The Rural Blog

A digest of events, trends, issues, ideas and journalism from and about rural America, by the Institute for Rural Journalism, based at the University of Kentucky. Links may expire, require subscription or go behind pay walls. Please send news and knowledge you think would be useful to benjy.hamm@uky.edu.

The Rural Blog

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'Harm' under Endangared Species Act now means direct harm, not indirect, such as habitat loss; many states object

Snow drought in Western states adds to regional water supply worries and takes a toll on winter tourism

West Virginia's waterway 'reclamation' yields cleaner water, rare earth metals and a growing outdoor industry

Going against the current, Utah works to change an old western water rights rule to encourage conservation

Simply adding ground limestone to rivers and oceans could decrease global warming, but the challenges are many

A plan to restore and protect the Mississippi River is getting another chance in Congress

Frequently dredging the Mississippi River helps to keep cargo moving, but places to 'stash' sand are in short supply

States that share water from the Colorado River are working to balance the needs of farmers and cities

Mussels -- 'the unsung heroes of river life' -- are finally making a comeback in the Apalachicola River

Low-high, high-low: Mississippi flooded in spring, but now levels are falling and barge traffic could be slowed again

U.S. dams are aging and not made to withstand new climate extremes, increasing the risk of disastrous failures

California, Arizona and Nevada will take less water from the Colorado in return for at least $1 billion in federal funds

Record-breaking snowmelt is flooding the Mississippi

The Mississippi is awash in spring, but fears of another drought that will impede barge traffic are never far away

Colorado River continues to dry as states fail to find a solution; federal officials step up with 'a shot across the bow'

Putting the mighty back into the Mississippi: River levels rise

L.A. Times: Counting evaporated water in Colorado R. dibs would be unfair to California; creative management needed

The East Palestine train: How did it travel through towns without a warning label that it was highly hazardous?

Train that derailed Feb. 3, creating a dangerous disaster, wasn't labeled hazardous; critics see lax federal monitoring

Friday flora/fauna: Invasive black carp thrive in mid-America; homes found for L.A. ponies, ousted as city ends rides