Nathan Rott Nathan Rott is a correspondent on NPR's National Desk, where he focuses on environment issues and the American West.
Nathan Rott at NPR headquarters in Washington, D.C., September 27, 2018. (photo by Allison Shelley)
Stories By

Nathan Rott

Allison Shelley/NPR
Nathan Rott at NPR headquarters in Washington, D.C., September 27, 2018. (photo by Allison Shelley)
Allison Shelley/NPR

Nathan Rott

Correspondent, National Desk

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.

Story Archive

Saturday

Environmental activists rally in front of the U.S. Supreme Court in 2022 after it ruled against the Obama administration's plan to cut climate-warming emissions at the nation's power plants. The Supreme Court has since further limited the power of federal agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency. Drew Angerer/Getty Images hide caption

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Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Tuesday

Why judicial appointments by the next president are important to climate change law

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Friday

What the end of Chevron doctrine could mean for the fight against climate change

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Monday

The illegal wildlife trade is estimated to be a multi-billion dollar enterprise. Live animals that are caught, like this box turtle, need immediate and long-term care at facilities like The Turtle Conservancy. Ryan Kellman/NPR hide caption

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Ryan Kellman/NPR

Saturday

FWS Inspector Mac Elliot looks over a legal shipment while Braxton, a dog trained to smell heavily trafficked wildlife like reptiles and animal parts like ivory, enthusiastically does his job. Wildlife trafficking is one of the largest and most profitable crime sectors in the world. Estimates of its value range from $7-23 billion annually. Ryan Kellman/NPR hide caption

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Ryan Kellman/NPR

Friday

me fix animals

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Monday

A new version of the popular board game Catan, which hits shelves this summer, introduces energy production and pollution into the gameplay. Catan GmbH hide caption

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Catan GmbH

Monday

A new version of the popular board game Catan, which hits shelves this summer, introduces energy production and pollution into the gameplay. Catan GmbH hide caption

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Catan GmbH

How do you build without over polluting? That's the challenge of new Catan board game

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Tuesday

Climate change in Catan? New board game version forces players to consider pollution

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Thursday

The country's two biggest reservoirs are on the Colorado River. Water levels at Lake Powell have dropped steeply during the two-decade megadrought. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images hide caption

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Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Friday

A post-reproductive toothed whale mother and her son. David Ellifrit/Center for Whale Research hide caption

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David Ellifrit/Center for Whale Research

Friday

For lease sign in Los Angeles. PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images

Monday

Julius Csotonyi

Friday

Jason Edwards/Getty Images

Monday

Ninety-seven percent of migratory fish species are facing extinction. Whale sharks, the world's largest living fish, are among the endangered. Ullstein Bild/Ullstein Bild hide caption

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Ullstein Bild/Ullstein Bild

Tuesday

An atmospheric river has been pounding California. When will the rain end?

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Monday

A powerful storm has several California communities on alert

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Sunday

Wednesday

Olha Bilianska's husband was mobilized two years ago. Even after being injured, he is being redeployed. "Some people still believe that this war won't get them," Bilianska says. "It will get them. This war is cruel." Claire Harbage/NPR hide caption

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Claire Harbage/NPR

Friday

Hotter than normal temperatures are exacerbating the megadrought that's depleted Western water reserves, like Elephant Butte Reservoir in southern New Mexico, new research finds. Mario Tama/Getty Images hide caption

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Mario Tama/Getty Images

Saturday

Sushi rolls with cream cheese, a popular ingredient in Ukrainian sushi, are served at Island Sushi in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine. Claire Harbage/NPR hide caption

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Claire Harbage/NPR

Thursday

Wednesday

Utility workers north of Lyman, Ukraine, work on restringing electrical poles in an effort to brace the country's energy system against another winter of expected Russian attacks. Claire Harbage/NPR hide caption

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Claire Harbage/NPR

Ukraine is trying to keep its lights on this winter. Russia aims to turn them off

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