There were glimmers of good news across the region, from restored habitats to growing wildlife populations.
Rivers & Lakes
Posted inArticles
The Biden administration weighs in on Colorado River management
Amid mounting drought, changing federal leadership and stalled state negotiations, new federal proposals aim to chart a forward path.
Posted inIssues
Fish camp in Alaska – without the fish
Yukon River communities fight to maintain their salmon fishing traditions.
Posted inNovember 2024: The Once and Future Prairie
The future of New Mexico’s beloved bosque
In a warmer, drier climate, restoration has its limits.
Posted inSeptember 2024: When Migrants Go Missing
Preventing the next ‘Fukushima’
As oil and gas operations at Portland’s CEI Hub grow, so do the chances of a catastrophic spill.
Posted inSeptember 2024: When Migrants Go Missing
What happens when a concrete jungle becomes a ‘sponge city’
Engineering for flood resilience can address storms heightened by climate change.
Posted inArticles
After losing his sight, the Tijuana River Estuary offered other ways to see
Ron Peterson, a volunteer at the estuary, now leads nature walks presenting a unique way to experience the wetlands.
Posted inArticles
When the dams come down, what happens to barge traffic?
Farmers and transportation experts are figuring out how to transport goods if the lower Snake River dams are removed.
Posted inArticles
In an era of dam removal, California is building more
Proponents say a new reservoir off the Sacramento River is environmentally friendly.
Posted inJuly 2024
Wilson’s phalarope to the rescue
A new Endangered Species Act petition could trigger major conservation actions to save the West’s saline lakes.
Posted inJuly 2024
How the Nez Perce are using an energy transition to save salmon
The tribe is working to replace the generating capacity of the Lower Snake River dams with solar power.
Posted inJuly 2024
Pollution knows no borders
A long-awaited agreement will address Canadian mine waste flowing downriver into Montana
and Idaho.
Posted inArticles
What’s next for Willamette Falls?
The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde move the second largest waterfall toward public access.
Posted inJune 2024: The Idea of Wilderness
Learning how to live and die with long COVID
The late artist David Wojnarowicz’s work has brought me back from the dead.
Posted inMay 2024: A River Returns
Undamming the Klamath
Tribal nations are restoring the river while reclaiming and revitalizing their cultural heritage.
Posted inMay 2024: A River Returns
Scientists are tracking ecological changes as the Klamath River dams come down
A giant sediment pulse — millions of cubic yards of silt, clay and dead algae — trapped for decades behind the dams is now flowing downstream.
Posted inArticles
Are the Great Salt Lake scientists all right?
A Q&A with Great Salt Lake Institute Director Bonnie Baxter on studying a dying lake.
Posted inArticles
Fixing culverts can save migratory fish
A billion-dollar program is unblocking millions of killer culverts across the nation to help fish get to spawning grounds.
Posted inArticles
A cartography of loss in the Borderlands
Mexicali’s Colorado River Family Album documents what is no more.
Posted inArticles
Wild ice: A training ground for rural skaters
On the Western Slope of Colorado, frozen reservoirs and rivers offer interesting terrain for skating.