The Gila River Indian Community Council in September approved plans to reclaim an 80- to 100-square-mile section of the Gila River and floodplain from invasive salt cedar, or tamarisk.
Removing invasive salt cedar reduces the risk of wildfires, but it also offers a chance to restore native plants and wildlife.
Bigger, hotter wildfires — and more of them — are becoming the new normal, and a combination of climate change, sub-par fire management and budget limitations are to blame, says an October 2017 National Wildlife Federation report.
A Food and Drug Administration ban on over-the-counter antiseptic soaps and cosmetics containing certain active ingredients goes into effect Sept. 6. But it’s up to consumers to avoid products the ban doesn’t cover.
The pipeline leak that spilled sewage into Arizona’s Santa Cruz River is sealed, but another pollution problem persists — one many other American waterways share.
Contaminants of emerging concern, or CECs, are chemicals from drugs and personal care products that most wastewater treatment plants don’t filter out. Some, including estrogenic compounds from products like synthetic birth control, disrupt the hormones of aquatic wildlife, harming reproduction.