Environment

A coalition of conservationists is petitioning Idaho and Wyoming to make hunters carry bear spray when they’re within the Yellowstone ecosystem.

Moose are on the decline in Idaho and across the West. That means moose tags for Gem State hunters will be in short supply.

Since 2005 the City of Nampa has sold trees to folks, encouraging residents to plant more in the city’s right-of-way areas. They're for sale again this spring.

In January, Idaho river outfitters were a bit worried about a lack of good snowpack. After February’s monster storms, they’ve gone from troubled to overjoyed.

Fishing Through the Apocalypse examines the future for freshwater fish in America. Climate change, pollution, hydroelectricity and interstate water policy have all had an impact on fish and fishing. We talk with the book's author, Matt Miller of The Nature Conservancy, about the future of Idaho fish.

If you kill a wolf in Idaho, your effort might be worth $1,000. 

A nonprofit in North Idaho covers costs for hunters and trappers who successfully harvest wolves. The group, called the Foundation for Wildlife Management pays up to $1,000 per wolf harvest.

Four environmental groups filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday challenging the Trump Administration’s rollback of protections for an imperiled species.

Idaho Power announced a pledge Tuesday to provide customers 100 percent clean energy by the year 2045.

Idaho Fish and Game has killed wolves in the upper part of Idaho. The Department says the goal is to boost the number of elk in the area.

A new study finds habitat for waterbirds has been declining due to climate change. Warmer temperatures and less precipitation are leading to a reduction in habitat which, in turn, has resulted in fewer waterbirds in the Great Basin.

The study features work from Oregon State University, UC Merced, the US Geological Survey and the Alliance for Global Water Adaptation. Scientists pored over a century of climate data for the Great Basin and compared it to 50 years of bird surveys beggining with the year 1968.

Idaho Power has a green power initiative that allows people to purchase wind and solar energy for their homes. Now, this week’s Treefort Music Fest is getting in on the program. 

Trumpeter swan cygnets are dying at a startling rate, threatening the swan populations of the West. We talk with Camas Refuge Manager Brian Wehausen and wildlife biologist Andrea Kristof about what is causing these declines.

Mountain snowfall in February means Idaho is poised to have plenty of water this spring.

Reservoirs on the Upper Snake River are at 87 percent of capacity. There’s so much water that the Bureau of Reclamation is already making releases from the Palisades Reservoir for flood control.

Farmers in the Magic Valley can expect a banner year in terms of irrigation. With lots of liquid stored in reservoirs and yet-to-melt snow, those in the agriculture sector are heading into spring with higher than normal levels of stored water.

The Bureau of Land Management is offering people $1,000 if they’ll adopt a wild horse. 

President Trump’s proposed budget includes significant cuts to the Department of Interior, including the National Park Service. 

The Owyhee Initiative is a compact agreed upon by several "national, regional, and local stakeholders" that would preserve the environmental and economic future of Owyhee County. The Owyhee Initiative Implementation Act was introduced by Senator Crapo in 2009 and signed into law by President Obama. Idaho Matters looks at the impact of this act as it nears its 10th anniversary with Lou Lunte, deputy director for the Nature Conservancy in Idaho and ranchers Brenda Richards and Chris Black.

As temperatures begin to creep up, residents of the Wood River Valley face a particular risk of flooding. Spring runoff has inundated neighborhoods in the region the last two years.