Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY)

Wyoming’s Crowded Lonesome Lake Tops EPA’s US List For Fecal Contamination

"Environmental regulators have launched an investigation into a heavily trafficked lake below the Cirque of the Towers in the Wind River Range, with an Enterococci reading 384 times the safety threshold."

Source: WyoFile, 07/21/2025
August 22, 2025

DEADLINE: IJNR Crown of the Continent Institute

The Institute for Journalism & Natural Resources will bring 15 journalists to Montana, Oct 5-12, 2025, and introduce them to subject matter experts including Tribal members, ecologists, wildlife and fisheries biologists, climate scientists, ranchers, land managers, and other stakeholders whose life or livelihood is based on the landscape. Deadline: Aug 22.

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"Trump DOI Weighs New Coal Sales From Public Lands In Montana And Wyoming

"Federal officials on Monday took a first step toward reopening vast areas of public lands in two Western states to new coal sales as part of President Donald Trump’s push to expand U.S. fossil fuel production."

Source: AP, 07/08/2025

Wildfire Smoke Is Showing Up Everywhere. It Can Be Fatal

Wildfire’s immensely destructive power is not just about what it burns. The smoke from more frequent fires, too, has real potential to harm human health, the new Backgrounder explains, releasing particulate matter, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides and worse. Learn more about the hazards and historical perspective, along with what journalists should tell their communities can be done.

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"Colorado Landscapers Are Discovering The Perks Of Electric Lawn Equipment"

"State regulations limiting gas-powered lawn equipment for public properties went into effect this month. Users are warming up to the cleaner, quieter tools."

Source: Canary Media, 06/24/2025

"Inside Utah’s PR Campaign to Seize Public Lands"

"Last year, as Utah prepared to file a lawsuit aiming to take control of millions of acres of federal public land within its borders, state officials sought help swaying public opinion in their favor. They turned to a group of public relations professionals at Penna Powers, a media and branding firm based in Salt Lake City."

Source: Public Domain, 06/18/2025

Colorado River Is Running Low. Groundwater Looks Even Worse, Study Says.

"The dwindling flow of the Colorado River has alarmed the American West for years, but the water losses happening underground are even worse, according to a new study that uses satellite data to measure groundwater supplies across the Colorado River Basin."

Source: Washington Post, 05/29/2025

"Trump Administration to Fast-Track Permits for Utah Uranium Mine"

"The Interior Department said it would fast-track the permitting process for a uranium mine in Utah as part of President Trump’s plan to shorten environmental reviews and speed the construction of certain types of energy projects." "An environmental review of the project, known as Velvet-Wood, would normally take roughly a year. The government says it will complete the process in two weeks."

Source: NYTimes, 05/14/2025

"Trump Officials Ask Court to End Protections for a Strutting, Showy Bird"

"The Trump administration has moved to end federal protections for the lesser prairie chicken, a showy grouse with the misfortune of inhabiting southern and central grasslands long sought-after for agriculture and energy development."

Source: NYTimes, 05/09/2025

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