Sagebrush

A gigantic project is cutting down thousands of juniper trees in Idaho to reclaim the land for sage grouse.

A new study found that growing cities in the west are having a harmful impact on sagebrush ecosystems. Not only is urban growth negatively impacting the size of nearby rangeland, but the quality as well. However, there may be a silverlining.

Advocates are asking the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to list the pygmy rabbit under the Endangered Species Act. They sent a petition to federal officials in early March, arguing that the world’s smallest rabbit is at risk of extinction due to habitat loss and disease.

Sagebrush country is losing a million acres a year due to a variety of factors, including invasive species, development, harmful grazing practices and climate change. But the ecosystem is still thriving across parts of Wyoming, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists say preventative measures now could save money in the future in some of these “core” ecosystem areas.

For the first time researchers have mapped the genome of sagebrush, which could mean big things for the plants habitat, especially when it comes to combating the effects of climate change.

Much more research has been done to evaluate wildfire mitigation strategies in forests.

A new Boise State project is planting sagebrush in the Boise Foothills.

During the last 30 years, climate change has impacted rangelands in the West. Now some top scientists and land managers say restoring Idaho’s rangelands could help combat climate change.

Originally broadcast October 25, 2018.The South Boise Women's Correctional Center is a tight cluster of buildings south of Boise. Behind the prison stands…

Idaho Matters presents an encore broadcast of our four-part look into the the fastest-growing demographic in Idaho prisons: women.- Back in August, we had…