Murphy Woodhouse
Mountain West News Bureau Boise ReporterExpertise: Audio production, field reporting, photography, wildfire policy
Education: University of Montana + University of Arizona
Highlights
- I’m fluent in Spanish and love putting Spanish on the air
- I’m an all-conditions bike commuter and e-bike evangelist – EVERY day is a good day to ride
- I’ve seen two total solar eclipses, and intend to see many more before I die
Experience
I joined Boise State Public Radio and the Mountain West News Bureau (MWNB) in April 2023 after about a decade working as a print and radio reporter on both sides of the Arizona-Sonora border. Most recently I was based in the Sonoran capital Hermosillo working for the Phoenix NPR affiliate KJZZ. At the MWNB, I’ve tried to leverage my past experience as a wildland firefighter to provide listeners with informed coverage of a number of key issues in wildland fire. I’m especially interested in efforts to improve the famously challenging and dangerous working conditions on the fireline.
I’ve been a news photographer for a number of years now, but have more recently decided to really hone my skills. As a part of that, I try to have a camera on me whenever I’m out and about. I love sharing images that capture something essential about wherever I’m shooting, like young folks flinging themselves off the Greenbelt truss bridge last summer or car lights stretching along Highway 28 as meteors streak overhead in the lonely Lemhi Valley.
Email: Trail tips? Story tips? Know a secret the public ought to hear? Drop me a line!
-
Snowpacks across the region are looking lackluster, with much of the West below 50% of normal. However, a regional fire meteorologist says storms are on the way, and that it’s still too early to worry about any implications for the upcoming fire season. -
In its first three years, the Biden administration has protected millions of acres and spent billions on conservation. -
Catastrophic wildfires and other disasters fueled by climate change are raising serious doubts about the future of insurance. But a former California insurance commissioner has some ideas about what could be done. -
New research shows that intense wildfires can leave behind dangerous levels of carcinogenic hexavalent chromium in soil and ash, close enough to the surface that wind could easily carry it away. -
The federal wildfire service has a gender-equity problem: in fiscal year 2021, 84% of firefighters were men. Federal land agencies have publicly committed to working on a number of diversity issues, and a relatively new crew for women in the southeast is part of an effort to attract and keep more women in the profession. -
Christmas is less than a week away, and if you don’t have a tree yet, permits are available through Dec. 25 to harvest one on public lands. -
New Mexico recently started a program to train private landowners how to safely conduct burning operations on their own land. Those who complete it can be protected from significant liability risks in the state. -
A new study finds that wildfires are having a major impact on trends in fine particulate pollution and their health impacts, especially in the American West. The researchers found that fire emissions have reversed pollution gains made in our region, and that premature deaths associated with such pollution are up by nearly 700 annually. -
Study: Pay, experience positively impact wildland firefighter retention; competing wages not so muchUsing a sizable dataset and an innovative methodology, researchers have just published a study looking at factors that influence retention for Hotshots, among the most experienced and highly trained workers on the fireline. -
The U.S. Forest Service manages some 160 thousand miles of trails, and maintaining that sprawling system is a major undertaking. Volunteer trail workers have become an essential part of keeping the public’s access open to its vast wild areas.
