Articles by Grist staff

Songbird Populations Drop in the U.S.

For each species of songbird whose population is on the rise in the U.S., two species are in decline, says Jeff Wells of the National Audubon Society. Of the 116 species whose populations have fluctuated since 1966, 76 have decreased significantly. Urban sprawl, and all that comes along with it (farmland and forest loss, more […]

Saving Private Xylem

California Gov. Gray Davis (D) is asking the state Board of Forestry to pass a rule tomorrow that would require private landowners to get state approval before cutting down ancient trees on their property. Landowners would have to go through a multiagency environmental review before receiving permission to log a single ancient tree. The proposal […]

Cash Croppers

Nearly two-thirds of the $27 billion in farm subsidies given out last year went to just 10 percent of American farm owners, including Fortune 500 companies, wealthy members of Congress, and other millionaires, according to a study of federal data by the Associated Press. Studying the same data, the Environmental Working Group says that fewer […]

Bay City Rollers

Hybrid cars are all the rage in the San Francisco Bay area. About one in five hybrids sold in the U.S. has been purchased in the Bay area, and the average waiting time to buy a Toyota Prius or Honda Insight is five months at local dealers. Drivers say heads turn as their cars cruise […]