Wary of local authorities, a community forms an ad-hoc firefighting force to defend its property.
Agriculture
California Farmworkers Union fights to vote by mail in union elections
For a largely unorganized sector, expanded voting access would be a huge win.
A California county spars over water, marijuana law and race
Tasked to map an enigmatic aquifer for future water management, scientists confront political and scientific uncertainty.
Wild rice sues to stop oil pipeline
The White Earth Band of Ojibwe exercised the Rights of Manoomin in a legal effort to halt the Line 3 pipeline.
11 stats on Washington’s problematic so-called ‘murder hornets’
A nest found last week was home to approximately 1,500 hornets.
Anxiety and hope in wildfire-prone Oregon
How might we live in the reality of our climate?
Klamath River issues explained
Confused about what’s happening on the Klamath? Dams, salmon, irrigation and more.
Uncurbed climate change and extreme heat will extract a toll on outdoor labor
A new report forecasts the loss in workdays and wages if greenhouse gas emissions aren’t reined in.
The effort to save Upper Klamath Lake’s endangered fish before they disappear
Another dry year pushes tribal nations, federal agencies and irrigators to find long-lasting solutions.
Colorado River water shortages highlight the urgency of reducing water waste
Conservation, water reuse and better irrigation technology all make more sense than proposed water pipelines.
Will Klamath salmon outlast the dam removal process?
Their future comes down to a race between paperwork and a fish disease.
For dairy cows, where there’s smoke, there’s less milk
Scientists in Idaho are finding that wildfire smoke dampens milk production and coincides with increased risk of disease and even death in dairy cows.
A mega-dairy is transforming Arizona’s aquifer and farming lifestyles
Minnesota’s Riverview Dairy has deep pockets and long straws.
Expletive hot; lemur spotting; teacher cams
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
Reviving traditional Apsáalooke water sources
Tribal scientists and community members are testing wells, solving plumbing problems and delivering clean water to their neighbors.
How yellowcake shaped the West
The ghosts of the uranium boom continue to haunt the land, water and people.
Living Water: Three generations of Apsáalooke revive a river
On the Crow Nation, scientists, students and community members come together to study and protect the Little Bighorn River.
The orchardist rescuing fruit trees in New Mexico
Once-diverse apple varieties are declining. Gordon Tooley wants to save them before they are gone.
The once-perennial Gila River ebbs to an uncertain future
‘We are in uncharted territory.’
Will history repeat in a dry Klamath Basin this summer?
This year’s drought is worse than in 2001, when political and environmental tensions exploded into the national spotlight.
