Urban Rural Interface

05/28/2026

Retiring in California on a tight budget sounds impossible until you see the overlooked cities where lower housing costs make fixed income living realistic.

05/08/2026

04/28/2026

This report offers strategies that small towns and cities can use to revitalize their economies and their neighborhoods.

04/14/2026

Beautiful Northern California!

04/07/2026

Meaning → Rural Life, in the context of sustainability, signifies a way of living deeply connected to the natural environment, characterized by agricultural practices, close-knit communities, and a reliance on local resources. It represents a lifestyle that, when managed sustainably, can promote b...

01/19/2026

01/19/2026

Winter can be a spectacular time for wildlife viewing, as many species migrate to lower elevations to survive the harsh conditions. While it can be a once in a lifetime experience to see an animal from the roadway, we want your experience to be a safe one.

Grand Teton wants to remind you how to safely view wildlife from roadsides:

🥶 All tires must be out of the lane of travel—if there isn’t a shoulder, you probably shouldn’t stop! Shoulders are narrower in the wintertime due to snow, so turnouts offer a great opportunity for parking safely.

☃️ Remember that with snow, snowplows come too! If there’s fresh snow, keep yourself and our snowplow drivers safe by not stopping in or on the side of the roadway.

❄️ Do not stop in the roadway—with icy conditions or low visibility during and after storms, vehicles can’t always see you or stop in time to avoid you, or your vehicle.

🌨️ Oftentimes, roadway markings are not visible when the roads are covered in snow. Many drivers use more of the roadway than they should, putting you at risk if you are parked or observing near the roadway.

🦬 Winter weather and wildlife can be dangerous on their own. As a reminder, always stay at least 25 yards away from moose, elk, bison and other animals and stay at least 100 yards away from wolves and bears. 🐻

01/19/2026

Surprising. I’m thinking it is https://schaeffer.usc.edu/research/rural-americans-dont-live-as-long-as-those-in-cities/ influenced more by the economic considerations in many areas. Certainly those rural areas that have higher employment opportunities and higher educated individuals have greater opportunities for self care.

Rural Americans—particularly men—are expected to live significantly shorter, less healthy lives than their urban counterparts. “Diseases of despair” are fueling this widening gap. - February 11, 2025

01/12/2026

If you live in the country, here’s some great ideas from a friend:

Conservation does not have to be an interruptive, all-encompassing task and it doesn't have to involve a large organization. It can take place right where you are. Here are just a few ideas:

- Build a barn owl or American Kestrel nest box in the backyard

-Resolve to use snap traps instead of rodent poisons, which work their way up the food chain, killing birds of prey, fox, bobcats, even dogs safely contained in our backyards!

- Switch to more natural lawn and garden fertilizers and treatments to help our oceans and waterways and include companion plantings, xeriscaping, and natural pest deterrents

- Turn a corner of a yard or workplace into natural habitat with native plants to attract pollinators, encourage nesting songbirds, and engage other wildlife

- Plant a vegetable garden or plot and a fruit tree or two in your yard or balcony. Here is a USDA map for plant hardiness to find out what you can grow in your area. Check out these tips for selecting and growing trees

- Compost your kitchen and garden waste

- Keep your cat inside to prevent the killing of native birds and reptiles

- Say no to drinking straws, which find their way into our oceans

- Just say no to single use wherever possible – make your own soda water and sodas, buy a juicer, carry tote bags and water bottles: rethink your trash bin

- Avoid products with microplastics. Eight trillion microplastics fill our oceans every day. Avoid products that include Polyethylene and Polypropylene

- Think lead free…bullets that is. Lead bullets cause catastrophic damage to condors, eagles, and many other wildlife species when scavenging or consuming prey with lead shot in it. Try steel or copper instead.

- Join a wildlife organization and learn about all of the wonderful research that goes on around the world

- Go on an ecotour

- Mind your meals. Are your foods sustainably grown? Time to get curious about the ocean’s stock of salmon and other fish, farmed shrimp (there’s an app for that!), and how other foods are grown and raised.

- Get outside and enjoy the sights, sounds, and smells of nature.

- Share your passion for nature with others. Talk about what you love and share your pictures!

01/10/2026