By a hair, gray wolf leads in voting: With 87 percent of the vote counted, Coloradans are narrowly supporting reintroduction of the gray wolf west of the Continental Divide. Most of the outstanding ballots are from urban areas, where the proposal is popular. (Denver Post)
Mainstream leader for climate review: The Trump administration appointed a mainstream scientist, Betsy Weatherhead, “who accepts human-induced climate change is happening,” to direct the next National Climate Assessment, a comprehensive report on climate change and its consequences. (Washington Post)
Wildfire modeling loses value: The decades-old scientific models used to predict and understand wildfires are being made obsolete as climate change “dries out the West and increases the frequency and intensity of extreme weather.” (High Country News)
USDA to allow South African citrus: The USDA will allow imports of cold-treated fresh citrus fruit from South Africa after determining that doing so would not increase the risk of introducing the false coddling moth or other plant pests. (Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service)
Locust disaster averted: More than 1.1 million hectares in 10 countries in the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula have been treated for desert locust infestations since January, preventing the potential loss of 2.3 million tonnes of cereal grains. That’s enough to feed 15 million families for a year. (FAO)