Maderita - 8-22-2024 at 02:12 PM
Until this year, the northern Sierra de Juárez has experienced only incremental encroachment of civilization south of highway 2 and La Rumorosa. I've
enjoyed wilderness adventure activities of rockclimbing, camping, hiking, horseback riding, and exploration there for 50 years. La Rumorosa's slow
growth inched south of town 2 or 3 miles toward Cerro La Plasta & Cerro Teta de la India. The dirt roads beyond there pass only a few widely
scattered ranches over the next approx. 35 miles to Laguna Hanson.
This year, a 262 miles long natural gas pipeline is being constructed from Sonora to Tijuana. The deep gouge of the trench and accompanying roads
traverse the Laguna Salada desert, up the eastern escarpment, to the wilderness of the northern Sierra de Juárez. Grupo Carso (Carlos Slim) and
Sempra Energy are the developers. I can only speculate that it was cheaper to carve a new path across virgin wilderness than to parallel the existing
highway 2 and aqueduct.
https://www.naturalgasintel.com/news/mexicos-carso-developin...
Natural gas pipeline coming from Mexicali and Sonora. Laguna Salada desert.
Trench and new road across Laguna Salada. View to the west, toward the Sierra de Juárez.
Pipeline scar on the eastern escarpment of the Sierra de Juárez, center of photo.
Gas pipe on the plateau, near Cerro La Plasta & Cerro Teta de la India, south of la Rumorosa. View to the west.
The much bigger threats to wilderness are the wind power projects. The first 5 wind turbine generators (WTG) were installed near La Rumorosa about 14
years ago. Several more have sprung up in the already developed areas north of highway 2. These giants litter the formerly pristine horizon from over
25 miles distant.
For many years, plans to install wind turbines south of La Rumorosa were looming in the future. This month, I was dismayed to discover the intense,
rapid development. Sempra has heavy equipment creating a network of wide roads, while granite outcrops are being blasted to rubble.
The current plan is to install 64 WTGs on the plateau along the eastern escarpment. It is both impressive and disheartening the speed with which
unregulated corporate money can operate. The 64 new wind turbines are expected to be operating next year. Judging by the quick pace that the
wilderness is being torn to shreds over the past month, their timeline seems realistic.
https://www.power-technology.com/projects/cimarron-wind-farm...
Sign directing heavy equipment operators to the wind turbine installation locations.
Numerous warnings and closures. We weren't stopped upon driving to investigate.
Development and destruction of wilderness is permanent. I mourn the loss of the tranquil wilderness that I enjoyed for decades. Now that I have
embarked upon my 70th journey around the sun, I am sad for future generations. They will not be able to have the same experience that we enjoyed.
Sometimes I just have to lament over a campfire and tequila, "We sure had a good run!"
[Edited on 8-25-2024 by BajaNomad]
mtgoat666 - 8-22-2024 at 02:48 PM
The gas pipeline may be for exporting gas via the ensenada LNG terminal.
In the past the first few wind projects in northern baja were built for exporting power to the usa. Operators found it easier, faster, cheaper to
build in mexico.
Not sure about the new wind projects, perhaps those too are for exporting electric to usa.
On the usa side of the border they ruined the mccain valley with a wind project, and the sunrise power link really ruined the east county too. Now
the east county night sky is a million blinking lights on turbines and lattice towers.
Drop down into the imperial valley and there is new blight in the form of PV solar as well as wind towers around ocotillo.
Really ruined the areas. The construction jobs were temporary. The jobs for operating the generators are few. San diego ruined huge swaths of
mountainous wilderness for temporary gain, and very little lont-term benefit for citizens.
[Edited on 8-22-2024 by mtgoat666]
surabi - 8-22-2024 at 06:21 PM
I fail to see how any of this is any different from the "progress" humans have been engaging in forever. Everywhere was once "pristine" and natural
wilderness, including wherever you happen to call home, and all the streets and highways and telephone and electrical lines and shopping malls and gas
stations we all make use of.
[Edited on 8-23-2024 by surabi]
msteve1014 - 8-24-2024 at 03:58 PM
Better to save the area for the pot growers and meth cookers.
surfhat - 8-25-2024 at 11:58 AM
I would have to believe the Mexican pot market is toast and the suppliers are into the harder and much cheaper China 'inspired' drugs which we all
know are killing too many and are not being blamed for.
That not being accounted for is the most troubling factor to this observer.
Is there actually still a Mexican pot market working?
Why is there little outrage for the initial sponsor of Chinese suppliers of fentanyl? Now the cartel doesn't need China.
Grrrrrrr.
chippy - 8-25-2024 at 01:46 PM
There is big market for cheap Mexican dope in Mexico 
. Most Mexican pot
smokers can´t afford the buds from Humbolt/Oregon/B.C.