As part of a federal project, scientists and volunteers mapped Reno's neighborhoods to take point-in-time temperature measurements to better understand urban heat islands. Las Vegas was mapped in 2022.

Nevada and much of the West started the year with low snowpacks. A “Miracle March” could still save the day. But the odds are slim.

For decades, Nevada's orchids have largely gone unstudied. Desert Research Institute scientists are changing that.

This week’s Indy Environment looks at legislation that seeks to require employers provide water, shade and hydration breaks for outdoor and indoor workers exposed to extreme heat.

This week’s Indy Environment newsletter looks at improving drought conditions after large storms brought considerable precipitation to much of Nevada and the Colorado River Basin.

This week’s Indy Environment looks at the main points from a three-day Colorado River conference held in Las Vegas as the water users face an ongoing crisis and looming cuts.

This week’s Indy Environment digs into new research from a team of scientists looking at the intersection of private wells in Nevada, contamination issues and public health.

A $300,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency will help bring the harmful air quality in East Las Vegas to a healthier standard. Within the next two years, stationary and mobile outdoor sensors, as well as indoor sensors, will monitor the air quality while providing real-time data for community residents and the City of Las Vegas.

Northern Nevada is famous for its beautiful outdoors, including Lake Tahoe and an abundance of camping sites and trails to explore. But the outdoor recreation that is a cultural staple for the region may be cut short by another summer tradition: wildfire season.

This week’s Indy Environment looks at the effects of extreme heat in the workplace and efforts by regulators to protect workers heading into the summer months.

This week’s Indy Environment looks at new research that documents the ways in which warmer temperatures have contributed to “atmospheric thirst.”

This week's Indy Environment looks at an expected announcement from the Biden administration on boost the domestic mineral supply for batteries and electric vehicles.

A new online platform, developed in part by Nevada researchers, aims to address a major data gap in Western water management. Daniel Rothberg writes more about the recently launched platform in his weekly environmental newsletter.

Exactly how challenging is the drought this year? In this week’s Indy Environment, we include perspectives from across the state. Extreme to exceptional drought is affecting about 75 percent percent of Nevada, and water managers are implementing new measures in response.

This week’s Indy Environment newsletter looks at microplastics, small degraded plastic pieces that enter our ecosystems. Microplastics are ubiquitous, found everywhere from the Las Vegas Wash to Lake Tahoe. But microplastics cover a lot of different types of materials, and researchers, including at the Desert Research Institute, are still investigating the pollutant.

A proposed bill that would recognize UNLV and DRI as land grant institutions in addition to UNR has renewed old divisions over perceived equity and fairness in higher education funding.

AB449, sponsored by Assemblywoman Teresa Benitez-Thompson (D-Reno), would place the office under stricter oversight, shift the focus of the office to championing “mom and pop” businesses and generate more funding for affordable housing by requiring that businesses receiving tax incentives make payments into a state fund for affordable housing.

This week’s Indy Environment newsletter looks at whether a dry start to winter could mean lingering drought in 2021. Over the past few months, experts have observed a lack of precipitation that builds on record dry conditions in 2020. What does it mean going forward?

This week’s Indy Environment newsletter looks at new research modeling increases in “atmospheric thirst” as the climate changes in Nevada and California. That all might sound technical, but scientists expect the changes to prime the landscape for more extreme wildfire and drought in the coming decades.

This week's Indy Environment looks at what's at stake with Clark County's effort to rewrite its Master Plan and Development Code. The detailed planning efforts offer a significant opening to address climate change and to correct past planning injustices.