Environment

Algae bloom in Lake Pend Oreille

Toxin-producing cyanobacteria found in water samples at Idaho’s Island Park Reservoir

BY: - September 11, 2023

Idahoans should use caution when recreating in or near the Island Park Reservoir after high amounts of toxin-producing cyanobacteria was recently found in water samples there, according to a press release from the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare. The toxins can be harmful to people, pets and livestock. The health department works closely with […]

A bull elk on the Sepulcher Mountain Trail in Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone National Park warns to stay away from bull elk during fall mating season

BY: - September 9, 2023

Yellowstone National Park is warning visitors to stay away from bull elk during the fall mating season, called the rut, which has already started. In a press release Wednesday, the park said bull elk are unpredictable during this time of year, and people have been severely injured. Elk run quickly and may change direction without […]

drought empties Oregon's Detroit Lake, a reservoir between Bend and Salem

Third of Oregon counties now in a drought emergency

BY: - September 9, 2023

Twelve of 36 counties, covering half the land in Oregon, are in a state of emergency over drought, with local officials calling for help. Gov. Tina Kotek Wednesday declared the latest drought emergencies in Gilliam, Douglas and Lincoln counties, the 10th, and 12th such declarations of the year. The declarations follow requests for drought aid […]

Oregon wolves

Oregon Fish and Wildlife approves killing of wolves in eastern Oregon, angering conservationists

BY: - September 5, 2023

Oregon state fish and wildlife officials authorized the killing of six gray wolves in eastern Oregon during the past six weeks, bringing relief to ranchers who lost livestock to the wolves and heartache and anger to conservationists who see the killings as inhumane and ineffective. The six wolves were caught with foothold traps and then […]

Jump Creek Recreation Area

BLM proposes adding day use fee, eliminating camping at popular Idaho recreation site

BY: - September 1, 2023

Faced with an increase in usage, the Bureau of Land Management is proposing eliminating camping and adding a day-use fee at the popular Jump Creek Recreation Site located in Owyhee County. Located about seven miles outside of Marsing on BLM administered lands, Jump Creek is a popular area that features trails through canyons, a 60-foot […]

Solar advocates say utilities proposal contradicts clean energy goals. Idaho Power disagrees.

BY: - August 31, 2023

Todd Fischer, an electrical engineer, has lived in his North End home since 1988. Built in 1905, the Victorian-style home is a juxtaposition between Boise’s historical architecture and modern energy technology.  On the inside, the home is aligned with wooden columns and a wooden staircase, but on the outside sit 16 solar panels on the […]

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack

U.S. Department of Agriculture awards grants to nine rural Idaho businesses for clean energy

BY: - August 31, 2023

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is awarding nearly $142,000 in grants and $25 million in loans to nine rural Idaho businesses to make clean energy investments and improvements, according to a press release issued Wednesday. The investments are funded through the Rural Energy for America Program and the Inflation Reduction Act, a law signed by […]

A Lesser Golden Plover sits in a section of wetland in Barrow, Alaska

New federal water pollution rule draws mixed reaction

BY: - August 30, 2023

A federal rule limiting agencies’ power to regulate water pollution will severely restrict protections for waters and wetlands throughout the country, but it could also be subject to challenges from conservative groups that maintain the new rule exerts more federal jurisdiction than the U.S. Supreme Court intended in a May decision. The rule published Tuesday […]

cyanobacterial bloom in water

South Central Idaho health officials warn of unhealthy toxin levels in Cedar Creek Reservoir

BY: - August 29, 2023

Idaho’s South Central Public Health District has issued a public health advisory for Cedar Creek Reservoir, also known as Roseworth Reservoir, due to toxins being found in the water from a harmful algal bloom, according to a press release. The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality’s testing shows levels of a cyanotoxin, Microcystin, are now at […]

Chinook Salmon Spawning in Snake River

‘Covenant of the Salmon People’ film shows Nez Perce Tribe’s environmental recovery goals

BY: - August 29, 2023

While Western states rich in hydroelectricity such as Idaho and Washington enjoy lower energy prices in comparison to other states, those prices do not come without a cost —  according to Native American tribes and environmental advocates.  The Nez Perce Tribe, or Nimiipuu, and environmental groups are spreading awareness about the cultural and environmental costs […]

Hayden Fire Idaho

Officials highlight fire safety tips amid increase in human caused fires in Idaho, Washington

BY: - August 28, 2023

Faced with an increase in human-caused fires, fire and land managers in Idaho are stepping up fire prevention and safety messages. Through the first week in August, the Idaho Department of Lands has investigated 152 human-caused fires on lands that receive fire protection from the department this fire season, the Idaho Capital Sun reported last […]

Frank Church Wilderness The Wilderness Land Trust

Former mining claim added to Idaho’s Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness

BY: - August 26, 2023

The largest wilderness area in the Lower 48 got a little bit bigger in Idaho this month after The Wilderness Land Trust purchased a former mining claim and transferred it to public ownership. In 2021, the 501(c)3 Wilderness Land Trust purchased the 38-acre Surprise Lode property within the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness […]