A network of mutual aid organizers provides meals and supplies for people experiencing homelessness.
State government
Posted inAugust 1, 2022: Our Fiery Future
Protecting neighborhoods from future flames
Equitable wildfire preparedness requires community-level fixes.
Posted inArticles
Cleanup of abandoned uranium mines creates a demand for workers
A growing industry for environmental remediation needs a local workforce with the right training.
Posted inArticles
Wyoming politicians hatch a plan to continue sage grouse game farms
New legislation to extend a controversial practice is ruffling feathers in Wyoming.
Posted inArticles
A bump in the road for southern Oregon’s illegal private casino
Oregon’s horse racing authority acknowledged the Oregon Department of Justice’s opinion, but the Flying Lark isn’t folding just yet.
Posted inFebruary 1, 2022: Essential
Tribes call out Oregon’s reckless gaming regulation
Using horse-racing laws, a shadowy state agency and a billionaire push for a private casino that threatens tribes’ self-sufficiency.
Posted inJanuary 1, 2022: Water Rights and Responsibilities
‘Cultural resources are not a renewable thing for us.’
The West’s largest green energy storage project would destroy a Yakama sacred site. Now, the nation is fighting back.
Posted inArticles
Utah has a water dilemma
Record-breaking drought along the Wasatch Front forces tough decisions about water supply.
Posted inJanuary 1, 2022: Water Rights and Responsibilities
Who should pay to fix California’s sunken canals?
Agribusiness and its proponents say repairs will benefit disadvantaged towns. Those residents disagree.
Posted inArticles
Where is central California’s water going?
Small farmers struggle as ag titans wheel water for profit.
Posted inNovember 1, 2021: The Radioactive Waste Next Door
Decolonizing Idaho’s road signs
A new effort will add Indigenous history to historical markers across the state.
Posted inOctober 1, 2021: In The Graces of Grasses
Idaho denies proposed land exchange
The state found that the timber tracts offered in a proposed trade are worth much less than the land around Payette Lake.
Posted inArticles
California tribal colleges offer ‘sense of belonging’ for Native students
While the schools boost retention and graduation rates, they face funding and accreditation hurdles.
Posted inArticles
The fight over a 5,000-year-old burial site in California
How a state law to expedite affordable housing erased a tribe’s right to consultation.
Posted inArticles
Illegal marijuana grows are stealing from California’s scarce water
As drought grips the Golden State, water thefts have increased to record levels. The most common offender: illegal pot farms.
Posted inSeptember 1, 2021: Where Wolves May Tread
Supreme Court ruling fails to protect Indigenous voters
In Brnovich v. DNC, the court has made it harder for people of color — especially Indigenous populations — to vote.
Posted inAugust 1, 2021: A Mega-Dairy Comes to the Desert
Could casitas help prevent displacement in the West’s cities?
As the housing crisis worsens, advocates sound off on how to bring homes to the people.
Posted inArticles
California budgets $61.5 million for wildlife crossings
The state looks to protect both wildlife and drivers, as large animals cause 20 crashes a day on state highways.
Posted inJuly 1, 2021: An Urban Greenspace Revolution
How a trail in rural Oregon became a target of far-right extremism
To understand the state’s urban-rural divide, start by looking at Yamhill County’s proposed walking trail.
Posted inArticles
Still wild: A mining project divides a community
In Haines, Alaska, concern for a fragile ecosystem confronts the prospect of well-paying jobs.