Environment

Idaho Fish and Game biologists are catching and tagging female sage grouse to see how they are doing after the 2018 Grassy Ridge Fire that occured 15 miles northwest of St. Anthony.

The partial meltdown of Three Mile Island's Reactor #2 in 1979 rocked a nation that became lulled by the quiet safety of nuclear energy. The incident caused Idahoans to question the safety of operations at Idaho National Laboratory and as a result, the Snake River Alliance was developed. For 40 years, the organization has served as Idaho's nuclear watchdog and clean energy advocates.

Idaho’s Surface Mining Act was amended by a bill passed during this year’s legislative session. The Idaho Department of Lands, or IDL, will hold public meetings this summer where the public can provide their comment on the details of how those rules will be implemented.

Between 2006 and 2014, illegal poaching in Tanzania had reduced elephant populations from 137,000 to 44,000. It took the efforts of conservation organizations to bring global attention to the outrage - organizations like the Serengeti Conservation Foundation. Meyasi Meshilieck is the executive director of the Foundation and he will be in Boise discussing efforts to preserve the flora and fauna of the Serengeti and Tanzania in the face of human development and global climate change. He joins Idaho Matters to discuss conservation; the event is sponsored by the Earth Island Institute's Serengeti Watch, it will take place at the Capital Center Event Center this evening.

Tundra swans are dying along the Coeur d’Alene River floodplain. But this isn't a new problem.

Equipped with kneepads and trowels, three dozen volunteers helped replant native seedlings near Lucky Peak in March. Turns out Idaho Fish and Game relies on hundreds of volunteers for their habitat restoration program.

Every summer, commercial mushroom pickers scour the previous summer's fire maps to find the most promising ground for morel picking. But in one of Idaho’s biggest burns, the forest will be closed to commercial picking.

Idaho and Oregon have worked out a deal to keep operating the Hells Canyon Complex on the Snake River.

Hikers, campers and outdoor enthusiasts have a new way to find out if forest officials will be burning the landscape near their getaways.

Justin Hayes takes over as the executive director of the Idaho Conservation League on May 1. He joins Idaho Matters to talk about the future of conservation and preservation of the Gem State and the upcoming 2019 Environmental Conference called "Energy, Salmon, Agriculture, and Community: Can We Come Together?"

The Boise River is on the rise once again.

This segment originally aired on March 4, 2019.

Freelance journalist Rocky Barker has been tracking the dwindling numbers of the Selkirk caribou and he joins Idaho Matters to illustrate the effects of encroachment and climate change on the iconic steer of the Northwest.

This segment originally aired on January 23, 2019.

The Snake River Seed Cooperative encourages regional growers to produce organic, non-GMO seed for both farmers and backyard gardeners. We meet Snake River Seed Cooperative founder and director Casey O'Leary and learn why this program can lead to healthier communities and wealthier growers.

The Boise river will be rising in the next few days as water managers react to recent spring rains.