Heirs to the 1855 Treaty of Point Elliott explain their ancestors’ wisdom and how they defend it today.
People & Places
Posted inArticles
Does your dog make you safer in bear country?
What new analysis of more than 300 bear encounters shows about the notion of dogs as early bear alarms or deterrents.
Posted inAugust 2026: The Conversations Issue
Convocation of crows, sea-lebrity sea lions and what is that nasty smell?
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
Posted inAugust 2026: The Conversations Issue
The conversations we don’t have about safety outdoors
History instructs Black Americans to fear the outdoors. But creating new memories outside will inform our future.
Posted inAugust 2026: The Conversations Issue
Deb Haaland’s vision for New Mexico comes from tradition
A Q&A with the state’s likely next governor about tribal sovereignty and politics.
Posted inJuly 2026: Lost in the Weeds
Alaska Native communities prepare for man camps driven by new mining boom
How one village established a Native-led sexual assault response team to help address the oncoming chaotic boomtown atmosphere.
Posted inJuly 2026: Lost in the Weeds
Let’s go in on the American dream, together
Samantha Paige Rosen’s anthology offers communal living as affordability solution.
Posted inJuly 2026: Lost in the Weeds
‘It’s OK to learn from your mistakes’
#iamthewest: Giving voice to the people that make up communities in the region.
Posted inArticles
Meet the students graduating from Montana’s smallest classes
The people graduating from classes of 3, 2 and 1 have big ambitions.
Posted inJune 2026: River Revival
‘What we have to do is come together and stick together’
#iamthewest: Giving voice to the people that make up communities in the region.
Posted inArticles
White Salmon has been fighting for free mail for decades
The small Washington town exemplifies a broader problem across the West, where some pay for a service others get for free.
Posted inArticles
Ted Turner owned vast swaths of Western land. What happens to them now?
The media mogul had a lifelong commitment to endangered species, ecotourism and supporting rural agriculture.
Posted inApril 2026: Inside the Attack on Public Lands
‘Just noticing birds improves your health’
#iamthewest: Giving voice to the people that make up communities in the region.
Posted inApril 2026: Inside the Attack on Public Lands
Opting out could be the thing that sets you free
How a bison inspired me to set boundaries and just say no.
Posted inIssues
Trotting tortoises, juggling unicyclists, ancient clothing and bear poop beer
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
Posted inApril 2026: Inside the Attack on Public Lands
What a bombing in Nevada reveals about the nation’s appetite for violence
The rise of domestic terrorism in the West.
Posted inApril 2026: Inside the Attack on Public Lands
A DNA archive critical to identifying missing migrants has itself gone missing
The database is no longer accessible after the organization that started it shut down.
Posted inArticles
Congress contemplates sweeping investigation of Native boarding schools
What the Truth and Healing Commission Bill would — and would not — do.
Posted inMarch 2026: The Uncertainty of Farming in the Colorado River Basin
‘Music brings an uplifting spiritual experience’
#iamthewest: Giving voice to the people that make up communities in the region.
Posted inMarch 2026: The Uncertainty of Farming in the Colorado River Basin
A shrinking Colorado River is forcing farms to change
From low-flow nozzles to baling hay at night, see how farmers are adapting to less water.