Mapping the state of the rails across the region.
Economy
Posted inArticles
The Iditarod changes alongside Alaska’s climate
Mushers and sled dogs adapt to warmer temperatures and worse trail conditions at the world-famous race.
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Displaced by the climate crisis
Jake Bittle’s new book foregrounds the experience of those already affected by a worsening climate.
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The Salinas River and the foretold flood
Agriculture beat the river into submission. It’s back.
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Why Western wildfires are becoming more destructive
Over the past decade, they’ve destroyed 246% more homes and buildings.
Posted inFebruary 1, 2023: The Reveal
Can capitalism be overcome?
A history of environmental exploitation fails to imagine an alternative.
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Could Alaska help lessen international dependence on Russian oil?
A proposed LNG project spanning the state would export natural gas, but could harm land, wildlife & subsistence harvests.
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Should we worry about 8 billion people?
Breaking down population’s role in the environmental impact equation.
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Is carbon capture the solution for jobs and climate action in fossil fuel country?
A project in Wyoming’s coal region brings the new technology, but critics say it carries unacceptable risks.
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Bighorn-lovers butt heads with Vail Resorts’ affordable housing
The ski industry giant wants to build workforce housing in wild sheep habitat.
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When a full-time job isn’t enough
Workers in Phoenix experience higher rates of inflation than the rest of the country. Healthcare workers, in particular, are experiencing the pinch.
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The West’s hottest county is also its most Latino
Some places in Imperial County, California, experienced 117 days above 100 degrees this year.
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When a housing crisis meets a megaflood
June’s massive Yellowstone-area floods illuminated and worsened housing inequities across southwestern Montana.
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Local priorities and USDA funding strategies meet up in Southeast Alaska
The Southeast Alaska Sustainability Strategy shifts how the federal government finances the region’s rural development projects.
Posted inSeptember 1, 2022: Going Under
Can ravaged economies be healed with a restoration industry?
Cleaning up the West could be as lucrative as wrecking it.
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What’s it like to live in a tourist town with no tourists?
After the floods, Yellowstone gateway communities are grappling with what comes next.
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The rise of the restoration economy
Filling the economic void left by the extraction economy by healing the land.
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Washington’s largest homeless encampment faces an uncertain future
With the state planning to spend $24 million on relocation, residents of Camp Hope aspire to self determination and continued community.
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The San Juan Basin’s fossil fuel transition slowed by economic and cultural bonds
The region’s history with prosperity in the oil and gas industry looms over conversations about how to diversify its economy.
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How growing Western rec towns might hold onto their futures
Researchers look to give small tourism communities the tools for a GNARly approach.