Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
California
Posted inFebruary 5, 2018: Caught Between Crises
‘Atmospheric rivers’ aid the West — and imperil it
Improved storm forecasts could help reservoir managers store more water while avoiding floods.
Posted inFebruary 5, 2018: Caught Between Crises
How Trump’s tax bill pits the rich against the poor
We are witnessing a government restructuring and a cultural divide widening.
Posted inArticles
2017 in natural disasters
From massive wildfires to melting ice, the calamities that affected the West this year.
Posted inDecember 25, 2017: Bear Essentials
On grappling with a past shadowed by violence
Two books examine the relationship people have with painful family histories.
Posted inDecember 11, 2017: Scorched Earth
Car-eating marmots; poacher ring bust-up; a Tofurky surprise
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
Posted inDecember 11, 2017: Scorched Earth
Why Western wildfires are getting more expensive
This year’s fire season was the costliest on record, burning more than 9 million acres.
Posted inDecember 11, 2017: Scorched Earth
What fire researchers learned from California’s blazes
In California, land managers use fire as a tool.
Posted inArticles
An agricultural community that embraces its artistic side
A town with cattle-ranching roots branches out.
Posted inDecember 25, 2017: Bear Essentials
By shifting nesting times, early birds adjust to climate change
As the West warms, some songbirds in California are raising their young earlier.
Posted inArticles
After Oroville, officials across the West review dam safety
The California dam’s spillways are ready for rain as safety officials prepare for future catastrophes.
Posted inNovember 27, 2017: Profit and Politics
California, un estado de odio
Un ex-defensor de la supremacía de la raza blanca observa el aumento en los crímenes de odio
Posted inNovember 27, 2017: Profit and Politics
California, state of hate
A rise in hate crimes through the eyes of a former white nationalist.
Posted inNovember 13, 2017: Solace and Perspective
Exploring rural California’s contradictions
Gabriel Tallent’s debut novel tells the story of a tough teenage girl’s survival.
Posted inNovember 13, 2017: Solace and Perspective
The Kumeyaay poet who’s disrupting nature poetry
Tommy Pico merges natural and personal history of the arid West from Brooklyn, New York.
Posted inArticles
California Westlands water settlement in limbo
The deal addresses toxic drainage but could fall apart without congressional action.
Posted inArticles
The Forest Service’s battle against illegal marijuana farms
Drug cartels on federal land pose enormous environmental and financial costs.
Posted inArticles
Interior sends mixed signals on California water project
Without agency approval, the Delta tunnels deal can’t proceed — but conflicting statements make next steps uncertain.
Posted inArticles
A flood of drought news can reduce water use
Drought-stricken California conserved more when media coverage spiked.
Posted inArticles
Shrub-choked wildlands played a role in California fires
The deadly Wine Country blazes ignited and grew in forests and shrublands.