Magazine
How One Woman Took a Stand Against Tribal Disenrollment and Paid For It
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February 1, 2020

In this issue, we investigate how a Nooksack tribal leader in Washington took a stand against her tribe’s disenrollment efforts and became the target of a home invasion, cyber stalking and constant harassment. In Alaska, we look at a budget threat to ferries forming the marine highway system. We check out a University of California lawsuit against the federal government after the Trump administration shut down the DACA program. In Navajo Nation, we ask why LGBTQ+ people are barred from Diné ceremonies. In a photo essay, we bear witness to the funeral of a deported undocumented U.S. Army veteran whose body was returned to his family in New Mexico for burial. We also interview a wildlife biologist who changed careers to become an advocate for equity in the conservation movement.

Feature

One woman took a stand against tribal disenrollment and paid for it
One woman took a stand against tribal disenrollment and paid for it
How a burglary, social media and politics led to a Nooksack Tribal Councilwoman being bullied out of office.
Why the University of California is fighting for DACA
Why the University of California is fighting for DACA
From a campus legal clinic all the way to the Supreme Court, UC stands up for Dreamers.

Reportage

Alaska’s highway of ferries is under threat
Alaska’s highway of ferries is under threat
What is lost when the floating highway that connects the state’s coastal communities disappears?
BLM leaders commute between D.C. and new headquarters
BLM leaders commute between D.C. and new headquarters
The majority of employees are considering retiring or leaving the agency rather than relocate.

Editor's Note

Consider the contested West
Consider the contested West
The Western U.S. is complicated; more reason to try to understand its workings.

What Works

Can new bus lines chart a course to better travel options in the West?
Can new bus lines chart a course to better travel options in the West?
A European bus company is expanding options for regional travel. High-speed rail could be next.

Facts & Figures

Observe the BLM’s displacement
Observe the BLM’s displacement
Moving land-management HQ out of Washington illustrates the ‘deconstruction of the administrative state.’

Photo Essay

Only in death do some deported veterans return home
Only in death do some deported veterans return home
Military service comes with no guarantees of citizenship.

Essays

We went to jail for our great-granddaughters
We went to jail for our great-granddaughters
Protesting the Jordan Cove natural gas facility and its pipeline brings an environmental writer and a rancher together.

Conversation

Why a wildlife biologist became a social justice advocate
Why a wildlife biologist became a social justice advocate
Sergio Avila, known prominently for his jaguar research, shifted his focus to equity in the outdoors.

Perspective

Why are Diné LGBTQ+ and Two Spirit people being denied access to ceremony?
Why are Diné LGBTQ+ and Two Spirit people being denied access to ceremony?
We should not be discriminated against when our gender roles don’t match our sex.

Review

How Andy Warhol painted the West
How Andy Warhol painted the West
The artist challenged ideas of masculinity but fell short of addressing racism.
A particular kind of immigrant journey
A particular kind of immigrant journey
Tope Folarin’s coming-of-age story recounts the transformations of a Nigerian-American family in Utah.

Heard Around the West

Tumbleweed mayhem; maggot farmers; cowboy shrimp
Tumbleweed mayhem; maggot farmers; cowboy shrimp
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.

Dear Friends

Who has access to the West?
Who has access to the West?
… and how does it change our views of this place?
 Plans for HCN’s 50th anniversary bash come together
Plans for HCN’s 50th anniversary bash come together
From puppies to party planning to new fellowships, we remain busy.

Letters

West Obsessed

Skiing and snowmobiling are as natural as the weather
Skiing and snowmobiling are as natural as the weather
With human impacts felt everywhere, we need a new environmental ethic.
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