How to Live with Fire

Wildfire needs new narratives. The podcast ‘Fireline’ is a start. Surya Milner/High Country News Flames cascaded down hills, engulfing old oak trees as firefighter Lily Jane Clarke watched, transfixed. She was standing in the thick of the August Complex, a giant 2020 wildfire that burned over a million acres of Northern California forestland. “It’s beautiful,” … Continue reading How to Live with Fire

Yellowstone is Losing its Snow

Yellowstone is losing its snow as the climate warms, and that means widespread problems for water and wildlife Snow melts near the Continental Divide in the Bridger Wilderness Area in Wyoming, part of the Greater Yellowstone Area. Bryan Shuman/University of Wyoming, CC BY-ND Bryan Shuman, University of Wyoming When you picture Yellowstone National Park and its … Continue reading Yellowstone is Losing its Snow

Trees are Dying of Thirst in the Western Drought

Trees are dying of thirst in the Western drought – here’s what’s going on inside their veins Juniper trees, common in Arizona’s Prescott National Forest, have been dying with the drought. Benjamin Roe/USDA Forest Service via AP Daniel Johnson, University of Georgia and Raquel Partelli Feltrin, University of British Columbia Like humans, trees need water to … Continue reading Trees are Dying of Thirst in the Western Drought

Celebrating 10 (12) Years

This spring, we posted a detailed story about the grassroots of BaseCamp@Grand Lake. It all began with the coming together of two people who are passionate about the environment and outdoor adventure sports. Today marks the 12-year anniversary of the day we met as well as our 10-year wedding anniversary. On June 23, 2009, Larry … Continue reading Celebrating 10 (12) Years

Bringing Tech Innovation to Wildfires

Bringing tech innovation to wildfires: 4 recommendations for smarter firefighting as megafires menace the US Satellites can quickly detect and monitor wildfires from space, like this 2017 fire that encroached on Ventura, California. NASA Earth Observatory/Joshua Stevens Natasha Stavros, University of Colorado Boulder Record-breaking fires over the past decade suggest the western U.S. has entered … Continue reading Bringing Tech Innovation to Wildfires

Western Fires are Burning Higher in the Mountains

Western fires are burning higher in the mountains at unprecedented rates in a clear sign of climate change Mojtaba Sadegh, Boise State University; John Abatzoglou, University of California, Merced, and Mohammad Reza Alizadeh, McGill University The Western U.S. appears headed for another dangerous fire season, and a new study shows that even high mountain areas … Continue reading Western Fires are Burning Higher in the Mountains

Another dangerous fire season is looming in the Western U.S.

Another dangerous fire season is looming in the Western U.S., and the drought-stricken region is headed for a water crisis Dry conditions across the West follow a hot, dry year of record-setting wildfires in 2020. Communities were left with scenes like this, from California’s Creek Fire. Amir Aghakouchak/University of California Irvine Mojtaba Sadegh, Boise State … Continue reading Another dangerous fire season is looming in the Western U.S.