Environment
Short drive between Yellowstone’s Tower, Canyon junctions showcases millions of years of history
The road over Dunraven Pass between Tower and Canyon junctions in the northeast part of Yellowstone National Park exposes an outstanding sequence of geological history, much of which significantly predates recent Yellowstone volcanism. Construction work closed the road during the summers of 2020 and 2021, but the route is scheduled to open to park visitors […]
As more Americans get to know the great outdoors, poop on public lands is becoming a problem
“Go before you go.” That’s the advice Glacier National Park’s Bradley Blickhan has for hikers heading up a trail. Translation? Go to the bathroom before you go on your adventure. “We have a staff of wilderness rangers, and part of their job is to take care of these structures,” Blickhan said. “But we’re finding it […]
2,773 earthquakes were recorded in the Yellowstone National Park area in 2021, annual report says
How many earthquakes occurred in the Yellowstone region in 2021? How many times did Steamboat Geyser erupt? What geological mapping was completed during the year? Good questions. And now, the answers to these questions, and more, are all compiled in one easy-to-navigate source — the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory 2021 Annual Report, which can be accessed […]
Poor pay and benefits deplete U.S. firefighting workforce
When wildfire season roared into New Mexico in mid-April — even earlier than usual in our warming world — firefighters answered the calls for help. They showed up across the state to race the dry winds driving flames into the mountains, along the Rio Grande, and into neighborhoods and across ranches. Some of the men […]
U.S. Interior secretary to promote big spending jump for tribal, climate programs
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland will ask a U.S. House spending panel to increase funding for the department’s tribal programs and climate resilience efforts, according to written testimony released ahead of a hearing scheduled for Thursday. The administration’s budget request for fiscal 2023 would significantly increase spending for the Interior Department. Its agencies oversee onshore oil […]
3 big reasons why the Biden climate agenda is floundering
President Joe Biden’s climate agenda took a hit this month when the Interior Department said it would open 144,000 acres of federal land up for oil and gas development to comply with a court order to restart fossil fuel development. The announcement marked yet another setback for a presidential climate plan that was once seen […]
On Earth Day, Biden signs order to catalog and conserve old-growth forests
President Joe Biden signed an executive order Friday to establish a federal strategy to protect old-growth forests, a move the administration says will help curb destructive wildfires and fight climate change. The Earth Day order tasks the Interior and Agriculture departments with creating a federal definition of old-growth and mature forests. Such forests are generally […]
2022 Portneuf Valley Environmental Fair coming to Pocatello on Saturday
Editor’s note: This brief was updated to reflect the event will now take place indoors due to expected inclement weather. Nearly 100 businesses and organizations will gather this weekend at the 2022 Portneuf Valley Environmental Fair to help Idahoans understand small steps to take at home, work, school, or with transportation options to improve the […]
Yellowstone National Park opens some roads April 15
Beginning April 15, 2022, select roads in Yellowstone National Park will open to the public for the season, weather permitting. On Saturday, April 16, entrance fees will be waived in celebration of National Park Week. West Entrance to Old Faithful Mammoth Hot Springs to Old Faithful (via Norris) Norris to Canyon Village North Entrance to Mammoth Hot Springs to […]
Poisonous death cap mushrooms found in Boise neighborhood, Idaho Department of Health and Welfare warns
The Idaho Division of Public Health has confirmed the discovery of death cap mushrooms, which can be harmful to people and pets, in Idaho, according to a press release from the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare. An amateur mycologist spotted the mushroom under an oak tree in a Boise neighborhood, and DNA testing by […]
We’re getting worse — not better — when it comes to protecting the environment
What will future generations and historians deduce when they look back at this turbulent period in world history and what the “leading nations” did or did not do to address the problems that are so serious they actually threaten the future of life as we know it on the planet? Given the increasingly complex and […]
Biden goal for U.S. transition to electric vehicles cast into doubt at U.S. Senate hearing
A White House climate goal to transition the United States to electric vehicles is in trouble if the nation cannot produce more minerals that go into those vehicles’ batteries, U.S. senators of both parties said Thursday. Members of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee agreed during a hearing that more domestic production of lithium, […]