Piggin’ out for the planet: Halloween pumpkins wind up in livestock, not landfills
Pumpkin drives are becoming a popular way to give your Halloween pumpkins a second purpose while keeping them out of landfills, where they rot, generating greenhouse gasses that contribute to climate change. Better Piggies Rescue and Rover Elementary School are among the groups hosting donation drives to collect pumpkins to feed them to animals or to be composted.
Surging numbers: Driving an electric vehicle doesn’t need to cause range anxiety
SANTA MONICA, Calif. – A federal law provides grants to states that draft plans to expand electric-vehicle charging stations. Arizona will receive $76.5 million over three years to boost its EV infrastructure along interstate highways.
Slow, steady and high tech: Study using GPS to track Sonoran desert tortoises
SCOTTSDALE – The McDowell Sonoran Conservancy wants to learn more about how the Sonoran desert tortoise interacts with urban development and how they move through the desert. It's using telemetry and GPS to track 22 tortoises in the Scottsdale McDowell Sonoran Preserve.
Mountain lions like P-22 are revered in California. They’re hunted in Arizona.
LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles last weekend celebrated P-22 Day in honor of a cougar that roams Griffith Park – an icon in the fight to save mountain lions across the West, whether in a big-city park or in mountains and rangeland.
Heat deaths hit record in Maricopa County, but there are ways to stay safe
PHOENIX – Higher temperatures in Maricopa County have led to a record number of heat-associated deaths, according to a report released this month. Experts say people – visitors and Arizonans alike – should reconsider how to prepare for the heat to stay safe while outdoors.
Gila River tribe agrees to conserve water in return for federal compensation
The Gila River Indian Community has announced plans to conserve a large portion of its water supplies over the next three years and is seeking payment from a new federal program designed to incentivize such reductions.
Lights out: Oracle State Park hosts a star viewing party to celebrate Arizona’s dark skies
ORACLE – Cronkite News visited Oracle State Park near Tucson to see why amateur astronomers love observing the cosmos at the International Dark Sky Park.
Grand Canyon’s water ‘backbone’ to get major overhaul starting this fall
PHOENIX – The historic pipeline that brings drinking water from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon to the South Rim fails frequently. Work will begin this fall to overhaul sections of the pipe.
Camelback’s Cholla Trail reopens, providing more access to the highest peak in Phoenix
PHOENIX – Cholla Trail on Camelback Mountain’s eastern slope, which closed in March 2020, reopened in September with safety improvements and new amenities. The landmark is Phoenix’s highest peak and carries with it decades of history.
Empty Bowls event raises money to combat food insecurity, cut food waste
PHOENIX – Arizona nonprofit organization Waste Not raises funds to help food insecurity through its annual Empty Bowls event by selling handcrafted clay bowls. Proceeds go toward rescuing perishable foods from local businesses and delivering it to agencies that feed the hungry.
Iconic Strong Arm was one of many saguaros killed by climate change, deadly bacteria
Climate change is becoming a deadly threat to the iconic saguaro, which is found only in the Sonoran Desert. According to cactus expert William D. Peachey, extreme temperature fluctuations and more severe storms are making saguaros more susceptible to the deadly bacteria Erwinia cacticida.
‘It’s alright to be a fat bear’: Why Fat Bear Week is more than a beauty contest
WILLIAMS — Fat Bear Week started at Alaska’s Katmai National Park as a way to help people understand the importance of bears and healthy ecosystems. In northern Arizona, Bearizona has its own Fat Bear Week to show off the park’s black bears as they prepare for winter hibernation.
