But can they survive in the warming southern Rockies?
Drought
Posted inArticles
When grasshoppers attack
Is the cure for grasshopper outbreaks worse than the disease?
Posted inArticles
Fireworks trigger wildfires. Climate change may increase the risk.
Research found that twice as many wildfires were recorded on July 4 as almost any other day in the West.
Posted inJuly 2024
Wilson’s phalarope to the rescue
A new Endangered Species Act petition could trigger major conservation actions to save the West’s saline lakes.
Posted inJuly 2024
A new documentary confronts water scarcity in the West
In Mirasol: Looking at the Sun, Colorado farmers fight to save their communities.
Posted inJune 2024: The Idea of Wilderness
California’s homelessness and climate crises leave unhoused communities vulnerable to floods
Seeking shelter, people are living in flood control channels and other flood-prone places.
Posted inArticles
Lake Mead’s illegal road network is growing
People have created hundreds of miles of unofficial roads trying to reach the water as levels decline. Federal officials want funds to address the issue.
Posted inArticles
Caminos ilegales alrededor del Lago Mead plantean nuevo peligro para el medio ambiente
La gente ha creado caminos no oficiales para llegar al agua a medida que los niveles disminuyen. Funcionarios quieren fondos para atender el problema.
Posted inArticles
Cattle are drinking the Colorado River dry
Balancing Western water demand and supply will alter the region’s landscape.
Posted inArticles
Disaster disparities in the West
The risk of climate catastrophe is complex, but people of color often face ‘unnatural hazards.’
Posted inJanuary 11, 2024: The Creatures in Our Midst
The Northwestern Shoshone are restoring the Bear River Massacre site
The tribe is reclaiming their gathering place and returning water to the Great Salt Lake.
Posted inArticles
Tending the shoots of possibility
On the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act, a researcher contemplates the future of species we’ve tried to protect.
Posted inDecember 1, 2023: December 2023
Take a toxic tour of the Great Salt Lake
Utah grapples with its future of industry around its dying inland sea.
Posted inNovember 1, 2023: November 1, 2023
California’s Central Valley chinook are getting lost on their way home
The culprit is a tactic designed to save them – one that could decrease the species’ resilience in the long run.
Posted inArticles
What the fed’s new proposal for management of Colorado River reservoirs means
Lake Powell and Lake Mead remain historically low, but modeling shows risk of crisis levels has lessened over the next three years.
Posted inNovember 1, 2023: November 1, 2023
How Green River celebrates its melon farmers
Thousands turn out for Melon Days, but the future looks uncertain.
Posted inArticles
The National Park Service’s efforts to protect Quitobaquito Springs almost destroyed it
‘Indigenous presence is vital to the stewardship of the land.’
Posted inArticles
Public lands had a roller coaster month
Rounding up the Biden administration’s ups and downs on land policy.
Posted inArticles
People are starting a lot of fires in the Pacific Northwest
The Forest Service reports 197 human-caused or undetermined starts since the beginning of June.
Posted inAugust 1, 2023: In the Line of Fire
In the Utah desert, can golf justify itself?
The struggle for water is straining St. George, Utah, where golf – and grass – are sacred cows.