Can species evolve fast enough to keep up with changing wildfire conditions? Kylie Mohr/High Country News Increasing frequent and intense fires are shaping how species change, according to a paper published last year in the journal Trends in Ecology & Evolution. While previous research tended to focus on a blaze’s immediate impacts — Did population numbers go up or … Continue reading Fire is Driving Animals’ Evolution
While Base Camp @ Grand Lake gears up for an action-packed winter of snowshoeing and cross-country ski trips, we are enjoying some Colorado Autumn Adventures beforehand. A few weeks ago, we enjoyed an awesome bike trip in Breckenridge, and we have had a few other fun adventures in and around Colorado: Boyd lake State Park ~ … Continue reading Colorado Autumn Adventures
Conflicting visions in central Idaho force tough decisions over logging and prescribed burning. Carl Segerstrom/High Country News Smoke blotted out the midday sun as firefighters rappelled from helicopters into the remote backcountry of the Salmon River Breaks in central Idaho. A small but swiftly growing string of blazes roared across the granitic walls of the river … Continue reading Facing Future Wildfires, a Community Fights for its Forest
Too many people and too much poop. Packrafts are becoming more common in what were once less-traveled areas, as seen here at Youngs Creek in Montana’s Bob Marshall Wilderness. Troy Smith/CC via Flickr Todd Wilkinson/High Country News Mark DeOpsomer of Bozeman, Montana, is a backpacker with lots of miles on his soles. For almost four … Continue reading The ‘wreckreation’ in our Wild Places
As climate change lengthens fire seasons, will the government do enough to protect them? ImageCredit: Michael Hansen Mark Betancourt/High Country News An hour or so before dawn in late July 2015, just south of the California-Oregon border, Danny Brown turned off the highway into the Modoc National Forest and headed toward a menacing glow of … Continue reading Wildland Firefighters are Risking their Mental Health