L.A. Times - Environment

Cattle grazing can promote cheatgrass dominance, study finds

By Bettina Boxall — Mon, 13 May 2013 14:53:00 PDT

Ranchers often argue that cattle grazing is the best way to combat cheatgrass, an aggressive invader that has taken over vast areas of the Great Basin, destroying the native sagebrush ecosystem and fueling huge wildfires.

What do we spend to preserve nature? $40 billion

By Julie Cart — Fri, 10 May 2013 13:45:00 PDT

Some say that you can’t put a price on precious natural resources. As of this week, you can.

Feds to study oil exploration's effects on marine life

By Julie Cart — Fri, 10 May 2013 12:47:00 PDT

Two federal agencies on Friday announced a major review of how seismic testing for oil and gas deposits affects marine mammals and fish in deep waters off the Gulf of Mexico.

U.S. to protect endangered loggerhead sea turtle habitat

By Julie Cart — Fri, 3 May 2013 13:43:00 PDT

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has two months to identify suitable in-water nesting and migratory habitat for endangered loggerhead sea turtles, according to a legal settlement filed this week.

Pesticides, parasites and poor forage hurting bee pollinators

By Bettina Boxall — Thu, 2 May 2013 14:56:00 PDT

Although honeybee loss slowed last year, it remains at dangerously high levels, according to a new federal report that concluded there was no single remedy for the colony collapse that has hit America’s hard-working crop pollinators.

Hours reduced at Mojave National Preserve's Kelso Depot

By Julie Cart — Thu, 2 May 2013 12:17:00 PDT

The Kelso Depot Visitor Center in Mojave National Preserve, the park’s popular historic site, is about to be affected by federal spending cuts.

The consensus seems to be: Let somebody else fix the delta

By Bettina Boxall — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 21:00:00 PDT

Confidential surveys of water officials, water users and others involved with the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta offer some telling insight on why the delta is stuck in a perpetual quagmire.

Hybrid cars to join U.S. government's fleet under new program

By Julie Cart — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 06:00:00 PDT

The U.S. Department of the Interior will become the first federal agency to take advantage of a new program to update its fleet of vehicles with gas-sipping hybrids.

Yosemite's Tioga Road to reopen May 11

By Julie Cart — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 13:52:00 PDT

Officials at Yosemite National Park say snow plows will begin clearing Tioga Road next week and hope to reopen the highway by May 11.

Bay Area air pollution reaches Devils Postpile National Monument

By Bettina Boxall — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 15:17:00 PDT

That fresh, pine-scented mountain air that you happily breathe in the Sierra Nevada could be hazardous to your health.