KNAU NewsRoom

Flagstaff, AZ (2009-11-18) This year Navajo National Monument celebrates its one-hundredth birthday. The natural choice for the monument's first caretaker was a local man: John Wetherill respected Indian trader, explorer, and guide in the Four Corners country.

Earth Notes - Bighorn Sheep

Flagstaff, AZ (2009-11-11) The sight of a bighorn sheep poised on a narrow canyon ledge is always breathtaking. Muscular and lithe, these hooved mammals are majestic symbols of wilderness. But not so long ago, these native sheep were a rare sighting indeed in much of the Southwest.

Earth Notes - Gambel Oak

Flagstaff, AZ (2009-11-04) Gambel oak grows slowly and doesn't reach great height a 20-footer is a tall one. But while not so mighty in size, it leaves a big mark on the Colorado Plateau.

Earth Notes - Steam Heat

Flagstaff, AZ (2009-10-28) Energy efficiency is in the news today, but it's not really new. For decades, buildings in one southwestern city were heated by plentiful, locally produced energy. The source was steam from a local utility, the Flagstaff Electric Light Company.

Earth Notes - Lichens

Flagstaff, AZ (2009-10-15) In the woods and around town, crusty growths cling to bare rocks, hang from tree branches, and hug the ground. Lichens are the hardy colonizers of some of the harshest environments on the Colorado Plateau-from the driest deserts to the alpine tundras of the highest peaks.

Earth Notes - Pine Needles

Flagstaff, AZ (2009-10-07) We all learned in elementary school that evergreen trees don't lose their leaves. Most conifers, including majestic ponderosa pines, are evergreens.

Earth Notes - Parks

Flagstaff, AZ (2009-09-30) Look closely at a detailed map of a southwestern forest, and you'll see numerous places labeled as "parks" or "prairies." They're openings in the woods, from the size of a baseball field to miles in extent, where the soil is generally too wet or too dry to support trees. But these meadows are full of life.

Earth Notes - Just Bad Luck?

Flagstaff, AZ (2009-09-23) Everyone knows you're supposed to take "nothing but pictures" at National Parks. But some visitors can't resist a souvenir. Some of them end up regretting it.

Earth Notes - Daylight Savings TIme

Flagstaff, AZ (2009-09-16) The 1960s were a time of conflict. Among the decade's lesser-known controversies was one that took place in Arizona, where Daylight Saving Time was designated for the first and only time in 1967.

Earth Notes - Natural Nutrition

Flagstaff, AZ (2009-09-09) Ripening in summer, the dangling seedpods of mesquite trees are an important food source for humans and animals. They're rich in sugar and protein, as well as minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc.

Earth Notes - Aldo Leopold

Flagstaff, AZ (2009-09-02) One hundred years ago, a 22-year-old tenderfoot and new graduate of the Yale Forestry School arrived in eastern Arizona. He came by wagon from the rail head in Holbrook.

Earth Notes - Puye Cliffs

Flagstaff, AZ (2009-08-26) For more than three centuries, the Puye Cliffs of northern New Mexico were home to hundreds of people ancestors of the present-day residents of Santa Clara pueblo. The soft volcanic rock of the cliffs was easily carved into rooms, handholds, and ledges, while the mesa above provided flat, fortified ground for buildings and gardens.

Earth Notes - Big Trees

Flagstaff, AZ (2009-08-19) Some nature enthusiast watch birds, others chase butterflies, a growing number look for this countries finest trees. Since 1940 a non-profit group called American Forest has sponsored the national register of big trees

Earth Notes - Leslie Marmon Silko

Flagstaff, AZ (2009-02-25) Traditional stories "aren't just for entertainment," wrote Native American author Leslie Marmon Silko. "You don't have anything if you don't have the stories." Silko is a member of Laguna Pueblo in northern New Mexico. In 1981, she received the MacArthur "Genius" Grant.

Earth Notes - Chickadee Alarms

Flagstaff, AZ (2009-02-04) Chickadees are famous for their calls; after all, they're named for them. Now new research shows their calls are surprisingly sophisticated. The number of "dee" notes they sound can actually describe the differences between nearby predators.