Lands & Waters

When Ships Slow Down, Everybody Wins, Including Endangered Whales

An incentive-based program protecting whales from ship strikes also reduces air pollution

By Suzanne Bohan August 5, 2025

In this story: whales, endangered species

Cracking the Case of the Missing Roseate Terns

How disappearing birds led to an unlikely partnership between researchers and fishermen

By Jill Langlois August 4, 2025

In this story: birds, saving wild places, conservation, wildlife, animals

Flying seabirds. The roseate tern (Sterna dougallii) is a tern in the family Laridae. Photo by Afonso Farias

Swift Foxes Go West

North America’s smallest fox has started to show up in places no one expected

By Ian Rose July 31, 2025

In this story: animals, wildlife, climate adaptation, conservation

At sunset with warm light shining, three of five wild swift fox pups play and run by their den in the tall, green grass in the Pawnee National Grasslands on the north-eastern plains of Colorado. One pup tracks a flying beetle while another sticks his head into the den and another keeps a look out.

Enter MABA: Trump’s Version of Greenwashing

Critics say the Make America Beautiful Again commission will only act as cover for stripping public lands protections

By Alexander Nazaryan July 25, 2025

In this story: Trump, politics, public lands

Photo by Eddie Moore/The Albuquerque Journal via AP

Could AI Help Humanity Understand Whales?

This project hopes that decoding sperm whale sounds will boost conservation efforts

By Kathryn Hulick July 21, 2025

In this story: whales, marine ecosystems, animals, Gee Whiz, endangered species

A pod of sperm whale congregates near the surface of the sea.

Big Bend’s Burros Cause Delight and Frustration

A Texas community is split on what to do with its feral donkeys

By Margret Grebowicz July 18, 2025

In this story: wildlife, Desert, conservation

A lineup of five burros look into the camera with an arid ridge in the background and shrubs in the foreground.

Amid Soaring Heat, a Grand Canyon Icon Was Incinerated

As the planet gets hotter, public lands are more vulnerable

By Michael Engelhard July 16, 2025

In this story: climate change, wildfire, public lands, national parks

Photo courtesy of the National Park Service via AP

Bacteria to the Rescue

Can microscopic creatures help get rid of humanity’s huge pile of plastic?

By Lindsey Botts July 13, 2025

In this story: technology, Gee Whiz, science

Illustration shows a giant pile of colorful plastic water bottles and other items covered with smiling red critters. A woman is stuck under the pile with her arms reaching out.

Antarctica’s Emperor Penguins and Seals Are at the “Pointy End” of Climate Change

A new study offers worrying signs for a warming planet

By Brandon Withrow July 9, 2025

In this story: climate change, arctic, science

Trump Administration Sets Stage for Attack on National Monuments

Here’s why the recent Department of Justice opinion on national monuments is likely to fail

By Morgan Sjogren July 6, 2025

In this story: monuments, public lands, federal policy

U.S. Rangers, and other law enforcement officers gather early morning ahead of a planned President Joe Biden's trip Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025, to the Eastern Coachella Valley, Calif., where he was to announce the creation of the Chuckwalla National Monument before the trip had to be cancelled due to dangerously high winds. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)