An investigative report in articles, slideshows, video and interactive graphics that focuses on a little-known U.S. Department of Agriculture agency whose strategy for controlling animals deemed of risk to agriculture and the public has killed millions of predators and other species across the West, often in ways that are inhumane, excessive and at odds with science.

• Read the report inThe Sacramento Bee
• Announcement: Sacramento Bee Wins 2013 Knight-Risser Prize
• Symposium: Deadly Measures: Uncovering a Little-Known Agency's Toll

Special Recognition
“Clean Water: The Next Act”
Robert McClure and Jason Alcorn of InvestigateWest and the staff of EarthFix: Ashley Ahearn, Katie Campbell, Courtney Flatt, Aaron Kunz, Cassandra Profita, Bonnie Stewart, Amelia Templeton, David Steves, and Toni Tabora-Robert

The judges noted its comprehensiveness and innovative uses of text, video and audio to give people wide access to information about the state of U.S. rivers, lakes, and bays since passage of the federal Clean Water Act 40 years ago. In the Northwest and nationwide, the stories show, most water bodies still don’t qualify as clean and new threats are outpacing the act’s enforcers.