Environment & Outdoors

FILE: The Charles Hall Ferry in 2016. Citing diminishing use due to low water levels, Utah lawmaker...
Carter Williams, KSL

‘It’s run its course’: Utah ready to sell Lake Powell ferry as reservoir hits new low

Citing diminishing use due to low water levels, Utah lawmakers voted unanimously this week to begin permanently discontinuing the Lake Powell ferry.
8 hours ago
The Babylon Fire burns in San Juan County in June. Utah's 10 largest fires this year have cost over...
Carter Williams, KSL

Utah’s 10 largest fires this year have already cost nearly $217M to battle

Utah's 10 largest wildfires so far in 2026, which account for the vast majority of the more than 537,000 acres that have burned this year, are estimated to cost nearly $217 million to battle,
1 day ago
An aerial view of the crash site where a wildland firefighting helicopter crashed in Utah is pictur...
Devin Oldroyd, KSL

National Transportation Safety Board releases details of deadly helicopter crash that killed 2 pilots

The National Transportation Safety Board on Tuesday released its preliminary report on a deadly helicopter crash near the Widemouth 2 Fire.
1 day ago
Steve Erickson speaks during a press conference held by advocates of downwinders to discuss their f...
Logan Stefanich, KSL

‘State-sponsored propaganda’: Environmental groups file FTC complaint over Utah nuclear ads

Advocacy groups filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission on Monday accusing Utah energy officials of producing misleading ads promoting nuclear energy.
2 days ago
Utah State Ag-DRIP program helps farmers conserve water in the Colorado River Basin. (Photo: Alex C...
Alex Cabrero, KSL

Utah State Ag-DRIP program helps farmers conserve water in Colorado River Basin

Utah State University researchers are developing ways to update irrigations systems on Utah farms, with the goal of optimizing agricultural water use in the Colorado River Basin.
2 days ago
The community is coming together to help Utah Tech University Police Chief Wes LiCalzi and his fami...
Arianne Brown, KSL

‘Now it’s our turn’: Community rallying around police chief after Hurricane flooding

In Hurricane, community members are rallying around UTU Police Chief Wes LiCalzi and his family after devastating flooding that tore through their neighborhood Friday.
2 days ago
Rebeca Granillo, a fly-fishing instructor from Millcreek, fishes along the Provo River near Charles...
Carter Williams, KSL

Utah seeks to make 14 native fish species catchable among other proposed fishing changes

Utah wildlife officials consider making more than a dozen native fish species catchable by classifying them as game species, while also removing some special designations and daily fish limits in certain areas.
2 days ago
Sections of Capitol Reef National Park and Zion National Park were issued with flash flood warnings...
Joe R. Wirthlin Jr, KSL and Carter Williams, KSL

Tornado warning issued in Tooele County; flood warnings in southern Utah

Flash flood warnings were issued across portions of southern Utah on Thursday, including in Springdale and Pine Valley in Washington County.
6 days ago
Flags in front of the Capitol fly at half-staff in Salt Lake City on Tuesday. The flags were lowere...
Emily Walker, Deseret News

Utah leaders honor the lives of fallen firefighters

Gov. Spencer Cox ordered that Utah flags fly at half-staff beginning Tuesday, and stay lowered until the last day of internment of two firefighters who died fighting the Widemouth 2 Fire.
6 days ago
A plane drops fire retardant around the Rocky Canyon Fire near Henefer on Monday. The Summit County...
Joe R. Wirthlin Jr, KSL

Summit County Sheriff’s Office lifts fire evacuations from Henefer

Summit County officials announced that residents in Henefer could return to their homes on Thursday, but warned that evacuations could return.
6 days ago
A firefighting helicopter moves toward the Rocky Canyon Fire in Henefer on Tuesday. Utah's percenta...
Carter Williams, KSL

Why Utah’s percentage of human-caused fires has fallen well below the national average

Utah is within 100,000 acres of having its worst fire year in terms of acreage lost, but this year likely won't be the worse for human-caused fires.
6 days ago
FILE: A loader moves coal at the Huntington power plant in Huntington, Tuesday, March 24, 2015. (Ra...
Don Brinkerhoff, KSL

Coal’s economic impact on Carbon and Emery counties

Carbon and Emery counties would be economically devastated if the Hunter and Huntington coal-powered plants were to shut down, a review by the University of Utah and the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute found.
7 days ago
The Great Salt Lake from the Great Salt Lake State Park and Marina in Magna on April 21. While just...
Adam Small, KSL

Great Salt Lake not expected to hit new low in 2026; but what if it does in the future?

At 4,190.4 feet above sea level, Utah's Great Salt Lake is quickly approaching its second-lowest level ever recorded. But on the brighter side, water officials say we'd have already h it a record low if not for the work done by Utahns to conserve.
7 days ago
Trees downed by severe storms from Tuesday, block access to a home and close parts of Main Street o...
Dave Collins and Julie Carr Smyth, Associated Press

Deaths, damage reported as severe weather spawns tornadoes, flash flooding in the Midwest

Severe storms in the Midwest unleashed tornadoes, heavy rains and flash flooding, leaving hundreds of thousands of customers without electricity.
7 days ago
Nick Sylvester takes a break from running to drink water at Liberty Park during a heat wave in Salt...
Carter Williams, KSL

Utah almost broke another heat record in July — it was also wetter than average

Last month was the warmest July in the contiguous U.S. since at least 1895, but not in Utah — just barely.
8 days ago
Work is performed on servers at Meta’s Eagle Mountain Data Center in Eagle Mountain on Friday, Se...
Eric Cabrera

Data centers could initially lower some Utah property taxes – then create a ‘boomerang effect’

A new analysis shows that a multibillion-dollar data center moving into a Utah community could initially lower property taxes for existing property owners. But that relief may not last.
9 days ago
A Sikorsky Skycrane lifts after refilling as crews fight the Widemouth 2 Fire east of Fillmore on A...
Carter Williams, KSL

Firefighter pilot killed in Utah crash remembered for ‘a life of service and selflessness’

One of two pilots killed in a helicopter crash on Friday while battling a massive wildfire in central Utah was a California resident who traveled across the country for the job.
9 days ago
People cool off in a fountain at the Georgetown Waterfront Park on July 02, 2026 in Washington, DC....
Seth Borenstein, AP Science Writer

Contiguous US breaks its record for hottest month ever, NOAA says

The contiguous United States set a record for its hottest month ever in July, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
9 days ago
The Widemouth 2 Fire east of Fillmore on Tuesday. Responders who worked to find the bodies of the t...
Ashley Imlay, KSL

Treacherous conditions complicated effort to recover 2 firefighters killed in Utah helicopter crash

Two pilots were on board a Sikorsky S-64 helicopter when it crashed Friday morning near the Widemouth 2 Fire. Crews worked into the next day to find the bodies.
9 days ago
A wildfire triggered evacuations on Sunday in Morgan County. (Photo: Utah Fire Info)...
Kennedy Camarena, KSL

Evacuations ordered in Morgan, Summit counties; Rocky Canyon Fire grows to 13,000 acres

Residents in parts of Morgan and Summit counties were dealing with evacuations on Sunday due to the growing Rocky Canyon Fire nearby.
10 days ago
A Sikorsky Skycrane approaches to refill as crews fight the Widemouth 2 Fire east of Fillmore, Utah...
Becky Bruce

Pilot, crewmember killed in helicopter crash while fighting Widemouth 2 fire

National fire officials said the pilot and crew member died as a result of the helicopter crash near Richfield Friday.
12 days ago
Weber County leaders are interested in the potential of nuclear power and hosted a symposium on the...
Tim Vandenack, KSL

Weber County leaders interested in nuclear power potential, host symposium on topic

Weber County officials hosted a symposium on nuclear energy as a means of gauging its potential fit locally. No specific projects are in the works in Weber County, however.
12 days ago
A helicopter carrying two people crashed near a massive wildfire burning in central Utah on Friday,...
Carter Williams, KSL

Helicopter with 2 on board crashes near Widemouth 2 Fire

A helicopter carrying two people crashed near a massive wildfire burning in central Utah on Friday, federal aviation officials confirmed.
12 days ago
Smoke rises from a fire along Interstate 84 in Riverdale on Thursday. At one point, flames were vis...
Joe R. Wirthlin Jr, KSL

Video shows fire threatening building in Riverdale along I-84

A fire near Riverdale closed a portion of I-84 on Thursday and threatened a building near the interstate, with flames intermittently visible on traffic cameras.
13 days ago