Sandhill cranes, cattle and the surprising benefits of their coexistence in the West.
Rivers & Lakes
Posted inArticles
Mining protections lapse on one of Oregon’s wildest rivers
The Department of Interior’s failure to extend restrictions exposes the weaknesses of a key environmental law.
Posted inJuly 23, 2018: Pay for Prey
The Colorado, lifeblood and sculptor of an arid West
In a new book, a longtime river-runner invites readers to sit down by the Colorado’s riverside and listen to its stories.
Posted inArticles
Supreme Court to states: Live up to your treaty obligations
Will future courts order states to take down fish-blocking dams?
Posted inJune 25, 2018: Little Weed, Big Problem
An inventory of loss on the Los Angeles River
The city weighs revitalization of an unruly river, since transformed into a concrete ditch.
Posted inArticles
Aspen may stockpile water under its golf course
As climate change looms, towns look to store water without dams.
Posted inJune 11, 2018: Reclaiming the Klamath
How the Yurok Tribe is reclaiming the Klamath River
For the first time, the largest tribe in California has one of its own to lead its legal battles.
Posted inMay 28, 2018: The River of Lost Souls
Below Mount Shasta, a fight burbles over bottled water
Selling water to Nestlé, Crystal Geyser and others could strain aquifers.
Posted inMay 28, 2018: The River of Lost Souls
The dark secrets of the Animas River
A 2015 spill that turned the waterway orange is a reminder of mining’s disastrous legacy.
Posted inJune 11, 2018: Reclaiming the Klamath
Interior revives the push for a higher Shasta Dam
But the state of California and Winnemem Wintu Tribe oppose the project.
Posted inJune 11, 2018: Reclaiming the Klamath
Tribal nations hold some of the best water rights in the West
But to use them, tribes often must negotiate settlements that need federal approval.
Posted inArticles
Colorado says fishing next to private land is trespassing
But that could change on the Arkansas River if a legal decision declares it navigable.
Posted inArticles
The playground of Lake Powell isn’t worth drowned canyons
Before a writer knew the true cost of Glen Canyon Dam, ‘ignorance was bliss.’
Posted inArticles
Arizona agency angers Colorado River users upstream
The spat offers a preview of what water politics could look like in a drier future.
Posted inJune 11, 2018: Reclaiming the Klamath
Climate extremes are putting species in sync – and in danger
Shifts in coastal weather systems could make the West’s species less resilient.
Posted inArticles
The House passes a bill limiting water for salmon
The legislation would override a court ruling calling for more water over dams.
Posted inApril 30, 2018: Celebrity Scofflaw
Latest: Salmon get a boost over Columbia River dams
Court order to help beleaguered fish forces operators to spill more water over dams.
Posted inArticles
Scuba flies
In California’s Mono Lake — whose alkaline waters are deadly to most insects — these diving flies don’t just survive; they thrive.
Posted inArticles
Montana’s only congressman sells public lands short
Recreation-based businesses like canoe guiding rely on continued protection for national monuments.
Posted inMarch 19, 2018: Desert, Divided
Latest: Wyoming to pay up over water dispute
A decade-old case on the Tongue River is resolved.