We altered our grazing plan early in the summer to account for aridity, but now we’re rolling in forage.
Drought
Posted inAugust 8, 2016: Line of Descent
California plans to log its drought-killed trees
Cutting down dead trees may not reduce wildfire risk.
Posted inJune 13, 2016: Water to Dust
Arizona fends off threats to water supplies
Republican Gov. Doug Ducey is sticking by regulations and negotiating deals.
Posted inArticles
Can California’s water agencies keep up the conservation momentum?
Without mandatory regulations, some local districts fear a return to water waste.
Posted inArticles
Southwest primed for a nasty fire season
In much of California, Arizona and New Mexico El Niño and La Niña have combined to create dry fuels, ready to burn.
Posted inArticles
As Lake Mead sinks, states agree to more drastic water cuts
California, Arizona and Nevada are back in negotiations about the dwindling Colorado River water supply.
Posted inArticles
The drought isn’t over, so let’s not relax
It’s too soon to stop water conservation efforts. News of the drought’s end are greatly exaggerated.
Posted inArticles
Snowpack is melting fast, despite April storms
It has dwindled faster than experts have seen in nearly four decades, which could upset reservoir management.
Posted inArticles
It’s time to stop development and save the Rio Grande
The rattling trumpet call of sandhill cranes echoed throughout the Rio Grande Valley in central New Mexico this February. The flocks began to make their ascent into the sky, circling to gain altitude and then heading north. The cranes’ early departure — driven by climate change — reveals one of the many challenges of adapting […]
Posted inMarch 21, 2016: Making Sense of Malheur
Drought brings unexpected water relief to California communities
State and federal funds are paying for desperately needed infrastructure in the Central Valley.
Posted inArticles
The disappearing wetlands in California’s Central Valley
Where water is scarce, waterbirds pay the price.
Posted inArticles
In Utah, a massive water project is gaining ground
The project could divert 86,000 acre-feet from Lake Powell to the retirement community of St. George.
Posted inFebruary 22, 2016: Fractured
A dry future weighs heavy on California agriculture
Something’s got to give in Central Valley farming. The only question is what.
Posted inArticles
Will this desert community survive its water overdraft problem?
Borrego Springs, California, was founded on the promise of endless water. Now they must conserve — or else.
Posted inArticles
Above normal snowpack in some of last winter’s driest regions
Precipitation in recent months chips away at California drought, but the water deficit will be hard to overcome.
Posted inFebruary 2, 2016: Sagebrush Insurgency
In ‘Gold Fame Citrus,’ the nascent genre of cli-fi looks to California
A new climate change novel predicts a dystopian West of sand and refugees.
Posted inArticles
2015 wildfires burned a record-breaking 10.1 million acres
Fires in Alaska help to smash 2006 record.
Posted inArticles
How the feds can ensure Western states get more water in 2016
Key legislation failed in 2015. Will this year be any different?
Posted inArticles
California relocates residents whose wells have gone dry
Residents explain why the new drought program may or may not work for them.
Posted inArticles
Is the West prepared for climate change?
A new report shows most states are vulnerable to future increases in extreme heat, drought, and flooding.