Feds go back and forth on leasing culturally important lands.
Jodi Peterson
Posted inMarch 4, 2019: El Nuevo Movimiento
The last woodland caribou has left the Lower 48
Canadian wildlife officials relocated the sole surviving member of the South Selkirk herd to British Columbia.
Posted inFebruary 18, 2019: Barriers to Entry
Update: Western states move to limit trapping
Caught dogs and imperiled martens spur reforms for fur-bearer trapping.
Posted inFebruary 18, 2019: Barriers to Entry
The West’s monarch migration is disappearing
Fall counts show a 99 percent decline in the butterfly population since the ‘80s.
Posted inFebruary 4, 2019: Nizhoni Girls
Update: Forest thinning won’t stop destructive fires
Fire-proof structures can prevent homes from adding to fuel loads in wildfires.
Posted inArticles
California contemplates water for struggling fish
In an unprecedented move, the state may require upstream users to cut water use to improve water quality in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
Posted inFebruary 4, 2019: Nizhoni Girls
Puget Sound orca pod gains a new member
If the calf survives, it’ll be the first addition in three years.
Posted inJanuary 21, 2019: What Killed Washington's Carbon Tax?
Update: The decline of Western snowpack is real
Data confirms climate model predictions of less snow that melts earlier in the season.
Posted inJanuary 21, 2019: What Killed Washington's Carbon Tax?
Feds to open most of Arctic refuge coastal plain to drilling
Despite ecological harm, energy development moves forward in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Posted inArticles
Update: New law makes it easier to kill salmon-eating sea lions
In the Columbia River, up to 920 sea lions can be removed each year to protect fish.
Posted inArticles
Record number of endangered wolves found dead
The U.S. recovery program for Mexican gray wolves continues to struggle.
Posted inDecember 24, 2018: Good news, bad news
Podcasts that fill the gap
A roundup of our favorite podcasts on stories and analysis of the West.
Posted inArticles
Update: Razorback sucker populations are increasing
The endangered fish seem to be recovering in the San Juan River.
Posted inArticles
Update: Court blocks old-growth logging in Alaska’s Tongass National Forest
Meanwhile, the Trump administration pushes to allow roads and more cutting.
Posted inDecember 10, 2018: Critical Mass
Latest: BLM abandons plan to surgically sterilize wild horses
The agency will focus on increasing adoption of horses and research other methods.
Posted inDecember 10, 2018: Critical Mass
Latest: Top National Park Service climate official resigns
Marcy Rockman cites pressure from agency.
Posted inNovember 26, 2018: Follow the fish
Critics skeptical of mining company’s plans for restoration
Midas Gold hopes to reopen and revitalize an abandoned gold mining site in Idaho.
Posted inNovember 26, 2018: Follow the fish
Latest: Trump’s BLM approves a massive California solar plant
Opponents cite potential harm to desert wildlife, views and sand dunes.
Posted inNovember 12, 2018: Old Wests, and new
New reads for fall
Enjoy a sampling of the season’s best new books.
Posted inNovember 12, 2018: Old Wests, and new
The persistence of place in Western writing
Authors find inspiration in the land, no matter its state.