WEBVTT LAKE TAHOE. MAX: TAKE A WALK BESIDE THE UPPER TRUCKEE RIVER WITH RICHARD AND LINDA VANCE, AND YOU CAN SEE WHY IT'S EASY TO BECOME IMMERSED IN A BEAUTY UNIQUE TO THE SIERRA.

A group of teachers work on an exercise on butterfly migration during an educator camp Wednesday July 19, 2017 at Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge in Alamo.

A unique wildlife refuge on the site of a former nuclear weapons plant in Colorado is opening its gates on Saturday, after a confusing day when officials first said they would not open the refuge and then said they would. The opening of Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge, where the U.S. government made plutonium triggers for nuclear bombs, has been in the works for months, surviving court challenges and protests.

A unique wildlife refuge on the site of a former nuclear weapons plant in Colorado is opening its gates on Saturday, after a confusing day when officials first said they would not open the refuge and then said they would. The opening of Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge, where the U.S. government made plutonium triggers for nuclear bombs, has been in the works for months, surviving court challenges and protests.

Word of a hiker possibly killed by a cougar here in Oregon broke Sept. 11, and Brooks Fahy of Predator Defense is concerned the hype will lead to increased killing of the big cats, something that he says actually does more harm that good.

One of the great things about living in Southern Nevada is our access to the outdoors. Not only do we have incredible public land resources, where we can hike, camp, hunt and fish, bird watch or just relax, we also have world-class urban parks and recreation facilities.

In an attempt to enhance some of Georgia's premier coastal wildlife management areas, the state Department of Natural Resources has partnered with Ducks Unlimited in a multimillion-dollar wetland restoration project to improve public recreation opportunities, water quality, coastal resilience and waterfowl habitat over the next five years. DU staff members and GDNR announced the recently signed agreement at the recent Georgia Ducks Unlimited state convention on Jekyll Island.

In this photo taken Tuesday, July 24, 2018, provided by the Center for Whale Research, a baby orca whale is being pushed by her mother after being born off the Canada coast near Victoria, British Columbia. The new orca died soon after being born.

In 2017, crews clearing snow at the Wiley Post-Will Rogers Memorial Airport in Utqiagvik came upon a 450-pound bearded seal lounging on the runway. In 2017, crews clearing snow at the Wiley Post-Will Rogers Memorial Airport in Utqiagvik came upon a 450-pound bearded seal lounging on the runway.

In the past two decades, many of us who love the outdoors and care about protecting our lands and waters have allowed ourselves to be divided. No longer.

In an abrupt reversal, the Pentagon said Thursday it supports a Republican proposal in a defense policy bill that would bar the Fish and Wildlife Service from using the Endangered Species Act to protect two chicken-like birds in the western half of the U.S. In an email to Congress, a top Pentagon official said the proposal could help avoid any "negative readiness impacts on military facilities" that might result from listing the sage grouse and lesser-prairie chicken as endangered. The statement by Pete Giambastiani, a legislative affairs aide, directly repudiates comments Wednesday by Pentagon officials calling the GOP proposal unnecessary.

Administration officials said the new rules would advance conservation by simplifying and improving how the landmark Endangered Species Act is used. "These rules will be very protective," said U.S. Interior Department Deputy Secretary David Bernhardt, adding that the changes also will reduce the "conflict and uncertainty" associated with many protected species.

As part of a 33-year effort to protect sensitive lands and improve water quality and wildlife habitat on private lands, the U.S. Department of Agriculture will resume accepting applications for the voluntary Conservation Reserve Program. Eligible farmers, ranchers, and private landowners can sign up at their local Farm Service Agency office until Aug. 17, 2018.

Growing up on a cattle ranch in northern Arizona, Ethan Lane recalls the Mexican gray wolves that would regularly prey on his livestock. "These wolves are very threatening.

SALEM, Ore. - Rugged individualists to some, dangerous arsonists to others, a father and son who were convicted of intentionally setting fires on public land in Oregon were pardoned Tuesday by President Donald Trump.

The rising numbers of Asian carp in Kentucky lakes and rivers have caught the eye of federal lawmakers who see the fish as harmful to the state's economy and want to reduce their spread.

Florida Governor Rick Scott issued an emergency order Monday after touring the Caloosahatchee River and taking in the site of algae blooms caused by water releases from Lake Okeechobee. The emergency order allowed the Department of Environmental Protection and the South Florida Water Management District to waive various restrictions and regulations that kept water from being stored in areas south of Lake O. "Our state is once again facing a crisis from water releases controlled by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers," said Scott.

On election night in November of 2008, those who fish, hunt and value the out-of-doors had reason to rejoice.