As fire season gets longer, fire managers scramble to keep up.
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Posted inJuly 20, 2015: Shredded
Can human judgment handle avalanches?
We’re better than ever at understanding the dangers of avalanches. So why can’t we avoid them?
Posted inJuly 20, 2015: Shredded
Illegal bike trails and a Forest Service crackdown divide a town
A biking boom in Sedona, Arizona, forces locals to ask: Is there room for all these people?
Posted inJune 22, 2015: Dust to Dust
Why rare-earth mining in the West is a bust
Forget the hype. In the global rush for energy-critical elements, our region can’t compete.
Posted inJune 8, 2015: Tree of Life
Genetic research lays foundation for bold conservation strategies
To save the greatest number of species, should we focus on the most common?
Posted inMay 25, 2015: Monument Man
John Podesta: Legacy maker
This Washington insider’s ‘hidden hand’ has guided the environmental achievements of presidents for two decades.
Posted inMay 25, 2015: Monument Man
Still quiet at Canyons of the Ancients
Modest increases in visitation and infrastructure since this Colorado monument designation in 2000.
Posted inMay 25, 2015: Monument Man
Controversy lingers at Missouri Breaks in Montana
Ranchers, landowners, environmentalists still disagree over the designation.
Posted inMay 25, 2015: Monument Man
A timeline of the Antiquities Act
The presidential power tool for land conservation since Teddy Roosevelt.
Posted inMay 11, 2015: The Wetland Wars
The Los Angeles wetland wars
Environmentalists saved a wetland from developers a decade ago. Now they’re trying to save it from each other.
Posted inApril 27, 2015: Lost frontier
A defender of North Dakota’s badlands wonders if it’s time to leave
Theodore Roosevelt National Park is not immune to effects of the Bakken oil boom.
Posted inApril 10, 2015: Strangers in a Strange Land
Children in Alaska’s wild country
As parents, we watch our kids walk into vast new worlds — like it or not.
Posted inApril 10, 2015: Strangers in a Strange Land
The West in 72 hours
Asian tourists look for space, spectacles and a decent bowl of noodles.
Posted inMarch 16, 2015: Wild Ride
Lessons from boom and bust in New Mexico
What we can learn from the oil and gas roller coaster ride in Farmington and beyond.
Posted inMarch 16, 2015: Wild Ride
An oil well, by the numbers
A deep dive into drilling, operating and producing.
Posted inMarch 2, 2015: Unite and Conquer
The water czar who reshaped Colorado River politics
Las Vegas’ Pat Mulroy initiated an era of deal-making that may buffer against catastrophic drought.
Posted inFebruary 16, 2015: Chainsaw Diplomacy
Chainsaw diplomacy
In southern Utah’s Escalante watershed, a river restoration group tries to cut through old cultural barriers.
Posted inFebruary 16, 2015: Chainsaw Diplomacy
A recent history of land management in the Escalante region
A monumental tug of war.
Posted inFebruary 2, 2015: This Land is Their Land
Private property blocks access to public lands
Public lands belong to everyone. But private landowners can make it hard to get to them.
Posted inJanuary 12, 2015: What Are We Thinking?
The unusual occupation at Utah’s Book Cliffs
They’re burning mad about climate change. Are you?