Latest Deserts News
Greenwood fire 80% contained, forest restrictions lifted
DULUTH, Minn. (AP) — Authorities say they have lifted fire restrictions for the entire Superior National Forest in Northern Minnesota after reports over the weekend that the Greenwood Lake blaze was 80% contained. While the region remains historically dry, officials...
Egypt team identifies fossil of land-roaming whale species
CAIRO (AP) — Egyptian scientists say the fossil of a four-legged prehistoric whale, unearthed over a decade ago in the country's Western Desert, is that of a previously unknown species. The creature, an ancestor of the modern-day whale, is believed to have lived 43 million years ago. ...
Badlands National Park to build new visitor center
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — Badlands National Park in South Dakota will build a new visitor center in the southeast section of the park, the National Park Foundation said Monday. The new visitor center will be located in the Cedar Pass section of the park, where wind and...
Report: Climate change could see 200 million move by 2050
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Climate change could push more than 200 million people to leave their homes in the next three decades and create migration hot spots unless urgent action is taken to reduce global emissions and bridge the development gap, a World Bank report has found. ...
Contaminated site in Montana added to Superfund cleanup list
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — An area of Billings contaminated with dry cleaning chemicals that emit toxic vapors has been added to the federal government's Superfund list of cleanup sites. The move makes the Billings PCE site eligible for federal money for permanent cleanup....
Lake Tahoe resort city OK for now, wildfire fight not over
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. (AP) — Better weather on Thursday helped the battle against a huge California wildfire threatening communities around Lake Tahoe, but fire commanders warned firefighters to be prepared for ongoing dangers. Strong winds and dry conditions that...
Once green, prehistoric Arabia drew early humans from Africa
WASHINGTON (AP) — Huw Groucutt passes rolling sand dunes as far as his eye can see when traveling to archaeological sites in the northern Arabian Peninsula. But the same desert regions were once intermittently lush and green, attracting early humans and large animals such as hippopotamuses...
Winds frustrate effort to corral wildfire near Lake Tahoe
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. (AP) — Firefighters battling a stubborn California wildfire Friday near the Lake Tahoe resort region faced gusty winds and dry conditions that made vegetation ready to burn. The Caldor Fire has proved so difficult to fight that fire managers...
Park ranger videos highlight upbringing in Sonoran Desert
PHOENIX (AP) — It would be hard to find anyone who loves his job more than Freddy Fernandez-Ramirez, who claims to bleed “Sonoran green.” The 30-year-old ranger at Saguaro National Park in southern Arizona was recruited eight years ago as part of an effort to draw...
California fire threatens homes as blazes burn across West
QUINCY, Calif. (AP) — Thousands of Northern California homes were threatened Sunday by the nation's largest wildfire and officials warned the danger of new blazes erupting across the West was high because of unstable weather. Thunderstorms that moved in starting Friday...
