As year-round skiing in the Pacific Northwest diminishes, what else will be lost?
Articles
Posted inArticles
How to drought-proof California’s farms
Three years into its most severe drought in over a thousand years, it’s unclear how much longer California can continue growing half of the nation’s produce. The crisis confronting Big Ag and family farmers alike may signal the end of agriculture as it’s currently practiced. But it need not spell doom for farming altogether: On […]
Posted inArticles
Pope Francis and Obama make joint appeal for climate action
Pope’s address promises to rile Republicans who deny human connection to climate change.
Posted inArticles
Fracking has a big water footprint, but that’s not the whole story
A new study finds other energy extraction methods have a bigger impact.
Posted inArticles
For Dinosaur National Monument’s 100th birthday, let’s protect more land
We launched our rafts on Colorado’s Yampa River at Deerlodge Park, and ran Little Joe and Big Joe Rapids. On the second afternoon, we pulled into Mathers Hole Camp under an overhung cliff wall that towered 500 feet above us. As I set up my tent, I thought about the 100th birthday of Dinosaur National […]
Posted inArticles
Cue the greater sage grouse lawsuits
With the bird’s non-listing under the Endangered Species Act, expect more of the legal crawl that got us here in the first place.
Posted inArticles
Sage grouse decision demonstrates clout of the Endangered Species Act
On Sept. 22, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service made a landmark decision, declaring that the greater sage grouse, that icon of the Western High Plains, does not warrant federal protection. The chicken-sized bird’s numbers have dwindled from a historic high of perhaps 16 million to about 400,000, as its sagebrush range has been transformed […]
Posted inArticles
Ranch Diaries: Is ranching a form of conservation?
Our cattle can help restore wildlife habitat, reduce fire fuels and sequester carbon, when used creatively.
Posted inArticles
Feds find Santa Barbara pipeline operator violated safety requirements
A look at the Refugio spill and what goes into to preventing and cleaning up oil pipeline spills.
Posted inArticles
A dog comes face to face with the Wild West
This June, I attended my first snake class. It was not a tutorial on snake charming, but rather a training session designed to teach dogs to avoid rattlesnakes. Classes like this take place in many Western states where rattlesnakes slither – from California to Idaho to the Front Range of Colorado, where I live. My […]
Posted inArticles
Advanced Placement history nixes ‘racial superiority’ from Manifest Destiny
Q&A: Historian Amy Greenberg says curriculum revisions miss a major part of the story.
Posted inArticles
Hopes high for a ‘Super’ El Niño
The weather phenomenon could bring rain but also mudslides and drought to the different regions of the West.
Posted inArticles
Mexican wolf restoration hits (another) snag
The feds want to release captive animals to increase genetic diversity in the wild, but New Mexico isn’t having it.
Posted inArticles
Iran deal adds to pain for US oil producers
Experts disagree about how much incremental damage US drillers will suffer.
Posted inArticles
Extinction is taking its course underwater
As children, most of us learned about the passenger pigeons, whose huge flocks darkened America’s skies before they became extinct a century ago. Another lesson came from the buffalo that we did our best to eradicate from the Great Plains. Less understood is what goes on underwater in our lakes, rivers and streams. Now, a new report by Trout Unlimited shows disturbing parallels with […]
Posted inArticles
Dispatch from Valley Fire evacuation camp in California
State officials are calling the Lake County blaze one of the fastest-moving fires in memory.
Posted inArticles
A crude oil export ban primer
All you need to know, and then some, about selling U.S. oil overseas.
Posted inArticles
Oil spill funds race to catch up to rise in rail transportation
Risks shift from coastal facilities and marine vessels to inland pipelines and railways.
Posted inArticles
Are nonprofit models an answer for small ski areas?
As climate and economic challenges mount, some community ski hills find a new path.
Posted inArticles
Mountain bikes on the Colorado Trail leave something to be desired
This summer, I hiked approximately half of the Colorado Trail, from Waterton Canyon to Highway 50 near Salida, covering about 250 miles in 23 days. Overall, it was a good experience, though not a great one. Among the factors limiting my enjoyment were the many road crossings and noise from nearby cars, ATVs and – […]