Nathan Rott
Nathan Rott is a correspondent on NPR's National Desk, where he focuses on environment issues and the American West.
Based at NPR West in Culver City, California, Rott spends a lot of his time on the road, covering everything from breaking news stories like California's wildfires to in-depth issues like the management of endangered species and many points between.
Rott owes his start at NPR to two extraordinary young men he never met. As the first recipient of the Stone and Holt Weeks Fellowship in 2010, he aims to honor the memory of the two brothers by carrying on their legacy of making the world a better place.
A graduate of the University of Montana, Rott prefers to be outside at just about every hour of the day. Prior to working at NPR, he worked a variety of jobs including wildland firefighting, commercial fishing, children's theater teaching, and professional snow-shoveling for the United States Antarctic Program. Odds are, he's shoveled more snow than you.
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A new study finds that about half of the physical variation seen in modern dogs existed during the Stone Age. -
Scientists have long known that plastic waste is bad for marine animals. A new study quantifies how little ingested plastic it takes to be a lethal dose. -
California wildlife officials have been working to mitigate the impact of the state's rebounding wolf population on its ranchers. The Northern California wolves that were euthanized had become dependent on cattle for food.
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Scientists are researching ways to genetically modify plants and animals to be more resistant to threats like climate change. The IUCN is voting on whether those species should be allowed in nature. -
The Trump administration argues that rescinding the 2001 Roadless Rule will help wildland firefighters. Fire researchers warn that more roads could exacerbate the problem. -
People were forced to leave their pets behind during Hurricane Katrina, creating an unprecedented animal welfare crisis that has shaped the country's disaster response ever since. -
One of the goals of controversial wolf hunts in the Western U.S. is to help reduce the burden on ranchers, who lose livestock to wolves every year. A new study finds that those hunts have had a measurable, but small effect on livestock depredations. -
Researchers say recently discovered teeth come from a previously undiscovered species of Australopithecus, adding to our understanding of human evolution.
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At work every day, Agnes Boisvert attends to ICU patients "gasping for air" and dying from COVID-19. But communicating that harsh reality to her skeptical community has been a challenge.
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Deb Haaland would be the first Native American Cabinet secretary. She opposed many Trump environmental rollbacks and considers climate change "the challenge of our lifetime."
