Topic: USDA Forest Service

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Brood II: After 17 years, billions of eastern US cicadas rise again

After 17 years out of sight and under foot, billions of noisy, bulge-eyed Brood II cicadas are crawling out of the ground in the eastern US to mate, hatch offspring, and start the cycle anew.
Aldo Leopold: A Sand County Almanac & Other Writings on Conservation and Ecology

The collected writings of American naturalist Aldo Leopold appear in a beautiful new edition from the Library of America.
Cabin burglar: How Utah sheriffs caught a six-year fugitive

Cabin burglar caught in Utah: A suspect who lived in the mountains on the run for six years, Troy James Knapp, was caught this week. The so-called "cabin burglar" lived off the land and in Wasatch Mountain cabins.
Sardines in India latest indicator of how your food is on the move

Mumbai’s new sardine bounty is an example of how warmer temperatures may be redrawing the world’s geographic distribution of food with potential implications for what and how we eat.
Wildland fires: New yardstick for risk aims to help protect communities

The risk index announced Wednesday is a tool for communities in the 'wildland-urban interface,' where development has pushed into areas in which wildfires are part of the ecology.
In Pacific Northwest, a welcome break from a very wet week

Flood watches continue in the Pacific Northwest, but the latest storm to blow in via the 'Pineapple Express' has moved inland. Some areas have seen as much as 15-20 inches of rain since Nov. 27.
Jesus statue: Lawsuit filed by atheists to remove it from Montana mountain

Jesus statue lawsuit: A statue of Jesus Christ near the Whitefish Mountain ski resort is on federal land. The Freedom From Religion Foundation, and an atheist skiier, have filed a lawsuit to remove the statue that's been there since 1955.
Calif. freeway shut down over wildfire worries

The interstate is the main highway from the region to Las Vegas.
Dodging the law, scouring forests for...ginseng?

A new breed of ginseng diggers are looking to parlay rising Asian demand for the increasingly rare plant's roots into a fast buck. Amid a sluggish economy, police say, more poachers are seeking out wild ginseng, ripping up even the smallest plants and ignoring property lines.
Editor's Blog Tracing America's green roots

John Muir and Gifford Pinchot represent the two strains of environmentalism in the United States -- and most of us think like both of them. We want nature pristine and undisturbed, but we also rely on its resources and understand the need to use care in extracting them.
Did guns trigger western wildfires? (+video)

So far this year, dozens of wildfires have been traced to shooting. But politicians are hesitant to restrict gun use and gun rights advocates are skeptical of the link between shooting and fire.
Tanker crash shows US firefighting fleet badly needs overhaul, critics say

Grounded for a day after a deadly crash in South Dakota, firefighting C-130 tankers have taken to the skies again. The questions remain about whether the Forest Service has enough air power.
Key part of firefighting fleet grounded after fatal S.D. C-130 crash

The decision by the military to put seven C-130s on an indefinite 'operational hold' has removed critical firefighting aircraft from the skies during one of the busiest and most destructive wildfire seasons ever to hit the West.
Air Force C-130 crashes while fighting wildfire

An Air Force C-130 crashed will dropping fire retardant on a wildfire in South Dakota. Six crew members were on board the C-130, but no official word on casualties.
Colorado wildfire: Have we learned any lessons? (+videos)

Ten years after the devastating Hayman Fire caused policy changes and a new federal law, another massive Colorado wildfire is causing destruction. Experts have a good idea about what's wrong, but fixing it is another matter.
Colorado wildfire: Weather forecast offers hope as fire marches toward city (+video)

Mayor Steve Bach said a more accurate account will be available later in the day of the damage from a blaze that has burned out of control for much of the week and forced more than 30,000 evacuees to frantically pack up belongings and flee.
Unexpected legacy of wildfires and other emergency events: innovation

While wildfires, hurricanes, tsunamis, and other emergency events leave behind devastation, they also create the impetus for investment in new technologies and life-saving innovation.
Waldo Canyon fire: About 300 homes destroyed in Colorado Springs

Waldo Canyon fire: No official reports on damage but the Denver Post says at least 300 homes were burned to the ground by the Waldo Canyon fire Wednesday in Colorado Springs.
Surging Colorado wildfires forcing tens of thousands to flee (+video)

Firefighters battled to save the US Air Force Academy and heavily populated areas around Colorado Springs and Boulder, as high winds drove the wildfires. President Obama plans to visit the devastated areas.
Colorado wildfire jumps perimeter, forces 32,000 to evacuate (+videos)

Colorado wildfire: More than 32,000 residents of Colorado Springs, including some at the US Air Force Academy, were ordered to evacuate Tuesday. The Waldo Canyon wildfire has now burned more than 10 square miles of Colorado.
Monster wildfire rages in Colorado (+video)

Thousands flee homes as western wildfires persist. Utah's Governor Gary Herbert estimates the fire has caused millions of dollars worth of damage. Soot and smoke also worry residents.
Colorado wildfires keep Pikes Peak railway closed (+videos)

Colorado wildfires are hurting the state's tourism industry. The Pikes Peak cog railway has been shut down for three days. More than 4,800 people have been evacuated from homes near Colorado Springs.
Fighting Western wildfires: Does Forest Service have enough air power? (+video)

With huge wildfires scorching the West, the US Forest Service chief says the aging and depleted fleet of air tankers is just one part of the firefighting mix. But he has secured extra aircraft for the season.
Colorado faces worst wildfire season in a decade (+video)

In Colorado, at least 248 homes have been destroyed this summer. More than 6,000 people have been evacuated this weekend near Colorado Springs.
Firefighters making progress on Colorado wildfire, while new one flares

More evacuations were called for after a wildfire on private land in northwestern Colorado spread.