Michael Elizabeth Sakas
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The farmer is being paid to stop pumping water from a depleted underground aquifer. That project could become a model elsewhere as overuse and climate change stress groundwater supplies.
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There are new calls for stronger building codes in Colorado after devastating suburban wildfires. The towns weren't considered at high risk for fire, but the warming climate is changing that calculus.
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For a century, Native American tribes have been excluded from negotiations on how to share water from the Colorado River. States say this is set to change, and tribes are pushing to make sure it does.
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When cows overgraze it's bad for the soil and the climate. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management is trying new technology to help avoid overgrazing: virtual fencing.
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The drought is creating problems for hydroelectricity for millions of people. In a federal emergency measure, reservoirs are sending water to Lake Powell to keep its power turbines spinning.
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It's monsoon season in the Southwest, a vital source of moisture that keeps pastures and rivers healthy and wildfires in check. But climate change is making it harder to count on the season's rain.
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Facing drought and population growth, some Western U.S. towns are running out of water for new connections, stopping development. It's a challenge that's expected to grow as the climate changes.
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Much of the West is in extreme drought, and a good spring snowmelt could bring relief. But drought and the warming climate make that harder, putting water for millions of people at risk.
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In Colorado, scientists have cloned the first endangered species native to North America: a black-footed ferret. They hope their new technology might help keep other species from going extinct.
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Extreme fires are more likely with climate change, and they're making it harder for some tree species to regenerate. Ecologists say this could transform large areas of Western forest into grassland.