My mouth was hanging open as I read this story on the perverse incentives of "lose it or use it" Western water law: www.hcn.org/articles/the...

The conflicts of interest continue - fascinating, disturbing story reported by the folks at Public Domain @chrisdangelo.bsky.social @jamesctobias.bsky.social www.publicdomain.media/p/karen-budd...

According to this story, held-up projects include: -deploying nonprofit youth programs to clear trails -sending groups to prevent washouts in parks during persistent rain -surveying wildlife -prescribed burns and fuels reduction ahead of wildfire season www.notus.org/climate-envi...

"Not preparing for wildfire smoke is a policy choice." Tremendous reporting by @zteirstein.bsky.social grist.org/health/wildf...

Breaking news from Glacier: another bear attack on a trail that re-opened yesterday following bear activity. www.sfgate.com/national-par...

Lawyers representing Yellowstone National Park are trying to dismiss a lawsuit alleging that park employee housing gave a child lead poisoning. “The biggest regret of our lives was living in that house,” Emily Aiuppa told @thatsmohrlikeit.bsky.social . www.sfgate.com/national-par...

I'd love to get my hands on volume 12 of @atmosmag.bsky.social, the "Pollinate" issue. But it's all sold out online! Does anyone I know have a spare copy? shop.atmos.earth

A few great pieces I've edited recently that I want to highlight! A water-hungry national lab in the Southwest: www.hcn.org/articles/nuk... and the militarization of an iconic thru-hiking trail: www.hcn.org/articles/the... Now go read Alicia Inez Guzmán :)

🌲 @sfgate.com national parks news update 🌲 This week, I wrote about Bergum being in the hot seat over D.C. vanity upgrades while slashing the NPS budget: www.sfgate.com/national-par... And why Canada's national parks are free to all while the US raises prices: www.sfgate.com/national-par...

This week's bear beat was handled by @thatsmohrlikeit.bsky.social 🐻 Do you throw away your bear spray? Sometimes those canisters explode: www.sfgate.com/national-par... And what you need to know about recent bear attacks in Yellowstone and Glacier: www.sfgate.com/national-par...

This is what happens when you throw away your bear spray 😬https://www.sfgate.com/national-parks/article/exploding-bear-spray-yellowstone-22244713.php

"Playing political games with disaster relief" www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2026...

A sad update to the missing hiker in Glacier National Park. The last time a bear killed a human in Glacier was almost 30 years ago. www.sfgate.com/national-par...

The park news from my corner of the world you don't want to miss: summer chaos of wildlife conflict and missing hikers appears to have started early.

New in @highcountrynews.org: @thatsmohrlikeit.bsky.social explores what the Underground Atlas reveals about #mycorrhizal #fungi in the Western U.S. and why belowground biodiversity needs a place in conservation planning. Explore the Underground Atlas: buff.ly/mLAyCNf Full article: buff.ly/g8aQqZ9

I really, really hate to sharing this, but last week, we @biographic.bsky.social learned that the California Academy of Sciences will no longer be providing the magazine with financial support, including money we were expecting to receive this year. We're in a real bind.

"aside from making carbon more accessible, fire fungi play an important role in revitalizing the structure of the soil after a severe burn" www.biographic.com/how-fire-fun...

"Longevity conservation" is gaining momentum. e360.yale.edu/features/lon...

“It’s already starting to slow down or shut down work.” stateline.org/2026/05/01/t...

“It’s worth taking the time to read books." 🥲https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2026/04/30/mens-book-club-30-years/

The latest from @thatsmohrlikeit.bsky.social! A whistleblower alleges widespread lead contamination in Yellowstone's employee housing: www.sfgate.com/national-par... Grand Teton in reopening talks about building a bike path through a busy wildlife corridor: www.sfgate.com/national-par...

Any new movement/research/ideas on the topic of beavers creating wildfire refugia? 🔥💧🌲

About to hop on @opb.org's "Think Out Loud" show to talk all things fungi. Stay tuned! 🎧

Yeeesh. What an investigation by @motherjones.com www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

States across the West are dealing with outdated funding systems in the face of skyrocketing wildfire costs. Some are responding in creative ways: www.hcn.org/articles/wil...

Wildfires can convert naturally occurring chromium-3 into the carcinogen chromium-6, which can contaminate groundwater for years, writes @thatsmohrlikeit.bsky.social www.hcn.org/issues/58-4/...

🧵 BOOKS FOR EARTH DAY 🌎 While writing my book, Becoming Earth, I read — and have continued to read — *a lot* of books about our extraordinary planet. Here are a few of my personal favorites, old and new, with a particular focus on Earth as a dynamic, interconnected, evolving system 🧪 📚💙

It's so Montana that the insults traded here are about how many dirt roads candidates have seen, and where... www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...

The stories just 👏 keep 👏 coming 👏 I had a lovely conversation with Jennifer Auchter last week about how New Mexico is tackling reforestation challenges. www.hcn.org/articles/how...

I write about conservation and up until this story, I'm not sure I'd ever written about fungi conservation?! That's the symptom of a larger problem. Belowground biodiversity needs attention and protection, too: www.hcn.org/articles/why...

Wildfires are altering soil chemistry in dangerous, lasting ways: www.hcn.org/issues/58-4/...

This is a dangerous precedent coloradonewsline.com/briefs/trump...

Ooof. "Yellowstone’s specialness, in short, has less to do with its intrinsic qualities than with the utter destruction of nature almost everywhere else, from Iowa to the Planalto Santareno." inthesetimes.com/article/yell...

War as rationale for extinction: www.npr.org/2026/03/30/n...

I'm excited about this new way for readers who care about national parks to follow our team @sfgate.com: a WhatsApp channel where you can can opt in to receive story alerts directly on your phone, plus a community where you can talk directly to meeeee + my colleagues www.whatsapp.com/channel/0029...

The Trump admin wants to consolidate @usfs.bsky.social & move the HQ to SLC. We've been through this before with the BLM, & it did not go well. Story in @highcountrynews.org www.hcn.org/articles/for...

Think a warmer, drier spring means no rx fire (like I did?) Think again! www.hcn.org/articles/why...

Another shoutout to the hard work of the @sfgate.com parks team by @columjournreview.bsky.social. "“We’re going to keep doing what we do and tell the stories of the national parks that matter most to our readers," said @ashleyharrell.bsky.social www.cjr.org/laurels-and-...

Wowie I just learned so much more about migration: www.theguardian.com/environment/...

In my latest for @highcountrynews.org, I report on a new Legislature-mandated predator cull in Utah. As of today, state-paid hunters and trappers have killed 45 lions. www.hcn.org/articles/uta...

Critical coverage of the National Park Service and Department of the Interior has led to me and the rest of my @sfgate.com park colleagues being massively hamstrung — and singled out. www.sfgate.com/national-par...

My parent's wedding announcement was in this paper ❤️‍🩹https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-03-07/pacific-palisades-newspaper-shut-down-after-ire-stages-comeback

*Adds to reading list* Black Bear: A Story of Siblinghood and Survival lithub.com/why-so-many-...

A Friday freshie: I just published a story for @sfgate.com on how how the Trump administration is poised to alter what young people learn in national parks, including everything from Indigenous history to the Civil Rights Movement to light pollution in the night sky. www.sfgate.com/national-par...

niche reporting request! Any suggestions for fence historians/Western history historians who can speak to the nuance/history/legacy of colonization of FENCES? Especially barbed wire?

a lot has already been written about the heat wave next week, including @weatherwest.bsky.social’s posts here. But it is hard to describe how truly outlandish the forecast is for next week. This is looking to be so far outside of anything that’s been observed before in March in the western US.

Happy Friday! It's FINALLY snowing in Missoula and I just learned how resilient some wildflowers truly are www.cnn.com/2026/03/12/s...

Happening tomorrow at 12 Mountain Time:

Last fall, I wrote about an old bridge being repurposed into a wildlife crossing in northern Idaho. Today, a source sent me footage of animals crossing the bridge for some of the first times. 🥲 www.facebook.com/reel/1889095...

Interesting development in a never-ending story: ***This is the 15th trial to conclude so far. Another 167 trials are scheduled through 2027.***https://www.opb.org/article/2026/02/25/pacificorp-owes-one-billion-oregon-wildfire-class-action-lawsuit/