As President Biden takes the helm, conservation groups take stock of the border wall’s environmental impacts.
Drought
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Colorado ranchers adapt for a changing climate
Regenerative agriculture can help address drought and topsoil degradation.
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Six states threaten lawsuits if feds fast-track the Lake Powell Pipeline
The Trump Administration’s plan to expedite review of Utah’s diversion project undoes decades of collaborative agreements between the states that rely on the Colorado River.
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Fast-growing Western cities face megadrought
Eleven states and northern Mexico will likely experience a drought more severe than any since the 1500s.
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Thirsty crops and vulnerable families vie for California’s precious water
Farmers are pumping until residential wells run dry in the Central Valley.
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There’s a new boom in the Permian Basin — wastewater
As freshwater supplies shrink, interest in recycling water leftover from fracking is growing. Others aren’t so sure.
Posted inDecember 9, 2019: Crossing to Safety
Montana’s water rights fractured by new development
As subdivisions spread, it’s becoming harder to manage one of the state’s most valuable resources.
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A remote island sees just a third of its pelicans return for breeding season
Low Great Salt Lake levels mean coyotes can get onto the island.
Posted inAugust 5, 2019: From Prison to Fireline
The tyranny of lawns and landlords
Renting culture puts dreams of cultivating wildness out of reach.
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The Colorado River needs a long-term plan for drought
Western states bought some time with a historic agreement but still face a hotter, drier future.
Posted inJuly 21, 2019: A Radical Return
Paranoia and a ‘preposterously’ oversized water tank
An affluent Utah community spent millions to extinguish its fear of fire. Decades later, they’re still trying to buy their way out of a bottomless pit.
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After a wet winter, will Colorado forest managers increase prescribed burns?
The heavy snowpack could hinder this underused wildfire control tactic.
Posted inJune 24, 2019: Losing Lake Coeur d'Alene
The West’s worst fires aren’t burning in forests
Range fires get bigger every year, threatening sagebrush habitat and rural towns.
Posted inMarch 4, 2019: El Nuevo Movimiento
One family makes sense of losing its Colorado River water
Pinal County farmers suffer more drastic cuts than cities in Arizona’s tenuous drought plan.
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.
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How best to share the disappearing Colorado River
Seven Western states must rewrite the rules of the river and cut water use — before they bleed the critical artery dry.
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How to prepare for a wildfire
Some basic steps to stay safe if you live near Western wildlands.
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Why Jon Kyl was chosen to replace John McCain
Amid a reshuffling of Arizona’s political deck, the state’s governor makes a water-driven decision.
Posted inSeptember 17, 2018: The Pioneer of Ruin
As the West burns, a town fields its own amateur firefighters
The community of Dufur, Oregon, bands together to douse the flames.