; Parting shots
www.landdesk.org
November 7, 2025 at 7:01 AM
Reposted by Jonathan Thompson at the Land Desk
gbtking.bsky.social
"If Trump really cared about energy dominance, independence or abundance, he would use all of the tools at his disposal to 'win' this war." -- @landdesk.bsky.social w/more great thought-provoking words for @highcountrynews.org www.hcn.org/articles/the...
The nation’s energy dominance falters - High Country News
Trump is killing clean energy, and it’s not even helping fossil fuels.
www.hcn.org
October 30, 2025 at 3:31 PM
landdesk.bsky.social
There once was a time, believe it or not, that Republicans and ranchers lobbied for more wilderness. My piece on the Weminuche Wilderness at 50 www.landdesk.org/p/the-weminu...
The Weminuche Wilderness at 50 -- and a way forward for public lands
The creation of Colorado's wilderness area was remarkably nonpartisan
www.landdesk.org
October 29, 2025 at 3:21 PM
landdesk.bsky.social
The river outlets at Glen Canyon Dam were operating today. Not sure why, but it sure looks cool.
October 19, 2025 at 2:37 AM
Reposted by Jonathan Thompson at the Land Desk
coyotegulch.bsky.social
I was wrong about Trump, okay!?
www.landdesk.org/p/i-was-wron...
I was wrong about Trump, okay!?
But I was right about "governance by spite."
www.landdesk.org
October 14, 2025 at 11:59 AM
Reposted by Jonathan Thompson at the Land Desk
stressrelated.bsky.social
The San Juan River at Pagosa Springs is at major flood level again this morning.
gjt.nws-bot.us Alerts from NWS Grand Junction CO (UNOFFICIAL) @gjt.nws-bot.us · Oct 14
🚨 Flood Warning issued October 14 at 4:31AM MDT until October 14 at 9:10PM MDT by NWS Grand Junction CO 🚨
Additional Details Here.
...Observed flooding changed to Major severity and increased in duration for the following rivers in Colorado... San Juan River at Pagosa Springs affecting Archuleta County. For the San Juan River...including Pagosa Springs...Moderate flooding is forecast. * WHAT...Major flooding is occurring and moderate flooding is forecast. * WHERE...San Juan River at Pagosa Springs. * WHEN...Until late this evening. * IMPACTS...At 11.0 feet, water will approach the area around the River Center shopping complex in Pagosa Springs. Inundation of sections of Hermosa Street and low land areas adjacent to the river can be expected. At 12.4 feet, portions of the San Juan River Campground east of Pagosa Springs are beginning to flood. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS... - At 4:00 AM MDT Tuesday the stage was 12.6 feet. - Bankfull stage is 8.5 feet. - Recent Activity...The maximum river stage in the 24 hours ending at 4:00 AM MDT Tuesday was 12.6 feet. - Forecast...The river is expected to fall below flood stage early this afternoon. - Flood stage is 10.5 feet. - Flood History...This crest compares to a previous crest of 13.5 feet on 06/29/1927. - http://www.weather.gov/safety/flood
October 14, 2025 at 12:43 PM
Reposted by Jonathan Thompson at the Land Desk
vivarioarriba.bsky.social
Our ranch in NW Rio Arriba County, NM went fm Abnormally Dry in October 2024 right past Moderate and Severe to Extreme Drought in September 2025...

why this doesn't galvanize every farmer/rancher into climate action is beyond me.

They should read Jonathan Thompson @landdesk.bsky.social like I do.
October 8, 2025 at 2:20 PM
landdesk.bsky.social
It kind of makes you wonder: Is this new wave of nuclear reactors solving the data center energy demand problem? Or are data centers’ energy-gobbling habits "solving" the nuclear reactors’ cost and feasibility problems? www.landdesk.org/p/are-nukes-...
Are nukes the solution to the data center problem?
Or are data centers the solution to the nuclear reactor infeasibility problem?
www.landdesk.org
October 2, 2025 at 6:17 AM
Reposted by Jonathan Thompson at the Land Desk
sammyroth.bsky.social
Big Tech invades Nevada's power grid (and desert) www.landdesk.org/p/big-tech-i... via @landdesk.bsky.social
Big Tech invades Nevada's power grid (and desert)
Data Center Watch; Trump Ticker; Messing with Maps
www.landdesk.org
September 24, 2025 at 3:31 PM
Reposted by Jonathan Thompson at the Land Desk
radleybalko.bsky.social
One pretty foolproof way to know your government is fascist is when your government tries to punish you for calling it fascist.
September 16, 2025 at 5:45 PM
landdesk.bsky.social
A team of Colorado River experts urges users to slash consumption ASAP to avoid a crisis. www.landdesk.org/p/experts-sl...
Experts: Slash Colorado River consumption ASAP to avoid crisis
Wacky Weather Watch: Tornadoes in Utah; no fruit in Capitol Reef
www.landdesk.org
September 17, 2025 at 6:32 AM
Reposted by Jonathan Thompson at the Land Desk
sammyroth.bsky.social
“Where the hell is the concern about federal overreach now?” www.landdesk.org/p/where-are-... via @landdesk.bsky.social
Where are the anti-tyranny, federal overreach folks when you need them?
🤯 Annals of Inanity 🤡
www.landdesk.org
September 10, 2025 at 1:08 AM
Reposted by Jonathan Thompson at the Land Desk
westernlaw.org
🌶️ You can’t grow chile without clean water. In Rio Arriba County, aging oil & gas wells threaten to poison what sustains us: land, water, and legacy. Op-ed from @vivarioarriba.bsky.social on why modernizing bonding will help make #NMPol safer and cleaner.

www.santafenewmexican.com/opinion/my_v...
We are ranchers in Rio Arriba County. This is a place where land is heritage, where the native grass roots run deep into the soil, and community roots run just as deep. It’s where our family and neighbors raise livestock, grow crops, and live by the principles of care, conservation and reciprocity. None of it is possible without clean, dependable water. But that water is at risk. Aging oil and gas wells dot the landscape across New Mexico and many sit unplugged and deteriorating. These wells leak and vent harmful, even toxic, gasses like methane and benzene into our air, and they threaten to contaminate the very aquifers that hold the clean water that nourishes our land, wildlife and families. Here’s the hard truth: Oil and gas corporations are not required to set aside nearly enough money to clean up the mess they leave when the wells are no longer making them money. They are allowed to post a small bond and then many just walk away, leaving the real cleanup bill to us, the public. If we don’t act now to protect our water, we’re not just threatening ranching and farming. We are threatening the cultural lifeways of rural New Mexico. The Oil Conservation Commission has a chance right now to fix this. New bonding rules must ensure that oil and gas corporations pay up front for the true cost of cleanup. The full cost so the burden doesn’t fall on rural families, tribal communities and working lands. This land gave us everything. We can’t pass down poisoned land and call it a legacy. We must protect what we’ve inherited. We must demand accountability from those who profit from our natural resources.
September 2, 2025 at 7:41 PM
Reposted by Jonathan Thompson at the Land Desk
sammyroth.bsky.social
I also talked with Western environmental journalist Jonathan P. Thompson, author of the @landdesk.bsky.social newsletter, for this week's Boiling Point podcast. Great conversation about the Colorado River, coal plants and national parks. Listen in: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
The Colorado Plateau at a Crossroads
Podcast Episode · Boiling Point · 08/14/2025 · 39m
podcasts.apple.com
August 14, 2025 at 4:22 PM
Reposted by Jonathan Thompson at the Land Desk
riogranderift.bsky.social
Appreciate @landdesk.bsky.social covering the transition from fossil fuels to renewables -- oh, wait, I mean efforts to extend the life of antiquated coal-fired power plants & build new fossil methane pipelines to meet growing power demand from energy-intensive data centers.
Screenshot of text from article linked in first post reading: "The coal-burning extension is part of the state’s largest utility’s plan to shift its climate goal from becoming zero carbon by 2050 to carbon neutral. While that sounds like a mere semantic switch, its on-the-ground effects will be significant. Along with the coal plant news, APS and the state’s other largest utilities are going in on a new natural gas pipeline from the Permian Basin so it can increase fossil fuel generation rather than pivoting entirely to solar, wind, battery energy storage, and other carbon-free sources. APS officials say the shift is necessary to meet growing power demand. While population growth and increasingly hot temperatures play a role in the ever-larger load on the grid, the crop of new energy-intensive data centers sprouting in the Phoenix area is a principle driver. The utility is also likely reacting to the Trump administration’s fondness for fossil fuels and disdain for renewables."
August 12, 2025 at 3:27 PM
Reposted by Jonathan Thompson at the Land Desk
justingerdes.bsky.social
"Interior Department has gone even further with a new order that threatens to kill all new renewable power development on federal lands." - @landdesk.bsky.social writing about the Interior Department's new "capacity density" order: www.landdesk.org/p/trumps-war... 🔌💡
Trump's war on energy
If we're in an energy emergency, why kill the cleanest, best, and fastest growing sources?
www.landdesk.org
August 5, 2025 at 11:31 PM
Reposted by Jonathan Thompson at the Land Desk
volts.wtf
Morons.
atrupar.com Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · Jul 31
Burgum: "When the sun goes down, you have a catastrophic failure called sunset and there's no solar energy produced, and yet we're subsidizing these things that are intermittent, unreliable, and expensive. We've gotta get back to base load."
July 31, 2025 at 4:35 PM
Reposted by Jonathan Thompson at the Land Desk
coyotegulch.bsky.social
No, there is not plenty of water for data centers
www.landdesk.org/p/no-there-i...
No, there is not plenty of water for data centers
And, yes, we should worry about it, along with the facilities' power use
www.landdesk.org
July 30, 2025 at 11:56 AM
Reposted by Jonathan Thompson at the Land Desk
fkearns.bsky.social
The West’s data centers suck (water and power). Lots of great information and visualizations here from @landdesk.bsky.social ‪@highcountrynews.org‬ www.hcn.org/issues/57-8/...
The West's data centers suck (water and power) - High Country News
From simple searches to chatGPT, the big digital buildup threatens the grid and water supplies.
www.hcn.org
July 28, 2025 at 7:48 PM
Reposted by Jonathan Thompson at the Land Desk
coyotegulch.bsky.social
The #RioGrande has gone dry in Albuquerque -- John Fleck (InkStain.net) coyotegulch.blog/2025/07/16/t...
July 16, 2025 at 11:54 AM
landdesk.bsky.social
In which I compare the Colorado River Compact to an inherited potato farm. www.landdesk.org/p/colorado-r...
Colorado River users come to their senses?
A supply-driven plan is on the table, but many sticky details remain up in the air
www.landdesk.org
July 16, 2025 at 9:59 AM
Reposted by Jonathan Thompson at the Land Desk
zakpodmore.bsky.social
@landdesk.bsky.social explains the Colorado River Compact of 1922 open.substack.com/pub/landdesk...
July 15, 2025 at 3:05 PM
landdesk.bsky.social
Kanab, Utah, used to be an out of the way, podunk town best known as a center of the Sagebrush Rebellion. Now it’s getting overrun by high-end luxury resorts and gated communities — despite the lack of water. www.landdesk.org/p/as-the-col...
As the Colorado River shrinks, desert towns grow
Kanab gets a bunch of new development, Imperial Irrigation District scoffs at farmland solar
www.landdesk.org
July 8, 2025 at 6:03 PM
Reposted by Jonathan Thompson at the Land Desk
marisakabas.bsky.social
These people are Nazis. I know that's well-understood by many people at this point, but not enough. They are Nazis and we need to keep saying it.
nikkimcr.bsky.social Nikki McCann Ramírez @nikkimcr.bsky.social · Jun 30
Karoline Leavitt indicates the administration is open to a denaturalization-oriented investigation against Zohran Mamdani
June 30, 2025 at 6:19 PM
landdesk.bsky.social
Sen. Mike Lee pulls his public land sell-off bill after serious backlash. That's what happens when you try to hand Americans' land to developers.
June 29, 2025 at 4:23 AM