Global Warming
The Perfect Firestorm
Years of fire suppression and today’s warmer, drier climate have spawned a new breed of furiously intense wildfires that can be nearly impossible to put out. Is there any way to control these megafires?
By Daniel Glick/Photography by Larry Schwarm
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Birds
High Hopes
A couple of bird-loving Texans have dotted their property, and their part of the state, with nesting and roosting towers for chimney swifts. Now people across the country are following their lead, turning to towers to protect this species in dire need of our help.
By Frank Graham Jr./Photography by Chris Buck
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Green Travel
Paradise Found
Not so long ago Cambodia, in the hands of the brutal Khmer Rouge, was among the last places on earth anyone would visit. Today the killing fields are no more, and travelers are returning to marvel at the country’s archaeological treasures, natural beauty, and astonishing birdlife.
By Christopher R. Cox/Photography by Martin Westlake
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Editor’s Note
By David Seideman

Audubon in Action
David Yarnold on state efforts to gut environmental regulations and protections. Plus: Audubon chapters rally in support of clean air, clean water, and habitat; apps to help with those on-the-go bird IDs; more.
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Letters
From our readers.

Field Notes
Japan’s disaster: a death knell for nuclear power?; Q&A with Interior Secretary Ken Salazar; a tree grows in Afghanistan; where did your taco come from?; more.

Incite
Tarred and Feathered
A proposed 1,661-mile oil pipeline threatens fragile wildlife habitat and the world’s largest aquifer.
By Ted Williams

Viewpoint
Monster Trucks
As mammoth vehicles, bound for northern Alberta’s tar sands, invade the Rocky Mountain front, Montanans rally to jam the traffic.
By Rick Bass

Earth Almanac
One seriously crabby crab; a bird that’s into role reversal; summer’s laid-back insects; an outcast to admire; sheep in frog’s clothing; and edible lead.
By Ted Williams
 
Reviews
As the World Turns
A new book explores a provocative question: Are humans relentlessly plotting their own extinction?
By Mark Engler

One Picture
Shape-shifting fish in Hawaii offer a compelling lesson: There’s safety, and beauty, in unity.
Image by Wayne Levin/Text by Julie Leibach
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On the cover: Fire, by Larry Schwarm.
 
Banner images: Fire, by Larry Schwarm; Paul and Georgean Kyle, by Chris Buck; Tonle Sap in Cambodia, by Martin Westlake; lady crab, by Richard A. King.