Aerial firefighting is dangerous, expensive and environmentally damaging. So why do we do it?
Is aerial firefighting worth it?
Posted inAugust 3, 2015: Outflanked
Plants that burn fastest in a wildfire
Lichen burns cool and quick, while spruce burns slow and hot.
Posted inAugust 3, 2015: Outflanked
As wildfires get bigger, is there any way to be ready?
After one record-setting wildfire, a Washington county prepares for more.
Posted inAugust 3, 2015: Outflanked
A conservative takes Bundy to task, treasure hunters get trapped and a fool meets a rattlesnake.
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
Posted inArticles
Rants from the Hill: Watching the desert flood
When the ghost rivers rage in Nevada.
Posted inArticles
Climate showdown on the Willamette in Oregon
Activists target shipping hubs to influence fossil fuel development in Alaska.
Posted inArticles
The 2015 fire season hasn’t broken any all-time records — yet
The usually fire-prone Southwest has burned less than the Pacific Northwest, California and Alaska.
Posted inArticles
Interior launches national conversation on federal coal
Should royalties be higher to account for social costs of climate change?
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Drought damages trees’ ability to store carbon
How long-term forest health is compromised years after dry-spells.
Posted inArticles
When pronghorns are a memory and sage-grouse exist only in videos
So, the biology class is called “Life on Earth.” Hilarious, right? Let’s learn about all the extinct animals! After weeks with the boring creepy-crawlies (they’re not extinct! You should see the mosquitoes here, big as birds), we finally got to a great white shark and a bluefin tuna. Did you know the last tuna sold […]
Posted inArticles
KDNK Radio speaks with HCN reporter Sarah Tory
A battle over illegal bike trails in Sedona raises tough questions about soaring recreation use on public lands.
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Ranch Diaries: How to coexist with wild animals
When your livelihood depends on the boundaries you set with the natural world.
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Murkowski unveils energy plan for the nation
Highlights and what it would mean for Western states.
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Freeway closure by flash flood should teach us a lesson
Is it time to diversify the West’s transportation options?
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Colorado’s water plan: an end to mega projects?
The latest draft of the plan sets strict guidelines for approving new diversions over the Rocky Mountains.
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In the middle of nowhere, a Promised Land
A community with environmental sensitivities makes a home in Arizona’s desert.
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Whitewater parks: an unlikely drought bailout
Expensive artificial wave features can ease dry times for river economies.
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A fall from grace in the wrong place
Just as day turned to dusk May 16, 2015, Dean Potter jumped off Taft Point in Yosemite National Park. Graham Hunt jumped right behind him. Both were well-known BASE jumpers. (“BASE” is an acronym that stands for Buildings, Antennas, Spans, i.e., bridges, and Earth, meaning cliffs.) Both men wore wingsuits to help them steer as […]
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Climate-vulnerable pikas may be surprisingly resilient to wildfire
These high-elevation creatures may find insulation in talus fields, according to new research.
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Why all of Indian country is fighting a new Montana oil well
Consider this scenario: One man is hell-bent on drilling for oil through the floor of a church that has stood for generations. This church is part of the social fabric that ties one generation to the next. Thousands of baptisms, marriages and funerals have occurred there. It teaches charity, forgiveness and other values that bind […]