News & Commentary

Oil Drilling and Wetlands Don’t Mix—Especially in Big Cypress

June 2, 2016 DispatchFloridaRobynne Boyd

On a national preserve at the edge of the Everglades, oil exploration is threatening fragile habitat and endangered species, from woodpeckers to panthers.

What We Learned from the BP Oil Disaster

April 20, 2016 ExplainerUnited States, LouisianaPatrick Rogers

The resulting loss to life, livelihoods, and the environment hasn't slowed offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. But it should.

Spring Break

February 4, 2016 DispatchMontanaAlisa Opar

Bison go from seasonal outlaws to year-round residents in a large swath of Montana.

The Woman Who Loves Orcas

January 20, 2016 DispatchAlaska, WestTed Genoways

Scientist, poet, and cancer survivor Eva Saulitis says that orcas saved her life. If only she could return the favor.

Polar Bears’ Other Threat

December 31, 2015 ExplainerUnited States, CanadaAlexandra Zissu

It’s not just climate change that’s killing this iconic endangered species. Hunting is on the rise, too.

Flexibility Test

December 23, 2015 ExplainerUnited States, New JerseyElizabeth Royte

Plastic-pouch food packaging is showing up everywhere—except at recycling facilities.

Not-So-Vacant Lots

August 28, 2015 DispatchNew Orleans, LouisianaAlisa Opar

From birds to trees to rats, post-Katrina New Orleans is a study in “disaster ecology.”

The Impacts of a Tar Sands Oil Spill

August 17, 2015 ExplainerCanada

Tar sands oil is harder to clean up than conventional crude. Here are the reasons why.

The Community Farmer That Could

August 13, 2015 DispatchMissouriEmma Marris

Molly Rockamann's 14-acre plot in suburban Missouri could be a model for the nation.

10 Threats from the Canadian Tar Sands Industry

August 13, 2015 ExplainerCanadaNicole Greenfield

At every turn, the Tar Sands Invasion would put people and the environment in harm's way.

Going Whole Hog Without Antibiotics

August 13, 2015 DispatchMissouriBarry Estabrook

Farmer Russ Kremer caught a drug-resistant infection from his own pigs. Now he's raising them right.

The Algae That (Almost) Ate Toledo

July 27, 2015 DispatchToledo, OhioBarry Yeoman

Summertime in Toledo: Lakeside barbecues, Mud Hens double-headers, and toxic algae blooms.

NIMBY By Any Other Name

July 16, 2015 DispatchMarylandJeff Turrentine

Light-rail proponents in Maryland just won support from their Republican governor. Why is a self-styled “environmental” group standing in their way?

Plight of the Panther

June 30, 2015 DispatchFloridaKim Tingley

What happens when preserving a species makes it unpopular?

Roam, Roam on the Range

June 24, 2015 DispatchMontanaAlisa Opar

This Montana cattle ranch is trying to ensure its operations benefit wildlife—and yes, that means wolves, too.

Flexing Their Mussel

June 3, 2015 DispatchOhio, MidwestSusan Cosier

The bivalves that ate the Great Lakes are fueling toxic algal blooms, too. Can’t we get rid of them already?

Rat Pack

April 6, 2015 DispatchNew York CityAlisa Opar

New York is the city that never sleeps—and neither do its rat researchers.

Let's Get Wasted!

March 30, 2015 DispatchNew York CityClara Chaisson

A pop-up restaurant gives trash-bound food a place at the table.

Bison Back East

December 29, 2014 DispatchIllinois, MississippiSusan Cosier

Wild buffalo now roam east of the Mississippi for the first time since the 1830s, playing a crucial role in restoring Illinois grasslands.