In California, archaeologists unearthed Indigenous burials 11 years ago, but the remains have yet to be repatriated.
Tay Wiles
Posted inJuly 21, 2019: A Radical Return
Staffers allege misconduct at BLM’s busiest oil and gas office
Complaints to Interior’s Office of Inspector General reveal concerns that the Carlsbad Field Office broke laws to favor industry.
Posted inJune 10, 2019: 'None of this happened the way you think it did'
The hidden consequences of New Mexico’s latest oil boom
Carlsbad residents are experiencing health impacts, but the science behind their woes lags behind the pace of drilling.
Posted inMay 27, 2019: Public Pushback
Fire-starting ranchers get a new blessing from BLM
The agency hopes the Hammonds’ cows will reduce fire risk in eastern Oregon.
Posted inMay 27, 2019: Public Pushback
Militias, MAGA activists and one border town’s complicated resistance
How Arivaca, Arizona, became a magnet for anti-immigrant activists – and what locals did next.
Posted inArticles
Anti-public lands and anti-Native groups converge in Montana
At a property rights conference, prominent critics of tribal sovereignty and federal land management found common ground.
Posted inNovember 26, 2018: Follow the fish
The country’s busiest oil and gas office has a plan for more drilling
Southern New Mexico offers a testing ground for Trump’s vision for energy dominance.
Posted inOctober 15, 2018: Nature Retreat
Conspiracy theories inspire vigilante justice in Tucson
How one man’s imagined discovery of a sex-trafficking camp in the Sonoran Desert gained life online — and in the real world.
Posted inArticles
Rapid evolution saved the starfish
West Coast ochre stars make a remarkable reversal after a mass mortality event.
Posted inJuly 23, 2018: Pay for Prey
After Malheur, side effects of the Bundys’ extremism linger
But in Harney County, Oregon, collaboration around public lands grows.
Posted inJune 11, 2018: Reclaiming the Klamath
Interior revives the push for a higher Shasta Dam
But the state of California and Winnemem Wintu Tribe oppose the project.
Posted inArticles
Oil- and gas-rich counties ask for more federal revenue
A new bill would return money earmarked for Western water projects to mineral-producing counties.
Posted inApril 30, 2018: Celebrity Scofflaw
How the feds helped make Cliven Bundy a celebrity
The creation of an anti-public-lands hero.
Posted inMay 28, 2018: The River of Lost Souls
At a range rights gathering, the press was in the crosshairs
In the era of social media, far-right activists aim to subvert mainstream journalists.
Posted inArticles
Acquitted, convicted, fined or free: after the Oregon standoff
Two years after the armed takeover of a wildlife refuge, consequences vary widely.
Posted inArticles
Coastal cities battle industry over climate change
Fossil fuel companies face mounting lawsuits for their contributions to the looming climate catastrophe.
Posted inArticles
In Congress, both parties agree on one public lands bill
A bill allowing public land sales for conservation inches towards passage.
Posted inArticles
BLM speeds ahead on Grand Staircase-Escalante plans
The agency won’t wait for the courts to rule on monument boundaries to start planning.
Posted inMarch 5, 2018: Drilling Chaco
The Air Force wants to expand into Nevada’s wild desert
A 300,000-acre base expansion would push into intact bighorn sheep habitat.
Posted inArticles
Monument reductions threaten future dinosaur discoveries
Digs are imperiled by Trump’s move to slash protections for public land.