Going solo: These women find hiking alone to be empowering
PHOENIX – More women are getting outdoors to hike and camp, but not with a group and not with a man. They’re striking out alone. We talk to three of them.
Mountains around Phoenix formed by eons of pushing, pulling and hitting
PHOENIX – How did the mountains surrounding the Phoenix area form? Some blocks rose to become mountains while others dropped to form valleys. This was the birth of the undulating basin and range system that today wraps around the Colorado Plateau.
Arizona, New Mexico and Sonora team up on deal to ship natural gas to Asia
PHOENIX – The governors of Arizona, New Mexico and Sonora, Mexico, have agreed to a four-year pact to promote the production and transmission of natural gas produced in New Mexico. The gas is to be piped through Arizona to Sonoran ports on the Sea of Cortez, where it will be processed and sent to Asia.
Grijalva could bring dramatic shift as head of resources committee
WASHINGTON - After six years as the ranking Democrat on the House Naturall Resources Committee, Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Tucson, is in line to be its next chairman and he's promising vigorous oversight of the department whose secretary, Ryan Zinke, resigned before Democrats could take over.
‘Nobody wants to be told what to eat’: Rising meat consumption contributing to climate change
PHOENIX – Americans are eating record amounts of beef, pork and chicken, despite campaigns to discourage consumption to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. One way is to educate younger people, but getting humans to switch behaviors is difficult.
Scientists to look for toxic metals in Lake Powell after Gold King Mine spill
PHOENIX – Three years after an accidental spill from a Colorado gold mine, scientists are getting the chance to thoroughly analyze its impact on Lake Powell. They’re looking for traces of toxic metals in wastewater accidentally released by the Colorado Gold King Mine in 2015.
BLM OKs pozzolan mine in Skull Valley, despite public fears and opposition
PRESCOTT – Despite public opposition, the federal government has given the green light to a pozzolan mine on public land southwest of Prescott. Pollozlan is used to fortify concrete.
Time is running short for Colorado River managers to hammer out drought plan
LAS VEGAS – Water managers across the West, particularly in Arizona, are under pressure to implement a contingency plan to keep dwindling reservoirs from collapse.
Top federal water official gives states Jan. 31 deadline to pass Colorado River drought deal
LAS VEGAS – Water leaders throughout the West now have until Jan. 31 to finish deals that would keep the Colorado River’s biggest reservoirs from dropping to deadpool levels.
Barley shortage tied to climate change could have you crying in your craft beer
PHOENIX – A recent global study said beer prices could double under extreme heat and drought trends. Phoenix-area breweries said that prediction, if true, would affect them the most. However, they believe they’ll be able to find ways to adapt to the rising temperatures and drought conditions.
Move over, single-use plastics: Gilbert company makes Earth-friendly replacements
GILBERT – An Arizona company is working to get rid of all single-use plastics in grocery stores. This year the Gilbert-based company, Footprint, started producing paper straws, and has plans to expand overseas.
Santa Monica moonscape: Biologists consider ways to restore badly burned national recreation area
LOS ANGELES – Scientists with the National Park Service are just beginning to assess and restore vast tracts of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, which lost 88 percent of its land to the devastating Woolsey Fire in November. Their first task is to eliminate opportunistic invasive plants.
