Bound by a passion to protect a 'pristine corner of Colorado,' this 'ragtag organization' helped change government policy

A hiker enjoys the White River National Forest, which overlaps
with the Thompson Divide. (Adobe Stock photo)

A shared passion for protecting Colorado's Thompson Divide brought together a group of people with few other interests in common. "The drilling leases in a pristine corner of Colorado seemed like a done deal. But then an unlikely alliance of cowboys and environmentalists emerged. And things changed," reports Zoë Rom for The New York Times. "Their campaign could serve as a model for future environmental efforts."

Located in west-central Colorado, the Thompson Divide "overlaps with part of the White River National Forest, one of the most visited national forests in the U.S.," Rom explains. The area is also "home to endangered lynxes and one of the expansive organisms in the world: the state’s largest Aspen stand, a colony of trees connected by a lateral root system."

The region is beloved by hikers, conservationists, ranchers, cyclists and snowmobilers, some of whom formed "the self-described ragtag organization" now known as the Thompson Divide Coalition, Rom writes. The coalition added legal assistance from Peter Hart, legal director for Wilderness Workshop, a nonprofit environmental group in Carbondale, Colorado. Together the movement developed "a novel legal strategy that helped win a 20-year pause on new oil and gas development across the area."

Originally, the group tried and failed to buy back the 80-some oil and gas leases the Bush Administration had issued on the Thompson Divide. When leaseholders turned down the the coalition's offers, Hart's legal team scrutinized the sales. There they found "that the federal government’s haste to issue leases had left them with vulnerabilities," Rom reports. "For one thing, opportunities for public comment during the leasing process appeared to be inadequate, an apparent violation of the National Environmental Policy Act."

More legal digging led to "administrative challenges, which eventually sent one leaseholder to federal court against the Bureau of Land Management," Rom explains. With the lease's legal and administrative problems exposed, "leaseholders who had declined to sell were now eyeing the exits in light of potential legal complications and public discontent around drilling."

With new technology, many 988 suicide and crisis hotlines will be able to use caller 'georouting' to help provide care

Many 988 crisis service calls will soon be aided by geolocation technology. (988lifeline photo)

Despite the 24/7 availability of the 988 suicide and crisis hotlines across the country, U.S. suicide rates have continued to climb, with rural states facing some of the highest losses. One of the 988 program's biggest shortcomings has been its lack of caller location services, but that's about to change, reports Deidre McPhillips of CNN. "Carriers have started to adopt a new technology that helps direct callers to 988 hotlines to help centers based on their physical location rather than their phone number’s area code."

Adding the new technology means 988 hotline counselors will be able to connect callers with services and follow-up support where they live. "Verizon and T-Mobile started rolling out the 'georouting' technology last week. . . . AT&T also plans to begin the process within the next couple months," McPhillips explains. "Next month, the Federal Communications Commission will vote on a rule that would require all wireless carriers in the U.S. to implement georouting for 988 calls."

Some mental health advocates have voiced concerns over caller privacy; however, georouting differs from geolocation in that "it does not provide a precise location for the caller," McPhillips adds. "Instead, it aggregates information about a caller’s location to help them reach local support while maintaining their privacy." 

The 988 lifeline began in July 2022, replacing the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline with "a broader focus and a simpler dial code," McPhillips reports. The lifeline now includes services such as "American sign language and Spanish. . . . a special veterans crisis line, and an LGBTQ+ youth and young adult line." 

Opinion: When even 'losing by less' helps, Democrats must engage rural voters. Wisconsin's Baldwin shows the way.

Tammy Baldwin campaigning in the Badger state.

If Democrats want to gain votes in rural America, they need to be present to win. In tight races, even cutting into Republican margins can swing an election -- "Just ask Sen. Tammy Baldwin, a Democrat from Wisconsin," writes Karen Tumulty in her opinion for The Washington Post.

Last year, Baldwin kicked off her re-election campaign in conservative Richland County, Wisconsin, where Trump soundly won in 2020. But Baldwin also won the county. She's had a history of reaching out to rural communities, listening to their issues and touting her wins. Tumulty adds, "She cites bringing home $1.1 billion in federal funds to expand high-speed internet across Wisconsin and millions more to address the shortage of available child care that is particularly acute in rural areas."

Baldwin's strategic success with rural voters may be unusual, but other Democrats are catching on. "This year, Democrats up and down the ticket are waking up to something Baldwin recognized long ago: That Democrats cannot afford to ignore rural America, even as it has swung harder to the right," Tumulty adds. 

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who joined Baldwin's "One Year to Win” state tour kickoff, told Tumulty, “Elections in my state and here in Wisconsin often come down to a percentage point or less. You got to show up everywhere. You got to make sure that you’re meeting people where they are in communities like this that maybe historically haven’t voted your way.”

The Harris-Walz ticket also has taken from Baldwin's playbook. Tumulty writes, "They've made a point of campaigning in places like southern Georgia and western Pennsylvania, where they have little chance of winning outright but hope to cut into Trump’s margins. . . . It is the rare Democratic politician like Baldwin who can still win in rural areas. But in battleground states where polls show the race as tight as it is, even losing by less could make all the difference."

This rural town's main employer closed its doors; laid-off workers consider their few options in southern Virginia.

The purveyor of delux and premium deli-meats
closed its Jarratt, Va. plant.

The indefinite closure of a Boar's Head production facility in Jarratt, Virginia, is an added blow to the rural town's economy where the company was the largest employer. Boar's Head decided to close the plant after it was linked to a severe listeria outbreak, which has killed 10 people and hospitalized 59.
Now, laid-off Boar's Head workers must face a tough job market in manufacturing-depressed southern Virginia, reports Chao Deng of The Wall Street Journal. "For decades, the Boar’s Head deli meat plant has been one of few economic pillars holding up this rural, downbeat part of southern Virginia."

Even though Boar's Head is offering workers severance pay and the possibility of relocation, the sudden closure has left workers shocked and unsure. Deng writes, "Many are scrambling to figure out how to pay their bills and whether they can even stay in a region battered by waves of layoffs and closed businesses."

Many workers believe finding a new job will most likely mean accepting a long commute. Manufacturing work in Virginia has been fading since the 1990s "when the elimination of trade barriers invited global competition," Deng reports. "Textiles and furniture-making went by the wayside." Fletcher Mangum, an economic consultant from Richmond, Virginia, told Deng, "The job opportunities [in southern Virginia] are not good. Manufacturing has had ups and downs but it never quite recovered from the losses of Nafta."

Overall, Virginia's state economy has struggled, with its rural southern and western regions having suffered the steepest declines. Deng writes, "Year-over-year employment in Greensville County, where the Boar’s Head plant is located, has mostly underperformed that of the state since 2017. . . . Manufacturing makes up about 30% of the economy in Greensville, compared with about 7% for the state."

Greensville resident Marvin Tiller has worked in factories that closed "most of his career," Deng reports. "Before getting laid off from Boar’s Head, the 51-year-old worked for two companies that shut down operations in the area more than a decade back — he was a crane operator for a steel company called Emporia Foundry, as well as a delivery man for Fujifilm Pharmaceuticals. . . . [He's] thinking about getting out of factory work altogether."

Flora & Fauna: Celebrity goat; pest-resistant tomatoes; eye-popping foliage; grizzlies on the move; pawpaw popularity

Crisco hasn't let stardom go to his head. He enjoys hiking
and roaming just like not-famous goats. (Facebook photo)

For people needing novel bucket-list items, adding a visit to see Crisco, the roaming goat turned celebrity, might be an excursion. "For nearly a decade, Crisco, who escaped a roundup, has ruled the bluffs overlooking this reservoir straddling Arkansas and Missouri," reports Jim Carlton of The Wall Street Journal. "His legend exploded after a Facebook page began chronicling his exploits three years ago. Now some 14,000 followers eagerly await Crisco updates."

It may seem unbelievable, but after 30 years of lab work, "Researchers finally completed a new line of tomatoes, bred with natural pest-resistant qualities, reports Shea Swenson for Ambrook Research. "Plant breeder and geneticist Martha Mutschler-Chu is about to successfully hand off new lines of pest-resistant tomatoes to any interested seed company, where they can ultimately be bred for commercial sales. . . . As far as Mutschler-Chu’s tomato is concerned, the process of creating it is considered traditional cross-breeding, not genetic modification."

The Midwest is predicted to have 'electric' fall colors. (Adobe Stock photo)

Fall is leaf-viewing season, and the country's heartland is the place to gawk. "Some of the most colorful displays could be in the Midwest. AccuWeather, the commercial forecasting service, said in early September that it expects especially vibrant foliage in states such as Michigan and Illinois," reports Patrick Whittle of The Associated Press. "The service also said powerful, popping colors are expected in upstate New York and parts of Pennsylvania, while New England will follow a more typical color pattern."

Ambrook map, from ArcGIS data,
click to enlarge

Grizzly bears haven't lived on British Columbia’s Vancouver Island for 10,000 years, but that may be about to change. Brian Payton of Hakai magazine writes, "There they were. . . a grizzly sow and two cubs browsing in the grass. As the cubs rose onto their hind legs, Joyce Ellis raised her camera, capturing a portrait of a family poised to change the course of natural history."

Fall bird migrations are in full swing and while there are lots of ways to follow favorite feathered friends, Birdcast has some incredible tracking tools, including real-time predictions of bird migrations, a migration dashboard and local bird migration alerts. To show birds more love, CornellLab offers seven simple actions to help birds thrive.

The charming hoiho (A.S. photo)

Delightful, shy and a little bit stinky, the "hoiho," or yellow-eyed penguin won New Zealand's 2024 Bird of the Year election," reports The Associated Press. Although the country's avian elections are "fiercely fought," there's little talk of "interference scandals and cheating controversies of past polls," instead campaigners start "meme wars, seek celebrity endorsements and some even [get] tattoos to prove their loyalty. . . . Hoiho supporters hope that recognition from its victory might prompt a revival of the endangered bird."

The pawpaw’s green skin, and its 'custardy'
interior (Photo by Kat Arazawa, Civil Eats)

For farmers and fans, September means a delicious trip to the pawpaw patch. "Pawpaws are America’s largest edible native fruit, and their ineffable mystique will bring thousands of visitors to the farm’s annual pawpaw festival in late September," reports Ben Seal of Civil Eats. "Festivals in several states give people a chance to taste the fruit for the first time. . . a blend of banana, mango, and pineapple, so soft it’s eaten with a spoon. . . . Research and plant breeding efforts are underway to explore and expand its potential as a sustainable low-input, high-value crop that could figure into the future of small farms throughout the eastern U.S."

A huge U.S. lithium mine needed for EV battery production vs. a flower found nowhere else in the world

Rhyolite Ridge lithium mine site (ioneer photo)

Step by step, the Biden administration inches closer to green-lighting ioneer's Rhyolite Ridge lithium mine in Nevada, reports Ernest Scheyder of Reuters. Last week, it "published a key environmental report [which is] the last step needed before approving what would become one of the largest U.S. sources of the electric vehicle battery metal." But some conservationists are adamantly against the mine opening despite its cleaner energy purpose.

Ioneer's path to opening has been ongoing for at least six years while the project was reviewed. "The Bureau of Land Management published a final environmental impact statement, that sets in motion a review period of at least 30 days before a record of decision -- essentially a mine's permit -- can be issued," Scheyder explains. "BLM also published an opinion on how a rare flower at the mine site can best be protected."

The rare Tiehm's buckwheat flower (CBD photo)

The site is home to Tiehm's buckwheat flower, "which is found nowhere else on the planet and was declared an endangered species in 2022," Scheyder reports. "The Center for Biological Diversity and some other conservation groups thus oppose ioneer's project." Patrick Donnelly of CBD called Tiehm's buckwheat flower a "linchpin of the local ecosystem, harboring a highly diverse pollinator community."

It's hoped the mine's lithium production can help the U.S. combat Chinese metal production. Scheyder writes, "The U.S. Geological Survey has labeled lithium a critical mineral vital for the U.S. economy and national security. The proposed mine, roughly 225 miles north of Las Vegas, contains enough lithium to power roughly 370,000 EVs each year."

The deployment of broadband from coast to coast gets mixed reviews at a U.S. House subcommittee hearing

More rural states like Montana have struggled with
broadband deployment rules. (Adobe Stock photo)

Part of the bipartisan infrastructure law aims to expand access to high-speed internet for all Americans. The rollout and the millions of dollars attached are overseen by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration through the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment, or BEAD, program.

NTIA was under the scope last week during a House subcommittee hearing on how BEAD was faring, reports Chris Teale of Route Fifty. The hearing included testimony about positive progress alongside criticisms. "The program said it has approved initial plans for 48 of the states and territories that are eligible to receive funding. . . . GOP subcommittee members argued that the program is too complex, not technology neutral, and has onerous pricing and workforce mandates" that make it harder for states to succeed.

Even though NTIA announced the approval of Montana’s plan in early August, Misty Giles, the state's chief operating officer and director of the state Department of Administration "said in her written testimony that NTIA’s requests and shifts in its guidance to states 'are akin to building a plane while flying it without having the necessary instructions to be successful,'" Teale writes. "She said the 'litany' of requirements place an undue burden on states looking to implement BEAD.'"

U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a Republican from Washington state and the chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, "said the 'burdensome red tape' from NTIA has created continued delays in the approval process," Teale reports. "NTIA rejected the House subcommittee’s criticism. According to a fact sheet the agency shared, the federal government has made more than $20 billion available in funding and met or exceeded all deadlines imposed by the infrastructure law to keep the program on track."

The hearing hashed out other issues, including technology-neutral needs for some states, and low-cost requirements on internet service providers, which some committee members felt was government overreach. Still, many praised the program's planning and acknowledged its broad challenge. “Subcommittee members gave NTIA credit for recently announcing it would seek comment on the use of alternative technologies in BEAD," Teale reports. "Giles said, 'I understand that trying to have all states and territories swimming in the same direction in the same lane is no small task.'"

American suicide rates continue to climb, with some rural states seeing double the number of deaths. Why?

When it comes to suicide prevention, what works where
hasn't been found. (Photo by A. Nath, Unsplash)

After decades of suicide prevention funding and plan roll-outs, the number of self-inflicted deaths in the United States has only increased, with some rural states shouldering double the number of deaths compared to their urban counterparts, reports Cheryl Platzman Weinstock of KFF Health News.

"From 2001 through 2021 suicide rates increased most years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Provisional data for 2022, the most recent numbers available, shows deaths by suicide grew an additional 3% over the previous year. CDC officials project the final number of suicides in 2022 will be higher," Weinstock adds. "Suicide rates in rural states such as Alaska, Montana, North Dakota, and Wyoming have been about double those in urban areas."

Meanwhile, mental health experts maintain that the ideas and educational programs aren't to blame for the results. Instead, they say, "the policies simply aren’t being funded, adopted, and used," Weinstock reports. "That slow uptake was compounded by the Covid-19 pandemic, which had a broad, negative impact on mental health. National experts and government officials agree the strategies simply haven’t been embraced widely."

How suicide data is determined and reported isn't uniform yet either. "Without accurate statistics, researchers can’t figure out who dies most often by suicide, what prevention strategies are working, and where prevention money is needed most," Weinstock writes. Without more clarity, deciding on the best preventative practices can become impossible. Interventions that work in sparsely populated Wyoming, may not work in the more populated farming towns of southern Indiana.

Other means to prevent or address suicide attempts also have gaps. "The fledgling 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline [also] faces serious problems," Weinstock reports. "Only 23% of Americans are familiar with 988 and there’s a significant knowledge gap about the situations people should call 988 for, according to a recent poll. . . . Most states, territories, and tribes have also not yet permanently funded 988, which was launched nationwide in July 2022."

While some regions are introducing 988 awareness campaigns, several states, including Colorado, are trying something new. Weinstock explains, "State officials installed financial incentives for implementing suicide prevention efforts, among other patient safety measures, through the state’s Hospital Quality Incentive Payment Program. . . .The program hands out about $150 million a year to hospitals for good performance. . . . Experts hope other states will follow Colorado’s lead."

Virologists are worried about a human 'bird flu' pandemic; wastewater testing in Texas signals the disease's spread

Bird flu transmits from wild birds to other animals, including dairy
cows. At least 14 people have been infected. (Adobe Stock photo)

As bird flu continues to spread among U.S. dairy cows, the disease has become more adaptable, with 14 human cases reported since March. "Both are worrying developments, say virologists, who fear that the country’s meager response to the virus is putting the entire world at risk of another pandemic, reports Jessica Hamzelou of MIT Technology Review. "Infections in dairy cattle, first reported back in March, brought us a step closer to human spread. Since then, the situation has only deteriorated." Researchers have even found evidence of bird flu, or H5N1, in wastewater in 10 cities.

Even though H5N1 spreads stably in global bird populations, the disease has also infected their predators. "The list of affected mammals includes bears, foxes, skunks, otters, dolphins, whales, sea lions. . . . Some of these animals appear to be able to pass the virus to other members of their species," Hamzelou explains. "This is bad news — not just for the affected animals, but for people, too. It’s not just a bird flu anymore. And when a virus can spread in other mammals, it’s a step closer to being able to spread in humans."

How dangerous the virus can become depends on how it mutates, which isn't predictable. Scientists do know that the virus is effectively circulating and evolving. Hamzelou reports, "So far, it's clear that the virus has mutated but hasn’t yet acquired any of these more dangerous mutations, says Michael Tisza, a bioinformatics scientist at Baylor College of Medicine in Texas. That being said, Tisza and his colleagues have been looking for the virus in wastewater from 10 cities in Texas—and they have found H5N1 in all of them."

For now, Tisza and his colleagues "don’t know where this virus is coming from — whether it’s coming from birds, milk, or infected people, Hamzelou adds. "But the team didn’t find any signal of the virus in wastewater during 2022 or 2023, when there were outbreaks in migratory birds and poultry." Tisza said, “In 2024, it’s been a different story. We’ve seen it a lot. . . . This virus is not causing a human pandemic right now, which is great. But it is a virus of pandemic potential."

Renewables helped some states breeze through this summer's punishing heat and energy demands

Renewable energy has helped some states meet
or exceed energy needs. (Adobe Stock photo)

This summer's extreme heat forced energy operators to rely on solar and wind electricity to keep the U.S. grid humming, even as Americans "cranked their air conditioning," report Katherine Blunt and Jennifer Hiller of The Wall Street Journal. "Extreme heat pushed electricity demand to new highs . . . . States such as California and Texas that in recent years have bet big on renewable energy and battery storage easily met electricity demand."

California and Texas residents in some areas had "experienced rolling blackouts in 2020 and 2021, respectively. In 2022, grid operators in both states called on residents to conserve electricity during extremely hot weather and almost resorted to rolling blackouts as supply margins shrank," the Journal reports. "Since then, California. . . has built one of the world’s largest fleets of batteries that store solar power during the day and discharge it in the evening. Texas, meanwhile, now rivals California in storage capacity."

Even during this summer's extreme heat, the flow of energy in California was markedly different. "As extreme heat blanketed much of the West this summer, regional power demand reached a record high of nearly 168,000 megawatts on July 10," Blunt and Hiller explain. "Yet California, which has historically imported large amounts of electricity from other states during heat waves, had surplus to send elsewhere. . . . Temperatures also surged in Texas, [where] there was plenty of solar to meet peak demand around 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., and adequate wind power in the evening."

States that don't yet house the energy storage of Texas or California have tighter margins to manage. "Lanny Nickell, chief operating officer of the Southwest Power Pool, which operates part of the grid and a regional power market stretching from the Texas Panhandle to North Dakota, said his organization this summer had its smallest-ever seasonal cushion of electricity reserves," the Journal reports. "He said it is working to encourage investments in a range of new resources, as well as new means of importing power from other areas when supplies are tight."