Madelyn Beck
Madelyn Beck is a regional Illinois reporter, based in Galesburg. On top of her work for Harvest Public Media, she also contributes to WVIK, Tri-States Public Radio and the Illinois Newsroom collaborative.
Beck grew up on a small cattle ranch in Manhattan, Montana. Her previous work was mostly based in the western U.S., but she has covered agriculture, environment and health issues from Alaska to Washington, D.C.
Before joining Harvest and the Illinois Newsroom, she was as an energy reporter based in Wyoming for the public radio collaborative Inside Energy. Other publications include the Idaho Mountain Express, E&E News/EnergyWire, KRBD Rainbird Radio, the Montana Broadcasters Association, Montana Public Radio and the Tioga Tribune.
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Last September, a woman found what is likely the first DNA-confirmed death cap mushroom in our region. The extremely toxic fungus is a concern for parents and pet owners, alike. -
KUNR Today: Nevada communities can apply for wildfire defense funds, More human remains at Lake MeadRead or listen to news headlines for Monday, August 8, 2022.
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The recent flooding around Yellowstone National Park also created challenges for gateway towns like Gardner, Red Lodge and Cooke City in Montana. That includes lost homes and possibly lost livelihoods. For travelers who can no longer access the park through those towns, there’s another Montana entrance: West Yellowstone, the most popular gateway to the park.
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Interior Secretary Deb Haaland is launching an Indian Youth Service Corps with new guidelines. The corps was established in 2019 as part of an amendment to the Public Lands Corps Act. Now, Haaland has published actual guidelines. One of its goals is fostering natural resource and land stewardship skills for young tribal members aged 16 to 30, or 35 if you’re a veteran.
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People facing high wildfire risks are more likely to be white, live in pricier homes and have higher incomes. That’s according to new research published in Environmental Research Letters. It suggests that this wealthier group is more likely to face wildfire threats because many of them seek the beautiful views and amenities on the outskirts of bigger cities in the West.
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Life expectancy drops more in the U.S. than other wealthy nations, especially among Native AmericansU.S. life expectancy was already lower than other high-income nations and the gap was widening before 2019. Since then, things have gotten worse. New research found that in 2020, life expectancies here dropped disproportionately for marginalized, racialized populations. Especially for Native American and Alaska Native groups.
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A housing crunch in the West has some looking to public lands as a solution…and a place to live.
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COVID-19 cases are increasing in most of the country, but it’s hard to say how much. That's due to at-home tests and vaccines, which mean fewer people need to go to a doctor for a diagnoses or aid. These are good signs, but they also make it hard to track the virus, which can be stressful for people who are immunocompromised or can’t get the vaccine.
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Agencies like the Forest Service often use contract airplanes to drop fire retardant on wildfires. If resources fall short, though, a specialized team of military personnel can help. This year is shaping up to be another extreme fire season, so having this backup may be especially helpful.
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This year’s strain of the bird flu is still killing birds in our region, from poultry to hawks. Officials hope the virus dies out later this summer, but until then, they urge bird owners to use good hygiene practices and to protect the birds from other wild species. To report sick or dead livestock, contact agriculture officials. To report sick or dead wild birds, contact your state wildlife officials.
