California has launched the Salton Sea Conservancy, its first new conservancy in more than 15 years, in an effort to support long-term habitat restoration while improving air quality around the deteriorating Salton Sea. Located in the desert in Southern California, the inland lake has been shrinking for decades and is now nearly twice as salty as the ocean while contaminated by pollutants including agricultural runoff. ⁠ ⁠ A deposit of geothermal brine beneath the Salton Sea is believed to hold one of the planet’s largest reserves of lithium, the key mineral for producing lithium-ion batteries, and is worth an estimated $500 billion. The lithium could bring jobs to the region and help power electric vehicles, smartphones, and electricity grids while some residents are concerned that lithium extraction would exacerbate environmental issues. I April 29-30, 2026 I Photos by Mario Tama mario_tama I #GettyImages #SaltonSea⁠