Environment
Western environmental groups call for gray wolves to be relisted after 20 killed near Yellowstone
A coalition of Western environmental organizations is calling for the U.S. Department of the Interior to relist gray wolves in the northern Rockies on an emergency basis following reports that hunters had killed 20 wolves from Yellowstone National Park that wandered from the park’s boundary into surrounding states since the back half of 2021. Fifteen […]
U.S. Forest Service now accepting public comments on proposed Red Siegel project near Elk City
Public comments are now being accepted on the Red Siegel forest management project, located about eight miles southeast of Elk City, Idaho, in the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests, according to a press release. The project is located on the forest’s Red River Ranger District and has two proposed areas of improvement: forest resilience to insect […]
Some Democrats push to rescue climate plan in Biden spending package
A group of congressional Democrats on Tuesday called for preserving the climate portions of President Joe Biden’s stalled domestic spending bill as Democrats in the U.S. Senate rewrite the measure. U.S. Sens. Brian Schatz of Hawaii, Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, Tina Smith of Minnesota and John Hickenlooper of Colorado, along with Reps. Kathy Castor […]
Same song, 2nd verse: In a way, Idaho’s political history is repeating, but this time it’s worse.
Forty-eight years ago this week, Republican President Richard Nixon signed into law the Endangered Species Act, a landmark piece of legislation that, as Nixon said, gave our government tools to protect “the rich array of animal life with which our country has been blessed.” This most unlikely environmental president, a guy who walked the beach in […]
Why can’t we drill in Yellowstone to stop eruptions, make power?
Drilling is often suggested as a means of preventing Yellowstone from erupting. It seems like a reasonable idea, but the volcano doesn’t work that way. And while it might be possible to generate power by geothermal drilling, that would risk disturbing the thermal features of Yellowstone — one-of-a-kind geologic and cultural treasures, with no way […]
Wind turbines proposed near a Japanese American incarceration camp prompt outrage
This story was originally published by High Country News. David Sakura was 6 years old when the U.S. government imprisoned his family at the Minidoka incarceration camp in the high desert of south-central Idaho. He remembers his mother attempting to create a sense of normality for her children by taking him and his brothers for walks […]
Two top officials at federal public lands agency will remain in Colorado office
The Bureau of Land Management plans to keep two senior positions in western Colorado as most of the agency’s leaders move back to Washington, D.C., Director Tracy Stone-Manning told BLM staff in an email Tuesday. Eight assistant directors and deputy assistant directors will relocate to the Interior Department’s headquarters in the District of Columbia, Stone-Manning […]
Caribou-Targhee National Forest accepting project proposals for maintenance, habitat improvements
The Caribou-Targhee National Forest is seeking proposals for work projects to be considered by the Eastern Idaho Resource Advisory Committee, according to a press release from forest officials. Last year, the committee coordinated 70 projects that cost about $558,000. This year, up to $750,000 will be available to fund projects in southeast Idaho. “Projects must have […]
Haaland promises governors federal help for fires, drought
U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland pledged federal resources and cooperation with governors from 19 Western states to tackle wildfire resilience, drought management, oil and gas cleanup efforts and other issues made more difficult by climate change. Speaking at the Western Governors Association meeting outside San Diego on Thursday, Haaland touted funding for Interior priorities in […]
Billions targeted to state wildlife conservation under bipartisan push in Congress
A bipartisan pair of senators on Wednesday called for Congress to approve billions in new funding for states to manage wildlife recovery work. At a hearing of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Sens. Martin Heinrich, (D-N.M.), and Roy Blunt, (R-Mo.), said a bill they introduced this year would help protect 1,600 threatened species, […]
Ranger district seeks information on vandalism in Caribou-Targhee National Forest
The Trail Canyon Warming Shelter in the Caribou-Targhee National Forest was vandalized just a few months after the facility experienced previous vandalism and volunteers worked to rehab the site, according to a Soda Springs Ranger District press release. The district reports that a window was shot out, and illegal road construction and significant soil and […]
Will the earthquakes in central Idaho cause the Yellowstone volcano to erupt?
Seismic activity in central Idaho has been elevated for the past 20 months. These earthquakes are aftershocks of a magnitude 6.5 earthquake that occurred on March 31, 2020 — a classic example of a mainshock-aftershock sequence. The magnitude (Mw) 6.5 earthquake near Stanley, Idaho, on March 31, 2020, was the second-largest earthquake recorded in Idaho. Fortunately, […]