Kelley Coleman’s 9-year-old son had two days of his medication left. Then the evacuation order hit.
Danger
Posted inJanuary 1, 2023: Ripple Effects
Growing up queer in Colorado Springs
In the wake of the Club Q mass shooting, reflections on an adolescence in the ‘Evangelical Vatican.’
Posted inArticles
The mountain lion that changed LA
A eulogy to P-22 with hope that his legacy will ensure more wildlife crossings.
Posted inArticles
How to prevent a hike from resulting in a heist
A new proposal aims to make trailheads near Seattle safe from car break-ins — but some worry it could compromise their own safety.
Posted inOctober 1, 2022: Making Refuge
How can we live with the constant threat of violence?
Arianne Zwartjes’s new book ‘These Dark Skies’ considers the brutality of our time, its causes and how we might change it.
Posted inAugust 1, 2022: Our Fiery Future
Protecting neighborhoods from future flames
Equitable wildfire preparedness requires community-level fixes.
Posted inJuly 1, 2022: Living with Rivers
Landslide risk is on the rise thanks to climate change, and states are looking to identify hazards
Washington — home to deadliest landslide in U.S. history — is working to prevent future loss of life by scanning the state for new threats.
Posted inArticles
Wildfire and detours on the Pacific Crest Trail
A hiker is caught in smoke and decision-making when the Carr Fire broke out in 2018.
Posted inJune 1, 2022: A Legacy of Weapons and War
Witness to the Cold War in the desert
Terry Tempest Williams on Emmet Gowin’s unflinching photos of the Nevada Test Site.
Posted inArticles
Dangerous levels of lead found in Montana schools
High lead levels were identified in the water of over 100 of the state’s nearly 600 schools, and only half have provided samples.
Posted inArticles
The dizzying scope of abandoned mine hazards on public lands
As many as 500,000 abandoned mine features litter federal land, many posing environmental or physical safety hazards that especially threaten Native communities.
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A mural painter helps kids deal with gun violence
Warren Montoya draws from his own trauma to facilitate art projects that help others express theirs.
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Wildfire survivors face another threat: PTSD
As disasters become more frequent, acute stress can turn chronic.
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How to cool one of the fastest-warming cities in the West
In Phoenix, a new heat office hopes to prevent more people from dying of extreme heat.
Posted inOctober 1, 2021: In The Graces of Grasses
When public health becomes the public enemy
Far-right extremists are robbing the West of the officials who protect community health.
Posted inArticles
Searching for the lost: The people called to find missing migrants
Many Aguilas del Desierto volunteers once crossed the dangerous desert in the Borderlands themselves.
Posted inSeptember 1, 2021: Where Wolves May Tread
Record temps; hot dam; roadkill for dinner
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
Posted inArticles
Uncurbed climate change and extreme heat will extract a toll on outdoor labor
A new report forecasts the loss in workdays and wages if greenhouse gas emissions aren’t reined in.
Posted inArticles
Women in wildfire: What are the reproductive health risks?
Females working in a system ‘built for men’ experience a higher rate of miscarriage and other reproductive concerns.
Posted inArticles
How yellowcake shaped the West
The ghosts of the uranium boom continue to haunt the land, water and people.