Drought

Severe drought is shrinking the places many Western animals depend on for food, water and shelter, and the effects may be strongest for predators, according to new research.

After a wildfire, rivers and streams can take years to recover. Native plants and wildlife are often crowded out by invasive species in the aftermath. But in Nevada’s Virgin River watershed, a collaboration between federal agencies and conservation groups is pointing to early signs of recovery.

Longer wildfire seasons can blanket communities in smoke. Summer heat records continue to rise. Drought remains a persistent concern for water supplies, agriculture and ecosystems.

Storms across the Western U.S. are dumping more rain in shorter bursts than in decades past. But according to new research, that doesn’t necessarily mean landscapes are holding onto more water.

As data centers rapidly expand across the Mountain West, researchers say a key question is getting harder to answer: how much water are they actually using?

In the arid Mountain West, rivers are under growing pressure — from climate change, drought and rising demand for water. But new research from New Mexico suggests some river ecosystems may be more resilient than they appear.

Conservation groups filed a lawsuit on March 2 challenging the Trump administration’s rollback of federal protections for the greater sage-grouse across nine states: California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, North Dakota, and South Dakota.

Researchers at the University of Nevada, Reno, have received a $9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to study an unlikely candidate for future fuels: cactus pear.

A new report finds 2025 brought widespread drought, massive wildfires and destructive windstorms across several Mountain West states — and underscores how closely connected those disasters have become.

Across the Mountain West, groundwater is the unseen force keeping springs flowing, wetlands green, and desert plants alive. Now, a new interactive tool is making that hidden water easier to see.