Jonathan Thompson at the Land Desk
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landdesk.bsky.social
Jonathan Thompson at the Land Desk
@landdesk.bsky.social
journalist, editor, trail runner, cyclist, runs the Land Desk newsletter covering lands and communities of the Western U.S.-Four Corners Region.
Reposted by Jonathan Thompson at the Land Desk
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
"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
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
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
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
The San Juan River at Pagosa Springs is at major flood level again this morning.
🚨 Flood Warning issued October 14 at 4:31AM MDT until October 14 at 9:10PM MDT by NWS Grand Junction CO 🚨
Additional Details Here.
October 14, 2025 at 12:43 PM
Reposted by Jonathan Thompson at the Land Desk
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
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
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
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
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
“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
🌶️ 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...
September 2, 2025 at 7:41 PM
Reposted by Jonathan Thompson at the Land Desk
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
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.
August 12, 2025 at 3:27 PM
Reposted by Jonathan Thompson at the Land Desk
"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
Morons.
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
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
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
The #RioGrande has gone dry in Albuquerque -- John Fleck (InkStain.net) coyotegulch.blog/2025/07/16/t...
July 16, 2025 at 11:54 AM
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
@landdesk.bsky.social explains the Colorado River Compact of 1922 open.substack.com/pub/landdesk...
July 15, 2025 at 3:05 PM
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
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.
Karoline Leavitt indicates the administration is open to a denaturalization-oriented investigation against Zohran Mamdani
June 30, 2025 at 6:19 PM
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