Black Americans aren’t defined by poor schools, menial jobs, high crime and incarceration. They endure them.
Growth & Sustainability
Posted inMay 28, 2018: The River of Lost Souls
The dark secrets of the Animas River
A 2015 spill that turned the waterway orange is a reminder of mining’s disastrous legacy.
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
Rent hikes, homelessness and hunger in a small Western city
A writer in Ashland, Oregon, sees the problems that follow an influx of wealth.
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 inArticles
Conservation takes a hit in early version of farm bill
The bill that shapes the U.S. ag economy provides big money for land protections.
Posted inMay 28, 2018: The River of Lost Souls
Why Compton said no to legal marijuana sales
The California city tries to move on from a painful history scarred by illegal drugs.
Posted inArticles
Did Fort Collins grow too big too fast?
The Colorado city’s unwieldy expansion offers a cautionary tale for similar Western locales.
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
Land trusts move from the country to the city
To battle inequality and sprawl, conservation groups are looking beyond rural areas.
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
As Alaska’s waters warm, squid move Northward
Opalescents are showing up in waters previously considered too cold for them.
Posted inArticles
A way out of Bozeman’s shadow
Belgrade, Montana, is growing just enough to assert an identity separate of its adjacent city.
Posted inMarch 19, 2018: Desert, Divided
‘Zombie trailers’ stalk a budding tourist town
A uranium town gone bust wants to rebuild, but derelict properties stand in its way.
Posted inMarch 19, 2018: Desert, Divided
A corporate takeover of legal weed looms in California
Thousands of small-scale marijuana growers could be replaced by Big Ag.
Posted inArticles
West Obsessed: An Indigenous family’s struggle for housing
Writer Julian Brave NoiseCat discusses the experience of the Waukazoo family.
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
A town clings to its small-town identity under pressure
Manhattan, Montana, has become a bedroom community with full schools but few businesses.
Posted inArticles
When a town wants to grow — but not too quickly
Three Forks has weathered much. Facing new pressures, can it stay in control?
Posted inMarch 5, 2018: Drilling Chaco
Fight over household wells highlights rural growing pains
Can Washington balance development with the needs of rivers, fish and water users?