Rachel Cohen
Mountain West News Bureau reporterRachel Cohen is the Mountain West News Bureau reporter for KUNC. She covers topics most important to the Western region. She spent five years at Boise State Public Radio, where she reported from Twin Falls and the Sun Valley area, and shared stories about the environment and public health.
As a National Science Health and Environment Reporting Fellow (SHERF), she studied the intersection of these topics and examined how climate change affects human health.
Her favorite part of working in public radio is getting to meet interesting people and talk about what matters to them. When not working, she enjoys hiking, skiing, checking out coffee shops and watching women’s soccer.
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Respondents to a survey in Colorado expressed interest in trying cannabis as an alternative to pharmaceutical medications and because they had exhausted other interventions. -
More than 80 places in the Mountain West have been certified by the nonprofit DarkSky. The designation requires steps to reduce light pollution. But it also allows communities to market themselves as stargazing destinations. -
Many visitors objected to what they saw as an attempt to downplay difficult chapters of American history. -
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said more than 95% of national refuge lands could be open to hunting after proposed expansions, which follow a Trump Administration order from earlier this year that directs agencies to remove barriers to hunting and fishing. -
The lunar south pole has similarities to alpine environments in the West, with deep craters, steep slopes and harsh lighting that can create visual illusions. -
Veterans, and research, say getting outdoors helps their physical and mental health. A new report aims to find ways to expand these opportunities. -
The Wilderness Act prohibits motorized vehicles and equipment to protect places “untrammeled by man” and to preserve “solitude.” -
Visits dropped about 8% in Colorado in the first year after wildfires. But recreation stayed flat or even increased after low-intensity prescribed fires. -
A new analysis of public federal workforce data shows about 5,800 fewer workers at public lands agencies in 2025 compared to the year before. -
More than 60 organizations published a policy paper in response to a recent push to sell public lands for housing. They argue that such proposals would need to check certain boxes to ensure affordability and community benefits.
