Big environmental issues such as the use of pesticides, labelling of organic foods and the preservation of farmland and water are central to a huge farm bill lurching its way through the nation’s legislature, hamstrung by partisan politics. Our latest Backgrounder sets up the landscape for your coverage.
Urban heat is a serious environmental killer, with numerous culprits making it worse each year for many cities. But there are ways to lessen the impacts too, ranging from more trees to greener roofs. This week’s TipSheet has info on how to report on the problem of urban heat, as well as on its solutions.
The system of national parks in the United States contains hundreds of units, and many more stories near you ... if you just know where to start. This week’s TipSheet offers six key issues likely to come up at nearby parks, plus three dozen resources to help track down your local angle.
When it comes to the wildfires that now regularly threaten life and property, it’s not just the flames that create risk. Wildfire smoke itself can cause harm, even a long way from the fire. This week’s TipSheet explains the health threats of wildfire smoke and how to monitor the risk for your own area.
"Western U.S. residents could endure two more lethal wildfire seasons before the implementation of a widely-praised fix to how the federal government funds fighting and preventing wildfires."
"A proposed budget [now enacted] to keep the federal government running through the rest of the fiscal year, which wraps up at the end of September, would bring millions of dollars to the National Park Service if approved by Congress."
While environmental themes were less prominent at the Sundance Film Festival this year, our correspondent JoAnn Valenti unearthed ecological messages from documentaries that explore the emergence of climate change refugees in the face of sea level rise, the escape from modernity into wilderness and the confrontation of environmental threats by young innovators.
"The Trump administration named a new interim U.S. Forest Service chief on Thursday, just days after the prior head of the agency stepped down due to sexual misconduct allegations."
"Months before U.S. Forest Service Chief Tony Tooke abruptly resigned, his superiors at the Agriculture Department were made aware of the scandal that brought an end to Tooke’s 30-year career."
"The head of the U.S. Forest Service, Tony Tooke, resigned on Wednesday amid an investigation into accusations of sexual misconduct made against him."
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