Environment

Firefighters continue to battle a large blaze in southern California that started last week. At its most dangerous, the wildfire threatened about 4,000 homes and has moved quickly in the dry and windy conditions.

In Idaho, the National Interagency Fire Center predicts a slightly milder – but still above average – fire season.

A series of small earthquakes sent jolts across a corner of southeast Idaho Sunday night. The U.S. Geological Survey says two smaller earthquakes were also recorded inside the boundary of Yellowstone National Park in recent days.

Temblors of 4.2 and 3.6 magnitude were recorded in the Lava Hot Springs area. Authorities say the jolts generated calls from concerned residents, but so far there is no damage or injuries attributed to the temblors.
Both quakes are considered mild and not strong enough to cause severe damage.

A federal agency is planning to shut down down as many as 150 stream gauges nationwide. The first round of closures started this week. Those gauges provide life-saving flood warnings and even how bad a drought is.

Stream gauges are tools that help monitor how much water is in our rivers and streams. These are small outbuildings standing beside waterways. Each one shelters data-gathering equipment.

Later today, the Natural Resources Conservation Service will release a full report on snowpack and water levels in Idaho so far this year. The report will help paint a clearer picture of a complicated water scenario.

Water specialist Ron Abramovich says this year’s snowpack started off strong, but quickly dropped off. That makes for diverse stream levels.

Inside Zoo Boise, there’s an exhibit called the Zoo Farm.  You put a quarter in what looks like a gumball machine. Out comes  food pellets so you can feed the goats and sheep. 

All those quarters go to conservation to protect animals in the wild.  Since 2007, Zoo Boise has made wildlife conservation part of its mission, raising $1 million dollars for conservation projects. The Zoo celebrates this milestone Saturday at Boise State University. 

A plan by the federal government to end protection for gray wolves received mixed reactions from environmental groups to ranchers. 

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has drafted a plan to remove Endangered Species Act protections for gray wolves in the lower 48 states. That would leave the states in charge of wolf management.

The federal government is preparing to stop protecting gray wolves in the lower 48 states, according to a draft document. The plan is drawing criticism from environmental groups.

The impending decision isn’t a complete surprise. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service had announced its intentions earlier this year to propose a blanket delisting of wolves as a ‘threatened’ or ‘endangered’ species.