‘It was the worst possible way to end the winter that was already worse than normal.’
Scientific research
Posted inArticles
How New Mexico is ‘building a forest’ by solving a seedling shortage
A Q&A with the New Mexico Reforestation Center director about what it takes to replant a burn scar post-wildfire.
Posted inApril 2026: Inside the Attack on Public Lands
Wildfires transform soil, turning a nutrient into poisonous chromium-6
New research shows how severe blazes create a carcinogen and how long it might persist.
Posted inArticles
Why mycorrhizal fungi networks need more protection
Scientists say the West’s hidden biodiversity warrants more attention.
Posted inApril 2026: Inside the Attack on Public Lands
How I learned to stop worrying and love flies
These underdogs of the animal world have superhero-like powers. Why don’t we appreciate them more?
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.
Posted inApril 2026: Inside the Attack on Public Lands
The Trump administration sent Greater Yellowstone into chaos. What’s next?
The region survived a year of deep cuts and layoffs. Here’s who is picking up the pieces.
Posted inArticles
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 inArticles
Utah’s new study aims to kill ‘as many cougars as possible’
Critics say the state’s attempt to boost ungulate populations lacks scientific grounding and transparency.
Posted inArticles
The West’s heatwave ‘virtually impossible without climate change’
Climate researchers found the region’s extreme weather is caused primarily by the burning of fossil fuels.
Posted inArticles
The BLM wants to ramp up logging. Oregonians aren’t so sure.
People are grappling with the agency’s notice that signals a significant increase in timber harvesting across 2.5 million acres.
Posted inMarch 2026: The Uncertainty of Farming in the Colorado River Basin
Wildlife loves Wyoming’s ‘Golden Triangle.’ So do oil companies
How Trump’s oil-and-gas agenda threatens a critical, and little-known, ecosystem.
Posted inArticles
How federal cuts are reshaping Alaska’s communities, research and species management
A former U.S. Geological Survey research scientist reflects on the Trump administration’s sweeping changes in the agency.
Posted inMarch 2026: The Uncertainty of Farming in the Colorado River Basin
Coyotes and cougars and rats, oh my!
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
Posted inMarch 2026: The Uncertainty of Farming in the Colorado River Basin
As a caribou herd crashed, wildlife managers turned to killing predators
The controversial culling program reveals the messy politics behind reviving a struggling Alaska herd.
Posted inArticles
The farther the walk, the fatter the deer, study finds
New research shows the importance of intact migration pathways for Wyoming deer.
Posted inArticles
Trump’s EPA decided climate change doesn’t endanger public health. Evidence says otherwise.
Extreme heat, severe weather and air pollution are proven to cause negative health impacts.
Posted inFebruary 2026: The Recording Artists
What’s needed to protect sage grouse?
The Burns Paiute and Shoshone-Bannock tribes are proving that reducing grazing may be the key to saving the iconic bird.
Posted inFebruary 2026: The Recording Artists
Wise-guy wolves, trekking in drag, talented tarantulas and Bigfoot takes a bow
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
Posted inFebruary 2026: The Recording Artists
Where giant kangaroo rats — and other critters — thrive
Thanks to concerted conservation, California’s Carrizo Plain is once again home to rare wildlife.