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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New Mexico lawmakers are set to pass what could be the country's most aggressive push for 100 percent clean energy. It's happening even as the state is in the middle of a record-setting oil boom.
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The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service keeps trying, and failing, to get grizzly bears taken off the endangered species list. Some worry that frustration over this could hurt efforts to protect the bears.
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Firefighters and forest managers are losing valuable time to prepare for the upcoming wildland fire season as the partial government shutdown continues.
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Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke ends his tenure having successfully pushed President Trump's agenda of "energy dominance," but leaving conservationists disappointed.
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The interior secretary is stepping down after a tumultuous two years, marked by mounting allegations of misconduct in office.
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The Interior Department is moving forward on revisions to Obama-era conservation plans for the greater sage grouse. The changes would ease restrictions on energy development.
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Tens of millions of U.S. homes are threatened by rising seas. Communities across the country are planning for that future, but there are challenges to even having the discussion.
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Last week in Thousand Oaks, a shooter opened fire at a bar killing 12 people before taking his own life. Just a day later, a massive fire forced thousands to evacuate their homes.
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The Trump administration issued a rule to attempt to restrict migrants' asylum rights. Also, the latest on the Thousand Oaks shooting and potential election recounts in Florida and Georgia.
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Among those who died in a mass shooting at a California bar Thursday was Sheriff's Sgt. Ron Helus. NPR's Nate Rott says Helus was among the first to run into the bar. His colleagues call him a hero.
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A gunman has killed at least 12 people, including a law enforcement officer, at a shooting in a southern California bar.
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Massive wildfires in Western states are rapidly depleting funds set aside to fight fires. At the same time, many experts argue our priorities are wrong — we should be spending more on prescribed burns, and less on fighting fires in unpopulated areas.