Map of the contiguous United States showing the spring bloom index anomaly as of April 19, 2026 from the USA National Phenology Network. Many areas are earlier than normal.

Aside from Florida, nearly the entire contiguous U.S. has experienced earlier than average first plant blooms in 2026. Earlier springs can cause longer allergy seasons, accelerate wildfire risk, increase pests/mosquitoes, and lead to less reliable snow-fed water.

Map: www.usanpn.org/data/maps/sp...

‘The situation is dire’: Lake Powell is heading for a record low as Colorado River states remain deadlocked After a record low snowpack, Colorado River states face a near-term crisis at Lake Powell and an ongoing stalemate over longterm plans. "The stakes have never been higher," said one state negotiator...

“The situation is dire. The stakes have never been higher. And unfortunately, the reservoirs have never been drier."

A historically bad winter is driving the Colorado River system to the brink as states remain deadlocked on how to manage its shrinking water supply.

www.sltrib.com/news/environ...

After Nevada rejected it, some want Utah to take on the nation’s nuclear waste The U.S. is looking for a nuclear waste site. One Utah county could be in the mix. Supporters see jobs and investment. But some locals worry about becoming the nation’s dumping ground.

The Department of Energy is looking for states to serve as nuclear waste depositories. Should Utah volunteer?
What concerns do you have, if any?
Tell us what you think (and read more at the link)!

Lake Powell sinking toward record low as states miss deadline for Colorado River drought deal As Colorado River states missed yet another deadline to strike a drought deal, a new forecast showed a grim outlook for the river’s major reservoirs.

Projections show Lake Powell will dip below 3,490’ in December, threatening power for millions of people across six states.

Sex workers at Pahrump brothel are unionizing, alleging unfair contracts and conditions - The Nevada Independent In the last week, the brothel has fired three workers who challenged a new contract that they say is unfair. Lawyers have filed an injunction with the federal labor board.

A union in a brothel?

What a story by Kate Reynolds!

thenevadaindependent.com/article/sex-...

Lauren Gustus: We’re launching The Southern Utah Tribune A new, free newspaper will serve people in Washington County — home to more than 200,000 people today and an anticipated 460,000 in the future — with news and information that’s just for them.

A new, free newspaper will serve people in Washington County — home to more than 200,000 people today and an anticipated 460,000 in the future — with news and information that’s just for them.

get mr beast away from my football i shouldnt even have to know he exists, this is a breach of trust

Script writers really went deep in their bag for the NFL season premiere

Utah judge tosses Legislature’s gerrymandered congressional maps, orders new maps redrawn A judge threw out Utah’s congressional maps and ordered the Legislature to draw new districts that comply with the 2018 voter-backed Better Boundaries initiative, which sought to ban partisan gerrymandering.

A judge threw out Utah’s congressional maps and ordered the Legislature to draw new districts that comply with the 2018 voter-backed Better Boundaries initiative, which sought to ban partisan gerrymandering.

A top Utah official helped his cousin get $200K in state grants Utah DNR Executive Director Joel Ferry says his name wouldn’t have influenced whether his cousin’s Box Elder County farm received the grants, but critics say these successful applications raise questi...

A top Utah official helped a family member land more than $200K in grants from the state.

www.sltrib.com/news/environ...

From ski resorts to popular trails, see the public land Mike Lee proposes selling across the West Mike Lee, the chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, released updates to his public land sell-off bill over the weekend.

Mike Lee, the chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, released updates to his public land sell-off bill over the weekend.

A battle is brewing in the American West: A thirst for cheap power on one side and a prehistoric fish on the other Under Biden last year, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation finalized a decision to allow releases of water to bypass Glen Canyon Dam’s hydropower infrastructure to curb invasive fish populations.

Under Biden last year, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation finalized a decision to allow releases of water to bypass Glen Canyon Dam’s hydropower infrastructure to curb invasive fish populations.

I grew things. I don’t know what these are - I just sprinkled whatever seeds the wife had laying around in her garden box - but still, I grew things. 🌱

Commentary: Seeking solace, and finding hard truths, on California's Highway 395 Reflections from a road trip to Mono Lake and the Owens Valley, the northernmost reaches of Southern California.

Seeking solace, and finding hard truths, on California’s Highway 395

"Here’s the truth: There’s not enough water in Mono or Owens lake. It’s hotter than it used to be." — Insightful essay by @sammyroth.bsky.social reflecting on a trip to the Eastern Sierra: www.latimes.com/environment/...

House Republicans strike Maloy’s move to sell Utah’s public lands from Trump budget bill Maloy previously said that selling public land could help build affordable housing and address water infrastructure concerns in her district.

Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives struck down a move to sell off thousands of acres of public land across Utah and Nevada Wednesday night after immense pushback from conservationists, sportsmen and other groups who opposed the measure.

Great Salt Lake dust isn’t being measured accurately. Here’s what the state is doing about it. The state is trying to bridge the gap in its monitoring network, a state environmental scientist said, but it is "exceedingly difficult" to set up new stations.

The state is trying to bridge the gap in its monitoring network, a state environmental scientist said, but it is "exceedingly difficult" to set up new stations.

Don’t look up.

www.nytimes.com/2025/04/09/c...

The Trump Administration Issues Its Next Assault on the Nation’s Public Forests - Inside Climate News The Department of Agriculture issued an “Emergency Situation Determination” that environmental groups say will speed the cutting of old-growth trees.

“Trump is saying, in a nutshell: Any regulations or protections that get in the way of timber production, get them out of the way.”

@georginagustin.bsky.social with the details on the Trump administration’s assault on national forests.

insideclimatenews.org/news/0404202...

A badly needed upgrade for the Walker River Paiute Tribe's water system is now in jeopardy after the Trump administration paused a $20 million federal grant as part of its efforts targeting environmental justice initiatives.

Read about it here: thenevadaindependent.com/article/trum...

New summer outlook just dropped. 🔥🔥🔥

As Americans Protest Attacks on Public Lands, Trump Signals National Monuments May be Shrunk or Eliminated - Inside Climate News Years of advocacy led to the creation of Chuckwalla and Sáttítla Highlands national monuments in California early this year, but they may soon be dismantled.

While atop a mountain Saturday at Chiricahua National Monument, I heard the news the Trump administration was finally doing what many public land advocates feared: targeting recently created national monuments for elimination.

My story:

insideclimatenews.org/news/1803202...

Utah’s largest environmental grant ever is on hold amid confusion over Trump’s funding freeze The Utah Department of Environmental Quality is not spending hundreds of millions of federal dollars, not because those funds are frozen, but because of uncertainty over Trump's federal funding freeze.

The Utah Department of Environmental Quality is not spending hundreds of millions of federal dollars, not because those funds are frozen, but because of uncertainty over Trump's federal funding freeze.

A $110 million grant to clean up Salt Lake City’s air is on hold amid confusion over Trump’s funding freeze The Utah Department of Environmental Quality is not spending hundreds of millions of federal dollars, not because those funds are frozen, but because of uncertainty over Trump's federal funding freeze...

Utah received its largest environmental grant *ever* last year to clean up SLC’s dirty air. But the state says it is holding off on spending any of that money due to questions about President Donald Trump’s federal funding freeze.

More here:
www.sltrib.com/news/environ...

Water officials knew that opening dams to meet Trump's wishes was ill-advised. Here's why it happened anyway A memo from an Army Corps of Engineers officer shows water managers and lawmakers pushed back against the Trump administration's plan to dump water from two California dams.

“Depraved and mind-blowing”: Water officials knew that opening dams to meet Trump’s wishes was ill-advised. Here’s why it happened anyway:
www.latimes.com/environment/... #CAwater

They used to run Utah’s national parks. Trump’s mass firings are ‘a really big deal,’ they say. Three former superintendents of Utah’s "Mighty 5" national parks say the Trump administration’s firings of park staff will degrade not only visitors’ experiences, but also the lands and history the pa...

"People should expect long lines, and restrooms aren’t going to be clean."

What visitors can expect at Utah's national parks amid federal layoffs and delays to seasonal hires, via @hufh4m.bsky.social

www.sltrib.com/news/environ...

They used to run Utah’s national parks. Trump’s mass firings are ‘a really big deal,’ they say. Three former superintendents of Utah’s "Mighty 5" national parks say the Trump administration’s firings of park staff will degrade not only visitors’ experiences, but also the lands and history the pa...

We talked to three former superintendents of Utah national parks about the impact of the Trump/Musk firings.

Here's what they had to say: www.sltrib.com/news/environ...

Long lines and dirty bathrooms: How Trump’s firings will affect Utah’s national parks Three former superintendents of Utah’s "Mighty 5" national parks say the Trump administration’s firings of park staff will degrade not only visitors’ experiences, but also the lands and history the parks preserve.

Three former superintendents of Utah’s "Mighty 5" national parks say the Trump administration’s firings of park staff will degrade not only visitors’ experiences, but also the lands and history the parks preserve.

DOGE is cancelling office leases across Utah. Here’s where. The newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), headed by Elon Musk, reports it has terminated office space leases used by federal agencies in Utah.

DOGE is cancelling offices leases across Utah for the National Park Service, USGS and other agencies, via @hufh4m.bsky.social www.sltrib.com/news/politic...

Trump administration dramatically cuts staff at water agency in California The Trump administration is firing employees at the Bureau of Reclamation, drawing concerns from California water agencies that depend on it to deliver supplies.

The Trump administration has ordered firings and buyouts at the federal agency that operates water infrastructure in California. Managers of water agencies in the Central Valley warn this could jeopardize the agency’s ability to manage dams and deliver water.
www.latimes.com/environment/...

The Trump Administration Keeps Citing an Untrue Stat as It Targets Federal Workers A “survey of our niche audience for our niche audience” was the source for the claim that only 6% of federal employees are working full time in their offices. The number isn’t true. Why do administration and elected officials keep relying on it?

NEW: A “survey of our niche audience for our niche audience” was the source for the claim that only 6% of federal employees are working full time in their offices. The number isn’t true. Why do administration and elected officials keep relying on it?