Reintroduction of the marine mammals may restore coastal ecosystems but also threatens shellfish industries and tribal self-governance.
Returning sea otters to Oregon could revive kelp forests
Posted inArticles
Alaska environmentalists disappointed by Inflation Reduction Act compromise
The bill includes historic investments in climate programs — and expands oil and gas leasing in Alaska’s Cook Inlet.
Posted inArticles
What’s it like to live in a tourist town with no tourists?
After the floods, Yellowstone gateway communities are grappling with what comes next.
Posted inOctober 1, 2022: Making Refuge
Workers report feeling unsafe at Nevada’s largest gold-mining corporation
After a controversial merger put the company in the hands of Barrick Gold Corp, employees say the shift has incentivized production over worker safety.
Posted inArticles
Wildfire kills Klamath fish: ‘Everything that’s in there is dead.’
Landslides of ash have poisoned tens of thousands of fish in the already-imperiled river.
Posted inArticles
Protecting a vulnerable great blue heron rookery
Despite recreation pressures, a Colorado community comes together to preserve the wildness of the place they live in.
Posted inArticles
Record rainfall, bears and French toast at Anchorage’s new city-sanctioned homeless encampment
A network of mutual aid organizers provides meals and supplies for people experiencing homelessness.
Posted inArticles
A new investigation reveals depth of skewed policing in Siskiyou County
A staggering percentage of stops by county deputies targeted Asian-American residents.
Posted inArticles
Botanists find one of ‘the world’s worst weeds’ spreading in the Boise foothills
Cogongrass is the latest of a fast-growing number of invasive plants threatening Idaho’s fire-prone rangelands.
Posted inArticles
Can a major wildfire and drought package get through Congress?
As the West burns, a bill aiming to prevent fires, bump firefighter’s pay and protect water resources passes the House.
Posted inArticles
Climate game changer? Or fossil fuel giveaway?
A break down of the Inflation Reduction Act.
Posted inArticles
The monsoon can’t save us
An unusually rainy Southwest summer is welcome — but much more is needed to end the water crisis.
Posted inArticles
A new biography resurrects a Western conservation writer
Bernard DeVoto’s work has fallen into obscurity, but the land remembers his legacy.
Posted inArticles
Alaska’s Willow Project promises huge amounts of oil — and huge environmental impacts
Residents in nearby Nuiqsut worry that oil and gas development is ‘too fast and too much.’
Posted inArticles
Scientists unravel the origins of the Southwest’s monsoon
But just as their understanding of the phenomena becomes mores clear, it’s starting to disappear.
Posted inAugust 1, 2022: Our Fiery Future
The fires below
The world’s least understood ignition source is causing devastating wildfires across Montana’s Powder River Basin.
Posted inAugust 1, 2022: Our Fiery Future
How to rebuild in a time of endless fire
Okanogan County, Washington, had hardly recovered from the last devastating wildfire when the next one struck.
Posted inAugust 1, 2022: Our Fiery Future
The West’s forever fire season
How climate change makes wildfire more likely to happen all year round.
Posted inAugust 1, 2022: Our Fiery Future
Fish at heart; man as island; port-a-potty convo
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.