For now, the state is counting on voluntary cuts among vegetable and pecan farmers. But that might not be enough.
Drought
Posted inJuly 2026: Lost in the Weeds
Canelo Hills ladies’-tresses grow only in the Southwest’s vanishing ciénegas. Can they be rooted there again?
Scientists restore an endangered orchid to Arizona’s desert wetland.
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The Deschutes River goes to the water-rich few during drought. Farmers are paying the price
A century-old Oregon water law lets one wealthy region turn the desert green while water-starved ag fallows commercial crops.
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Heat waves increase the West’s wildfire risk
A new study found that 42% all the area burned by Western fires had occurred during or right after a heat wave.
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Glen Canyon Dam dances with deadpool
Megadrought on the Colorado River has put the dam in a precarious position.
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Can resistance stop a massive data center next to the Great Salt Lake?
Utah has become the latest front in a high-stakes fight to build the infrastructure powering the A.I. boom.
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Ted Turner owned vast swaths of Western land. What happens to them now?
The media mogul had a lifelong commitment to endangered species, ecotourism and supporting rural agriculture.
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Nukes and AI require 1.4 million gallons of water a day at New Mexico lab
In a state that’s already short on the resource, Los Alamos National Laboratory expects to double water use.
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Emergency plans for the Colorado River buy time, not solutions
The federal government ordered Flaming Gorge water released and cuts to Lake Powell releases, to prevent collapse.
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The ramifications of record-shattering heat on the West’s ecosystems
‘It was the worst possible way to end the winter that was already worse than normal.’
Posted inMay 2026: Pinecone Cowboys
The West’s snow drought meant record dryness — but also record flooding
From the Cascades to the San Juans, the nearly snowless winter wasn’t the same everywhere.
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Why intentional fires can still be safe during this dry spring
Land managers are finding pockets of cool, wet conditions, allowing them to safely reduce future fire risk.
Posted inMarch 2026: The Uncertainty of Farming in the Colorado River Basin
A shrinking Colorado River is forcing farms to change
From low-flow nozzles to baling hay at night, see how farmers are adapting to less water.
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The Colorado River rift abides
States’ stalemate persists as Lake Powell races toward de facto deadpool.
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The farther the walk, the fatter the deer, study finds
New research shows the importance of intact migration pathways for Wyoming deer.
Posted inJanuary 2026: Deep Time in the West
How pronghorn outran the ice age
Can they outrun an uncertain climate future?
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Skimpy snow makes life worse for skiers — and everyone else
The sport may seem selfish, but it reminds us why good snowpack matters.
Posted inDecember 2025: Wild Harvest
The wealthy profit from public lands, and taxpayers pick up the tab
Roughly two-thirds of grazing on Bureau of Land Management land is controlled by just 10% of permit holders.
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Why Colorado River negotiations are so difficult
Basin states have had 2 years to figure out how to share the shrinking river. Will they get there before the feds step in?
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Phoenix subdivision builds move ahead, despite water concerns
The first crack in the area’s suspension on new housing that relies on groundwater appears.