KISU-FM (Pocatello, ID)

From Spokane, Washington to Pueblo County, Colorado, this wildfire season has again shown the enormous risk that communities across the region face. To avoid such catastrophes, an Idaho county is taking a unique approach to the problem. There were early signs that this fire season could be a big one, especially the record-low snowpack last winter.

It may sound a little obvious: heatwaves lead to more wildfire. But the details of that relationship detailed in new research are eye-popping and have significant implications for fire managers. “Heatwaves are actually associated with close to half of all the wildfire burned area in the western U.S. over the past 25 years,” said Dmitri Kalashnikov, lead author on a paper recently published in the journal Science Advances.

Since the Trump Administration scaled down the size of two national monuments in Utah — Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante — more than half a dozen mining claims have been filed for those areas. Environmental groups say this could set a dangerous precedent. The two national monuments together comprised over 3 million acres of land. The Trump Administration scaled back the size of Bears Ears National Monument to less than 9% of its previous size, from 1.3 million acres to 121,000 acres.

The State of Nevada filed a federal lawsuit Monday in an effort to block the Interior Department's new operating guidelines for the Colorado River, just three days after Interior Secretary Doug Bergum signed the plan imposing mandatory cuts for Lower Basin states — Arizona, California and Nevada. Nevada's water use is less than that of other Lower Basin states and now the federal government wants the state to make further cuts, which state officials argue are unfair and harmful.

More U.S. forest lands could soon be open to ATVs, e-bikes and other motorized vehicles. On Aug. 21, the Trump administration announced it wants to revise the Travel Management Rule, a 20-plus-year-old U.S. Forest Service policy. It dictates when motorized use is and isn’t allowed. Right now, these vehicles are only allowed on national forest lands specifically designated for them.

Three states are being required to cut their water use under a final plan for managing the Colorado River over the next two years, while the four upstream states are being asked to voluntarily conserve water. The U.S. Department of the Interior released the Record of Decision for managing the river over the next decade and laying out more specific rules for the next two years.

The Indigenous perspective on the Colorado River is often overlooked. Jimmy Romo, an Indigenous Affairs reporter for KNPR in Las Vegas, has been covering what is at stake for tribes as water levels continue to decline. Our Living Lands Producer Daniel Spaulding spoke to Romo about his reporting.

A dozen press freedom organizations are asking for more transparency around deaths and injuries in national parks. They’re urging the U.S. Department of the Interior to reconsider a December 2025 memo, which reportedly restricted National Park Service staff from telling the public about “fatalities, suspected fatalities, serious injuries, or emotionally sensitive incidents,” the Washington Post reported in June.

Classic car and truck owners from several Albuquerque clubs gathered at a staging area under a hot sun in the parking lot of an outdoor mall. They greet each other with smiles, handshakes and lots of back slapping. Andrew Wasson joined them as he waited for the car show to begin. He has many memories of his days on Route 66. And it all starts with his car. “This car, it’s a 1967 Impala, all original three on a tree. This was actually my mom’s car,” he said.

When Patrick Donnelly walks in the desert, he sees nature thriving. The Great Basin Director of the Center for Biological Diversity met with the Mountain West News Bureau in the desert near Boulder City, Nevada, to discuss the federal government's recent approval of a data center, despite opposition from city residents and officials.