
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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Monarch butterfly populations have plummeted due to habitat loss, pesticide use and climate change. In early December, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is going to decide whether the monarch should be listed under the Endangered Species Act. If that comes to pass, the migratory butterfly would be one of the most widespread species to receive this listing. Want to hear more on the animals that surround us? Email us your ideas to shortwave@npr.org — we'd love to hear from you!Listen to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at plus.npr.org/shortwave.
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The monarch butterfly is widely recognized and widely dispersed across North America and it's in trouble. Federal officials decide soon whether it gets protection under the Endangered Species Act.
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On a rare undeveloped point of the California coast, scientists are trying to repopulate shorelines with an endangered marine snail. This type of experimental conservation is becoming more necessary.
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A recent biodiversity meeting acknowledged the serious problem of deforestation while a new report on global environmental threats to trees offered a startling estimate.
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NOTE: This episode contains multiple high-pitched noises (human and other animals) that some listeners might find startling or distressing. In this episode, host Regina G. Barber and NPR correspondent Nate Rott dive into the science behind the sound of fear. Along the way, they find out what marmot shrieks, baby cries and horror movie soundtracks have in common — and what all of this tells us about ourselves. If you like this episode, check out our episode on fear and horror movies. Curious about other science powering the human experience? Email us at shortwave@npr.org and we might cover your topic on a future episode!
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The United Nations effort to achieve "harmony" with the natural world kicks off in Colombia this week. Recent reports show there's a lot of work to do to achieve that goal.
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Crews in western North Carolina are using helicopters and ATVs to get food to people who were cut off by flooding caused by the remnants of Hurricane Helene.
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The small western North Carolina towns of Marshall and Hot Springs were wrecked by historic floods caused by Tropical Storm Helene's rainfall. Days later, residents are just starting the cleanup.
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A 'golden age' of rat research may be here. What the often unwanted companions can teach us about usRat and human lives have long intersected, but there's relatively little research about them. Thanks to advances in genomics and paleoarcheology, a lot more study may be on the horizon.
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Where there are humans, there are rats. But new research says we still have a lot to learn about our furry, often reviled, companions.