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Sierra Magazine

@sierramagazine.bsky.social

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Environmental news, lifestyle tips, and free-ranging opinions from the editors of Sierra magazine. Follow us: www.sierraclub.org/sierra

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Sierra Magazine @sierramagazine.bsky.social · 21h

Vermejo is the brainchild of CNN founder Ted Turner, who purchased the land—part of Ted Turner Reserves and the biggest in his constellation of properties totaling some 2 million acres—in 1996. Vehicles at Vermejo bear dandelion-yellow stickers with Turner’s motto, “Save Everything.”

Vermejo’s Private Paradise

A sprawling New Mexico bison sanctuary shows the promise—and uncertainty—of private conservation

Sierra Magazine @sierramagazine.bsky.social · 22h

The NEVI program was set to spend $5 billion to help states build a nationwide highway EV charging network. But President Donald Trump, on the first day of his second term, tried to scrap NEVI the programs. Meet one of the attorneys who led the charge to restore funding for millions of people.

The Mission to Make EV Charging Accessible to Everyone

Donald Trump tried to scrap the NEVI program. Then Sierra Club attorney Joe Halso stepped in.

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Sierra Magazine @sierramagazine.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Farmers have face a conundrum in recent years: They want to make extra money by leasing portions of their land for large-scale renewable energy projects but neighbors fear that farmland is being traded for energy development. But what if there was another way? Enter agrivoltaics.

Can Agrivoltaics Bridge the Urban-Rural Solar Divide?

Sometimes the best of both worlds is the easiest solution

Sierra Magazine @sierramagazine.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

The Trump administration finalized a rule on Monday that significantly rolls back fuel economy standards on motor vehicles—a move that harms public health, the environment and consumers pocketbooks. It comes as gas prices skyrocket and Americans reel from an affordability crisis.

Fuel Costs Will Increase, and Carbon Emissions Too, After Trump’s CAFE Standards Rollback

The Trump administration’s new policy will make the high cost of living even more unaffordable

Sierra Magazine @sierramagazine.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Before World War II, many buildings were constructed from natural materials like wood, stone, and thatch. However, after the war, organic building elements were replaced by petrochemicals. But Bio-based materials offer homeowners easy, cheap options that allow consumers to avoid pesky synthetics.

Bio-Based or Bust

Natural materials create healthier, greener spaces in which to live and work

Sierra Magazine @sierramagazine.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

The Trump administration is trying to delist wolves to placate frustrated ranchers whose bottom lines are being undercut by tariffs. Blaming the big-bad wolf is an old trope beloved by ranchers, but allowing killing wolves won’t stop predation. Here's what will. 🌎

Can Killing Wolves Save the Beef Industry?

Experts warn that a new executive order meant to help ranchers won't actually work

Sierra Magazine @sierramagazine.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Tern Island, a former military outpost, is the main nesting ground for green sea turtles, but abandoned and deteriorating structures trap and kill nesting females. @joespring.bsky.social, who covered this in our fall issue, just reported that over 1,000 turtles were rescued from such standings. 🌎

joespring.substack.com

Hawaiian Green Sea Turtles Had to Be Rescued More Than 1,100 Times on This Remote Island

As Tern Island, a former military outpost, decays, its rusting seawalls and decaying buildings are trapping the threatened animals. But some help is on the way.

Sierra Magazine @sierramagazine.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

There have been four global coral bleaching events recorded since 1998, with coral experiencing its sharpest decline of nearly 9 percent between 2023 and 2024, according to a recent report. This occurred during the last El Niño event. Researchers say this year's El Niño could be way worse.

Corals Face an Existential Threat as the Super El Niño Heats Up

These marine invertebrates are already at risk from the climate crisis and rising ocean temperatures

Sierra Magazine @sierramagazine.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Fifty energy utilities in the United States are failing to transition off of fossil fuels—the primary driver of the climate crisis—toward clean energy sources, despite the clear evidence that change is needed, according to the Sierra Club's 2026 Dirty Truth report, released today.

Utilities Score All-Time Low on Transition From Coal and Gas as Climate Crisis Accelerates

According to the Sierra Club's “Dirty Truth” report, energy companies are failing more than ever

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Sierra Magazine @sierramagazine.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Beavers are freshwater animals; this is indisputable. But beavers are engineers capable of creating the habitats they need to survive, which is why researchers are finding them in unexpected places. This includes coasts, where freshwater meets the sea. 🌎

Researchers Find Beavers in Unexpected Places

The animals are expanding into new ecosystems that surprise scientists and benefit local species

Sierra Magazine @sierramagazine.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

More than 3 billion people play video games, making them the largest form of entertainment on Earth. They are also platforms where enormous communities can be built and values can spread. Increasingly, they are even becoming a place where climate change themes are rendered, explored, and contested.

How Video Games Can Boost Climate Awareness

The best way to learn about climate change might be to build your own virtual city

Sierra Magazine @sierramagazine.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

It’s no secret that data centers have vast environmental consequences. But far less attention has been paid to the industries poised to benefit from their enormous power needs. As the projected demands from AI rise, some developers are increasingly turning to fossil fuels—particularly gas.

Could Data Centers Be a Last Gasp for Gas?

Fossil fuel companies are relying on data centers to extend the use of their product

Sierra Magazine @sierramagazine.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

As the federal government erases place names and decenters voices of color, local leaders at these California state parks are trying to reflect the full breadth of the state’s history.

California State Parks Are Bringing Native History to the Forefront

As the Trump administration seeks to erase history on public lands, these parks are offering a fuller picture

Sierra Magazine @sierramagazine.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

The Supreme Court has recognized and upheld the EPA’s authority to regulate greenhouse gases for nearly two decades. But the EPA is repealing the 2024 greenhouse gas standards for power plants and eliminating climate pollution controls for the electric sector. This is disastrous for the climate.

Trump, Zeldin Try to “Unleash” Dirty Energy with Repeal of Pollution Standards

The EPA’s rollback of emissions from power plants puts public health, climate at risk

Sierra Magazine @sierramagazine.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

When was the last time you heard the words climate change during a news broadcast? While news reports abound of extreme weather disasters—scorching heat waves, dangerous flash flooding, and monster wildfires—few news broadcasters mention that these disasters are being supercharged by climate change.

Why Won’t the Media Say “Climate Change”?

Climate coverage has been dropping even as extreme climate-supercharged weather gets worse

Sierra Magazine @sierramagazine.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

This year’s El Niño is coming in hot: The weekly Niño 3.4 Index reached +2.7°C on August 12, far higher than previous already warm cycles and earning the title “super El Niño.” Despite these highs, scientists say what's to come will likely break even more records. Reported by @3mm4sm1th.bsky.social

The Super El Niño Has Arrived

Coral cores show that we are entering an unprecedented warming weather pattern on top of climate change

Sierra Magazine @sierramagazine.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Prior to the 1850s, the Bay Area had an estimated 540,000 acres of tidal wetlands and marshes. As the region was settled, those wetlands were dredged and filled. An ecological reckoning came in the early 1960s with the Save the Bay campaign. That activism lives on today.

Bay Area Communities Unite to Take On Sea Level Rise

Sierra Club chapters and the Bay Alive Campaign helped shape policies to address an urgent crisis

Sierra Magazine @sierramagazine.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

For decades, turtle sightings were rare. “If you saw a turtle, you saw its ass as it was fleeing away from you with the greatest of fear,” said one researcher. Now, thanks to his decades-long work, surfers regularly spot turtles coming up for air, and snorkelers see them feeding on algae. 🌎

The Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle Is Making a Comeback

How locals and conservationists are helping the honu resurgence

Sierra Magazine @sierramagazine.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Over the next century, the waters of the Chesapeake could rise as much as 5.2 feet. This isn’t apparent on a daily basis unless you live on Tangier Island. There, it’s a reality as inescapable as the water itself.

On Tangier Island, the Waters Keep Rising

As the Trump administration continues to ignore the climate crisis, Virginia's Tangier Island continues to sink

Sierra Magazine @sierramagazine.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Last week, the news site NOTUS broke the story that the Trump administration is considering a land exchange in Yosemite National Park with a private developer. The deal would allow the developer to build a private road through the park. www.sierraclub.org/sierra/propo...

Proposed Yosemite Land Swap Is the Latest Attack on Public Lands

The Trump administration has wasted no opportunity to serve up protected places for private interests

Sierra Magazine @sierramagazine.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

The collapse of an entire society—its politics, its rhythms of daily life—doesn’t happen overnight. It comes progressively, in overlapping waves, until a culture becomes unrecognizable—a brutal truth at the heart of Emily St. John Mandel’s masterpiece novel, Exit Party (Knopf, 2026).

A Deep Dive Into A Split-Screen World

Emily St. John Mandel's new novel weaves two unhinged realities into one

Sierra Magazine @sierramagazine.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

As phytoplankton photosynthesize and zooplankton secrete waste and die off, their materials aggregate to form marine snow. As the snow descends to the ocean floor, sometimes taking weeks to travel depending on its weight, it serves another critical purpose.

Chasing Marine Snowstorms to Understand Carbon Storage

How the multicolored specks floating throughout the ocean can help us understand shifting conditions

Sierra Magazine @sierramagazine.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

The federal government recently canceled a rule that was years in the making and has been in place for decades. Called the Roadless Rule, it protected millions of acres. Now the Trump administration wants to cancel those protections to allow more logging and mining.

The US Forest Service Moves to Cancel Its “Best Idea”

The Roadless Rule protected nearly 60 million acres of forest—until now

Sierra Magazine @sierramagazine.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

While federal staff are the backbone of public land, waves of staffing cuts and budget shortages have made doing their jobs harder than ever. As the challenges of operating popular destinations with limited resources grow, the role of the public land volunteer is more important than ever.

These Volunteers Are Often the Unsung Heroes of Public Lands Management

Meet the people who help support underfunded public lands and the staff who steward them

Sierra Magazine @sierramagazine.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Grizzly bear attacks and encounters are showing up across social media. These intense interactions are tailor made for virality, but the rapid spread of such videos often creates a false sense of fear. Here’s what researchers say about the recent wave of incidents. 🌎

Here’s Why Grizzlies Suddenly Feel Like They’re Everywhere

How social media creates a distorted sense of reality for grizzly bear recovery

Sierra Magazine @sierramagazine.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

Up into the 1980s, dead and fallen trees were viewed as “waste” that harbored diseases and helped spread fires. It was common practice to remove them. Researchers are now discovering that these downed logs continue to contribute to the ecosystem, well after death.

Watching Logs Decay Is More Interesting Than You’d Think

Logs can act like “giant teabags” to leach nutrients into ecosystems

Sierra Magazine @sierramagazine.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Animals are often an indicator of shifts in the environment. Now, they could lend a helping hand to fill gaps in critical data as researchers work to understand the impacts of climate change in the most remote sections of the world. 🌎

Sharks Take the Temperature

How marine animals are helping fill gaps in climate forecasting

Sierra Magazine @sierramagazine.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

A federal bill would make shark-diving operations illegal. Scientists, lawyers, operators and some fishing captains say the move would do nothing to solve the issues it outlines.

What’s Behind Florida’s Push to Ban Shark Feeding?

It’s more complicated than it seems

Sierra Magazine @sierramagazine.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

The 2026 Paris Marathon was the first major road marathon to eliminate single-use cups along the course, tackling a long-standing waste problem in running. A midsize race of 9,000 runners includes an estimated 150,000 disposable cups, and Paris drew nearly 60,000 participants this year.

Running Has a Waste Problem

Fortunately, sustainable alternatives like reusable cups are picking up speed

Sierra Magazine @sierramagazine.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

In West Texas, locals are near unanimous in their feeling that the Trump administration's plans for a border wall will change the Big Bend region irreparably. But just days ago, contractors arrived in Big Bend National Park (BBNP) to start blasting roads and leveling mountains.

The Big Bend Region Is Losing Irreplaceable Pieces of US History

Beyond its environmental harms, border wall construction in West Texas is destroying archaeological sites

Sierra Magazine @sierramagazine.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

Data centers require a reliable supply of electricity at all times. To maintain uninterrupted operations during extreme heat, data centers are increasingly forced to rely on backup generators in times of high demand.

Why Heat and Data Centers Could Be a Deadly Combo

Emergency power for data centers could pollute the air when people are at their most vulnerable

Sierra Magazine @sierramagazine.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

Since returning to power, the Trump administration has stripped away land conservation rules, rolled back environmental protections, and reduced the size of monuments. Now, the administration is trying to leverage public lands to buildout AI infrastructure and massive data centers.

The Trump Administration Is Trying to Build Data Centers on Public Lands

The latest was supposed to be a solar project. Now, in a “bait and switch,” it’s set to power AI

Sierra Magazine @sierramagazine.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

The Trump administration wants to make it easier for ranchers to turn their cattle loose onto public lands. Conservation groups say that could lead to disastrous consequences for land that is already failing ecological health standards. 🌎

Effort to Unleash Cattle on Public Land Spells Trouble for Ecosystem Health

Conservation groups warn of the consequences of more livestock grazing on America’s public lands

Sierra Magazine @sierramagazine.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Lawmakers in Florida failed to come up with regulations to make working in the heat safer. Now, farmworkers have created their own set of rules. In an effort to improve working conditions, they’re connecting directly with retailers to put in place measures that would help them beat the heat.

The People Who Grow America’s Potted Plants Need More Climate Protections

Farmworkers in Florida are working with retailers to create lasting safety protocols for working in the heat

Sierra Magazine @sierramagazine.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

For Rae Wynn-Grant, if the next generation of wildlife biologists looks different than the last, or if a child watching Wild Kingdom begins asking questions about predators instead of fearing them, then she will have done exactly what she set out to do.

Rae Wynn-Grant Is Breaking the Mold

The first Black woman to lead a major wildlife TV program is showing millions that anyone can be a wildlife champion

Sierra Magazine @sierramagazine.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

Claims that wildfires can be prevented simply by forest thinning or raking up debris are not only inaccurate, they are also part of a broader pattern of disinformation in response to climate-fueled extremes That disinformation deflects from the real issue: rapidly warming climate.

Trump and Republicans Peddle False Claims About Wildfires

It’s part of an ongoing pattern of disinformation spreading in response to climate-fueled extreme weather

Sierra Magazine @sierramagazine.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

Although much of the smoke from wildfires has cleared across the Northeast, the dangers posed by poor air quality could have long-lasting impacts on health. “You may not be feeling it that day, but how is it impacting your lungs 10 years from now?" asked one health professional.

How Particulate Matter From Wildfire Smoke Impacts Our Health

People with health issues say it worsened their symptoms or forced them to stay inside

Sierra Magazine @sierramagazine.bsky.social · 26/07/2026

The Endangered Species Act was signed into law to save species. But the federal government is taking a series of actions that would undermine the law. These changes would allow industrial activities to destroy wildlife habitat and introduce economic factors into decision-making. 🌎

“A Stake Through the Heart of the Endangered Species Act”

How the Trump administration’s regulatory rollbacks threaten thousands of plants and animals with extinction

Sierra Magazine @sierramagazine.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

Despite grizzlies being far from historic population numbers and severely fragmented habitat, the federal government is putting states in charge of the day-to-day management of grizzly bears. The states in question are the same ones that are trying to kill the majority of their wolves. 🌎

New Direction in Grizzly Management Could Be a Stepping Stone for Delisting

Federal government hands grizzly bear policy over to states that have been hostile to recovery

Sierra Magazine @sierramagazine.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

Bears Ears and Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monuments protect more than 3.2 million acres in Utah. They form one of the largest undeveloped areas in US. Last week, the Trump admin moved to shrink both monuments by more than 90 percent, reviving a fight over how public land is protected.

A New Fight Over National Monuments Emerges in Utah

Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments are once again threatened by a major downsizing

Sierra Magazine @sierramagazine.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

These comical seabirds are disappearing. A cohort of researchers and bird enthusiasts is banding together to figure out why. Part of their research involves puffin decoys that entice real puffins to roost. 🌎

Where Have All the Tufted Puffins Gone?

Researchers try to solve the mystery of why these adorable seafaring birds are disappearing

Sierra Magazine @sierramagazine.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

Federal land managers are spraying a cocktail of chemicals onto public lands in an effort to treat invasive species. But these treatments lead to other problems. The cycle is a no-win situation where land never fully recovers, and millions are spent constantly treating issues as they emerge. 🌎

Why is the Federal Government Dumping Toxic Chemicals onto Public Lands?

These spraying programs are creating “virtual dead zones” in wild places

Sierra Magazine @sierramagazine.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

A Mexican wolf and her pack were set to be released before a top Interior official weighed in at the last minute to halt the plan. The interference, first reported by Public Domain, reveals how federal staff have violated ethics rules to curry favor with their allies and former clients. 🌎

Mexican Wolf Release Held Up by Federal Official

Top Interior deputy delays wolf release at the last minute to placate ranching interests

Sierra Magazine @sierramagazine.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

It's been one year since flash flooding in Texas led to tragic loss of life and damage to multiple business and residential structures. Now, a survey based on a sample of 258 adults directly impacted by the floods shows that more than half of survivors feel abandoned by their government.

After the Deadly Floods In Texas, Many Surveyed Survivors Feel Left Behind

Many say the government has left them to recover on their own

Reposted by Sierra Magazine

Sara Novak @sarafnovak.bsky.social · 27/06/2026

Nature's answer to combatting wildfires all wrapped in a super cute, wildly underestimated, fury creature. My latest @sierramagazine.bsky.social 🧪🔥💚 www.sierraclub.org/sierra/natur...

Nature’s Answer to Combating Wildfire: The Prairie Dog

Behold the most adorable little firefighter you ever saw

Sierra Magazine @sierramagazine.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

The Trump administration is recommending a suite of changes that experts expect will make the federal aid application process even harder to navigate. Here's what that means for FEMA.

New Federal Panel Wants to Delegate Disaster Recovery to Local Governments

Experts fear that smaller towns could suffer under new aid guidelines

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Sierra Magazine @sierramagazine.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

Winter usually offers a reprieve from the fire season. However, scientists have noted an uptick in a very specific type of fire as climate change alters the northern reaches of our planet in unrecognizable ways—zombie fires.

Zombie Fires Are Taking Over the North

How overwintering fires are changing the landscape in boreal Alaska and the Northwest Territories of Canada

Sierra Magazine @sierramagazine.bsky.social · 27/06/2026

Not surprising considering there are only like 300 in the wild ... 🌎

The debate about Mexican wolves is loud, but their economic impact is surprisingly small • Source New Mexico

While Catron and Arizona’s Apache County bear the brunt of Mexican wolf depredations, official records show yearly kill counts are small

Sierra Magazine @sierramagazine.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

When it comes to animals, movie producers seem to never let facts get in the way of telling a good story. The films in this piece, which have some pretty big flaws, are a prime example. Researchers call out some of Hollywood’s biggest mistakes in movie-magic. www.sierraclub.org/sierra/adven...

Adventures in Animal Miscasting

Researchers call out wildlife mistakes in movie magic

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Sierra Magazine @sierramagazine.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

A new bill in the California State Assembly would reorder the state’s demonstration forest system to shift away from logging and toward recreation and research. Under AB 2494, plans to log, currently the forests’ primary purpose, would only be approved when felling trees supports research.

What Is a Forest For?

California’s demonstration state forest system may be moving toward a future of climate research and tribal stewardship