Despite conservation efforts to save the po’ouli, the species was declared extinct in 2019.
Endangered Species
Posted inMay 1, 2022: New Ways of Seeing the West
Cows, coal and climate change: A Q&A with the new BLM director
Tracy Stone-Manning discusses how the federal agency sees conservation, the climate crisis and the Indigenous history of public lands.
Posted inArticles
Dixie Valley toad gets rare emergency protection
5 years after its discovery, the amphibian is now protected from a geothermal development.
Posted inJune 1, 2022: A Legacy of Weapons and War
Powell’s looming power problem
Drought and demand threaten a critical component of the Western grid.
Posted inMarch 1, 2022: The Cloning Conundrum
Should we clone the black-footed ferret?
From petri dish to prairie with North America’s most endangered species.
Posted inArticles
Wyoming politicians hatch a plan to continue sage grouse game farms
New legislation to extend a controversial practice is ruffling feathers in Wyoming.
Posted inArticles
Can a modified invasive trout save the cutthroat?
To eliminate invasive fish species, scientists have created a ‘Trojan’ brook trout that’s intended to help native fish in the West.
Posted inArticles
5 things to know about gray wolves regaining Endangered Species Act protection
Most importantly: The recent relisting doesn’t apply to the Rocky Mountains.
Posted inFebruary 1, 2022: Essential
Humble suckers: Pacific lamprey have survived 5 mass extinctions but are now under threat
Cooperative efforts between tribes and non-Native institutions are helping conserve the under-researched Devonian darlings.
Posted inArticles
Wyoming sage grouse numbers ‘alarming’
According to biologists, the decline is caused by habitat loss and drought.
Posted inFebruary 1, 2022: Essential
Meet the influencer of the California condor world
During the pandemic, a chick named Iniko became an ambassador for conservation from her redwood nest.
Posted inArticles
Harry Reid’s legacy will be remembered on the land
A reflection on what endures after the death of the longtime senator from Nevada.
Posted inArticles
A federal drought relief program left southern Oregon parched
For two decades, the Bureau of Reclamation incentivized farmers to pump water faster than the resource could recover, despite warnings from its own scientists.
Posted inArticles
Salmon need better infrastructure, too
Aging culverts block salmon migration between freshwater streams and the Pacific Ocean.
Posted inArticles
After more than 50 years in captivity, will Tokitae ever get justice from Seaquarium?
A new USDA report finds further mistreatment of the exploited Washington orca.
Posted inArticles
California oil spill contaminates restored wetland
The Talbert Marsh is refuge to at least 90 species of shorebirds, and now it’s slicked with oil.
Posted inArticles
Klamath River issues explained
Confused about what’s happening on the Klamath? Dams, salmon, irrigation and more.
Posted inSeptember 1, 2021: Where Wolves May Tread
The effort to save Upper Klamath Lake’s endangered fish before they disappear
Another dry year pushes tribal nations, federal agencies and irrigators to find long-lasting solutions.
Posted inAugust 1, 2021: A Mega-Dairy Comes to the Desert
Expletive hot; lemur spotting; teacher cams
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
Posted inAugust 1, 2021: A Mega-Dairy Comes to the Desert
Can Puget Sound’s orca and salmon survive Seattle’s dams?
Federal regulators are reassessing the ecological impacts of the Skagit River dams.