Rethinking a 100-year-old deal
Sixty years after its creation, Lake Powell faces an uncertain future due to increasing drought and decreased water runoff. As part of Utah State University’s Center for Colorado River Studies lecture series, Science…
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Imagining an extinction
Around 250 million years ago, a unique combination of events resulted in the extinction of more than 90% of all living species then on earth. Here, Science Moab talks with Dr. Benjamin Burger,…
Science Moab: Zuni scientist and advocate Jim Enote on different ways of knowing a place
The Colorado Plateau is home to research projects, scientific inquiries and a lot of western science, but there is also long-held Indigenous knowledge that is centered on knowing and understanding the cliffs and…
Restoring or remaking?
“Desertified” and “degraded” are words often used when talking about deserts or drylands. What do these words actually mean and how do they shape the ways we think about managing and restoring drylands?…
The writing on the wall
Indigenous rock art and cultural artifacts are common around Moab. Through studying the art left behind on the landscape, Elizabeth Hora-Cook tells Science Moab how she tries to understand what society may have…
New species of ancient mammal discovered
Fossils discovered in the Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona have revealed a new species of early mammal, according to a research article published in the journal Biology Letters. The creature, Kataigidodon venetus,…
Birds of the Colorado Plateau
Birds rely on riparian areas of Southeast Utah and the Colorado Plateau. As the ecosystems change along the banks of these rivers, there is real impact on bird populations and species. Dr. Sean…
The super bloom below your feet
In dryland systems, there can be more seed species below ground than there are plant species above. Here we talk with Dr. Akasha Faist, an ecologist who studies seed banks in the soil….
The edge of erosion
The Colorado River is one of the main forces shaping the landscape around Southeast Utah. Here we talk with Dr. Joel Pederson and tease apart new information about the Colorado River and the…
Science Moab: The success of the tamarisk beetle
The tamarisk beetle has reshaped riparian areas along the Colorado River. Here, Science Moab spoke with Moab local Tim Graham about the history of testing and releasing the tamarisk beetle and how the…