KNAU update for May 10 — Northern Arizona Fire Managers Cautiously Optimistic Following Wet Winter

At the confluence where the San Miguel the Dolores rivers, beams and hoists zipper a section of streaked, vertical sandstone cliff on river right. They’re what remain of an open water chute, or “hanging flume.” Learn more at KNAU.org.

This time last year, officials across the state were on high alert for fire danger following one of the driest winters on record in the Southwest. Now, fire managers in northern Arizona are cautiously optimistic after months of precipitation and a healthy high-elevation snowpack. Learn more at KNAU.org.

Low, steady releases of water from Glen Canyon Dam are taking place this spring and summer as an experiment to increase aquatic insects on the Colorado River. Learn more at KNAU.org.

In his latest Canyon Commentary, Scott shares the wild tale of a search for Aztec gold along the Arizona Strip in the 1920’s. It was such a frezy, the entire town of Kanab, Utah shut down for two years during the quest to find Montezuma’s treasure. Learn more at KNAU.org.

Scientists have identified an early cousin of the Tyrannosaurus Rex, a pipsqueak that only reached the 3-foot height of a toddler. The new dinosaur, found in New Mexico, is called Suskityrannus hazelae (SUE-ski-tie-ran-us HAY-zel-a), a name that uses a Native American word for coyote. Learn more at KNAU.org.