Drought, heat and thunderstorms have started fires across the state.
Alaska
Posted inArticles
Alaska land sale kicks off the state’s ambitious new agricultural project
The Nenana Totchaket Agricultural Project aims to fight food insecurity in the state but could interfere with local trappers’ ability to gather food.
Posted inJune 1, 2022: A Legacy of Weapons and War
How cooking, eating and harvesting beach greens ties a family together
An Inupiaq writer remembers her family roots through a favorite dish.
Posted inArticles
See the Western conservation projects getting Infrastructure Act money this year
Approximately $68 million will be delivered to more than 100 projects across the country — many of which are based in the West.
Posted inMay 1, 2022: New Ways of Seeing the West
How place names impact the way we see landscape
Western landscapes and their names are stratified with personal memories, ancestral teachings, mythic events and colonial disturbances.
Posted inArticles
How the economy of Indian Country impacts local communities
A ‘stealth’ economy for tribes often hides billions of dollars in jobs, growth and revenue.
Posted inApril 1, 2022: The Archives Issue
How the Earth stores records of the past
When human data doesn’t go back far enough, researchers turn to natural archives.
Posted inArticles
Whales and fishers compete for what’s on the line
Whales are eating catches right off the hook instead of foraging naturally, and some fishing crews react violently.
Posted inArticles
The far-reaching consequences of woodsmoke pollution
Wood burning stoves raise public health and environmental justice concerns.
Posted inMarch 1, 2022: The Cloning Conundrum
A new tundra, engineered by beavers
Once nonexistent in northwest Alaska, beavers are both benefiting from and changing a warming tundra.
Posted inArticles
Conservation groups should be able to lease land to protect it
‘Use it or lose it’ rules can bias public-land management in favor of extraction.
Posted inFebruary 1, 2022: Essential
Rekindling connections in the small flame of a qulliq
An Inupiaq writer welcomes the nourishing glow of a seal oil lamp into her home.
Posted inArticles
Biden’s ‘herky-jerky’ first year on Western issues
The new president sacrificed bold executive action to try to win over Congress.
Posted inJanuary 1, 2022: Water Rights and Responsibilities
Bye Ye; Denali Uber; Heard transition
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
Posted inArticles
Where are Alaska’s snowy owls?
The birds serve as an alarm bell for the repercussions of environmental change.
Posted inDecember 1, 2021: Visions of Wildness
An owl army, a tire-less elk and a minor coup attempt
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
Posted inArticles
Books on the West we think you might like
Some brand new, some from the shelves, some for the kids and some for you.
Posted inArticles
What’s going on with the Tongass?
Newly reinstated protections continue decades of conflict over a 17 million-acre national forest in Alaska.
Posted inNovember 1, 2021: The Radioactive Waste Next Door
Alaska Native villages band together to keep the Yukon River’s wild salmon afloat
‘As a unified voice, we are unstoppable — and we can manage the river better.’