FOREST SERVICE CONFRONTS WILDERNESS LOVED TO DEATH
—Brian Calvert, editor-in-chief of High Country News, speaking on the West Obsessed podcast, “Finding our way through the Anthropocene.”
WILDFIRE SEASON BY THE NUMBERS
6.4: Millions of acres burned in wildfires in the U.S. by mid-August. This larger-than-normal fire season (recent mid-August average is 4.7 million acres) kicked off with grassfires in places like the Great Basin, eastern Montana and Southern California.
56: Number of large fires actively burning in the U.S. as of press time. Oregon —
where 17 large fires are burning — Alaska and Montana have the greatest amount of acreage on fire.
1: Number of large active wildfires that aren’t in the West. (There’s one in Florida.)
164: Percent of average snowpack in California’s Sierra Nevada this winter. While that was good news for delaying the start of large timber fires, it resulted in an abundance of what firefighters call “fine fuels” — grasses and small brush —
which fed the early-season fires, allowing flames to cover a lot of ground.
20,000: Number of people — including firefighters and support personnel — who are battling large fires as of press time.
84: Percent of wildfires in the U.S. caused by humans. –Emily Benson
Data from the National Interagency Fire Center, the California Department of Water Resources, the National Interagency Coordination Center, and Balch et al., doi: 10.1073 pnas.1617394114.
200,000: Approximate number of acres of lithium claims staked by corporations in the Paradox Basin, which spans much of southeastern Utah and spreads into neighboring states. With demand for lithium expected to more than double by 2025, due in large part to the projected growth of the market for electric vehicles and e-bikes, the search is on for a domestic source. –Rebecca Worby
“Any additional precipitation
is not going to fill the gaps.”
—F. Adnan Akyüz, North Dakota state climatologist and a professor at North Dakota State University, speaking about the “flash drought” that hit the Great Plains this spring, reducing yields for some crops by half. See a slideshow, with photographs by Andrew Cullen.
HISTORY TELLS US TRUMP IS DOOMED
After President Donald Trump sympathized with “alt-right” hate groups following the violent protests in Charlottesville, Virginia, he lost his ability to govern, Mark Trahant argues in an opinion piece. A look at history shows us that Trump is the latest in string of political and public figures who have fumbled their handling of racial tensions. Trahant says the questions now are “How fast will the Trump administration crumble? When will people resign in good conscience? How quickly will Congress act to limit or remove some executive powers?” –Mark Trahant/Trahant Reports
Mike Turek: “It’s not just Trump. The Republican Party has been courting racists since (Barry) Goldwater was a leader in the Senate against civil rights legislation.”
Robbie Emmet: “There were so many things during his election that should have ended his campaign, but didn’t. I think we’re stuck with him.”
Rob Shander: “The Republicans took the House, the Senate, the Supreme Court, the White House and the governor races in the states. Just because the left and the colluding media can cry the loudest doesn’t mean everyone else shares your opinions.”
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline From our website.
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