A Q&A with Caroline Tracey about her new book, which documents the plight of one of our most unusual ecosystems.
Rivers & Lakes
Posted inMarch 2026: The Uncertainty of Farming in the Colorado River Basin
How Montana tribes are using sovereignty to restore their waterways
‘We live at the backbone of the world, where the water begins.’
Posted inArticles
The coming failure of Glen Canyon Dam
As Colorado River negotiations build toward a Feb. 14 deadline, few are talking about design flaws in the dam that holds back Lake Powell.
Posted inArticles
‘We’re basically slitting our own throat’: Montana rolls back water-quality standards
The EPA approved Montana’s weaker standards for nutrient pollution during the government shutdown.
Posted inArticles
Water across the West at risk as Trump targets national monuments
A new study found that about 83% of water passing through public lands uses monument designation for its only protection.
Posted inArticles
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?
Posted inArticles
‘It’s a story of hope’: Reflections on undamming the Klamath
A Q&A with Amy Bowers Cordalis about her new book on the multigenerational effort towards dam removal.
Posted inOctober 2025: Limits to Growth
Inventing habitats
Reconciliation means meeting a landscape on its own terms.
Posted inOctober 2025: Limits to Growth
Inventando hábitats
La reconciliación significa encontrarse con un paisaje en sus propios términos
Posted inSeptember 2025: Who Controls Our Food?
The joyful responsibility of cutting fish
My favorite job reminds me that working together is everything.
Posted inSeptember 2025: Who Controls Our Food?
The Rio Grande’s pecan problem
How Big Ag is threatening New Mexico’s water supply.
Posted inAugust 2025: Fire Culture
Flow like the San Juan
If western rivers have been recognized as legal persons, they must be queer and disabled persons.
Posted inArticles
Supreme Court puts Utah’s oil train back on the rails
The 8-0 decision overturned the U.S. Court of Appeals decision that the project’s environmental impact statement was insufficient.
Posted inJune 2025: The Promised Land
As Trump comes after research, Forest Service scientists keep working
Scientists describe how they’re preparing for the upcoming field season despite the challenges.
Posted inArticles
Massive pipeline spill seeps toward Colorado’s Animas River
23,000 gallons of gasoline leaked on the Southern Ute reservation in December.
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 inMarch 2025: The Berry Pickers
As the Great Salt Lake recedes, industry rises
Utah’s Inland Port Authority works with local officials to boost development, but residents feel ignored.
Posted inMarch 2025: The Berry Pickers
‘Rights of nature’ laws take root in the West
Thanks to voters in Everett, Washington, the Snohomish River watershed now has legal standing.
Posted inMarch 2025: The Berry Pickers
A renewable diesel plant may put the Columbia River at risk
Farmers, tribes and environmental advocates in rural Oregon raise alarms about the empty promises of biofuels.
Posted inArticles
2024’s biggest conservation wins for the West
There were glimmers of good news across the region, from restored habitats to growing wildlife populations.