Science and Innovation

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

A total lunar eclipse will be visible very early tomorrow morning. KNAU’s Melissa Sevigny reports, skywatchers in Arizona have prime viewing of the event from start to end.

NASA’s Artemis program intends to return humans to the moon after a half-century hiatus. But first, astronauts and engineers have to train and test lifesaving equipment here on Earth. So they’re returning to the same places where Apollo astronauts used to practice fifty years ago—the moonlike lava fields of Northern Arizona. KNAU’s Melissa Sevigny reports.

The Grand Canyon won’t see a beach-building flood this fall for the fourth year in a row. KNAU’s Melissa Sevigny reports, river managers point to unprecedented low levels in Lake Powell.

The National Park Service began electrofishing in the Colorado River this week to kill smallmouth bass between Glen Canyon Dam and Lees Ferry. KNAU’s Melissa Sevigny reports, it follows an unsuccessful attempt to control the exotic fish by poisoning a nearby slough.