Melissa Sevigny
Science & Technology ReporterMelissa joined KNAU's team in 2015 to report on science, health, and the environment. Her work has appeared nationally on NPR and has been featured on Science Friday.
Before joining KNAU, Melissa worked as a science communicator in the fields of space exploration, western water policy, and sustainable agriculture. She was the education and public outreach specialist for the Phoenix Mars Mission, which landed on Mars in 2008. She has a bachelor's degree in environmental science from the University of Arizona and a master of fine arts in environmental writing from Iowa State University.
She grew up in Tucson, Arizona, where she fell in love with the ecology and geology of the Sonoran desert. She enjoys hiking, reading, and gardening.
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When a massive coal mine closed in 2019, thousands of Hopi people lost access to free coal to heat their homes. Grassroots efforts to replace coal with firewood have sprung up and are winning funding.
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This is the fourth winter since the Kayenta Coal Mine closed and left Hopi residents without a reliable source of heat for their homes. Many tribal members have switched from coal to wood to keep warm, but the transition hasn’t been easy. KNAU’s Melissa Sevigny reports, nonprofits have stepped up to help. -
The winter solstice is the longest night of the year for those in the Northern Hemisphere. It’s a time traditionally associated with rebirth and renewal, as the sun pauses in its yearly trek.
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A new paper looks at the environmental effects of grazing livestock in arid regions in 25 countries throughout the world. The results show it’s possible to improve ecosystems with grazing—but it’s more likely to cause harm in hot, dry regions like the American Southwest. KNAU’s Melissa Sevigny spoke with soil ecologist Matthew Bowker of Northern Arizona University about the findings.
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New research says many cities in the Southwest have reduced their total water use in the last two decades, despite drastic population growth. But these strides in water conservation haven’t helped the drought-stressed Colorado River. KNAU’s Melissa Sevigny spoke with the study’s author Brian Richter of Sustainable Waters.
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An oasis halfway down the Grand Canyon on a popular hiking trail is now officially called “Havasupai Gardens.” The name was changed from “Indian Garden” last month at the request of the Havasupai Tribe. Havasupai lived and farmed in the area up until 1928, when the National Park Service forced them out. KNAU’s Melissa Sevigny spoke with tribal member Carletta Tilousi about that history.
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A new study from Northern Arizona University shows how climate change is shrinking vital springs in the Grand Canyon and along the Mogollon Rim. KNAU’s Melissa Sevigny reports.
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Today is the fiftieth anniversary of Apollo 17’s launch to the moon. KNAU’s Melissa Sevigny reports, it was the last lunar mission and carried an astronaut with close ties to Flagstaff.
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The Utah agave is also known as the century plant. But it doesn’t really take a century for this blue-green succulent to send up a long stalk and bloom—more like forty years. Just before it blooms, it’s full of sugars. That’s the perfect time to harvest its heart, a culinary tradition among the Hualapai people going back thousands of years.
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The Kayenta Mine Complex on tribal lands in northeastern Arizona once supplied the coal that lit up homes in Los Angeles and pumped water to Phoenix. The mine closed in 2019, and now Navajo and Hopi people want the land returned so they can use it to graze livestock and gather culturally important plants. Mine reclamation is well underway, but the process is slow, and some worry it’s taking too long. KNAU’s Melissa Sevigny reports.
