Nature
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What does India’s lush Kaziranga National Park have that the rest of the country’s decimated reserves do not? Plenty of tigers, for starters. (The world’s highest density.) Fleets of endangered one-horned rhinos. (More than two-thirds of the remaining population.) And, since last year, a take-no-prisoners antipoaching policy that allows rangers to shoot on sig
The storm of the century began as a half-inch blurb on the cover of last Friday’s The New York Times. The photo showed a lifeguard looking out to sea. A red flag flapped behind him, and behind that, were piles of cottony clouds with ominously…
If a megaquake like the one that hit Japan last March were to strike the U.S., the Pacific Northwest coast would be the likeliest spot. Geologists have their eyes on the Cascadia subduction zone, a 740-mile seam where the Juan de Fuca and North American plates meet. The CSZ has been building up tension for more than 300 years, say some seismologists. If that te
Monster earthquakes are going off all around the Pacific Ocean’s Ring of Fire. Is the West Coast of North America next?* And can you surf a tsunami?** Join us on a footnoted foray into the terrifying world of megaquakes, tidal waves, and the fine art of being your own Jesus. *YES **NO
https://youtube.com/watch?v=TLHiOQyzqIw%C2%A0 Polar explorer Jock Wishart and a crew of five are closing in on their attempt to row 450 miles to the north magnetic pole. It's probably worth getting this out of the way up front. The journey is to the…
Photo by Ashala Tylor (See more pictures and get more updates on her blog and Flickr) When photographer Ashala Tylor heard a loud knock at her door early one morning in late June,…
Recently, Tim Zimmermann reported for Outside on two incidents where captive orcas killed their trainers (The Killer in the Pool, Blood in the Water). In a demonstration of just how powerful an orca can be, here…
On December 24, 2009, a 6,600-pound orca killed trainer Alexis Martínez at a marine park in the Canary Islands. Two months later, trainer Dawn Brancheau was killed by an orca at SeaWorld Orlando. With the OSHA trial on trainer safety at SeaWorld Orlando starting September 19, Tim Zimmermann asks: Should Martínez’s death have served as a warning about the lethal potential of killer whales being trained for our entertainment?
Outside contributor Thayer Walker went down to an out of the ordinary wildlife refuge in Bolivia, where he walked a jaguar on a leash. Watch NPR’s new hit show, Snap Judgment, with host Glynn Washington…
It happens. You spend a weekend in the woods, listening to nothing but dancing trees, the hiss of a well-built fire (because all of our fires are well-built, right?), and, if you’re up in the Boundary Waters, that heavenly swoosh of your canoe…
As the Las Conchas fire ravages parts of the Santa Clara Pueblo reservation, Lieutenant Governor Joseph B. Tafoya sits down to talk about the damage
The brief but terrifying history of the Las Conchas forest fire, from flash point to nuclear scare
Picture courtesy of the U.S. Forest Service Summer is fire season in the southwest, and we're getting pounded. This year, half a dozen wildfires have ravaged over 1,300 square miles—an area nearly the size of Rhode Island—in New Mexico and Arizona alone. Two blazes are burning…
On July 30th we reported a story on the dangers of the Las Conchas fire. In that story we mentioned the possiblity that the fire could burn nuclear waste stored in and around Los Alamos National Labs. A 2002 report by the New Mexico Environment Department identified many of the…
With shark attacks up 25 percent, 2010 was a terrifying year to be in the water. Scientists say the spike was an anomaly. But there are questions afloat about the practice of chumming, in which cage-diving skippers use a stew of blood and guts to lure the predators in close. JOSHUA HAMMER plunges in at South Africa’s False Bay, epicenter of an industry some cri
Living through a disaster is just the start of a survival story. The rarely discussed psychological recovery is often the hardest part.
During the Great Flood of 2011, the Mississippi was an unleashed monster, with deadly currents and a flow rate that could fill the Superdome in less than a minute. Defying government orders, Delta native W. Hodding Carter and two wet-ass pals canoed 300 miles from Memphis to Vicksburg—surfing the crest, watching wildlife cope with the rising tide and assessing 75 years of levee building.
Satellite-linked emergency devices give backpackers, skiers, and boaters fingertip power to cry for help. Alas, people often cry wolf.
Map of Las Conchas It’s been reported a few times that the Las Conchas fire—a 60,000-acres-plus rager currently threatening Los Alamos, New Mexico, the Los Alamos National Laboratory, and Bandelier National Monument—was probably caused by a…
On June 26, 2011, a massive blaze, likely triggered by a utility line, swept across New Mexico’s Jemez Mountains. It consumed 43,000 acres in the first day alone. We arrived in nearby Los Alamos, the nation’s premier nuclear research laboratory, the following day. Both the lab and the town of…
I've spent too much time in front of the computer, sitting at the minituare aqua-green cafe table that overlooks my block, cold beer in hand, gazing at the Documerica photos that grace the National Archives' Flickr pages. The bright reds and oranges of the desert rocks, the…
Futuristic new submersibles are poised to take crews to earth’s greatest depths. It may get crowded down there.
I’m fairly new to this whole adventure parenting thing, but I’m lucky to have some great role models. Number one was my dad, who raised my older sister and me to be curious about the wider world around us. A photographer and editor at National Geographic for most of his…
A new documentary takes viewers inside the fiery rise and sudden fall of the Earth Liberation Front
Tim DeChristopher has to wait just a little longer to learn his fate. Yesterday, the Justice Department announced that DeChristopher, the Salt Lake City-based activist who disrupted a federal oil and gas auction in December 2008 by bidding $1.8 million on parcels of land in eastern Utah, would be sentenced…
Admit that you’re taking your 10-month-old baby rafting and most people will look at you like that’s the craziest idea they’ve ever heard. And between the water and the wilderness, it can seem majorly daunting to pull off a DIY river trip with young children in tow. But…
In 1999, Camille Seaman gave up her seat on a one-hour flight from Oakland to L.A. and scored a round trip ticket anywhere in the world. She chose Alaska. Once there, she decided to walk from a coastal town named Kotzebue across the ice…
Kadoma_teaser from Ben Stookesberry on Vimeo. Telluride, Colorado's Mountainfilm is four days out and counting. To continue our trailer-a-day trend, here's Kadoma, a film from whitewater kayakers and filmmakers Ben Stookesberry and Chris Korbulic. Kadoma tells the story of their…
In 2005, the author introduced us to the idea of childhood nature-deficit disorder. With The Nature Principle, he's back with a prescription for adults.
You would think kayakers all over would be chomping at the bit after watching record precipitation build up in California—58 feet of snow at Squaw Valley! The reality is, the summer of 2011 may be the worst for high Sierra paddling California has…
This is a big month for wild salmon advocates. On Sunday, May 1 at 8 PM Eastern, PBS will air a Nature special, Salmon: Running the Gauntlet, that offers a terrific broad-strokes history of the collapse of the fish in the once-prolific Columbia…
Last week, attempting to address accusations that he’d fabricated large portions of his bestselling book Three Cups of Tea, author and Central Asia Institute founder Greg Mortenson revised his story about stumbling lost into the Pakistani town of Korphe on his way…
The Cayman Islands are one of the world’s best diving destinations–the reefs are lively and the visibility is excellent. I spent ten days on Grand Cayman and Cayman Brac; here are my picks for the best dive sites in those islands. Grand Cayman Lighthouse Point: One of…
In September 1969, Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson developed the idea of Earth Day, a nationwide, grassroots demonstration that would take place in the spring of the following year. Everyone was invited to participate. “The response was electric,” he told Envirolink.com. “It…
Looking for a domestic weekend escape with international flair? Pack a bag and head for Miami. The city, known for beaches, beautiful people, and wild nightlife, has plenty of adventure options. Paddle: The obvious choice would be to paddle around South Beach (…
On the plains of New Mexico, a band of elite marathoners tests a controversial theory of evolution: that humans can outrun the fastest animals on earth.
Looking for a domestic weekend escape with international flair? Pack a bag and head for Miami. The city has a rep for beaches, beautiful people, and wild nightlife, but that’s not all it has. Presenting the top five adventures in Miami. The Party Circuit: Like I said, there’s…
Sometime around World War II, synthetics exploded into our everyday lives. By some estimates, these materials—plasticizers, dyes, pesticides—have increased by a shocking 8,200 percent in the last quarter century. The upshot of that, of course, has been improved agriculture, economic wealth, and an abundance of…
Beginning April 16th, America's national parks are free. Saturday marks the beginning of National Parks Week, a week-long (April 16-24) celebration of America's 394 national parks, according to the National Park Service. This year's focus is “Healthy Parks, Healthy People” and the role…
Sometime around World War II, synthetics exploded into our everyday lives. By some estimates, these materials—plasticizers, dyes, pesticides—have increased by a shocking 8,200 percent in the last quarter century. The upshot of that, of course, has been improved agriculture, economic wealth, and an abundance of…
Courtesy of Flickr. If you've ever considered using a Taser to incapacitate an animal long enough to take your picture with it, don't do it in Alaska. The Alaska Board of…
Geoelectric image showing electrical conductivity of magma plume beneath Yellowstone Caldera. Courtesy of the University of Utah. Geophysicists at the University of Utah have…
Courtesy of Flickr. If you've ever considered using a Taser to incapacitate an animal long enough to take your picture with it, don't do it in Alaska. The Alaska Board of…
Geoelectric image showing electrical conductivity of magma plume beneath Yellowstone Caldera. Courtesy of the University of Utah. Geophysicists at the University of Utah have…
Courtesy of Flickr A slew of big news stories have hit the wires this morning. Here they are all in one clump, for obvious reasons. A new Mount Everest record is scheduled to be set,…
Courtesy of Flickr A slew of big news stories have hit the wires this morning. Here they are all in one clump, for obvious reasons. A new Mount Everest record is scheduled to be set,…
The Grand Canyon. Courtesy of Wikimedia The paddling community is rallying behind a federal effort to issue a moratorium on new uranium mining claims in Northern Arizona, according to Playak.com. Among other organizations involved,…
The Grand Canyon. Courtesy of Wikimedia The paddling community is rallying behind a federal effort to issue a moratorium on new uranium mining claims in Northern Arizona, according to Playak.com. Among other organizations involved,…
Maverick's surf break. Courtesy of Flickr A recent drowning at the California surf break Maverick's has rekindled the debate over the use of motorized personal watercraft, or jet skis, in the area, according to the…
Maverick's surf break. Courtesy of Flickr A recent drowning at the California surf break Maverick's has rekindled the debate over the use of motorized personal watercraft, or jet skis, in the area, according to the…
Results of a four-year study by researchers at the University of Colorado suggest that living at altitudes around 5,000 feet (Denver is 5,280 feet above see level) or higher might increase lifespan. The study, recently published in the…
Courtesy of UN Water Today is World Water Day, an international event that came about as a result of the the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in 1992. The theme for World Water Day changes…
Courtesy of UN Water Today is World Water Day, an international event that came about as a result of the the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in 1992. The theme for World Water Day changes…
I'll admit, we're way late in posting this. But just because we're halfway through March doesn't mean the top 10 blogs of February are irrelevent. Read on! Number 10: SIA: The Splitboard Revolution Number 9: Gear Junkie: Wenger Patagonian Expedition Race 2011 Number 8:…
(Photo Trip Jennings) National Geographic explorers Trip Jennings and Andy Maser departed for the Democratic Republic of Congo yesterday to begin their Elephant Ivory Project, an effort to curb poaching of African…
Viewing moose from your house can be a safe option. Courtesy of Flickr A woman in Alaska is home licking her wounds after a kicking scrape with a moose in downtown Anchorage, according to the Anchorage Daily…
Thermal image of Kilauea, showing the source of the flow. Courtesy of USGS.gov Although tsunamis produced by the earthquake in Japan have raised global concern for Pacific communities, the island archipelago of Hawaii is dealing with another natural inconvenience…
Courtesy of Making-Things-Better at Flickr An 8.9 magnitude earthquake, the fifth largest on record, shook Japan at about 1 A.M. EST last night, according to the United States Geological Survey. City blocks tumbled to their…
Courtesy of Flickr Founded in 2007, Green the Capitol was Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi's initiative to make the U.S. House of Representatives a leader in sustainable business practices. Until…
Rafting Uganda's White Nile. Courtesy of Flickr Kayakers, paddlers, and boaters are mourning the loss of some of their African habitat. As of February 27, a section of the White Nile River in Uganda is closed to river traffic to make way…
Back in December 2008, before President Obama took over, Tim DeChristopher was attending the University of Utah and spending his free time at a Bureau of Land Management auction for oil and gas lease sales. To say…
Last summer, the Outdoor Industry Association, through its Eco Working Group, released a beta version of the Eco Index, a tool by which apparel and gear makers could measure the environmental impacts created by their products. The tool quickly attracted the attention of many firms…
Berkshire East Ski Area in Massachusetts became the world's first wind-powered ski resort this month, according to Yahoo Finance. With the on-site installation of…
The Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival announced last Saturday the winners in its Environmental Film category, with Epicocity Project Films' SPOIL: The Fight To Save The Great Bear taking top prize. The film documents the efforts to save Canada's Great Bear Rainforest from a…
Decades after the Soviet-era meltdown drove 60,000 people from their homes in the Ukraine, a rebirth is taking place inside the exclusion zone. With Geiger counter in hand, the author explores Europe's strangest wildlife refuge, an enchanted post-apocalyptic forest from which entirely new species may soon emerge.
Carl Safina is a critically acclaimed ecologist and marine conservationist whose latest book is The View from Lazy Point. You can check out Bruce Barcott’s review in…
Photo courtesy of Flickr. Russian explorers and scientists are prepping to begin the first crossing from Russia to Canada by way of the North Pole, Reuters reports. The expedition kicks off from Russia's Arctic shores on February…
Photographer Corey Arnold has released a book about commercial fishing right on the heel's of President Obama's State of the Union joke about salmon.
Photo courtesy of Flickr. The nonprofit ARC announced a winner yesterday for it's competition to design a wildlife crossing over I-70, near Vail and Breckenridge ski resorts, The New York Times reports. The area marks…
Two new island novels explore what it means to leave everyday life far, far behind.
Your urgent inquiries about the world. Answered.
Your urgent inquiries about the world. Answered.
An old, non-electric classic. Photo courtesy of Flickr. The U.S. Marine Corps recently purchased two electric Newton trucks from Smith Electric, TreeHugger.com reports. The trucks will be used at Camp Pendleton, CA, the largest training facility on…
Courtesy of Orin Zebest on Flickr. As the national interest in hunting has waned and game habitat has become suburban development, government conservation efforts face budget crises, the New York Times reports. Hunting license sales and…