Restoring forests in areas where they once stood is an important step toward halting climate change. It helps to ensure a host of other environmental services, too, like provision of clean air and water. But without significantly increased investment in tree nursery infrastructure, the U.S. will be unable to unlock its full reforestation potential, researchers are warning. Read more»

About 1,900 people watched online Saturday as, one-by-one, four young California condors flapped through a hole in their release cage to take to the skies above Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, casting shadows on the windswept rocks below. Read more»

The San Pedro rivers is the subject of lawsuits filed by the Center for Biological Diversity, the Sierra Club and other conservation groups. Cronkite News looks at the health of the San Pedro, one of the few undammed rivers in the Southwest. Read more»

It’s a tale of two rivers: The Verde, which flows south from near Flagstaff to metro Phoenix, and the San Pedro, which begins in Mexico and flows north to Winkelman. Read more»

A U.S. Army base nestled at the foot of a southern Arizona mountain range is threatening a sensitive desert waterway sometimes called America’s most endangered river, two environmental groups said in a federal lawsuit Friday. Read more»

The Verde River, which stretches more than 170 miles through Arizona, was rated a C+ this month in the first Verde Watershed Report Card. Read more»

Arizona Public Service Co., is investing in tech required to make solar power work for customers even after the sun goes down. Read more»

At the U.S.-Mexico border, scientists say existing fencing is hurting wildlife and warn that a continuous wall could devastate many species. The barriers in place have made it harder for animals to find food, water and mates. Many, like jaguars, gray wolves and ocelots, are already endangered. Read more»

Tribal and state lawmakers urged a Senate panel to pass a water-rights deal between the Hualapai and Freeport Minerals Corp., saying time is fast running out. The deal for tribal water rights in the Bill Williams River watershed is backed by the state's congressional delegation. Read more»

For the next eight weeks, millions of gallons of water will gush from the Morelos Dam west of Yuma, reinvigorating the bone-dry river channel of the Colorado River as it flows south from the U.S.-Mexico border. Last week, a crowd gathered to celebrate the sudden appearance of flowing water, the result of an bi-national agreement to release water as part of a five-year restoration project. Read more»

Arizona lawmakers invoked the memory of the 19 fallen Granite Mountain Hotshot firefighters at a congressional hearing Thursday where they urged bureaucrats to improve forest management to prevent such fires in the future. Read more»

The Monday Political Face-Off featuring commentators John Munger and Jeff Rogers. Plus, the Nature Conservancy and GOP mayoral candidate Rick Grinnell. Read more»

On Saturday, volunteers will walk lengths of the San Pedro River as part of an annual survey of the river, recording the distances on the streambed where water is present. Read more»

For Superior's mayor, it only makes sense to support a plan to mine a huge copper deposit deep below the national forest just east of town. Resolution Copper Mining LLC says the mine would employ hundreds. He has another reason to support the mine despite concerns raised by Native Americans, conservation groups and some residents: the company promises millions of dollars over the life of the mine provided the Town Council formally back the project. Read more» 1

Who will take on the eventual GOP nominee? Tucson City Councilman Rodney Glassman is still exploring a race, but has yet to formally declare. Politco names Southern Arizona businesswoman Nan Stockholm Walden as a potential candidate. Read more»