News & Commentary

Indiana Dunes Finally Gets Its Due, but Conservationists Are Clamoring for More

November 7, 2019 DispatchIndianaSusan Cosier

After a century of advocacy, the Hoosier State has a national park, and its immense popularity is making a case for more protected lakeshore.

Needing Water, Georgia Stirs Up a 200-Year-Old Dispute With Its Northern Neighbor

October 29, 2019 DispatchGeorgiaAustyn Gaffney

As droughts parch the Southeast, interstate squabbles heat up over the Tennessee River (and the Chattahoochee . . . and the Flint . . . and the Apalachicola).

New Mexico Has a Methane Cloud Visible by Satellite. It Also Has Bold Climate Plans.

October 2, 2019 DispatchNew MexicoTim Vanderpool

As greenhouse gasses fill the sky, a progressive governor and worried residents take on oil and gas—the state’s most powerful industry.

As the Amazon Burns, Jaguars Burn With It

October 1, 2019 DispatchBrazilJason Bittel

How Brazil’s blazes are devastating for these big cats—and for so, so, so much more.

Showing Migrating Monarch Butterflies Some Southern Hospitality

August 26, 2019 DispatchMexico, Texas, HoustonRobynne Boyd

Non-native tropical milkweed fuels monarchs on their journey through southern states, but when cooler weather hits, the plant can bring parasites and starvation. Here’s what butterfly-loving southerners can do.

A Tale of Two Forests: A Tour Through Canada’s Boreal

August 26, 2019 DispatchCanadaCourtney Lindwall

One of the most majestic old-growth forests on earth, Canada’s boreal is becoming a wasteland due to rampant logging.

The Ohio River Defines the Borders of Five States—But Its Pollution Doesn’t Stop at State Lines

August 21, 2019 DispatchPennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, IllinoisSusan Cosier

In a move that could open the door to industrial waste and interstate squabbles, the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission is making its water quality standards voluntary.

Could the Climate Crisis Spell the End for Maine Lobster?

August 19, 2019 DispatchMaineNicole Greenfield

The state’s thriving lobster industry owes a lot to smart fishery conservation measures implemented over the past three decades. But given the Gulf of Maine’s rapid warming, how far can these interventions go?

That Summer When Climate Change Baked Alaska

August 9, 2019 DispatchAlaskaJeff Turrentine

An Anchorage-based wildlife biologist describes what life is like in our northernmost state—one that’s been dramatically altered by rising temperatures.

Saving a Rare Plant and Rescuing a River

August 1, 2019 DispatchArizonaTim Vanderpool

The fate of southern Arizona’s embattled San Pedro River could hinge on whether the government acts to protect the nearly extinct Arizona eryngo—and in doing so puts the brakes on groundwater pumping that’s draining the landscape.

After a Century of Being Dammed Up, Illinois Rivers Get to Go With the Flow

July 24, 2019 DispatchIllinoisSusan Cosier

Dam removals are setting rapids and fish populations free and keeping swimmers and boaters safer.

California Beckons the Gray Wolf—but Can’t Guarantee a Safe Journey There

July 8, 2019 DispatchWest, California, Oregon, WashingtonCorey Binns

The future of wolves in the West depends on collaborative cross-border commitments to protecting this icon of the wild.

Mining Oil Shale Would Be Disastrous to Utah’s Rivers, Climate, and Public Health—but the Trump Administration Wants to Do It Anyway

June 21, 2019 DispatchUtahStarre Vartan

NRDC and other environmental and public health groups are suing to stop an extraction project (the first of its kind in the United States) proposed by the Estonian company Enefit.

Fishing in Warming Seas, North Carolinians Trek North to Reel in Their Catch

June 3, 2019 DispatchNorth CarolinaJodi Helmer

As climate change sends fisheries into flux, managers must keep up with the latest science to sustain them.

The Philippines Rallies Behind a “Feisty” Dwarf Buffalo

May 21, 2019 DispatchInternationalJason Bittel

From lowland Filipinos and indigenous groups to international conservation organizations, everyone is getting in line to save the critically endangered tamaraw.

Keeping an Eye on Tench, an Invasive Fish That’s Crept Into the Great Lakes

May 20, 2019 DispatchMidwestLorraine Boissoneault

After finding the species in Lake Ontario last fall, scientists and authorities are trying to get ahead of a possible invasion before it’s too late.

L.A. Takes a Fresh Look at Recycled Water

May 13, 2019 DispatchLos AngelesLauren Evans

Facing dwindling freshwater supplies, the city is ready to stop dumping millions of gallons into the Pacific—and to follow Orange County’s lead.

Hawaii Stands Up for Its Sharks With Fishing Ban

April 24, 2019 DispatchHawaiiStarre Vartan

The Aloha State is on track to become the first in the nation to ban shark fishing outright, creating a critical safe harbor for these threatened animals.

Ohio Gains Ground on a Hidden Hazard: More Than a Century’s Worth of Abandoned Oil and Gas Wells

March 26, 2019 DispatchOhioAustyn Gaffney

Forgotten, derelict, and often leaky, these so-called orphan wells could number in the thousands.

A Journey Through the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

March 22, 2019 DispatchArctic, AlaskaClara Chaisson

One of the world’s last pristine wild places is on the front lines of climate change—and threatened by fossil fuel development. These photos speak to why we must fight both.