New VPA-HIP Funding is a Win for Access — and for the Working Lands Behind It
For hunters, anglers, and landowners, USDA-NRCS’s recent announcement of $52 million for the Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program is welcome news. Known as VPA-HIP, the program helps states and
Re-restoring the Animas after a post-fire flood
When erosion-control solutions designed and funded by the NRCS washed away in a flood, Dave Koeberle stepped in with $60,000 of his own money to rebuild and improve the structure. In
The Idahoans Who Care for Rangelands: Celebrating the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists
This year, that reality is being recognized on a broader stage. Idaho has joined more than 100 countries and 400 organizations in recognizing the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists,
Pondering Artificial Beaver Dams
Among the nine young adults who showed up to work on the author's place was Regan Ware, shown here plotting out locations for beaver dam analogues in the creekbed. MCC crew
Western Collaborative Conservation with Aireona Raschke
In today’s episode, WLA Communications Director Louis Wertz sits down with Aireona Raschke, who leads collaborative efforts across the West through her work with the Center for Collaborative Conservation and
Big Changes Underway for Grazing on Public Lands
Grazing is an essential tool in the quest to manage forests and grasslands for the benefit of people and wildlife. Our nation relies, in part, on the food and fiber produced
Stream Restoration on the Knight Ranch to Improve San Juan Cutthroat Trout Habitat
The article and photographs below were created by Ed MacKerrow between August and October of 2025. Ed tragically passed away shortly afterward. It has been lightly edited to update the
An Old Map Could Provide a New Vision for Water Management in the West
There are a lot of cartographic ways to envision the Colorado River Basin. We now have high-definition satellite imagery that tells us nearly to the minute what the earth looks
“Making The Most Of Every Drop.” Ranchers Talk Water, Drought Resilience
LA GRANDE, OR — The Northeast Oregon Rangeland Summit was a great opportunity for landowners, government officials, and working lands professionals to come together and learn about the issues facing
The cost to build conservation into the business plan
Idaho’s King’s Crown Organic Farm and Ranch In southern Idaho, where annual precipitation averages less than eight inches and spring winds can strip bare fields down to sand in a matter
Long-running Colorado lab says 2026 is the worst snow year in Gunnison Basin recorded history
The Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory (RMBL) reports that, as of late March, spring 2026 snowpack surrounding its Gothic, Colorado, campus was at its lowest level recorded in more than 50
What’s Going on Down There? Satellites, Irrigation, and Science with Perry Cabot
Perry Cabot is using cutting-edge science to understand evapotranspiration rates and how farmers and ranchers can adapt to drought in a drier West.