Sea ice is retreating, skies are choked with wildfire smoke, and fish are vanishing.
Wildlife
Posted inArticles
Gunnison sage grouse are vulnerable to climate chaos
The dancing birds are especially susceptible to changing weather patterns, which is bad news going forward.
Posted inArticles
There’s nuance behind the recent bird decline study
The journal Science documented an estimated total loss of 2.9 billion birds. But is that the whole picture?
Posted inArticles
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 inArticles
Trump’s Fish and Wildlife pick is entangled with industry
Aurelia Skipwith has ties to water interests fighting endangered species protection and worked for ag giant Monsanto.
Posted inOctober 14, 2019: Severed Ties
For sage grouse, science can be fatal
Is the value of data worth the death of individual animals?
Posted inArticles
Tinder meets tremors as Western tarantulas look for love
Males will travel in numbers, dance hypnotically and get eaten during their annual hunt to mate.
Posted inArticles
A quick guide to threatened terrestrial and freshwater species in your state
New rules would weaken protections for plants and animals listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
Posted inSeptember 2, 2019: In Bad Faith
Falling bears; border wall delights; lightning strikes
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
Posted inArticles
Hiking trails are a path to destruction for Colorado elk
Recreationalists in Vail are having a devastating impact on the local herd.
Posted inArticles
Bobcats persevere despite human encroachment
In the face of hunting pressure and loss of habitat, bobcats prove themselves resilient — and aren’t above raising their young in rural backyards.
Posted inSeptember 16, 2019: "We can either wait on Mother Nature – or we can give it a shot ourselves."
Scientists struggle to find reasons behind gray whale deaths
Some researchers think the whales are starving, but the cause of death may be far more complicated.
Posted inArticles
New Endangered Species Act rules open door to looser protections
The new implementation guidelines relax habitat protections and favor development.
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‘Cyanide bombs’ use reauthorized to kill wild animals
The traps have caused unintentional deaths, but Wildlife Services can continue to employ them to protect livestock and farm crops.
Posted inAugust 5, 2019: From Prison to Fireline
Outdoor underachievers; mission massage; photo nots
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
Posted inArticles
Hunters and anglers struggle for public access to Colorado’s state trust lands
Compared to its neighbors, the state limits public recreation, but that is changing.
Posted inSeptember 2, 2019: In Bad Faith
Mountain goat eradication is a high-flying balancing act in Olympic National Park
In an effort to protect visitors and rare plants, the park is relocating the hoofed invaders.
Posted inArticles
Roadless rule rollback would threaten Utah’s at-risk plants and animals
More than 100 species rely on habitat away from roads and development, according to a new study.
Posted inAugust 5, 2019: From Prison to Fireline
How partisan politics can make ballot measures undemocratic
A fight over wolf management in Alaska shows how lawmakers can undermine citizen-led initiatives.
Posted inArticles
Can wolf reintroduction help stave off chronic wasting disease?
Proponents of Colorado’s initiative to reintroduce the predators suggest they could bolster herds against the disease.