Drone on the range: Farmers take to the skies to save water and money
MARICOPA – Drones are monitoring some crops to help save water while gathering detailed information that can help with crop cultivation and monitoring soil conditions.
Trump administration’s push for U.S. uranium production opposed near Grand Canyon
TUSAYAN – President Donald Trump has listed uranium as a “critical mineral,” which may encourage domestic uranium mining. The Nuclear Fuel Working Group has not issued recommendations yet, but uranium mining companies want quotas lax oversight, while environmental activists push for a ban on uranium mining near the Grand Canyon.
Cactus juice used to make nontoxic, biodegradable plastic bags
PHOENIX – Scientists in Mexico have found a sustainable alternative to plastic bags. Using juice from the prickly pear cactus, they’ve produced plastic that can decompose in just a few weeks rather than the several centuries it takes for traditional plastic bags.
Critics light up decision to halt planned lightbulb-effiency rules
WASHINGTON - A Trump administration plan to roll back stricter regulations on energy-efficient lightbulbs may have done the impossible - put environmentalists and some utility companies on the same side of an issue.
Water for wildlife: Catchments prove lifesavers across Arizona
PEORIA – Life-bearing water makes its way to remote locations with the help of large tankers and the occasional helicopter to make sure wildlife survive. Filling and maintaining Arizona’s water catchments is a full time job for members of the Game & Fish Department.
Damming the Little Colorado River for power projects is opposed by tribes, environmentalists
PHOENIX – Two hydroelectric storage projects are being proposed for the Little Colorado River and environmental activists as well as the Hopi Tribe, and the Navajo Nation, are opposed.
With drought plans finished, water managers pause Colorado River negotiations
LAS VEGAS – With the drought contingency plan finished, water managers from across the Southwest recently gathered in Las Vegas to figure out what’s next. Climate change already is restricting the arid region’s water supplies, and there’s little agreement on how to bring balance to the Colorado River Basin.
Arizona volunteers plant hope for the future of monarch butterflies
PHOENIX – As part of a 50 year plan to revive the population of migrating monarch butterflies, Arizona Game & Fish Department is working with volunteers and other organizations to plant milkweed to make “waypoints” for the insects.
Sky rivers: A new scale categorizes power of crucial atmospheric flows
LA JOLLA, Calif. – Researchers with the Scripps Institution of Oceanography have created a new scale to characterize atmospheric rivers, based upon their intensity and potential impacts.
Debate continues over BLM move as workers face decision deadline
WASHINGTON - Bureau of Land Management employees in Washington have until this week to decide whether to accept a transfer out West - including to Arizona - a move that supporters say makes sense but critics call an attempt at "dismantling" the agency.
Revived stretch of Santa Cruz River provides oasis for wildlife
TUCSON – Dragonflies, toads and birds are just some of the wildlife showing up since treated wastewater began flowing into the Santa Cruz River channel in June.
System will study headwaters of the Colorado to gauge stream flow, soil moisture, evaporation
GREELEY, Colo. – A new high-tech monitoring program is set to take shape in the headwaters of the Colorado and Gunnison rivers.
