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This is the Yampa, one of the Colorado Basin’s, and the nation’s, last wild rivers. American Rivers named the Colorado River the #1 Most Endangered River in the country in April, and protecting the Yampa is one important puzzle piece for ensuring a healthier Colorado Basin in the long-term. The purpose of this five-day trip is to bring leaders together to explore the value of the wild Yampa and discuss the river’s future.
There are 20 of us – decision-makers, local officials, conservation advocates, scientists, and journalists. The trip was organized by Friends of the Yampa and American Rivers, and is supported by world-class outfitter OARS.
The Yampa River flows 250 miles through Northwest Colorado’s farms and ranches, and towns including Steamboat Springs, before joining the Green at Echo Park . While most rivers in the Colorado River Basin have been dammed and diverted for water supply and hydropower, the Yampa remains wild and healthy – an example of what rivers in this region were meant to be. There is a dam on the upper Yampa but it is far enough upstream that the river’s natural flows and functions are essentially intact.
Posted by To borrow an old description, me trying to explore the Gornaslatinska Cave in Macedonia was like trying to push a camel through the eye of a needle. Thankfully I had some good kneepads because there was a lot of crawling under stalactites and over bat guano to squeeze through the seriously dark, wet, bat poop…
Posted by A young yak herder, Wangchuk, captured this footage of snow leopards with camera traps provided by the Bhutan Foundation and biologist Tshewang Wangchuk, also a National Geographic Waitt grantee. The yak herder, Wangchuk (who goes by only one name), is a 24-year-old young man who lives in the mountains of Bhutan, in Tsharijathang Valley near…
By Peyton Fleming, Ceres DENVER – Hydraulic fracturing (aka fracking) has recast the U.S.’s energy future, but it’s also shining a light on fragile water supplies, which could crimp the industry’s growth. The pinch is especially strong on shale energy producers and state regulators who are scrambling to find ways to keep the water flowing…
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The legal and cultural battle over wind turbines on a small island off the coast of Maine has its implications for communities across the United States.
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Cook stoves that run on wood or coal aren’t the most efficient way to cook. But we went to Vashon Island just west of Seattle to understand how cook stoves for developing countries are actually getting better—and with them, a whole host of other environmental issues.
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The top 10 stories on our radar today: Inbreeding led to rare albino gorilla, a Martian meteorite found in Antarctica may contain building blocks for life, and…
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Gaze skyward this week and watch our solar system’s two innermost planets have a strikingly close encounter, while changing seasons brings the year’s largest moon in the sky. Moon and Spica. On Tuesday, June 18, look towards the southern sky to see the gibbous waxing moon glide extremely close to the distant star Spica (263…
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A mile down the beach and a mile out on the flat more-or-less, another mother trails three cubs from clam-hole to clam-hole. When she spots a big dark male headed her way from half a mile away, she moves off, in a hurry and a worry, frequently glancing over her shoulder and occasionally breaking into…
Posted by Haiti — the poorest country in the Western hemisphere has been struck by natural misfortunes and malevolent foreign intervention for decades. As the first independent nation to emerge from resettled African slaves in 1804, Haiti held much promise at its inception. Yet the nascent Haitian state was beset by marginalization from its neighbors, particularly the…
Posted by Just in time for Father’s Day, check out our roundup of most and least doting animal dads.
RIP Duecy: The Kitten With Two Faces
Posted by Guest Blogger on June 14, 2013 Like most newborn kittens, Duecy had a furry little face with a sweet little nose. But unlike most kittens, she had a second face. Duecy the kitten was born and died this week in Amity, Oregon, KGW.com reported. She was what’s known as a Janus cat—like the Roman god of the same name, she had…
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On Wednesday, Frank Santana, a researcher at the San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research, released 65 froglets into a Southern California creek. The small amphibians represent new hope for an endangered species, the mountain yellow-legged frog. (We wrote about how specimens of this frog were refrigerated for preservation in 2010, part of the restoration…
In the “morning” of the never-ending daylight, as the sun has swung round to the east and climbs the sky once more, we awaken in our windowless cabins. We’ve spent the short night at anchor in Hallo Bay. We head shoreward, trying to beat a dropping tide. We partially succeed. Enough of the half-mile mudflat…
In Her Words: Sylvia Earle on Women in Science
Posted by Jane J. Lee on June 14, 2013 National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Sylvia Earle reflects on her scientific career and on gender obstacles she faced along the way.
