Commentary
Mapping mayhem: How to solve a Yellowstone National Park puzzle with unknown pieces
Geologic map-making is nearly as old as recorded human history; the oldest geologic map — found in Egypt — dates back 1150 B.C. Since then, geologists have produced countless maps of areas all around the world. These maps help humans locate critical resources, better understand the landscape and make forecasts of how our environment may change. […]
Into the zone of death: Four days spent deep in the Yellowstone National Park backcountry
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, IDAHO – The ranger warned us before we attempted to enter the “zone of death.” Millions of people visit Yellowstone National Park each year, but one of the least visited parts of the park, the so-called zone of death, lies in Idaho. It’s rugged and remote, with no roads, a place where […]
Media bashing is not new in Idaho politics
News flash: Conservatives hate the “liberal” media. Always have, and always will. Wayne Hoffman, president of the Idaho Freedom Foundation, well describes sentiments from the right. “What you read in most local daily newspapers or see on the daily news isn’t really journalism. It’s leftist propaganda.” He says that Idaho’s media is “hot garbage” and […]
With the passage of the PACT Act, our nation can rewrite veterans’ stories with a happier ending
I want to thank Sens. Jerry Moran, R-Kansas, and Jon Tester, D-Montana. Not on behalf of me, but on behalf of Bruce Darley and others like him. You see, I would let Bruce tell the senators himself, but he can’t speak now, and even when I met him, he words were slurred as he tried […]
Sediment clues reveal Yellowstone Lake experienced hydrothermal explosions over last 13,000 years
Northern and western Yellowstone Lake is within the Yellowstone Caldera, sometimes dubbed Yellowstone’s supervolcano, and covers the magma chamber deep beneath the surface. This results in extremely active lake-bottom hydrothermal areas with very high heat flow values, multiple large (more than 330 feet in diameter) hydrothermal explosion craters, dozens of hydrothermal domes and hundreds of active […]
Judge Idaho’s congressional delegation by their actions on veterans bill, not their words
Members of Idaho’s congressional delegation would probably not receive any heroism awards for their actions relating to the PACT Act, also known as the “burn pit” bill. When the act came up for a vote, our congressional troops flat failed to protect the backs of sick veterans. U.S. Reps. Russ Fulcher and Mike Simpson voted […]
On gun violence, Americans need to agree on the question before figuring out solutions
The reflex to say how great America is instead of actually doing something to make it so is our Achilles heel. It’s strongest when it’s most damaging — after a tragedy born of societal failure, begging for solutions. I’ve reported on guns and gun culture for years, and it’s what happens after almost every mass […]
Why America needs a caretaker to lead her future
Wars, mass shootings, pandemics, droughts, supply shortages, recession and political divisiveness … it’s ugly in America these days. Do you ever remember a time when you were a kid and everything seemed dark around you? Maybe you were being bullied or your parents were divorcing, or perhaps you just lost a loved one. If during […]
Why does this guy still have an Idaho medical license?
Garden City pathologist Ryan Cole burst onto the national scene as a leading COVID-19 vaccination denier and purveyor of unproven cures in July of 2021. Speaking at a meeting of America’s Frontline Doctors, a group of COVID-19 anti-vaccination activists, Cole falsely described the life-saving vaccines as “fake,” a “clot shot” and “needle rape.” He falsely […]
With Idaho’s abortion ban, we will lose patients from complications no one should ever die from
A couple sits in front me, staring intently while I tell them the worst news of their lives. They try to hold it together as I explain a pregnancy complication they have never heard of but will change their lives forever. At the end of the conversation, I make sure they know that what is […]
Huckleberry Ridge, Henrys Fork eruptions get attention. But these Yellowstone tuffs need love, too.
Over the past 2.1 million years, there have been three very large explosive eruptions from the Yellowstone volcanic system that formed calderas — the Huckleberry Ridge eruption 2.1 million years ago, the Henrys Fork eruption 1.3 million years ago and the Yellowstone eruption 631,000 years ago. These eruptions each left a thick deposit of ash […]
Yellowstone National Park’s connection to the 1877 flight of the Nez Perce
Throughout its history, Yellowstone National Park has been frequented by numerous indigenous tribes. All of these groups have a unique and cherished tale bonding them with the land upon which Yellowstone sits, but perhaps one of the most harrowing and tragic stories is that of the Nez Perce, or Nimiipu. In the summer of 1877, […]