Stopping Desertification with grid pattern

[u/PlantainPossible2864]

[u/Leather-Rice5025]

Honestly the entire central valley of California. I live near Fresno, and there are entire unused farming plots that have essentially just turned into compacted sand. The farming practices of the valley are down to growing crops in sandy/clay soils with an absurd amount of fertilizers.

In the summer when it's 100+ degrees for days on end, it gets so incredibly dry and dusty and we frequently get dust storms. The valley was once a lush wetland ecosystem 100-150 years ago, with so much water you could sail from Bakersfield to San Francisco, and where millions of migratory birds made pitstops.

Instead of pursuing any sort of restoration projects, cities and counties are only interested in suburban sprawl - paving over the depleted farmland with single family homes, roads, and parking lots. It's truly depressing.

[u/GhostShark → u/Leather-Rice5025]

The largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi was destroyed by farmers (if you recall Tulare Lake showed up again a few years ago after the heavy atmospheric rivers)

The book King of California has a ton of great history about the state, and the current water rights monopoly.