News & Commentary

Zinke’s Western “Listening Tour” Light on the Listening, Heavy on the Fossil Fuels

May 19, 2017 Latest NewsUtahJeff Turrentine

As the interior secretary ponders the fates of 27 national monuments, he seems to be hearing some voices more acutely than others.

Colorado Is Spending $4.5 Million to Rein in Bears and Cougars

January 26, 2017 Latest NewsColoradoJason Bittel

Is the state’s plan good science or just more predator persecution?

Last Chance for the Hawaiian Crow?

September 22, 2016 Latest NewsHawaiiJason Bittel

The 'alalā has been extinct in the wild since 2002, but a reintroduction program hopes to have Hawaiians saying aloha to the bird once again.

The Food That Once Saved Condors May Now Be Poisoning Them

August 19, 2016 Latest NewsCaliforniaJason Bittel

A new study finds that condors that dine on the bodies of marine mammals consume worrying levels of toxic chemicals such as DDT.

Can Breaking Down Ethnic Barriers in a Tuna Fishery Prevent Accidental Shark Deaths?

August 3, 2016 Latest NewsHawaiiJason Bittel

From the mouths of sharks: Humans, please diversify your social circles.

Airplanes vs. Bullet Trains: The Race Is On in Texas

July 13, 2016 Latest NewsTexasJeff Turrentine

Fifty years ago, Southwest Airlines revolutionized regional air travel. Now another Texas-based business is launching a counterrevolution on the ground—and the carbon savings could be huge.

How a Controversial Firing May Affect Development Along the California Coastline

March 11, 2016 Latest NewsCaliforniaAlisa Opar

Conservationists are now watching the California Coastal Commission very closely.

Could Invasive Mosquitoes Ignite Zika Outbreaks in California?

March 7, 2016 Latest NewsCaliforniaAlisa Opar

Could invasive mosquitoes ignite Zika outbreaks in California?

Forget Bigfoot. We’ve Got El Jefe.

February 24, 2016 Latest NewsWestJason Bittel

One of the world’s largest cats prowls the American Southwest—and almost no one knows it’s there.

Slip-sliding Away

December 18, 2015 Latest NewsCaliforniaAlisa Opar

Heavy El Niño rains could trigger mudslides in California this winter. These scientists are trying to figure out the whens and wheres.

Ursine Exodus

November 17, 2015 Latest NewsWestAlexis Sobel Fitts

Yellowstone’s grizzly bears are spreading out and expanding their range. Is it a sign of good health—or increasing desperation?

Climate Got Your Tongue?

September 25, 2015 Latest NewsColoradoPerrin Ireland

In the Rocky Mountains, long-tongued bumblebees are getting licked by warmer temperatures.

No "I" in Sagebrush

September 22, 2015 Latest NewsWest, United StatesAlisa Opar

The greater sage grouse is staying off the Endangered Species List, thanks to unprecedented collaborative conservation efforts.

Please Silence Your Sonar

September 9, 2015 Latest NewsWest, United StatesBrian Palmer

The U.S. Navy agrees to give marine mammals off California and Hawaii a break from deafening noise.

Northward Ho!

August 27, 2015 Latest NewsArctic, AlaskaAlisa Opar

Obama is headed to the Arctic. Here are five things the president should put on his must-do-in-Alaska list.

Going Back to Cali

August 21, 2015 Latest NewsCaliforniaClara Chaisson

Gray wolves have returned to the Golden State after a nearly century-long absence.

Hotter = Drier

August 19, 2015 Latest NewsCaliforniaBrian Palmer

A new study shows how climate change is making the California drought worse.

Up (and Down) a Creek

August 11, 2015 Latest NewsColoradoClara Chaisson

Here’s what you need to know about the EPA spilling three million gallons of wastewater into a Colorado river.

Innovation Has Not Run Dry!

July 8, 2015 Latest NewsCaliforniaAlisa Opar

As summer heat compounds four years of drought, Californians are coping with water shortages in some wacky and smart (and desperate) ways.

Protestors Ahoy!

June 16, 2015 Latest NewsSeattleBrian Palmer

Seattle's “kayaktivists” finally draw the government’s attention to Arctic drilling.