Nathan Rott
Nathan Rott is a correspondent on NPR's National Desk, where he focuses on environment issues and the American West.
Based at NPR West in Culver City, California, Rott spends a lot of his time on the road, covering everything from breaking news stories like California's wildfires to in-depth issues like the management of endangered species and many points between.
Rott owes his start at NPR to two extraordinary young men he never met. As the first recipient of the Stone and Holt Weeks Fellowship in 2010, he aims to honor the memory of the two brothers by carrying on their legacy of making the world a better place.
A graduate of the University of Montana, Rott prefers to be outside at just about every hour of the day. Prior to working at NPR, he worked a variety of jobs including wildland firefighting, commercial fishing, children's theater teaching, and professional snow-shoveling for the United States Antarctic Program. Odds are, he's shoveled more snow than you.
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The Fish and Wildlife Service has declined to list the monarch butterfly as endangered, even though it finds such a listing necessary. Officials cite limited resources and other species in danger.
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President-elect Joe Biden wants to conserve 30% of U.S. land and water by 2030. It's part of a global push to avoid the worst effects of climate change and the decline of the natural world.
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The governors of California and New York have sounded the alarm that hospitals may be overwhelmed this winter if COVID-19 infection rates continue to rise.
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Efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus are being hampered because many people don't believe it's real. "It's absolute garbage," said Craig Mann of Flathead County in northwest Montana. -
Climate change is one of the top four crises President-elect Biden says he will tackle first. NPR discusses what step he can take if there is no solid Democratic-majority in the Senate.
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The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is removing federal protections for gray wolves in the contiguous U.S., saying the species' recovery is a success. Wildlife groups are promising to sue. -
Despite the cascade of other crises this year, climate change has emerged as a key election issue. The two major-party presidential candidates' positions on it could not be more different. -
Experts Say It Is Time To Update Fire Suppression PoliciesThis year's record-setting wildfires are being compared to 1910's Big Blowup, which shaped U.S. fire suppression policy for a century. Experts aim for a policy reset but historians are skeptical.
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Smoky Skies Are The New Normal. Are They Making Us Sick?Scientists know that tiny particles from smoke can be inhaled deep into a person's lungs and even enter the bloodstream. But the long-term health effects of this are not fully understood. -
At Wednesday's digital gathering, nations are making new pledges to protect vast areas of land from development, but the U.S. is not taking part.
