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Thirty artists release songs with nature sounds to generate royalties for nature conservation in second annual United Nations Earth Day mixtape.

(Image credit: Poyenchen, Andrew Quinn)

Welcome!! This is the first episode of Nature Quest, a monthly Short Wave segment that answers listener questions about your local environment. This month, we hear from a listener in California who's concerned that the flowers in his neighborhood are blooming way, way earlier. Is that normal? And is climate change the culprit? Short Wavers Emily Kwong and Hannah Chinn investigate.

Got a question about changes in your local environment? Send a voice memo to shortwave@npr.org with your name, where you live and your question. We might make it into our next Nature Quest episode!

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.

(Image credit: Beata Whitehead)

At a time when communities feel fractured, here's a look at online communities taking a pragmatic approach to changing the world for the better.

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The Trump administration is reinterpreting a key word in the Endangered Species Act that could have big consequences for the habitats of species at risk.

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After being hunted to near extinction, wolves have made a population comeback in recent decades with the help of conservation efforts. Now, the country with the most wolves in Europe is Italy. Our correspondent in Rome set's out for the Italian forest with an organization that takes small groups to try to see wolves in the wild.

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Following a lithium-ion battery fire at the Moss Landing plant in Monterey County in California, communities nationwide are expressing concerns about hosting similar plants.

The president signed four executive orders to reverse the trend away from coal-fired electricity in the U.S., but there's little economic incentive for utilities to bring it back when natural gas is so much cheaper.

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Four new executive orders aimed at reviving coal mines include plans to keep coal fired power plants open even if companies operating them want to close.

Prosecutors say the operation was aimed at gathering information to foil lawsuits against the fossil fuel industry over damage communities have faced from climate change.

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Plants are blooming right now – and so are people's allergies. And if it feels like those pesky symptoms are getting worse ... you're probably right. Wednesday, a review published in the journal The Laryngoscope looked at the link between climate change and increasing rates of allergic rhinitis, or hay fever. So today, we turn back to a classic Short Wave episode from Brit Hanson and Maddie Sofia, who spoke to allergy expert Dr. Juanita Mora about some quick tips for managing seasonal allergies.

Want more of the science behind your health questions? Send us an email at shortwave@npr.org.

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.

(Image credit: Roy Morsch)

Riverbank stabilization, lead and asbestos contamination are just some of the projects tribes planned to address before the Trump administration froze funds.

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For five years, the Coral City Camera has given viewers a live look at aquatic reef life near Miami. It's documented the declining conditions and shown a surprising vitality among some coral species.

Changes in ecosystems mean bad news for lake whitefish and those who love it. The species' population is rapidly declining in some areas of the Great Lakes.

The agency forecasts weather, manages fisheries, and researches the world's oceans, atmosphere, and climate. The proposed budget cuts would slash the climate work entirely.

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Salmon exposed to anxiety medication in the wild behaved more boldly, according to new research in Science.

Mount Spurr, which scientists say is likely to erupt in the coming weeks or months, is about 80 miles west of Anchorage. But ash clouds could reach the state's biggest city.

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Here's what a few plant and gardening experts say it takes to save a dying plant.

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Each year, the United States has about 1,200 tornadoes. Many of them happen in tornado alley, a very broad swath of the U.S. that shifts seasonally. This area gets at least ten times more tornadoes than the rest of the world. Science writer Sushmita Pathak says that huge difference can be chalked up to one word: geography. But there's a slice of South America with similar geographical features that gets comparatively fewer tornadoes, so what gives? Sushmita wades into the research weeds with guest host Berly McCoy, one of Short Wave's producers.

Read Sushmita's full article on tornadoes that she wrote for the publication Eos.

Have other science weather stories you think we should cover on the show? Let us know by emailing shortwave@npr.org!

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.

(Image credit: Connect Images/Jason Persoff Stormdoctor)

Leaders from rural communities in eight states travelled to Washington, D.C., last week to urge lawmakers to preserve federal funding that's threatened by the Trump administration.

(Image credit: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

You don't need to visit Japan or Washington, D.C. to see cherry blossom trees. Here are three places around the U.S. where you can see the blooms — weather permitting.