The U.S. Department of Agriculture says it will reinstate thousands of workers laid off in February starting this Wednesday. That includes many hundreds of Forest Service workers across the Mountain West.

Seasonal forecasts point to a warm and dry spring. It’s not good news for a region that saw record heat and dry conditions last autumn.

Colorado Parks and WIldlife published the most recent collared gray wolf activity map last week.

Protestors called on lawmakers to defend scientific research, as the Trump administration moves to cut workforce and funding.

The concern comes after Tina Jackson, who led the species’ recovery across 12 states–including Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Arizona–was fired as part of the Trump Administration’s federal workforce cuts.

Under the Biden Administration, the Bureau of Land Management developed a rule that prioritized conservation as a use on its public lands, equal with other uses like mining and grazing. While lauded by public lands and environmental advocates, many in the Trump Administration oppose the policy.

The field of study examines human behavior and the natural environment to understand how people interact with wildlands, and how to create experiences that preserve natural resources while promoting the benefits of outdoor recreation. We hear from a scholar that studies recreation ecology.

Researchers found high potential for conservation in the grasslands of eastern Montana and Wyoming, southeastern Colorado and northern New Mexico.

The majority of voters in Rocky Mountain states, including Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming, would rather see the government focus more on conservation of public lands rather than extractive activities like mining and oil and gas.

The Trump administration could potentially redraw the boundaries of national monuments as part of a push to expand energy production. The new Secretary of the Interior, Doug Burgum, issued orders to review monuments, and some in our region may be on the list.