THE NARROWS AT ZION NATIONAL PARK | AARON FORTIN
This year, the Janet Quinney Lawson Institute for Land, Water, and Air worked to share a broader picture of land, water, and air in Utah, which included efforts to track and share news and media. Below are most-viewed stories from each edition of our weekly news round up, “This Week in Land, Water and Air.”
January 11
A new bill was introduced that would allow Utah to ignore federal orders. (Fox 13)
January 18
Bear River Land Conservancy preserves 1000+ acres of Cache Valley land. (The Utah Statesman)
January 24
PHOTO GALLERY: These invasive birds are responsible for the beautiful murmurations seen in Utah. (St. George News)
January 31
The legal battle between an ultra-exclusive Utah ski area and 5 local residents just reached a stunning resolution. (The Salt Lake Tribune)
February 8
Here’s what you need to know about Utah’s “sovereignty bill”. (Deseret News)
February 15
12 million people visited Utah state parks in 2023. These were the most and least popular ones. (KSL.com)
February 22
Utah passes new bill to define personhood amid environmentalist pushbacks. (KSL News)
February 28
Bills on turf and water-wise landscaping have advanced in the Utah legislature (Fox 13)
March 6
A curtain falls on the 2024 Utah Legislature. Here’s what happened. (Fox 13)
March 13
Politically correct bird names? That doesn’t fly with the Utah Legislature. (The Salt Lake Tribune)
March 20
Here’s where Utah’s 2024 snowpack stands. (The Salt Lake Tribune)
March 28
OPINION: Why citizens, and not the government, should own the wide open spaces in the West. (Deseret News)
April 3
See where the federal government wants more Utah solar farms. (The Salt Lake Tribune)
April 10
Climate study reveals alarming trends in heat wave dynamics. (Utah State Today)
April 17
How a small Utah town is embracing its post-coal identity through proactive rural leadership. (KSL News)
April 25
VIDEO: New water treatment plant will improve water heading for Utah Lake. (KSL News)
May 1
Battle for Moab: Residents fight against Kane Creek development. (Deseret News)
May 9
Romney and other US lawmakers seek to overturn the EV mandate. (KSL News)
May 15
For years Utahns had to trespass to access this trail. There’s a solution in the works, but they don’t like it. (The Salt Lake Tribune)
May 22
Utah congressional leaders blast environmental study on Northern Corridor Highway. (The Salt Lake Tribune)
May 30
This invasive tree is bad for almost everybody in southern Utah. (St. George News)
June 5
New construction is key to saving water, including the Colorado River. (Deseret News)
June 13
When it comes to climate change, the world may be identifying the wrong enemy. (KSL News)
June 20
The water cycle is ‘nothing like the cartoon’ we learn in school, so a BYU researcher modernized it. (KUER)
June 26
‘Mud glaciers’ and sand waves: Unearth trapped sediment’s influence on the ever-changing Lake Powell. (St. George News)
July 3
Cache County fast-tracks a ski resort’s shift toward an exclusive oasis for the rich. (UPR)
July 11
The U.S. Forest Service is abandoning a controversial project in the Uinta Mountains that was the subject of an environmental lawsuit. (Utah News Dispatch)
July 18
Three words are at the center of a debate on the Colorado River. (KUNC)
August 2
Environmental officials may have found out what killed 500 fish in a Herriman pond. (KSL News)
August 7
Hilldale man creates a product to rid the world of ‘sticker burrs’. (KSL News)
August 14
Salt Lake Valley normally has the worst air quality in Utah, but last year, these two counties did. (The Salt Lake Tribune)
August 22
The federal government owns millions of acres of Utah land. The state is now suing for control of over half of it. (The Salt Lake Tribune)
August 29
The Utah Office of Energy Development announced a funding award to improve air quality in Uintah Basin. (Basin Now)
September 5
Drip irrigation grows crops with a lot less water, so why aren’t more Utah farmers using it? (Fox 13)
September 12
How a dropped bag of Cheetos can dramatically affect the environment. (Forbes)
September 18
Utah wildlife officials secretly culled 170 elk from LDS Church ranch land. (The Salt Lake Tribune)
September 25
Here is why 43 million acres of agricultural land in US are owned by foreign nations. (KSL News)
October 2
Why don’t we just fix the Colorado River crisis by piping in water from the East? (KUER)
October 10
Governor Cox announces his plan to double Utah’s energy in 10 years. (Fox 13)
October 16
The Utah House Speaker will ‘pause’ on major new water legislation in Utah. (Fox 13)
October 23
Residents face unique issues in a rural, remote region near Grand Staircase-Escalante. (KSL)
October 30
12 states get behind Utah’s lawsuit to take over millions of acres of federally-controlled land (St. George News)