Earth Notes

Quicksand can form in rivers and washes across the Colorado Plateau. Conditions beneath the surface can create unstable ground and potential hazards.

An animal spread flat on its stomach, legs and feet extended, is exhibiting a behavior called “splooting.”

Jaguars are usually associated with the tropics of Central and South America, but historical records show they once prowled as far north as the South Rim of Grand Canyon.

How did Southwest Tribal people protect and store their food before the days of refrigeration?

April in northern Arizona is heralded by the loud metallic wing trills of broad-tailed hummingbirds returning from winter in the Highlands of Mexico and Central America.

Researchers in the Southwest are using hidden recorders to capture the fluted whistles of the pinyon jay. It’s part of a new effort to track ecological changes through sound.

Every spring, thousands of sheep were herded on a three-week trek across northern Arizona, up onto the Colorado Plateau for summer grazing.

A wildlife bridge on Interstate 17 south of Flagstaff could help guide elk, deer and other wildlife navigate the highway and cut down on collisions with cars and trucks.

Hat Ranch near Williams, Arizona has a layered history of conservation and public life.

Fremont cottonwoods form a ribbon of green along Arizona’s rivers and streams. They have heart-shaped leaves which turn golden in fall and fluffy, cotton-like seeds.