A new Endangered Species Act petition could trigger major conservation actions to save the West’s saline lakes.
Scientific research
Posted inJuly 2024
In search of the continent’s largest shorebird
The elusive long-billed curlew finds refuge in fragmented grasslands.
Posted inJuly 2024
Pollution knows no borders
A long-awaited agreement will address Canadian mine waste flowing downriver into Montana
and Idaho.
Posted inArticles
Deer 255 reaches the end of her journey
The ungulate migrated farther than any deer known to science.
Posted inArticles
The West’s wetlands are struggling. Some have been overlooked altogether.
Wetlands are carbon-storage powerhouses — and many are unmapped.
Posted inArticles
Killing one owl to save another
Is it ever the right thing to do? Two ethicists weigh in.
Posted inArticles
Audio: The Joshua tree-yucca moth link
These desert species wouldn’t survive without the other. Can they weather climate change together?
Posted inMay 2024: A River Returns
Scientists are tracking ecological changes as the Klamath River dams come down
A giant sediment pulse — millions of cubic yards of silt, clay and dead algae — trapped for decades behind the dams is now flowing downstream.
Posted inArticles
Are the Great Salt Lake scientists all right?
A Q&A with Great Salt Lake Institute Director Bonnie Baxter on studying a dying lake.
Posted inArticles
When dams come down, what happens to the ocean?
A long-term study of the Elwha River Delta reveals lasting change — and a healthier ecosystem.
Posted inApril 2024: Epic Journeys
For these mammals, migration is a means of survival
Will Westerners repair a fractured landscape for mule deer, pronghorn, and elk?
Posted inArticles
Cattle are drinking the Colorado River dry
Balancing Western water demand and supply will alter the region’s landscape.
Posted inArticles
Fixing culverts can save migratory fish
A billion-dollar program is unblocking millions of killer culverts across the nation to help fish get to spawning grounds.
Posted inArticles
Climate change is happening too fast for migrating birds
The early bird would get the worm, but migration timing isn’t matching green-up.
Posted inMarch 2024: Fertile Ground
Saving the Pacific lamprey
Documenting populations of
the ancient fish is a step toward ensuring their survival.
Posted inArticles
How the Colville Tribes are restoring traditional lands and wildlife
The tribes are re-establishing native species wiped out by systematic colonization.
Posted inArticles
See how bad your community’s air will be in 30 years
New data forecasts the nation’s future air quality, all the way down to individual addresses.
Posted inArticles
What this winter’s snowfall says about the future of skiing
A snow-obsessed meteorologist dishes on this year’s precipitation — and what it means for winters to come.
Posted inJanuary 11, 2024: The Creatures in Our Midst
Learning to live with musk oxen
The species were introduced to Alaska’s Seward Peninsula decades ago, without local consent. Now they pose danger to life and property.
Posted inJanuary 11, 2024: The Creatures in Our Midst
The Northwestern Shoshone are restoring the Bear River Massacre site
The tribe is reclaiming their gathering place and returning water to the Great Salt Lake.