Articles by Grist staff

National Park Service employees muzzled on budget shortfalls and other problems

Bush addresses NPS employees in Sequoia National Park. Photo: NPS. It’s the reverse of the Midas touch — instead of turning to gold, everything they touch turns to shit.” That’s how Jeff Ruch, executive director of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, explained the recent activities of the Bush administration’s National Park Service to Muckraker. “Parks […]

A Rush and a Swoosh and the Land Is Ours

Nike and Other Outdoor Gear Makers Lobby for Roadless Rule A coalition of large manufacturers of outdoor gear is lobbying in support of the so-called roadless rule, put in place by President Clinton to protect nearly 60 million acres of undeveloped national forest from road-building and other development. Organized by enviro groups, the coalition — […]

Heavy Heart

Driving Is Bad for You Driving too much may not just be bad for the planet — it may be bad for your heart as well. According to new research by the U.S. EPA, tiny particulates that pollute the air inside cars can aggravate existing heart conditions. Rolling your windows up and closing your vents […]

Have You Spotted Owls?

Spotted-Owl Populations Declining The northern spotted owl, a species that took on huge symbolic significance in the early ’90s when activists used its protected status to sharply curtail logging in federal old-growth forests in the Pacific Northwest, is once again the center of controversy. A study released yesterday shows that spotted-owl populations in the region […]