Environment

About nine miles west of Conifer a new state park is opening May 18th.

If you're driving down the road someday and you come across a camper with a 50-foot periscope sticking up into the sky, you just might have crossed paths with Ira Leifer. His quirky vehicle is on a serious mission. It's sniffing the air for methane, a gas that contributes to global warming.

Leifer is an atmospheric scientist at the University of California, Santa Barbara. But you'll more often find him off campus, in a garage, next to a string of auto body shops near the airport.

The U.S. Forest Service announced May 6 contracts had been awarded for seven new next generation firefighting air tankers. Now there’s another hang-up.