Environment
Archive
If we’re all truly well and doomed and the climate apocalypse is impossible to stop, then doing nothing is exactly as futile as doing something. This is the case for dreaming up absolutely ridiculous solutions in an effort to get the juices flowing.
The Ute Indian Tribe says the White House did not meaningfully consult their government about Camp Hale-Continental Divide National Monument, which is located within the tribe’s ancestral lands
A Wyoming court has punished a Utah man for holding illicit motorcycle races on grasslands inside the park for at least nine years
The newest national monument sits in the heart of Colorado’s ski country. Here’s what you need to know about Camp Hale–Continental Divide National Monument.
With a possible Antiquities Act designation looming, what is Camp Hale, and why does it merit protection?
A new homeowner digs deep into the world of native gardening after learning her yard is an environmental sin.
In Colorado, there’s a new ballot-first model to bring the contentious species back to the state, and it could be a prototype for the rest of the country
Here’s what we know about the Mosquito Fire, how local communities are being affected, and what Western States 100 race organizers are doing to respond
Perplexed by shadowy images on a satellite photo, a climate scientist packed up and set out for the Alaskan Arctic. What he found should alarm all of us.
Harrowing flooding in eastern Kentucky offers a window into what climate change will—and does—look like
How to do it, why it matters, and where to find birds
Zion National Park, Carlsbad Caverns, and areas around Moab, Utah, were inundated by water after heavy rainfall pummeled the U.S. Southwest
We’ve collected tales about curious mountain lions, amorous warthogs, hardworking beavers, and more from our adventures in the wild
Western Rewilding Network calls for replacing livestock grazing on public lands with protected habitat for two of the most controversial wild species
The compromise offsets climate spending with big wins for oil and gas, too
We’re not putting our heads in the sand. But there are reasons to be hopeful and things everyone can do in the face of unprecedented change.
The Colorado Craig Interagency Hotshot Crew spends their summers fighting fires in places like California and Montana
Long-standing rules for how we do our business in the wilderness are changing in a very big way—and it’s about time
According to law enforcement in Curry County, Oregon, local residents tied a suspected arsonist to a tree after he got “combative”
A bloody conflict between the Himalayan ‘ghost cats’ and Nepali shepherds is only partially to blame—and raises questions about their future
A century worth of man-made efforts to prevent flooding and expand agriculture have interrupted water flow to the southern end of the state
Once thought to be basically immortal, giant sequoias are dying in droves as fires burn bigger, hotter, and longer than at any other point in human history. Protecting them is possible, but managing western woods is a Pandora’s box of tough choices.
As an out-of-control blaze approached their home, a couple made what seems like a crazy choice: they ignored evacuation orders and stood their ground.
This is the kind of natural disaster that happens every few hundred years, and it happened to us
Rangers in the Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests are asking hikers to be mindful of bears
A new order from interior secretary Deb Haaland reverses a Trump-era policy that prevented national parks from banning plastic bottles
He was an environmentalist versed in the dangers of our warming world, an expert trail runner, and eminently capable of moving far and fast outside. The heat killed him all the same.
The 200-million-old fossil, which contained footprints from an alligatorlike reptile, is believed to have been stolen from the park roughly five years ago
Laughing our way to a better environment
In forests across the planet, secretive hunters are searching for that rare and insanely expensive wild delicacy: the truffle.
The American Southwest hasn’t been this dry in 1,200 years. The region’s water supply—and entire energy infrastructure—is at stake.
As year one of the Scarpa Athlete Mentorship Initiative comes to a close, we asked four mentees about their experience
A growing body of research suggests that it’s no longer sustainable to bury our waste in the wilderness
The City of Angels is bringing together tech, academia, government, nonprofits, and ordinary residents to make its greenery more equitable and mitigate the effects of both climate change and systemic racism
We asked one of the original Earth Day organizers for ideas on how to bring back urgency to the movement during a moment that’s more dire than ever
Photographer Brian Kaiser captures the joy of this niche winter sport
The Sunshine Protection Act wants to do away with changing the clocks. Naturally, we got to talking about how the shift might affect our outdoorsing.
Joey Santore is a tattooed ex-punk who is self-taught in the sciences. Which might explain why he’s getting so many people to care about plants.
As a landscape architect, Ryley Thiessen understands that finding balance is key
Cities like Jackson, Wyoming, and Natick, Massachusetts, have hired officials to protect the local environment
In an apparent attempt to sidestep high-density housing, Woodside, California, a wealthy neighborhood just outside Silicon Valley, claimed it was habitat for mountain lions. The backlash was swift.
The ‘wiwinu,’ or huckleberry, is a traditional food for the Indigenous Warm Springs tribe of north-central Oregon
Like other bodies of water throughout the western U.S., the San Joaquin has suffered from a decade of drought. It’s also been heavily dammed and is one of the most diverted rivers in California.
The ROI Act will give rural communities the money they need to develop outdoor recreation economies
A site with images that date back 8,000 years was spray-painted with racist slurs and symbols, among other graffiti
Mangroves, specifically their roots, play an important role in the ecosystem as a breeding and feeding ground for many commercial fish that thousands of people rely on as a food source
The move may kill a controversial copper-nickel mining project located close to the protected wilderness
What’s happening in the coastal village of Xcalak is a lesson in community partnership
All over America’s ancient eastern mountains, there’s an organism that lives underground, tethered to tree roots, waiting to be hunted. It’s among the world’s rarest and most expensive foods, and it grows in a wide range of conditions. But there’s only one guy in the country who really knows how to find it. Rowan Jacobsen joins him in the search for the Appalachian truffle.
Today the Tongass is the last national forest in the United States where old-growth trees are clear-cut
The incident in December is the latest incident of vandalism to ancient Native artifacts
Climate expert Daniel Swain explains how a convergence of climate change, urban sprawl, and extreme weather fueled the costliest wildfire in state history
Yes, things are very bad, but there are some glimmers of hope for making meaningful progress
Heather Hansman shares the books and films that have helped her slow down and reflect amid the turmoil of 2021
BLM’s first confirmed director in five years talks about access, equity, and the future of public land in the West
Colorado researchers will study running and cannabis, spectator who caused Tour de France crash pays fine, and a mountaintop wedding for the ages
Producers and manufacturers, including outdoor gear brands, are feeling the pressure to step up to create and fund recycling programs
Teton officials mull backcountry ski closures, Yosemite closes biggest campground until 2025, and the men's half-marathon record falls
Congress approves Sams as NPS director, Canadian cops raid indigenous protest, and Steamboat locals pray for snow
After COP26, a writer considers whether leaving the fate of the planet in the hands of world leaders is the right way forward
The climate crisis has affected every corner of the country, including many of the places we once fantasized about moving to for a better quality of life
Our guru weighs in on the ethics of defacing a man-made blight
The grandeur of the Great Salt Lake stopped Brigham Young in his tracks and inspired John Muir to jump in for a swim. Yet now it’s in danger of disappearing, sucked dry by agriculture, climate change, and suburban lawns. Many Utahns would just as soon pave it, but as Bill Gifford learned during a yearlong exploration, there’s beauty and natural splendor here that deserves to live on.
A group of biologists are trying to protect a threatened herd in the iconic Wyoming range, but their plan includes closing recreational areas that many aren‘t happy about losing
From eco-friendly ski wax to an organic cotton duvet, these creative gift ideas give back to both your loved ones and the planet
I’m really sorry it happened and really glad I survived. Notes on the flabbergasting climax of an Alaska road trip that changed my life.
A recent ruling on an Endangered Species Act case may set a precedent for incorporating climate models into species protection
Three days before Indigenous People’s Day, President Biden reversed the largest attack on public lands in recent history
Our favorite wildlife competition crowned an aging winner this year, and reminded us that for the chubby bears we love, the stakes will always be high
An abstract view of some of the world’s most beautiful land- and waterscapes
And what it means for the future of America’s public lands
The British Columbia Supreme Court mandated that law enforcement leave the front lines, in part due to its failure to uphold civil liberties
Scientists, planners, and even the Army Corps of Engineers are turning to natural solutions like coral reefs and sand dunes to protect coastal communities against intensifying storm surges and flooding
What drives Steve Tatko? The fear of losing the forest he grew up in.
Máxima Acuña fights to protect her land as she stands up to the largest gold producer in the world: U.S.-based Newmont Mining Corporation
Contrary to popular belief, the state offers much more to see than just fields of potatoes. Idaho is made up of nearly 34 million acres of public land—that’s over 60 percent of the state.
Picking daisies with the Craighead bros