Patch NewsEnvironmental organizations are blasting a last-ditch effort by the Trump administration to open up millions of acres in the Southern California desert to mining, energy development and broadband infrastructure, a move activists say would be catastrophic to desert wildlife populations."The drastic reduction in conservation lands, including wildlife corridors, together with the increased development contemplated by this amendment, would reduce and fragment habitat to catastrophic effect, including the potential loss of species such as desert tortoise, desert bighorn sheep and Joshua trees," Mojave Desert Land Trust Executive Director Geary Hund said.Click here to read the full article.