The high court is taking up an Idaho case that could obliterate federal protection for much of the West’s waters.
Donald Trump
Posted inArticles
Biden’s ‘herky-jerky’ first year on Western issues
The new president sacrificed bold executive action to try to win over Congress.
Posted inNovember 1, 2021: The Radioactive Waste Next Door
Afghan refugees find a home in the West
A resettlement agency in Twin Falls, Idaho, prepares for newcomers.
Posted inArticles
9 numbers that explain the BLM’s headquarters boomerang back to D.C.
A look at what happened to the reorganization of the agency under the Trump administration.
Posted inArticles
Why I changed my mind about Bears Ears
The benefits of a national monument in San Juan County outweigh the costs.
Posted inMarch 1, 2021: The Rough Road Ahead
Border barrier boondoggle
Trump’s promised inexpensive, impregnable wall was anything but.
Posted inArticles
Should BLM be closer to Western communities or Congress?
After a messy move, Biden’s Interior Department faces tough questions about where the agency should be headquartered.
Posted inApril 1, 2021: Holding Fast
How to reverse Trump’s harmful legacy on conservation
President Biden is off to a good start, but there is much to be done. The Restoration Project has a blueprint.
Posted inArticles
Biden halted border wall construction. Now what?
Environmental and human rights advocates hope to steer the administration toward a new vision at the border.
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Border wall scars: ‘It feels like if someone got a knife and dragged it across my heart.’
Tribal leaders and Borderlands communities reflect on their fruitless struggle to stop the wall.
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The Border Patrol is leaving migrants to die
A new report shows that the agency systematically ignores emergencies — neglecting thousands of lives.
Posted inArticles
After months of border wall construction, a look at the damage done
As President Biden takes the helm, conservation groups take stock of the border wall’s environmental impacts.
Posted inFebruary 1, 2021: End of the Line
Bears Ears is just the beginning
As the Biden administration begins, tribal nations with ties to Utah assert their relationships to the land.
Posted inFebruary 1, 2021: End of the Line
In Arizona, fighting a copper mine planned on sacred land
Oak Flat has been an important location to Indigenous peoples for millennia.
Posted inArticles
Pro-Trump riots won’t stop the winds of political change blowing in the West
What the D.C. insurgency meant for our regional conscience.
Posted inFebruary 1, 2021: End of the Line
The Washington, D.C., siege has Western roots and consequences
History and the growing power of right-wing extremism point to a volatile future for the West during the Biden presidency.
Posted inArticles
California farmworkers aren’t staying in free quarantine hotel rooms
Fear, testing barriers and miscalculations have hobbled the statewide program.
Posted inJanuary 1, 2021: No Place Like Home
The battle for the Black Hills
Nick Tilsen was arrested for protesting President Trump at Mount Rushmore. Now, his legal troubles are part of a legacy.
Posted inArticles
Trump’s impact on Indian Country over four years
From legal decisions to on-the-ground policies, Indigenous lawyers describe the administration’s tactics as an “onslaught” removing federal protections of land and wildlife.
Posted inArticles
Deadline to spend COVID-19 relief funds has tribal nations on edge
In Oregon, tribal governments are left wondering how they’ll provide services next year without an extension.