The Latest Breaking News from American West

Colorado River mystery solved: Why billions of litres of water are vanishing before reaching reservoirs

The mystery of the Colorado River’s missing water has finally been solved by scientists from the University of Washington, revealing a critical shift in the American West’s hydrological cycle. For the past several decades, hydrologic managers have used winter snowpack measurements to predict how much water will be available in…

The Times of India · Apr 16

Cowboy poetry slams, new-gen yodelling and Basque bites: Getting wild out west in Nevada’s Elko

Dust off your Stetson for the ultimate cowboycation in Elko, a gold rush town where the American west’s spirit still rides strong – Zoey Goto saddles up for their annual National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, where honky-tonk line dancers and new-wave yodellers breathe fresh life into age-old traditions

The Independent UK · Feb 28, 2025

Drought can hit almost anywhere: How 5 cities that nearly ran dry got water use under control

Water scarcity is often viewed as an issue for the arid American West, but the U.S. Northeast’s experience in 2024 shows how severe droughts can occur in just about any part of the country.

The Conversation · Feb 3, 2025

Westerners struggle to manage booming wild horse populations

Wild horses hold a special place in the mythos of the American West, with images of free-roaming herds of mustangs grazing on vast public rangelands. But for some communities in New Mexico, the reality tragically differs.

Tribune News Service · Jul 22, 2022

A case for retreat in the age of fire

Wildfires in the American West are getting larger, more frequent and more severe. Although efforts are underway to create fire-adapted communities, it’s important to realize that we cannot simply design our way out of wildfire – some communities will need to begin planning a retreat.

The Conversation · Jul 13, 2022

Bodies found in drought-depleted Lake Mead could be linked to gangsters, say mob experts

Water levels at Lake Mead, near Las Vegas, are dropping to historically low levels amid the megadrought affecting the American West. Long-hidden bodies are emerging that could unlock murderous secrets of the mob, writes Sheila Flynn

The Independent UK · May 19, 2022

The window of opportunity to address increasing drought and expanding drylands is vanishing

Chile, Argentina and the American West are in the midst of a decade-long, megadrought — the driest conditions those regions have seen in a century. And many areas in Western Canada and the United States are experiencing extreme drought — a once in 20-year event.

The Conversation · May 8, 2022

New Mexico launches cannabis sales within Texans' reach

New Mexico is bringing sales of recreational marijuana to the doorstep of Texas as the movement toward broad legalization sweeps across more of the American West

The Independent UK · Apr 1, 2022

Western megadrought is worst in 1,200 years, intensified by climate change, study finds

LOS ANGELES — The extreme dryness that has ravaged the American West for more than two decades now ranks as the driest 22-year period in at least 1,200 years, and scientists have found that this megadrought is being intensified by humanity’s heating of the planet.

Los Angeles Times · Feb 14, 2022

West megadrought hits worst-case scenario, driest since 800

The megadrought bedeviling the American West got even drier last year and is becoming the deepest dry spell in more than 1200 years

The Independent UK · Feb 14, 2022