Columns

What makes Yellowstone unique is at risk

There’s a major reason that Yellowstone National Park attracts close to 5 million visitors every year. Yes, there are spectacular…

Yellowstone grizzlies, photo by Tom Murphy

Contain a wildfire? Call in the cows

When fire commanders try to figure out how to contain a major wildfire, the last thing you might expect them…

haltered cows working the fire line Big Cimarron, Tyler Westhoff photo

Oregon forests are a test case for stripping protections

Picture a clear stream where spawning salmon undulate over clean gravels, pressing upstream through waters the iconic fish once vanished…

Joseph Canyon Roadless Area Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, David Mildrexler photo

When snow runoff is low, so are our spirits

At this time of year in Western Colorado, my friends and I watch rivers. We’re eagerly anticipating a bruising spring…

With fellow paddlers back in the day of heavy runoff, Auden Schendler, right, celebrates after running a river, courtesy Auden Schendler

The West heads for wildfires unprepared

The West is staring down a dangerous wildfire year. A dry winter and historically low snowpack have set the stage…

Calwood Fire outside Boulder Colorado, courtesy Malachi Brooks on Unsplash

Dismantling the U.S. Forest Service harms public lands and communities

When I led the Bureau of Land Management under President Biden, the hardest part of my job was reassembling the…

San Isabel National Forest, Nathrop, Colorado, Dave Marston photo

A Colorado town waits for a water crisis

Right now, Durango has 10 to 30 days of water stored in its Terminal Reservoir, which holds 267 acre-feet. That’s annual water consumption for about 600 households; Durango has over 9,000 households

Lake Nighthorse, near Durango, Colorado on May 26, 2023. Thanks to lighthawk.org for the aerial support. ©Mitch Tobin Usage rights are granted for editorial and nonprofit purposes only. No commercial or re-sale rights are granted without permission of the photographer. https://waterdesk.org/multimedia/license/

When mountain lion management turns to quackery

This year, in what it calls a “study,” Utah’s Division of Wildlife Resources is killing off mountain lions in an effort…

Every kind of Thanksgiving

On a recent walk through the woods of southern Oregon, I found myself thinking about my feelings of gratitude as…

Storms trigger a humanitarian disaster in western Alaska

Powerful back-to-back storms have ravaged dozens of mostly Alaska Native communities in western Alaska: Approximately 2,000 people were displaced, and…

survivors of ex-Typhoon Halong file onto C-17 military transport plan in Bethel for transport to Anchorage

The West is on fire as Washington fans the flames

This summer, millions of Americans are hiking, camping, fishing and making lifelong memories in our national parks, forests and other…

Coal gets a boost as renewables are gutted

A few years back, my friend Norm told me that when he was growing up in northern New Mexico in…