Can virtual fencing transform ranching in the region?
Technology
Posted inArticles
How a law to allow microgrids made way for a massive data center in New Mexico
Critics say a last-minute amendment made an “end run around public regulation” for Project Jupiter.
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AI gets people into trouble in the backcountry
ChatGPT and other chatbots are the latest new technology to lead to wilderness rescues.
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Utah’s coal country pushes back against data centers
Carbon County is getting 456 small nuclear reactors and a giant gas plant for data center complexes.
Posted inSeptember 2026: On the Trail with Gary Paul Nabhan
Even cowgirls get the Instagram blues
A Montana rancher wonders what is lost in her urge to share her Western life online.
Posted inSeptember 2026: On the Trail with Gary Paul Nabhan
Hexing AI slop with queer magic
LGBTQ+ artists showcase alternative spiritualities in an exhibit at the Palm
Springs Art Museum.
Posted inSeptember 2026: On the Trail with Gary Paul Nabhan
How Bozeman is preventing human-wildlife conflicts before they start
A ’wildlife first responder’ is developing a tool for coexistence.
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I used to ignore prediction markets. Then I learned people were betting on wildfires
My story on prediction market wildfire wagers exposed the gamification of natural disasters.
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Will betting on wildfires lead to arson?
Fire survivors say using prediction markets to gamble on wildfire is “morally reprehensible.”
Posted inJune 2026: River Revival
How socialism built the reddest states in the West
The history of labor in the region gets shouted down by corporations.
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Can resistance stop a massive data center next to the Great Salt Lake?
Utah has become the latest front in a high-stakes fight to build the infrastructure powering the A.I. boom.
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Nukes and AI require 1.4 million gallons of water a day at New Mexico lab
In a state that’s already short on the resource, Los Alamos National Laboratory expects to double water use.
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War, climate change and AI are at stake at the 2026 UN Indigenous forum
Delegates are arriving in New York for the world’s largest gathering of Indigenous peoples, despite the U.S. presenting challenges for attendees to secure visas.
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.
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New nuclear safety rules reduce protections for workers, the public
‘They’re pulling away from what’s kept us safe all these years.’
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The AI Age perpetuates fossil fuel burning
Ancient energy sources power the future.
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The mystery of wildlife and a world beyond our understanding
Science is essential to managing wildlife populations, but there are limits to what we know.
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The big data center buildup
An AI server farm tsunami threatens to overwhelm the West’s power grid and water supplies.
Posted inNovember 2025: Precious Metalheads
‘Our mission is to change the world through eco-cultural tourism’
#iamthewest: Giving voice to the people that make up communities in the region.
Posted inArticles
Can AI translate Native languages in times of disaster?
In the wake of Typhoon Halong, an AI language company wants to hire Native translators, raising questions about data sovereignty.