Endangered Species

A record number of captive-born endangered Mexican gray wolf pups have been placed in wild dens this year. It’s a process known as cross-fostering and is designed to increase genetic diversity in the struggling species. KNAU’s Ryan Heinsius reports.

Here’s a fish story for you: what if you could get paid to go fishing all day? The National Park Service wants anglers to help get rid of exotic brown trout at Lees Ferry on the Colorado River. The agency is giving cash prizes for every fish to try to knock down their numbers. KNAU’s Melissa Sevigny reports, the program is an unusual experiment, designed to meet the goals of the Park Service but also respect the spiritual beliefs of the Zuni Tribe.

A study published in Science last week shows butterfly populations are declining by almost two percent a year in the Western U.S. The authors say that’s driven by climate change. KNAU’s Melissa Sevigny spoke with lead author Matt Forister of the University of Nevada-Reno about the findings, which came from decades of community science data from the North American Butterfly Association.