As stewards of America’s natural resources, rural communities are often on the front lines of both environmental disasters and innovations. You can keep up with the latest environmental news from across rural America here.
45 Degrees North: The Flip Side of Gas Stoves
The holidays can be a great time to share family recipes, traditions, and perspectives on life that sometimes puzzle our loved ones – like the rural devotion to gas stoves.
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Deer Season Is Here. “Zombie Deer Disease” Is too.
If we’re not careful, Chronic Wasting Disease can threaten our ecological health and one of rural America’s favorite pastimes.
Video: Lions, Tigers and Bears? Welcome Home, to Rural Colorado
The Wild Animal Sanctuary houses large animals from all over the world. They even rescued lions from “Tiger King.”
The Beaver State of Mind
A rural town in Oregon became an unlikely epicenter of global efforts to restore the semi-aquatic rodent. Starting in mid-November, the State of Beaver Conference will host beaver experts and conservationists from all over the world.
Getting a Rural Perspective on the Solar Eclipse
The October 14 solar eclipse was a spectacular event to witness and an economic boon for some of the small towns in its path.
A Journey to Salmon River
Climate change might be exacerbating Chinook Salmon decline, but the view of homecoming and spawning from Salmon River this weekend was surprisingly breathtaking.
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Government Shutdown Averted, Natural Disasters Continue
FEMA funding was in limbo during the near-government shutdown, underscoring the vulnerability of communities endangered by climate change.
Climate Change Is Affecting Rural Workers in Myriad Ways
Heat, smoke and financial uncertainty are among the top climate change-related factors weighing on workers.
Radically Rural: From Crisis to Consensus – Confronting Water Struggles in Rural Areas
In order to holistically tackle hydrological problems in rural America it might be helpful to think about water as a verb more than a noun.
Burning Man Was a Disaster
It’s something rural folks know well: not every place needs to be made a metropolis, not even temporarily.
2nd Round of Wildfire-Prevention Funding Will Have Tools to Help Rural Applicants
A report from Headwaters Economics showed that communities with fewer staff and less expertise were less likely to win grants from a federal wildfire-defense program. The Forest Service is trying two new tools to help these places, which tend to be rural, be more successful.
Thousands of Coal Miners Still Sick and Dying as Feds Consider Silica Dust Fix
A proposed rule to toughen restrictions on silica dust is being considered by the Mine Safety and Health Administration, but health experts question how effective the measures would be to mitigate risk to coal miners.
A World Without Sriracha
Drought-tolerant peppers used for Sriracha are in short supply as climate change makes it hard for even these heat-loving plants to survive. It tastes like bad news for everyone.
Requiem for the Joshua tree
Climate change threatens populations of one of the most recognizable plants in the American West – the Joshua Tree.
Video: Colorado Finally Got Heavy Rain. Now What?
June 2023 was the wettest month on record for many Colorado counties. But in a state accustomed to drought, all that water has to go somewhere.
Abandoned Uranium Mines on Rural Navajo Nation Proposed for Superfund Listing
Abandoned uranium mines that were never safely closed up might soon be listed under the Environmental Protection Agency’s Superfund List, which identifies polluted sites in need of a long-term cleanup plan.
How Did the [Insert Wildlife] Cross the Road?
The U.S. Department of Transportation allocated $350 million for wildlife crossings, but experts say it’s not enough to mitigate the harm caused by transportation.
Q&A: Fallow Agricultural Lands with Non-Native Grasses Are Hawai’i’s Tinder Box
A fire scientist in Hawai’i says the scale of the Maui fires should be a wake-up call for the state.
Rolling Fork Residents Forge Ahead With Rebuilding After Mississippi Tornadoes
Months after a storm system swept through the Mississippi Delta and devastated the small town of Rolling Fork, some locals are slowly piecing their community back together. But many others have decided to leave the area for good.
Maui Wildfires Highlight Rural Firefighting Dilemma
The deadly fire that flattened Lāhainā did not surprise wildfire experts who have watched climate change and invasive grasses significantly increase Hawai’i’s wildfire risk in recent decades.
‘Oppenheimer’ Discourse Leaves Out Downwind Communities
The blockbuster film, and the buzz it’s attracted, overlook the tens of thousands of rural people living within 50 miles of the first nuclear blast.