Researchers are trying to unravel the mystery of snow that falls but never shows up in the river.
Scientific research
Posted inArticles
A quarter of rural water systems likely contain ‘forever chemicals’
USGS research confirms widespread PFAS contamination in drinking water — including in rural communities and private wells that are almost never tested.
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When the woods get noisy, the animals get nervous
New study uses trail cameras and speakers to isolate what human sounds do to animals.
Posted inJuly 1, 2023: Waiting for Water
Elk calls have regional dialects
Whales, bats and birds sound different depending on where they live. So do elk, according to new research.
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The miller moth is hard to love, but it deserves our respect
Every summer, the migration of the small insect plays a role in the food web. Don’t be annoyed when they show up in your bedroom.
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New research highlights how to handle our wildfire future
‘Building houses in fire-prone places keeps us trapped on the wildfire treadmill.’
Posted inJune 1, 2023: Seen and Unseen
In search of answers at the Salton Sea
To protect air and water quality, shoreline residents become community scientists.
Posted inJune 1, 2023: Seen and Unseen
How do you count the elusive lynx?
Wildlife cameras may be key to understanding the threatened species’ response to climate change.
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Western resort towns risk being ‘loved to death’
A new report details the downsides of tourism and population booms – and what communities can do about it.
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A weed is swallowing the Sonoran Desert
The invasive Stinknet plant fuels wildfires, irritates lungs and smothers native flora. ‘It’s everywhere’ and removal efforts in Arizona can’t keep up.
Posted inMay 1, 2023: Reemergence
Seeking sanctuary on a warming planet
Scientists look to identify, map and preserve climate change refugia.
Posted inMay 1, 2023: Reemergence
How a dinosaur is redefining a rural coal town
The 74 million-year-old fossil of Walter the hadrosaur brings paleo-tourism to Craig, Colorado.
Posted inMay 1, 2023: Reemergence
Tenacious specimens of the Grand Canyon
In the 1930s, two women risked their lives to record a scientific survey of the region’s plants.
Posted inMay 1, 2023: Reemergence
Inside the fight to save a beleaguered butterfly
In 2020, the population count of the Behren’s silverspot was zero. That didn’t stop Clint Pogue.
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Will the new U.N. High Seas Treaty help protect Pacific salmon?
In March, conservationists worldwide celebrated the historic agreement, which governs the ocean waters where salmon spend most of their lives.
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Revising the colonial history of the horse in the West
A new study uses archaeological science and Indigenous knowledge to show how the species arrived in the Americas earlier than previously thought.
Posted inApril 1, 2023: The Path Forward
A deadly disease stalks deer and elk. Do predators help or hurt?
In the Rockies, chronic wasting disease can devastate herds; scientists are looking for solutions.
Posted inApril 1, 2023: The Path Forward
Navigating the new health-care deserts
Post-Roe, startups help those seeking abortions shrink travel distances and carbon emissions.
Posted inApril 1, 2023: The Path Forward
How do you keep migrating birds off a giant toxic lake?
Engineers struggled to keep snow geese away from Montana’s deadly Superfund site, but ecologists have a new plan.
Posted inMarch 1, 2023: Moving Parts
Can camera traps relieve our species’ loneliness?
A community science project reintroduces humans to their fellow mammals.