Brien McElhatten

Gov. Cox in DC today for Colorado River talks. Our brief on the issue:

www.abc4.com/news/politic...

Artifical light at night is a big problem for wildlife in Utah. Growing evidence suggests it’s bad for people too.

Volunteers are learning how to measure the darkness of the sky so data can be gathered.

Full story coming soon on ABC4.

A new federal wildland firefighting service is mired in bureaucratic fog and congressional skepticism. It also lacks a budget ahead of the traditional wildfire season.

Our December temperatures are so warm, our honeybees are bringing in pollen! That’s wild.

As wildfires become more frequent and intense, Utah launches a new tool to assess your property’s fire risk:

It’s warmer than normal for December. It’s so warm, our honeybees are flying around like it’s springtime.

Ahhh, #climatechange

This is a clip from an upcoming story on ABC4 News and our streaming app News4Utah+

Water managers say Salt Lake City’s water supply will likely reach its limit in about 40 years.

That means more aggressive conservation measures are coming.

A preview of our next atody about water use and future planning in Salt Lake City:

Dozens Are Dead and Dozens More Missing as Catastrophic Rains Devastate Mexico Torrential rains set off deadly floods and landslides across five Mexican states, leaving a trail of destruction.

Earlier this week, “extremely intense and localized downpours” caused flooding and landslides in five Mexican states, leaving dozens dead and dozens more missing. By Emiliano Rodríguez Mega for The New York Times…

How does a Republican senator talk about #climatechange when many in the party ignore or dismiss the science?

I asked Utah’s John Curtis about that:

I’m at the Conservative Climate Summit in Salt Lake City today.

How do we talk about climate change when the political winds are blowing against the science?

What does Utah’s energy future look like?

We’ll talk with Sen. Curtis today about that.

What is coal and why is it so bad?

Let’s consult the science:

Where do #honeybees go in the winter?

And why is our first freeze later than it used to be?

In Utah and across the country, the first freeze is coming later than it used to because of human caused #climatechange

In Salt Lake City, we’ve seen in arrive 8 days later since 1970 as our atmosphere warms.

This can make fall allergies worse and lessen summer fruit yields.

Development is destroying pollinator habitat. But we met some folks who are doing something about it in #Utah.
#pollinators

The bees have worked hard over the summer. Our upper box is full of honey. 80 lbs worth I bet! They should be well stocked for winter.

#beekeeping #honeybees

Can you spot the worker scampering into the hive with pollen?

Honeybees use pollen as a protein source. The more flowers you plant, the better!

Go forth and plant with a focus on flowers native to your area. The bees will thank you.

#beekeeping #pollinators

Well, it was too windy to open up the beehive today. But we did get a little peek:

#beekeeping #honeybees #utah

The honeybees are making the most of these final, warm autumn days.

#beekeeping #honeybees

Utah’s Mt. Timpanogos with a snowy patina.

#utah #mttimpanogos #wasatchmountains

Pollinators are struggling, but these folks are helping by restoring native plants along The Great Salt Lake.

Full story next week on News4Utah+ from ABC4

🐝 Orientation flights!

When newly-minted forager bees leave the hive for the first time, they fly figure 8 patterns around the hive to build a mental map of the area.

This way, they can navigate back to the hive each day as they gather resources.

#beekeeping #abc4

🐝🌻Volunteer for our pollinators this Friday in Utah:

Eager to show you our next story.

A BYU professor is studying how severe wildfires could be mitigated by reintroducing native plants to the landscape.

It’s not enough to tell you about a problem. We also want to show you potential solutions.

@sejorg.bsky.social @abc4utah.bsky.social

You can tour the food forest on Saturday:

Can food forests help our neighborhoods adapt to #climatechange?

This Utah gardener thinks so:

Trump is trying to kill solar power—here's how to fight back Rooftop solar is a clean power miracle. Why are we killing it with red tape?

Australians and Europeans are installing rooftop solar for a third of the price that Americans pay. Overly complicated local regulations and slow permitting are to blame. But mayors and state legislatures have the power to fix it. By @billmckibben.bsky.social for @motherjones.com

Sights and sounds in Rock Canyon, Provo.

Wow!

The ABC4 beehive is thriving.

Our queen has a great laying pattern on all the frames we examined. We have capped brood and larvae. Loads of nectar and honey too.

#beekeeping #honeybees