Billions in halted or canceled grants, gutted local offices, market turmoil and broken trust are at stake across the West.
Drought
Posted inArticles
NOAA issues critical drought warnings during cuts to agency
The embattled agency continues to disseminate crucial updates in a hostile political environment.
Posted inArticles
Wildfire … in winter?
Expect more fires like the fast-moving one in Malibu, scientists say.
Posted inArticles
The Biden administration weighs in on Colorado River management
Amid mounting drought, changing federal leadership and stalled state negotiations, new federal proposals aim to chart a forward path.
Posted inDecember 2024: Land as Reparations
2024 was a year of wacky Western weather
When assessing the region, not much was normal but climate change.
Posted inIssues
Fish camp in Alaska – without the fish
Yukon River communities fight to maintain their salmon fishing traditions.
Posted inNovember 2024: The Once and Future Prairie
After half a century, the Apache trout swims off the threatened species list
Arizona’s state fish is doing well but faces a daunting future.
Posted inArticles
Wolverines may return to Colorado
But can they survive in the warming southern Rockies?
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When grasshoppers attack
Is the cure for grasshopper outbreaks worse than the disease?
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Fireworks trigger wildfires. Climate change may increase the risk.
Research found that twice as many wildfires were recorded on July 4 as almost any other day in the West.
Posted inJuly 2024
Wilson’s phalarope to the rescue
A new Endangered Species Act petition could trigger major conservation actions to save the West’s saline lakes.
Posted inJuly 2024
A new documentary confronts water scarcity in the West
In Mirasol: Looking at the Sun, Colorado farmers fight to save their communities.
Posted inJune 2024: The Idea of Wilderness
California’s homelessness and climate crises leave unhoused communities vulnerable to floods
Seeking shelter, people are living in flood control channels and other flood-prone places.
Posted inArticles
Lake Mead’s illegal road network is growing
People have created hundreds of miles of unofficial roads trying to reach the water as levels decline. Federal officials want funds to address the issue.
Posted inArticles
Caminos ilegales alrededor del Lago Mead plantean nuevo peligro para el medio ambiente
La gente ha creado caminos no oficiales para llegar al agua a medida que los niveles disminuyen. Funcionarios quieren fondos para atender el problema.
Posted inArticles
Cattle are drinking the Colorado River dry
Balancing Western water demand and supply will alter the region’s landscape.
Posted inArticles
Disaster disparities in the West
The risk of climate catastrophe is complex, but people of color often face ‘unnatural hazards.’
Posted inJanuary 11, 2024: The Creatures in Our Midst
The Northwestern Shoshone are restoring the Bear River Massacre site
The tribe is reclaiming their gathering place and returning water to the Great Salt Lake.
Posted inArticles
Tending the shoots of possibility
On the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act, a researcher contemplates the future of species we’ve tried to protect.
Posted inDecember 1, 2023: December 2023
Take a toxic tour of the Great Salt Lake
Utah grapples with its future of industry around its dying inland sea.