Writer John Fleck wants us to abandon our dried-up narratives of doom.
Drought
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How to drought-proof California’s farms
Three years into its most severe drought in over a thousand years, it’s unclear how much longer California can continue growing half of the nation’s produce. The crisis confronting Big Ag and family farmers alike may signal the end of agriculture as it’s currently practiced. But it need not spell doom for farming altogether: On […]
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Hopes high for a ‘Super’ El Niño
The weather phenomenon could bring rain but also mudslides and drought to the different regions of the West.
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Dispatch from Valley Fire evacuation camp in California
State officials are calling the Lake County blaze one of the fastest-moving fires in memory.
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Drought on the Pacific Crest Trail offers harsh lessons
We had barely covered the first 10 miles of trail, hiking north from the California-Mexico border, when my hiking partner, Flash, and I found the first Pacific Crest Trail casualty. A man in his 20s, face flushed red from heat, watched us approach with clear embarrassment. He sat in a small patch of shade next […]
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Mapping fish die-offs in warming waters
Help High Country News identify trouble spots for West Coast fish runs.
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What we’ve lost in the Methow Valley wildfires
Three firefighters have died as fires continue to rip through Washington.
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Scientists strengthen link between climate change and drought
How much of California’s dry spell can be traced to climate change?
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Wild Science: Migratory birds on the Great Salt Lake
Scientists explore how phalaropes respond to less water and increased salinity.
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California drought renews push for water storage projects
A long-standing proposal to enlarge Shasta Dam gets a boost from the Bureau of Reclamation.
Posted inAugust 3, 2015: Outflanked
Wilderness vs. mining, Roundup research and Western prisons
Hcn.org news in brief.
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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.
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Drought damages trees’ ability to store carbon
How long-term forest health is compromised years after dry-spells.
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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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Whitewater parks: an unlikely drought bailout
Expensive artificial wave features can ease dry times for river economies.
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Drought bill aims to build dams to alleviate water shortages
Despite the drought, agriculture in California is in better shape than you might think.
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How the California drought exacerbates water contamination
This rural community couldn’t drink the water, even if they had it.
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Hot times usher in early Northwest wildfire season
While Oregon and Washington broil, the Southwest and Southern Rockies enjoy a welcome reprieve of moisture
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Mapping drought’s impact on electricity generation
Natural gas, wind and solar fill some of the hydropower deficit in California.
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Lake Mead watch: As the Colorado dries up, will tourism?
What dropping water levels could mean for the region’s recreation economy.