Diane Hope

National parks and other protected areas are critical conservation spots for wildlife. But, they’re often too isolated to support natural migration and dispersal. That’s why the nonprofit Wildlands Network is working with coalition partners on a bold vision, known collectively as the ‘Western Wildway’. It’s a 6,000 mile-long wildlife corridor aimed at connecting 20 separate core reserves from Mexico to Alaska.

When seeking a terrestrial equivalent to the Red Planet, the Mars Society chose the red rock country of Utah and a site half-way between Capitol Reef and Canyonlands National Parks. In 2001, the Colorado-based non-profit established their Mars Desert Research Station just outside the tiny town of Hanksville, Utah.

Catch sight of a small bird with narrow wings and a long square-tipped tail, hovering beside a road or perched on a telephone wire, and you’ve likely seen an American kestrel.

Utes have occupied land in the southwest corner of Colorado for centuries. Now their food heritage is sowing seeds of prosperity for members of the Ute Mountain Tribe.

A rapidly changing climate means there’s no longer a “typical” year on the Colorado Plateau. That’s confirmed by a long-term study of bugs in the Jemez Mountains of New Mexico.