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Patrick Donnelly

@bitterwaterblue.bsky.social

1.9K followers 310 following 160 posts

Coming to you from a remote outpost on the edge of Death Valley. Great Basin director, Center for Biological Diversity & CBD Action Fund. Groundwater and endemic species. "Reviled for Refusal to Stick to Decorum." http://linktr.ee/bitterwaterblue

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Patrick Donnelly @bitterwaterblue.bsky.social · 7d

My latest newsletter just dropped. The grand Greenlink plan string wires all across rural Nevada has hit some snags...
sageandsand.substack.com/p/sage-and-s...

Sage and Sand: NV Energy's Greenlink Debacle

Nevada’s Monopoly Utility Is Screwing the Pooch on Transmission, And We'll Take It

sageandsand.substack.com

Patrick Donnelly @bitterwaterblue.bsky.social · 7d

Our Tecopa weather station came in at a dismal 1.98" this water year, about 56% of normal. If we have another bad winter we could be looking at effects as grim as the drought of 21-22. Fingers crossed that predictions are wrong and this winter is a deluge.

Patrick Donnelly @bitterwaterblue.bsky.social · 8d

October 1st, Happy New Water Year to all those who celebrate.

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Patrick Donnelly @bitterwaterblue.bsky.social · 8d

You know that water is a damn ice cube

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Patrick Donnelly @bitterwaterblue.bsky.social · 11d

Great Basin National Park:
The sublime beauty of an aspen stand in autumn; the horror of widespread conifer die-off.

The forests are telling us something. Will we listen?

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Patrick Donnelly @bitterwaterblue.bsky.social · 12d

Climate folks who trivialize or disregard the threat of lithium battery fires look both foolish and hopelessly out of touch with the realities and perceptions of normal people.

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Patrick Donnelly @bitterwaterblue.bsky.social · 19d

Nothing around these parts to speak of. We only got 0.18".

Patrick Donnelly @bitterwaterblue.bsky.social · 22d

*lose water

Patrick Donnelly @bitterwaterblue.bsky.social · 22d

Check out the latest edition of my newsletter, Sage and Sand. Today, I confront myths about the Endangered Species Act. Do fish getting listed mean that farmers use water? The answers will surprise you.
open.substack.com/pub/sageands...

Sage and Sand: Fish Tales

Debunking myths about the Endangered Species Act, fish, and water in Nevada

open.substack.com

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Patrick Donnelly @bitterwaterblue.bsky.social · 24d

Thanks. I offered some clarification in this article: thenevadaindependent.com/article/cent...

Central Nevada farmers, conservationist square off in battle between water and a rare fish - The Nevada Independent

Central Nevada farmers, conservationist square off in battle between water and a rare fish. Read more from The Nevada Independent.

thenevadaindependent.com

Patrick Donnelly @bitterwaterblue.bsky.social · 27d

After a normal June and August and a mild July, its been a pretty mellow summer in the hottest place on the continent.

I don't doubt we will have some more heat before it's all over, but the weeks on end of 100s-110s and lows in the 80s appear to be past for the year.

Patrick Donnelly @bitterwaterblue.bsky.social · 27d

Wow, 61° this morning here on the edge of Death Valley. Coolest temp we've had here since May. With highs in the low 90s this week, we may be looking at an early exit from the hot season this year, which usually roughly extends to Sept 30.

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Patrick Donnelly @bitterwaterblue.bsky.social · 28d

any response of, "but AI can improve our lives by..." is easily rebutted by two phrases: "don't need it. Don't want it."

Patrick Donnelly @bitterwaterblue.bsky.social · 28d

Best way to ensure that I do not like you and immediately ignore what you say? Proclaim that you're a fan of AI. It's a clear dividing line in the sand. And I know what side I'm on, and it ain't the robots' side.

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Patrick Donnelly @bitterwaterblue.bsky.social · 29d

I wish everyone knew that aquifers in the Western US are almost never giant subterranean swimming pools full of water. They are generally comprised of rock of varying porosity and fracturing. If people understood that they wouldn't make so many dumb proposals treating aquifers like buckets.

Patrick Donnelly @bitterwaterblue.bsky.social · 29d

What is one basic scientific concept from your job that you wish everyone understood?

I'll start in the replies...

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Patrick Donnelly @bitterwaterblue.bsky.social · 29d

You can have my NEPA when you pry it from my cold, dead hands.

Patrick Donnelly @bitterwaterblue.bsky.social · Sep 8

The Sonoyta mud turtle is clinging to existence at the beautiful and deeply imperiled Quitobaquito Spring in Organ Pipe Natl Mon. Border wall construction and groundwater pumping have already harmed it. @biologicaldiversity.org got it protected under the ESA in 2017.
tucson.com/news/local/s...

International effort needed to save 'tough' turtles found in remote Pima County pond

For Star subscribers: It will take international cooperation — and about $1.5 million — to save Arizona's endangered Sonoyta mud turtle.

tucson.com

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Patrick Donnelly @bitterwaterblue.bsky.social · Sep 7

Riley taught me about perseverance, about fortitude, and about when to say, I've had enough. He was a desert warrior, but a gentle soul.
Riley will forever be a desert dog.

Riley Donnelly-Fraga, c. 2010-2025. RIP.

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Patrick Donnelly @bitterwaterblue.bsky.social · Sep 7

One time Riley ate an entire pumpkin pie while we were out hiking, no shit. He laid on the floor with a distended stomach like a cartoon mouse who just ate all the cheese.

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Patrick Donnelly @bitterwaterblue.bsky.social · Sep 7

Oh yeah, he and Kelso were best buds. They spent several years together, then several years apart, then during Riley's last couple of years they were reunited.

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Patrick Donnelly @bitterwaterblue.bsky.social · Sep 7

He also knew how to relax, whether kicking back in the hammock at home; busking on the banks of the San Rafael River (Emory County, UT); chilling on la playa in San Carlos (Sonora, Mex.); or hanging out in the grass with his best bud Kelso.

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Patrick Donnelly @bitterwaterblue.bsky.social · Sep 7

He also did love a good wildflower bloom, and he saw a good many of them. 2016, 2019, and 2023 were all notably good flower years that he spent exploring our home here on the edge of Death Valley.

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Patrick Donnelly @bitterwaterblue.bsky.social · Sep 7

And like any true desert rat, he sure did love a good swim. You've never seen a happier dog than when he'd jump in the Owens River (Mono County, CA); or Washoe Lake (Washoe County, NV); or the Paria River (Kane County, UT); or of course our beloved Amargosa River in our home Shoshone, CA.

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Patrick Donnelly @bitterwaterblue.bsky.social · Sep 7

Riley loved sand dunes - it was maybe his favorite place to visit in the desert, especially with Naomi. Pictured here at Ibex Dunes (Death Valley NP, CA); Clayton Valley Dunes (Esmeralda County, NV); Sand Mountain (Churchill County, NV); and Desert Valley Dunes (Lincoln County, NV).

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