In Nebraska’s Loess Canyons, Setting Trees Ablaze Gives Prairie Birds a Boost – For generations Great Plains ranchers saw fire as a foe. Now they’re banding together and embracing it as a tool to restore grassland habitat. Read more >
Where Big Data Meets Cowboy Boots – A powerful, free web app developed by University of Montana is revolutionizing how rangelands are managed. Read more >
What Are Flash Droughts? – Harmful to crops, streams and wells, researchers find flash droughts difficult to predict. Read more >
“Grand Vision” – The ambitious America the Beautiful plan seeks to conserve and restore 30 percent of U.S. lands and waters by 2030. Read more >
Underwater Investigation – Freshwater snorkeling and scuba diving reveal the habits, habitats, and numbers of Montana’s fish. Read more >
“Invasive grasses are taking over the American West’s sea of sagebrush” – Highly flammable cheatgrass and similar nonnative plants dominate one-fifth of the Great Basin. Read more >
“Pulse of the Heartland” – Grasslands store carbon, cycle nutrients and sustain songbirds and other wildlife—yet less than half of all grasslands remain, and we plow up millions more acres each year. Read more >
“How Ketamine Helps Alleviate Depression” – An alternative treatment for mood disorders like depression and anxiety uses one of the only legal psychedelics in the U.S. Researchers still grapple with how exactly it heals the mind. Read more >
San Juan Islands Sojourn – A family takes in the cedar trees, sea lions and fluky winds on a charter vacation in the Pacific Northwest. Read more >
Cutting Trees Gives Sage-Grouse Populations a Boost, Scientists Find – A new study in Oregon shows that removing conifers has helped the imperiled bird’s local numbers grow more quickly. Read more >
The Science Behind Cold Water Plunges – People are plunging into icy water for invigoration and health benefits. Are they onto something? Read more >
The ultra-marathoner who crosses borders – Mike Foote is an ultra-marathon champion who concocts elaborate, human-powered adventures through North America to highlight hot-button issues like climate change and immigration. Read more >
“A Path Less Taken” – A young family chooses a different sort of cruising experience when they charter a 21-foot Sea Pearl for a week in the Bahamas’ Exuma Islands. Read more >
“Big Sky Sailing” – A canoe outfitted with a sailing rig turned out to be the perfect way for a young family to follow Lewis and Clark’s journey along the Missouri River. Read more >
Water for the Dry West [COVER STORY] – Simple fixes revive creeks and help fight drought and wildfires. Read more >
Archaeologists Have Found Prehistoric Rock Structures Under the Great Lakes. Learn what the stones tell us about communal hunting patterns of early humans. Read more >
“Welcome to Polebridge, one of the US’ last frontiers” – For more than a century, settlers have been drawn to this pioneering town because of the sheer beauty of the surrounding wilderness – but residents worry that may soon change. Read more >
The Great Plains prairie needs fire to survive – These ranchers are bringing flames back to the grasslands. Read more >
“Wranglers of the West” – A fully loaded mule train is a rare sight in most parts of the country, but traditional livestock packing is still thriving in Glacier National Park. Read more >
“Another Consequence of Suppressing Wildfire: Trees Are Invading the Prairie” – Left unburned, woody vegetation is crowding out habitat, but proactive landowners are learning to use fire to restore America’s grasslands. Read more >
“Ranchers take on cheatgrass fight” – Controlling this invasive weed can protect Western grazing lands. Read more >
“Dads Experience Postpartum Depression, Too” – New fathers face many changes after their child’s birth, and need more support, experts say. Read more >>
“Thinking Like A Beaver” – Elk suffer when streams and floodplains dry up. So do ranchers who need clean water and lush meadows. Stick by stick and stone by stone, low-tech stream restoration is providing a great boost to wildlife, livestock and people. And the next project is just a weekend’s […]
“Beavers, Trout, and a Changing Climate” – Research seeks to ensure beaver-related stream restoration is a boon rather than a bother for native trout. Read more >
“Portrait: Black Cottonwood” – Cottonwoods define the rivers and streams throughout much of Montana. Learn all about their special qualities here.