Our Daily Planet: West Coast Snow and Australia Flooding

Each weekday morning, OurAmazingPlanet takes the pulse of the Earth, reporting on natural phenomena and exploration news from around the globe.

New York Forests: New York state bought 89,000 acres in the Adirondacks for $30 million, with plans to conserve the land.

Western Snow: On the heels of the East Coast's Christmas Blizzard, western residents got their own winter storm yesterday, with some areas getting 2 feet snow.

Gulf Coastline: Oil from the massive BP Deepwater Horizon disaster continues to mar 168 miles of Louisiana coastline.

Cleaner Rivers: Rivers in England and Wales are the cleanest they've been since the Industrial Revolution. Many species of wildlife are back in the waters in record numbers.

Australia Flooding: A flooded area in northwestern Australia bigger than the state of Texas has affected 200,000 people.

Previously on Our Daily Planet: Indiana Earthquake and Polar Bear Spy Cams

Reach OurAmazingPlanet staff writer Brett Israel at bisrael@techmedianetwork.com. Follow him on Twitter @btisrael.

Brett Israel was a staff writer for Live Science with a focus on environmental issues. He holds a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and molecular biology from The University of Georgia, a master’s degree in journalism from New York University, and has studied doctorate-level biochemistry at Emory University.