KJZZ is an associate partner of the Mountain West News Bureau, a regional newsroom exploring the issues that define our region — from land and water to urban growth to culture and heritage. The bureau is a partnership with NPR and public media stations that serve Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.
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The Department of the Interior (DOI) has formally announced the establishment of the U.S. Wildland Fire Service (USWFS), a development that came the same week that the U.S. Congress declined to fund it. -
Across the Mountain West, where drought and shrinking reservoirs are putting pressure on already limited water supplies, decisions about who uses how much water often hinge on imperfect data. A nonprofit collaboration called OpenET hopes to change that. -
The proposals range from taking "no action" to a scenario that might result in water cuts to the lower basin states of California, Nevada and Arizona. One alternative developed in partnership with conservation groups would incentivize states and water users to proactively conserve the river. -
Congress' budget proposal for the National Park Service rejects the major slashes requested by the Trump Administration last year. -
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says it's looking for ways to make hundreds of wildlife refuges and dozens of fish hatcheries more efficient. -
Local elected officials across the region are worried that changes in federal policy are putting their communities at risk from wildfire. But public land agencies say some of the concerns are overstated. -
Remittances to Central American and Caribbean countries have grown. Despite a decline in migration. -
Conservationists say the plans for managing the declining species could push them closer to extinction. -
Starting on Jan. 1, international visitors to some of the most visited national parks will face price increases. Some businesses are concerned about a decline of visitors or spending, while others aren't anticipating large impacts. -
Spending time in nature can help military veterans cope with stress, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. But a new report finds many veterans across the U.S. don't live close enough to parks or green spaces to easily benefit from that connection.
More about Mountain West Bureau
The Mountain West News Bureau has six managing partner stations — Boise State Public Radio, KANW in New Mexico, KUNC in Colorado, KUNR Public Radio in Nevada, Nevada Public Radio, and Wyoming Public Media. Colorado Public Radio in Denver and KJZZ in Phoenix are associate partners and nearly a dozen other stations are affiliate members.
The bureau also produces “Our Living Lands,” a weekly radio segment exploring how climate change affects Indigenous communities, in partnership with Koahnic Broadcast Corp. and Native Public Media.
The Mountain West News Bureau was formed in 2018 and joined NPR’s network of regional newsrooms in 2025. It receives funding from Eric and Wendy Schmidt and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Managing Editor: Michael de Yoanna