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In 1967, astronaut Vance Brand bought 160 acres beside Rocky Mountain National Park for $32,000; decades later, his family gave 40 acres to the park and Congress changed its boundary to accept it

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In 1967, astronaut Vance Brand bought 160 acres beside Rocky Mountain National Park for $32,000; decades later, his family gave 40 acres to the park and Congress changed its boundary to accept it

Former NASA astronaut Vance Brand spent decades exploring space and commanding shuttle missions, but a 40-acre piece of land along the eastern boundary of Rocky Mountain National Park remains one of his most lasting contributions on Earth. The story began in 1967, when Brand bought 160 acres of land next to the national park for … Read more

At 15, Jim Bishop bought 2.5 Colorado acres with $450 he earned mowing lawns and delivering papers; 10 years later, he began a stone castle that he spent 50 years turning into the world’s largest one-man project

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At 15, Jim Bishop bought 2.5 Colorado acres with $450 he earned mowing lawns and delivering papers; 10 years later, he began a stone castle that he spent 50 years turning into the world’s largest one-man project

Nestled in the Wet Mountains of Colorado, at an elevation of 9000, is the world’s largest one-man project, The Bishop Castle. From 1969 to 2019, the monument was constructed by one man, all by himself, James Roland Bishop, also known as Jim Bishop, the Castle Builder, according to the website. Laying the foundation Jim Bishop … Read more

Trump proposes stripping tax-exempt status from 18,000 schools over race-based benefits

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Trump proposes stripping tax-exempt status from 18,000 schools over race-based benefits

US President Donald Trump. The Trump administration has proposed stripping private schools, colleges and other educational institutions of their tax-exempt status if they provide admissions, scholarships or other benefits to students based on race.The proposed rule, announced by the Treasury Department on Thursday, could affect as many as 18,000 institutions and is part of President … Read more

In 2020, Ohio removed a dam from the once-polluted Cuyahoga River; it reopened 39 km of habitat, and scientists later detected 15 additional fish taxa

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In 2020, Ohio removed a dam from the once-polluted Cuyahoga River; it reopened 39 km of habitat, and scientists later detected 15 additional fish taxa

An 18-metre concrete dam on Ohio’s Cuyahoga River once stopped migrating fish from reaching important spawning areas for more than a century. Today, aquatic life is quickly returning to the river. Researchers from the US Geological Survey, working with state biological agencies, have released new long-term monitoring data showing a major ecological recovery. After the … Read more

US diversity visa 2026: State Department resumes Green Card Lottery visa issuance; winners face Sept 30 deadline

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US diversity visa 2026: State Department resumes Green Card Lottery visa issuance; winners face Sept 30 deadline

US resumes diversity visa lottery after months-long pause. In a major relief for thousands of immigrants hoping to move to the US through the Diversity Visa programme, the State Department has resumed issuing Diversity Immigrant Visas after a court order ended a months-long pause. The State Department confirmed that it resumed Diversity Visa issuance on … Read more

From 1915 to 1972, Mount Rainier stocked more than 9 million fish into naturally fishless waters; today 35 mountain lakes still hold breeding non-native populations that displace amphibians and alter ecosystems

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From 1915 to 1972, Mount Rainier stocked more than 9 million fish into naturally fishless waters; today 35 mountain lakes still hold breeding non-native populations that displace amphibians and alter ecosystems

View of the Ohanapecosh River and predated Northwestern Salamanders (Ambrystoma gracile) eaten by introduced trout. Mount Rainier’s glaciers and snowfields feed a magnificent system of icy streams and mountain lakes. On the surface, these waters look pristine, scattered pools in one of America’s most iconic landscapes. But beneath the surface, scientists are looking at a … Read more

In 2016, conservationists put the bends back into a Lake District river straightened 200 years earlier; within months, Atlantic salmon were spawning there for the first time in centuries

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In 2016, conservationists put the bends back into a Lake District river straightened 200 years earlier; within months, Atlantic salmon were spawning there for the first time in centuries

Centuries after people forced a Cumbrian river into a straight, artificial channel, nature has reclaimed its original course in the Lake District, bringing endangered wild fish back to historic spawning grounds almost immediately. In the summer of 2016, conservationists restored a 1.1-kilometre stretch of Swindale Beck near Haweswater by putting its natural bends back into … Read more