The list of wildfire smoke’s long-term health risks continues to grow.
New Research
Posted inArticles
Mountain towns are trying all sorts of solutions to the housing crisis
A new report details the many ways that high-altitude communities are wrestling with ballooning housing costs.
Posted inArticles
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.
Posted inArticles
New research highlights how to handle our wildfire future
‘Building houses in fire-prone places keeps us trapped on the wildfire treadmill.’
Posted inArticles
Scientists unravel the origins of the Southwest’s monsoon
But just as their understanding of the phenomena becomes mores clear, it’s starting to disappear.
Posted inOctober 1, 2021: In The Graces of Grasses
Behind the wire with a fence ecologist
How researchers are using science and data to help wildlife.
Posted inArticles
What’s the value of tracking recreation in the West?
Fast-growing Western communities face a paradox of increased visitors.
Posted inOctober 1, 2020: Democracy's Frayed Western Front
What sewage can tell us about the spread of COVID-19
More cities are testing wastewater, but a poor federal response keeps efforts scattered.
Posted inArticles
The erasure of Indigenous people in U.S. COVID-19 data
‘The United States had no idea what was going on in Indian Country. They have no idea.’
Posted inArticles
Study finds 26,000 lives were saved by shift from coal to natural gas
“When you turn coal units off you see deaths go down.”
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
Much of rural America is doomed to decline
Public policy solutions need to grapple with, not ignore, this economic reality.
Posted inJune 10, 2019: 'None of this happened the way you think it did'
Survey finds few tribal governments allow press freedom
83% of respondents said stories about tribal government affairs often go unreported due to censorship.
Posted inArticles
The true vulnerability of coastal California, revealed
A new study suggests flooding could surpass some of the state’s worst natural disasters.
Posted inFebruary 18, 2019: Barriers to Entry
The West’s monarch migration is disappearing
Fall counts show a 99 percent decline in the butterfly population since the ‘80s.
Posted inArticles
Why was a study on trafficking in Indian Country canceled?
After the Trump administration transition, the Department of Justice killed a critical needs assessment initiative.
Posted inArticles
Marine mammals and turtles rebound after endangered species protections
A new study shows broad recovery but doesn’t dive into the problems that remain.
Posted inJanuary 21, 2019: What Killed Washington's Carbon Tax?
Update: The decline of Western snowpack is real
Data confirms climate model predictions of less snow that melts earlier in the season.
Posted inDecember 24, 2018: Good news, bad news
What you lose when you lose local news
People are less likely to vote, and politics become more polarized.