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The Student News Site of Colorado State University

The Rocky Mountain Collegian

The Student News Site of Colorado State University

The Rocky Mountain Collegian

The Student News Site of Colorado State University

The Rocky Mountain Collegian

Sustainability & Environment

Courtesy of Timothy Fegel

CSU researchers build artificial beaver dams in Poudre River, improve sediment quality

Catherine Schadagg, Staff Reporter September 18, 2025

Located in the south fork of the Cache la Poudre River are structures of curious shapes. Made of logs cut from nearby forest stands and mostly submerged in the water, these structures serve to natural...

Courtesy of Shane Kanatous

CSU students learn dolphin physiology, local conservation in Honduras

Katie Fisher, Science Editor September 9, 2025

Weighing in between 300 and 1,400 pounds with the ability to problem-solve, develop empathy and recognize themselves in a mirror, few animals share the level of intellect present in the bottlenose dolphin...

Courtesy of Matthew Sturchio

Solar panels improve grassland soil moisture retention, CSU study finds

Katie Fisher, Science Editor September 3, 2025

In a world facing a shifting climate, rising global population and prolonged droughts, maintaining ecosystems through proper land management is of critical importance. It's also a task that a recent Colorado...

Interdisciplinary researchers develop first-ever genetic switch in plants

Interdisciplinary researchers develop first-ever genetic switch in plants

Katie Fisher, Science Editor August 21, 2025

Plants' successful growth and production often hinge on specific environmental and genetic conditions. This is a reality agricultural producers have become accustomed to that is now threatened with instability...

Photo courtesy of Steven D. Miller/CIRA/CSU and NOAA/NESDIS

Mapping myths: Researchers create first milky sea database

Katie Fisher, Science Editor July 26, 2025

For centuries, sailors have returned from voyages with tales of eerie, steady-glowing oceans. These episodes would sometimes last for months, atop water capable of glowing in a bucket, deep beneath a ship’s...

Executive order reducing forest protections raises concerns in Colorado

Executive order reducing forest protections raises concerns in Colorado

Laila Shekarchian, Staff Reporter April 28, 2025

Following an executive order by President Donald Trump to increase timber production and encourage more logging across the nation, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has rolled back environmental protections,...

Image of a river.

Colorado confronts water vitality in American West

Katie Fisher, Science Editor April 16, 2025

Water, the most fundamental, life-sustaining element in the natural world, has shaped the American West for millenniums. An overlapping tale of peoples, interactions, management, infrastructure and nature,...

A man kneels down to tend to some crops while a sprinkler system runs alongside him.

Regenerative agriculture gives back to local soil environments

Natalee Garcia, Staff Reporter April 15, 2025

Colorado State University's College of Agricultural Sciences is collaborating with farmers to explore and promote regenerative agriculture techniques. Regenerative agriculture is a practice that can improve...

A man in brown stands in front of a powerpoint presentation speaking.

CSU faculty, researchers discuss circular economy model, future of sustainability

Chloe Waskey, Staff Reporter April 7, 2025

Soil scientist Eugene Kelly and sustainable textile researcher Sonali Diddi delivered a talk April 3 exploring the circular economy model as a potential pathway to a low-carbon economy. The model has become...

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