Mountain West News Bureau

The Mountain West News Bureau covers five states with six partner stations.

KUNC is among the founding partners of the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration of public media stations that serve the Rocky Mountain States of Colorado Idaho, Montana, Utah and Wyoming.  Our mission is to tell stories about the people, places and issues of the Rocky Mountain West.

From land and water management to growth in the expanding West to our unique culture and heritage, we’ll explore the issues that define us and the challenges we face.

Other contributing stations are: Boise State Public Radio, Wyoming Public Media, Yellowstone Public Radio in Montana, KUER in Salt Lake City and KRCC in Colorado Springs.

The editor for the Mountain West News Bureau is Kate Concannon. Rae Ellen Bichell is the reporter based at KUNC.

DOI Policy Will Increase Transparency, Officals Say. Conservationists Are Dubious

By • Oct 4, 2018

The Department of Interior just released a new science policy that it says will increase transparency. But conservationists are concerned. 

Hurricane Rosa Will Bring Rainstorms Throughout The Mountain West

By Erik Neumann • Oct 4, 2018

Remnants of a hurricane from the Pacific Ocean are dumping rain throughout the Mountain West region today and tomorrow.

Trump Administration Uses Inevitability of Climate Change To Burn More Fossil Fuels

By • Oct 4, 2018

In recent years, President Trump has dismissed climate change as a hoax.

“I think it’s a big scam for a lot of people to make a lot of money,” he said on Fox News in 2015.

But a recent report by the U.S. Department of Transportation predicts global temperature will rise seven degrees by 2100. That’s catastrophic.

Land Fund Expires With No Action From Congress

By • Oct 4, 2018

An important but little-known public lands fund expired this weekend. 

Human-Caused Roosevelt Fire Destroys 55 Homes

By • Oct 4, 2018

Fall might be in the air, but wildfires continue to burn across the country. One of the largest is in Wyoming and has reached over 60,000 acres.

Utah Tree Fossil Sets Paleontology Record Back 15 Million Years

By Erik Neumann • Oct 4, 2018

A paper published this week reports that a recent fossil discovery in Central Utah is changing what researchers know about the emergence of large flowering trees both here in the Mountain West, and around the world.

Grizzly Decision Fuels Lawmakers To Amend The ESA

By • Oct 4, 2018

On Wednesday, the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources held a hearing on proposed changes to the Endangered Species Act (ESA). This comes right after a court ruling on Monday that returned federal protections back to the Yellowstone grizzly bear. Republicans have long been pushing for the modernization of the ESA, including Wyoming's U.S. Senator John Barrasso.

EPA To Help Schools Test Drinking Water For Lead

By • Oct 3, 2018
Christina Spicuzza / Flickr

The Environmental Protection Agency is making $20 million available for states and tribes to voluntarily test drinking water for lead at schools and childcare facilities.

You Might (Not) Want To Sit Down For This: Squat Toilets Solve Potty Problem In Yellowstone

By • Oct 3, 2018

When visiting Yellowstone National Park or any parks in our region, there's a lot to consider. Will traffic be bad? What about the weather? Will I see elk, buffalo, maybe even a grizzly bear? And then there's something more basic. Will I be able to find a toilet that's clean, has toilet paper, and if I'm lucky, somewhere to wash my hands? You could be in for a surprise, since the park recently added squat toilets.

Medicaid Expansion Benefits Rural Residents, Says New Report

By • Sep 27, 2018

Idaho and Utah voters will decide whether to expand Medicaid at the ballot this November. Those voters might want to look at a report out this week that assessed how the expansion of the federal health care program played out. 

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