DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Glamping With the Stars
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Colleen Creamer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

I’d headed west for the sun, but even more so for the night sky, so I was hoping for clear weather ahead. The glamping resort, one of 12 Under Canvas sites, is anchored on a canyon rim plateau in southern Utah and is the first resort in the world to be certified by the nonprofit authority on light pollution, DarkSky International. My aim was to beat the heat and the crowds — but what I really wanted was to be an early adopter of certified starry resorts. The DarkSky Approved Lodging program is another step forward in the nonprofit’s history of advocacy for the reduction of light pollution. Broadly, the requirements for certification include being situated in an “exceptionally” dark location; having approved means of reducing the impact of light at night; and providing educational materials about night sky conservation to guests.

Persons: Harry Reid Organizations: Harry Reid International, DarkSky Locations: Tennessee, Utah

☆ These are the best scenic family road trips for families, from a parent and travel expert who's been to all 50 states.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-25 | by ( Taryn White | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Road trips are the ultimate symbol of freedom, discovery, and the boundless beauty of the US. As a travel expert, I believe these three incredible routes are the best if you're looking to go on an amazing road trip experience with your own family. AdvertisementTake a road trip through ArizonaFrom majestic mountains to captivating canyons, Arizona's glorious scenery cannot be fully realized by visiting just one destination. For a rush of adrenaline, set out on a whitewater rafting excursion with companies like Advantage Grand Canyon. Families can also take a boat cruise on Lake Powell and visit the Glen Canyon Dam.

Persons: I've, Dana Point, Battery, Taryn White, Coyote, Lake Powell Organizations: Business, Santa Barbara Zoo, San Luis Obispo, Aquarium, California Academy of Sciences, Roanoke Star, Biltmore Estate, River Arts, Asheville Museum of Science, North Carolina Arboretum, Biltmore, Asheville Glamping, Railway Locations: California, Dana, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Ellwood, San Luis, Big, Carmel, Monterey, Golden, Battery Spencer, Virginia, North Carolina, North Carolina ., Shenandoah, Smoky, Crabtree Falls . Roanoke, Mountain, Meadows, Dan ,, Asheville, River Arts District, Bohemian, Arizona, Phoenix, Sedona, Boynton Canyon, Grand, El Tovar, Williams, Bend, Lake Powell

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Federal officials said Wednesday that conditions have improved on the Colorado River to the point that a plan by California, Arizona and Nevada to voluntarily reduce water use should help keep the river basin on stable footing for the next few years. The states failed to reach a consensus on cuts, and the federal government did not end up forcing any. The threat of those two options finally forced the three states to reach their own voluntary plan for how to reduce their use of the river's water. Already, the three states have lowered their water use, said Tom Buschatzke, director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources and the state’s representative on Colorado River issues. Now, the states can turn their attention to a new long-term agreement for how to share the river’s water beyond 2026.

Persons: Lake Mead, Tommy Beaudreau, Camille Touton, Biden, JB Hamby, ” Hamby, Hamby, Tom Buschatzke, ”, __, Suman Naishadham, Ken Ritter Organizations: —, U.S . Department of, U.S . Bureau of Reclamation, Colorado River Board of California, Imperial Irrigation District, Arizona Department of Water Resources, Associated Press Locations: SACRAMENTO, Calif, Colorado, California , Arizona, Nevada, Lake Powell, Mexico, Arizona , California, California, Arizona, Santa Ana , California, Washington, Las Vegas

☆ This luxury tent camp has celestial credentials
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Marnie Hunter | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Now, for the first time, there’s lodging with official “dark sky” credentials. The two-person Stargazer tent features a window over the head of its king-size bed for optimal night-sky viewing. The glamping resort is located on a canyon rim plateau in southern Utah with sweeping views of the landscape. Travis BurkeSafari-inspired luxury canvas tents are available in a variety of configurations, including the two-person stargazer tent that has a viewing window positioned over the head of its king-size bed. Under Canvas Lake Powell – Grand Staircase rates this year range from $329 to $449 per night through the season’s end on October 30.

Persons: DarkSky, ” Ruskin Hartley, ” Ruskin, Travis Burke Organizations: CNN, DarkSky International, Sky, CNN Travel Locations: Utah, Arizona, Lake Powell

☆ Without climate change, these extreme weather events would not have happened
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Rachel Ramirez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

People often want to know if an extreme weather event happened because of climate change, said Friederike Otto, climate scientist and co-lead of the World Weather Attribution initiative. And, more often than not, they are finding the clear fingerprints of climate change on extreme weather events. “We’re always going to have extreme weather, but if we keep driving in this direction, we’re gonna have a lot of extreme weather,” said Ted Scambos, a glaciologist at the University of Colorado-Boulder. Alexander Nemenov/AFP/Getty ImagesSiberian heat wave, 2020In 2020, a prolonged, unprecedented heat wave seared one of the coldest places on Earth, triggering widespread wildfires. A study from the journal Nature Climate Change found the period from 2000 to 2021 was the driest the West has ever been in 1,200 years, noting human-caused climate change made the megadrought 72% worse.

Persons: Friederike Otto, Otto, We’re, we’re, ”, Ted Scambos, Alexander Nemenov, Andrew Ciavarella, Kathryn Elsesser, San Salvador de la, Aitor De Iturria, ” Otto, Mamunur Rahman Malik, “, Fadel Senna, Debarchan Chatterjee, Saeed Khan, koalas, David Paul Morris, Lake Powell, Hurricane Ian, Ricardo Arduengo, Ian, Lawrence, Abdul Majeed, António Guterres Organizations: CNN, University of Colorado -, Getty, UK’s Met, Oregon Convention, Northern, World Health Organization, South Asia, Bloomberg, Western, Stony Brook University, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory ., UN Locations: University of Colorado - Boulder, Siberia, AFP, Oregon, Portland, Pacific, . Oregon, Washington, Canada, British Columbia, Canadian, Lytton, San Salvador de, Cercs, Catalonia, Spain, North America, Europe, China, Dahably, Wajir County, Kenya, Africa, Horn of Africa, Somalia, Ethiopia, Masseoud, Morocco, Portugal, Algeria, Kolkata, India, South Asia, South, Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos, Bangladesh, Thailand, New South Wales, Australia, Oroville, Oroville , California, States, California, Lake Oroville, Lake Mead, Lake, Nevada, Arizona, Mexico, Hurricane, Matlacha , Florida, Caribbean, Florida, Swat, Bahrain, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, Sindh, Balochistan

☆ The Grand Canyon, a Cathedral to Time, Is Losing Its River
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Raymond Zhong | Elena Shao | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +19 min

And yet, the Grand Canyon remains yoked to the present in one key respect. The Colorado River, whose wild energy incised the canyon over millions of years, is in crisis. Down beneath the tourist lodges and shops selling keychains and incense, past windswept arroyos and brown valleys speckled with agave, juniper and sagebrush, the rocks of the Grand Canyon seem untethered from time. The Grand Canyon is a planetary spectacle like none other — one that also happens to host a river that 40 million people rely on for water and power. At Mile 0 of the Grand Canyon, the river is running at around 7,000 cubic feet per second, rising toward 9,000 — not the lowest flows on record, but far from the highest.

Persons: windswept, Davis, John Weisheit, ”, “, Mead Hoover, Powell, Daniel Ostrowski, Victor R, Baker, . Baker, Lake Powell, Dr, Ed Keable, wouldn’t, Jack Schmidt, Schmidt, ’, Alma Wilcox, “ There’s, we’ve, Nicholas Pinter Organizations: Rockies, York Times, University of California, Utah Glen, Lake, Mead, Recreation, Hualapai, CALIF, ARIZ . Utah Glen, Lake Mead, Area, Forest Utah, Engineers, University of Arizona, of Reclamation, National Park Service, Center, Colorado River Studies, Utah State University Locations: Colorado, The Colorado, North America, Utah, Powell, Lake Mead, Arizona, . UTAH COLO, N.M, ARIZ . Utah, Mead, NEV . UTAH COLO, Glen, ARIZ, Hopi, Nevada, Lake Powell, Arizona , California , Nevada, Mexico, Davis, Little Colorado, tamarisk, gesturing

☆ A Breakthrough Deal to Keep the Colorado River From Going Dry, for Now
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Christopher Flavelle | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

California, Arizona and Nevada get their shares of water from Lake Mead, which is formed by the Colorado River at the Hoover Dam and is controlled by the federal government. The Bureau of Reclamation, an agency within the Interior Department, determines how much water each of the three states receives. The other states that depend on the Colorado get water directly from the river and its tributaries. At that point, all seven states that rely on the river — which include Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming — could face a deeper reckoning, as its decline is likely to continue. The negotiations over the Colorado were spurred by a crisis: Last summer, the water levels in Lake Mead and Lake Powell, the two largest reservoirs along the river, fell enough that officials feared the hydroelectric turbines they powered might soon cease operating.

☆ Southwest states strike landmark deal with Biden to conserve Colorado River water
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-22 | by ( Emma Newburger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Under the agreement, California, Arizona and Nevada will voluntarily conserve 3 million acre-feet of water until 2026, amounting to about 13% of those states' total allocation from the river. The Colorado River supplies water to more than 40 million people and roughly 5.5 million acres of farmland in seven U.S. states. California has the largest allocation of Colorado River water, with roughly 4.4 million acre-feet each year, comprising about 29% of the total allocation. Arizona receives roughly 2.8 million acre-feet per year, or about 18% of total allocation. Nevada's allocation is approximately 300,000 acre-feet each year, representing around 2% of the total allocation.

☆ The world’s largest lakes are shrinking dramatically and scientists say they have figured out why
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Lake water levels fluctuate in response to natural climate variations in rain and snowfall, but they are increasingly affected by human actions. The Caspian Sea, between Asia and Europe – the world’s largest inland body of water – has long been declining due to climate change and water use. NASA NASA The Caspian Sea is rapidly shrinking due to climate change and human activity. NASAThe researchers used satellite measurements of nearly 2,000 of the world’s largest lakes and reservoirs, which together represent 95% of Earth’s total lake water storage. The report found losses in lake water storage everywhere, including in the humid tropics and the cold Arctic.

☆ Feds propose options for managing Colorado River water shortage: 'Failure is not an option'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Catherine Clifford | In Catclifford | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Photo taken on March 13, 2023 shows the Colorado River near Hoover Dam on the Arizona-Nevada border, the United States. The Biden administration on Tuesday released a document exploring potential solutions for managing the ongoing drought in the Colorado River Basin, which could be a step forward to imposing water delivery cuts from the Colorado River. "The Colorado River Basin provides water for more than 40 million Americans. The Colorado River has long been over-allocated, but climate change has worsened drought conditions in the region and reservoir levels have plummeted over the past couple decades. Responding to the drought will require compromise from all of the states that depend on the 1,450-mile-long Colorado River for water.

☆ Nevada approves $333 million natural gas plant as historic drought pressures state's power grid
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Emma Newburger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Looking east to the Tracy Power Plant, a natural gas and oil-fired power plant owned and operated by Sierra Pacific Power, located near Interstate 80 and the Truckee River between Reno and Fernley, Nevada. Nevada's largest electricity provider has been approved for a $333 million project to develop a natural gas plant north of Las Vegas, as extreme drought conditions put mounting pressure on the region's power grid. Natural gas presents its own challenges. The state has committed to a carbon-free power grid by 2050 and hasn't built a new natural gas plant in over a decade. More than two-thirds of Nevada's electricity is produced by natural gas-fired power plants, while renewables comprise most of the rest, according to the state's energy report.

☆ Wet winter eases California drought, giving way to spring flood risks
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Steve Gorman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"Climate change is driving both wet and dry extremes," NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad said in a statement. "We're not calling for catastrophic and major widespread flooding," said Ed Clark, director of NOAA's National Water Center. California's winter was marked by a punishing succession of so-called atmospheric river storms, the product of vast, dense airborne currents of water vapor funneled in from the tropical Pacific. The storms have unleashed widespread flooding, mudslides, power outages, fallen trees, surf damage, road wash-outs and evacuations since late December. "Winter precipitation, combined with recent storms, wiped out exceptional and extreme drought in California for the first time since 2020, and is expected to further improve drought conditions this spring," NOAA said.

☆ 6 western states agreed on a plan to make major cuts to water usage from the shrinking Colorado River, but California — the largest user of them all — wouldn't get on board
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The federal government has called on western states to come to agreement on water cuts. California couldn't come to an agreement with six other states on the Colorado River. The proposed cuts come as decades of drought have dwindled water supplies relied on by millions. Well, six of the seven states that are part of the Colorado River basin did come to an agreement, but California — the largest user of water from the river — wouldn't get on board. "The challenge is that we need to get back to balance in relation to water usage and what the system is producing," she said.

☆ U.S. states struggle to share dwindling waters of Colorado River
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/3] An aerial view of Lake Powell is seen, where water levels have declined dramatically as growing demand for water and climate change shrink the Colorado River in Page, Arizona, U.S., November 19, 2022. "Six of the seven basin states are playing catch-up to reduce water use from the Colorado River, which is absolutely critically needed after 20 years of drought and the impacts of climate change," Moran told Reuters. When the states struck their agreement 100 years ago, it envisaged the river could provide 20 million acre-feet of water a year. Although California was deluged for weeks from late in December by seven atmospheric rivers that dumped up to 30 inches (76 cm) of rain over some areas, little of that reached the Colorado River basin. A letter signed by the six states showed they all recognised the need for a change in operating procedures for the Colorado River and deliveries from it, she added.

☆ Colorado River deadline passes with no deal on voluntary water cuts
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Emma Newburger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The proposal, titled the "consensus-based modeling alternative," was jointly submitted by Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. The proposal notably excluded California, the largest user of the Colorado River, which supplies water to 40 million people. The Colorado River has long been over-allocated, but climate change has worsened drought conditions in the region and reservoir levels have plummeted over the past couple decades. As the western U.S. experiences its driest two decades in at least 1,200 years, water levels in the country's two largest reservoirs, Lake Mead and Lake Powell, have reached record lows. Sarah Porter, director of the Kyl Center for Water Policy at Arizona State University, said the states' proposal appeared to be a "very sincere commitment" to advance negotiations over water cuts and keep reservoirs from falling to dangerous levels.

☆ Why desalination won't save states dependent on Colorado River water
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Emma Newburger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

The Colorado River wraps around Horseshoe Bend in the in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in Page, Arizona. "Ocean water desalination has tremendous allure," said Robert Glennon, a professor emeritus of law and water policy scholar at the University of Arizona. Pipes containing drinking water are shown at the Poseidon Water desalination plant in Carlsbad, California, U.S., June 22, 2021. The cost of water is highSince desalination is a drought-resistant process, some have argued that states with such facilities could make themselves less dependent on water from the Colorado River. That's significantly more than the amount the San Diego County Water Authority pays for water sourced from the Colorado River and the Sacramento San Joaquin River Delta.

☆ U.S. warns western states it may impose Colorado River water cuts
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Daniel Trotta | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Oct 28 (Reuters) - The U.S. government warned on Friday that it may impose water supply cuts on California, Arizona and Nevada to protect the Colorado River and its two main reservoirs from overuse, drought and climate change. Besides protecting drinking water supplies, the proposed federal action might also preserve hydroelectric production at the country's two largest reservoirs. The bureau, part of the Department of Interior, had previously set a mid-August deadline for seven western states to negotiate their own reductions or possibly face mandatory cutbacks. The seven states operate under a 100-year-old compact distributing Colorado River water, but that agreement has come under increasing strain from the worst drought in 1,200 years, which has been exacerbated by climate change. A century ago, the compact assumed the river could provide 20 million acre-feet of water each year.

☆ America's 'Zoomtowns' are running out of water
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( Kelli María Korducki | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Remote workers aren't just driving up housing prices but also adding more of a burden to already water-strapped regions. Running out of waterAmerica's water crisis, which has been bubbling for years, has become dire. The lack of fresh snow means that less water makes its way into the river and its massive reservoirs — Lake Mead and Lake Powell — upon which the region depends for water. They found that statewide COVID-19 stay-at-home orders triggered "significant increases" in residential water consumption — a trend the researchers attributed, in large part, to remote workers. While population growth does increase water usage, it's (pardon the pun) a drop in the bucket of the bigger-picture crisis.

☆ California approves desalination plant as historic drought hits water supplies
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( Emma Newburger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Gavin Newsom (R) tastes wastewater that was treated at the Antioch Water Treatment Plant with Antioch Mayor Lamar Thorpe (L) on August 11, 2022 in Antioch, California. California regulators this week approved a $140 million desalination plant that could convert up to 5 million gallons of seawater each day into drinking water, as the state grapples with a persistent megadrought and plummeting water supplies. The plant could be functioning within the next five years and supply water for thousands of people in the South Coast Water District. The approval comes as record temperatures and drought conditions have forced states like California to address a future with dwindling water supplies. Water levels at the two largest reservoirs in the country, Lake Mead and Lake Powell, have hit their lowest levels ever recorded.

☆ Biden unveils plan to pay farmers and cities for Colorado River water cuts
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Emma Newburger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The program will focus on pushing for voluntary water cuts in the three lower Colorado River Basin states of Arizona, California and Nevada, the department said on Wednesday. The plan will pay applicants a set amount of money per acre-foot of water that they voluntarily don't draw from Lake Mead, the country's largest reservoir. Reservoirs in the Colorado River Basin have hit their lowest levels on record after 22 consecutive years of drought made worse by climate change. A one-year agreement will pay $330 per acre-foot, a two-year agreement will pay $365 per acre-foot and a three-year agreement will pay $400 per acre-foot. The federal government in August announced a second round of mandatory cuts for Arizona, Nevada and Mexico from the Colorado River, which supplies water and power for more than 40 million people across the West.

☆ Why California Insists on Wasting Its Scarce Water Supply
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-16 | by ( Edward Ring | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Review & Outlook: Despite regular power shortages in California, on Sept. 16, 2022, Governor Gavin Newsom signed 40 new climate bills to amp up California’s green-energy shock experiment. The impasse pits California against everyone else. If California’s political leaders had the political will, they could solve the problem for every member of the Colorado River Compact by developing infrastructure to use untapped sources of water. Unlike anywhere else in the American Southwest, California can rely on so-called atmospheric rivers that saturate the state with enough rain to supply the state’s farms and cities with adequate water. Californians can, and must, agree on new infrastructure solutions that will safely harvest more of this water for human consumption.

☆ A 29-year-old videographer gets paid to travel the world with the wealthy elite, documenting their wild adventures so they don't have to. Here's what it's like.
▼ + stars: | 2022-05-26 | by ( Mark Ellwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Ian Agrimis is the founder of photography and video company Capture Unlimited. He has to remain unnoticed and does activities like cliff jumping before clients do to get the shot. He was there for two years, he told Insider, before he and his entire team were laid off. He keeps a tight team on-site, he said, often pairing up with a photographer while he focuses on video. When someone does occasionally ask for a still or a shorter video, he added, it will only be posted on a private Instagram account.

☆ Atmospheric river of moisture will trigger storms and tornadoes this week
▼ + stars: | 2022-04-11 | by ( Jennifer Gray | Cnn Meteorologist | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

(CNN) You may have heard of atmospheric rivers impacting the West Coast. Apparently, atmospheric rivers also occur in the eastern US, unleashing a river of moisture like what we will see this week. The reason East Coast atmospheric rivers aren't talked about much isn't because they are rare. The West gets about half that number of atmospheric rivers each year, yet they account for double the annual rainfall percentage. It will combine with the available moisture provided by the atmospheric river we talked about and will result in the perfect setup for severe weather.

Search resuls for: "Lake Powell"

23 mentions found