Idea of Dumping L.A. Garbage in Mojave Stinks

If Los Angeles dumps its garbage in the Mojave Desert, “Kaiser Steel’s Comeback Bid” (Oct. 22), the ecological consequences will be horrendous.

The proposed landfill, Kaiser Steel’s massive mine pit near Desert Center, is in the heart of an area rich in wildlife, including the endangered desert tortoise.

The nearby Chuckwalla Bench has been designated an “area of critical environmental concern” by the Bureau of Land Management and is known to be one of the largest breeding grounds of the desert tortoise in the West. The landfill will undoubtedly increase the raven population. Ravens eat young tortoises and are suspected as a major factor in the species’ recent slide toward extinction.

The Kaiser mine is adjacent to Joshua Tree National Monument. If the garbage dump becomes a reality, visitors to the monument can expect an increase in flies and may even have to endure the odors of Los Angeles’ garbage.

The trains hauling the garbage across the desert can be expected to lose a fair amount on their way to the dump and will add to the general decline of one of California’s last wild spaces.

Let’s keep L.A.’s garbage where it belongs--in Los Angeles.

THOMAS GOOD, Phoenix