ecology

For a marmot living in the Rocky Mountains, summer is the time to fatten up and get ready for hibernation. But this year's warmer, earlier spring has made it tough for marmots to get enough calories. A team of marmot scientists near Crested Butte is launching the first-ever Fat Marmot Week to raise awareness about these unique, chunky mammals.

An ecosystem on the verge of “collapse:" That’s a term one scientist used when talking about a valley on the west side of Rocky Mountain National Park. But scientists say they were able to repair the area quickly — by installing manmade beaver dams along a creek there. Today on In The NoCo: Why beaver dams are a secret weapon for conservationists looking to repair an ecosystem.

A moose boom in Northern Colorado has Rocky Mountain National Park’s biologists concerned. Moose love to graze on Willows while tramping through wetlands, which the park has been trying to restore. But Colorado Parks and Wildlife says they are maintaining the desired moose population with hunting.

Multiple groups are attempting to replant the forest and help undo ecological changes that made western Maui susceptible to devastating wildfire. Listen to "Morning Edition" host Michael Lyle, Jr. discuss this story with Colorado Sun reporter David Krause and then read The Colorado Sun story at the link below.

With many bird populations in decline, two recent studies out of Colorado State University used weather radar to track the movements of swallows and martins to gain clues into how climate change and roost size affect their roosting habits.

Researchers have new evidence that enhancing wildlife connectivity between national parks in the West would help animals live hundreds of generations longer.

Since Glen Canyon Dam was commissioned in 1964 and it first began filling, Lake Powell has never been like it is right now, at just 27% of its capacity. It’s threatening to dip below the minimum elevation needed to produce hydropower within the next year. A string of dry winters could push it to dead pool status.

Much of the Santa Cruz River is a dry, desert wash, only flowing after heavy monsoon rains. As Tucson Water hydrologist Dick Thompson and I walk along the…

Pikas are fluffy mammals that live at high altitudes across the West. They squeak when danger nears. The squeaky fluff-balls are considered indicators of…

Colorado State University professor Diana Wall is the first female professor from CSU to be elected to the National Academy of Sciences for her…