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Extreme Drought Hits Farmers Hard In Central Oregon County

An historic drought is hitting the western U.S. Phil Chang, a commissioner for Deschutes County, Oregon tells NPR's Sarah McCammon about how his community is coping.

Farmer Wilbert van der Post is worried that the Dutch government's new nitrogen reduction rules will force him, a fourth-generation farmer, out of business. He plans to vote for the Farmer-Citizens Movement, known in the Netherlands by its acronym, BBB, on election day in November.

In the Netherlands, a farmers party taps into widespread discontent with government

What began as a movement of farmers opposed to environmental rules is now one of the country's dominant political parties. The nation's agricultural exports are second only to the United States.

Elon Musk has named his expanding rocket factory and launch complex in South Texas "Starbase," and expects it to grow by several thousand more workers.

SpaceX's New Rocket Factory Is Making Its Texas Neighbors Mad

When SpaceX opened its rocket factory and launch pad in South Texas, few locals thought it would morph into such a large operation. Now environmentalists are worried about the long-term effects.

David Smith Jr. is the second tribal chief of Arctic Village, and continues to fight drilling in the national refuge despite Congress's legalization of it. "I believe everything is going to come out on top for us," he says.

As Oil Drilling Nears In Arctic Refuge, 2 Alaska Villages See Different Futures

The Trump administration will soon let oil companies bid on land to drill in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Some Alaska Natives fear harm to migrating caribou, others see opportunity.

A captured merlin is held near Lake Michigan on June 27 near Glen Arbor, Mich., where it will be fitted with a leg band and tracking device. The mission will enhance knowledge of a species still recovering from a significant drop-off caused by pesticides and help wildlife managers determine how to prevent merlins from attacking endangered piping plovers.

As species recover, some threaten others in more dire shape

Scientists face a challenge: A troubled species rebounds thanks to restoration efforts, only to make things worse for others by preying on them or outcompeting them for food and living space.

This iconic tortoise is dying out. It could affect the whole ecosystem

The Mojave Desert tortoise has long been considered a threatened species, but in June, California declared it endangered.

A bumblebee lands on a cone flower. The Ecosystems Mission Area is a federal program designed to monitor living things and the health of the land and water they inhabit.

This federal program helps track America's ecosystems. Trump's budget would gut it

The Ecosystems Mission Area helps researchers track everything from birds and bees to floods and fires. Trump wants to cut it by about 90%, gutting a key federal ecological program.

Richard Harris

Award-winning journalist Richard Harris has reported on a wide range of topics in science, medicine and the environment since he joined NPR in 1986. In early 2014, his focus shifted from an emphasis on climate change and the environment to biomedical research.

Nomin Ujiyediin

Nomin is a Kansas News Service reporting fellow at KCUR.

Javeria Salman

Javeria Salman is The Hechinger Report's digital news producer and reports and writes the Future of Learning newsletter. She covers K-12 education issues through the lens of innovation and technology, and helps manage social media. Before joining Hechinger in 2019, she worked as a local news reporter in eastern North Carolina. Her work for Hechinger has appeared in Telemundo, The Atlanta-Journal Constitution, The Christian Science Monitor and the Solutions Journalism Network. She attended community college in New Jersey before graduating with a bachelor’s degree from East Carolina University.

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