Dolan Springs environmental community

The dry climate, clean air and low EMF radiation levels of Dolan Springs, Arizona, has attracted a community of people with MCS and EHS.

Keywords:

Dolan Springs, Arizona, multiple chemical sensitivity, electrical hypersensitivity, MCS, EHS, housing, healthy home, community

Dolan Springs is a small town located in northwestern Arizona. There is no agriculture, mining, industry or traffic in the area, and the nearest real forest is hundreds of miles away. The air quality is exceptionally good, with little man-made pollution or smoke from forest fires, though there is fine dust in the air year round. Some people heat their houses with firewood, which can be a problem to the neighbors.

Like most rural desert areas, there is much less pollen in the air than in areas with more rain. But there is still a pollen season, which is February through June, where various bushes pollinate. In the hot season, some bushes also evaporate terpenes, which are noxious to some people. The main culprit is the creosote bush (which does not contain any creosote, it just looks and smells burnt).

Dolan Springs may have the best air quality and the least pollen of the Arizona environmental communities, but it is still individual which place works the best.

The electrical system in the area is “delta”, which is not used many places. The delta system means there are virtually no ground currents (below 0.001 milligauss/0.1 nT).

There are some transmitters on a hill just east of town and a large transmission tower about seven miles north of town.

The EI community

Most EIs live in the rural areas some miles east of town, along the road to Meadview, where the electropollution is very low and houses are scattered.

The individual house lots are 1¼ acre, which is small enough that toxic drift from the neighbors can be a problem. Many of the EIs have bought adjacent lots to create more buffers to neighbors. In some parts of the area, most of the lots are vacant, creating dispersed housing.

About half of the EI houses are specially built, while the other half are converted houses.

Mt. Mitten with Joshua trees (which are not trees).

Recreation

The area is very beautiful, with stark mountains, majestic Joshua trees and the nearby Lake Mead. Other scenic places in the area include the Grand Canyon, the Valley of Fire and many other places.

Outdoor enthusiasts will find the area offers much opportunity for hiking, swimming, boating and fishing.

The artist community in nearby Chloride is worth a visit to gawk at the sculptures in people’s yards.

The Fort Mohave tribe hosts an annual Pow Wow festival in late February. It is held in the tribal Avi event center by the Colorado river.

Dolan Springs celebrates the annual Dolan Days festival in September, with a small parade and various activities.

The cities of Las Vegas and Laughlin offer more fancy entertainment of many kinds, though not outdoors.

Shopping

Las Vegas is reachable on day trips and offers world class shopping. Some people go to Las Vegas several times a month, but it is not necessary, even when living on an all-organic diet. Organic foods are also available in Kingman, as well as by mail order from Phoenix. The Azure organic food co-op delivers monthly to Kingman.

Climate

Dolan is located at the eastern end of the Mojave Desert, with an annual rainfall of about 8 inches (200 mm). Most rain falls in February and April, with little summer rain that tends to arrive by brief but heavy thunderstorms.

The winters are pleasant with nightly lows typically around freezing in January, with daytime temperatures in the fifties or sixties. The sun shines almost every day from a clear sky.

The summers last from May through October and are generally hot, with daytime temperatures above 90 degrees five months of the year. Summer nights are hot as well. The temperature can vary 30 degrees (15ºC) between day and night, especially during spring and fall.

The hot and dry climate limits the vegetation to desert plants. It is rare for homes to have a lawn, as it would require a lot of water.

Critters

The area has a lot of poisonous rattlesnakes, scorpions, spiders, beetles and centipedes. They are probably no more dangerous than the traffic of a big city, but it’s an adjustment for city folks to live with these critters. Just don’t go barefoot in your house at night and don’t stick your hands into any place you can’t see. If you do get stung, get a doctor to suck the venom out or provide an antidote.

Communication

There are cell phone and landline services in all inhabited areas. A fiber-optic trunk line runs along the main road, and DSL internet service is available in most settled areas.

Medical Care

There are no MCS/EHS specialists in the area. Some people have tried the Nevada Clinic in Las Vegas.

The nearest hospital is in Kingman.

There are a couple of general practitioner physicians in Dolan.

Alternative medical practitioners are very few in the area. There is world-class alternative health care in Sedona and Prescott, which are 4-5 hours’ drive away.

The drawbacks

One of the drawbacks to living in Dolan Springs is the long trek to shopping in Kingman (45 minutes) or Las Vegas (70 minutes). The unsophisticated neighbors and general poverty may be disturbing to some. The MCS community consists of about a dozen people and many of its members are not very outgoing, so it may be very isolating to live there.

Another drawback is the long hot summer. Air conditioning or a swamp cooler are a necessity.

The very deep water table makes wells very expensive, so many houses have cisterns and water is delivered by tanker truck. Some people haul their own water with a trailer.

Visiting Dolan Springs

The best times to visit are spring and fall, when it is not so hot.

There is no EI-safe lodging in Dolan. The rustic Shep’s Inn in Chloride is an old adobe building, with one room held in the original style without carpeting. That may be acceptable.

For campers, there is a small, private campground in Chloride. Their back lot has few campers, as there are no RV hookups. EIs have stayed there before. Rustic camping is available in a variety of places, such as at Pearce Ferry, Gregg’s Hideout and any public land (BLM).

For more information

More information about the Arizona environmental (MCS/EHS) communities is available on www.eiwellspring.org/arizonalocal.html.