The court case was the Nation’s bid to accelerate decades of fruitless negotiations and secure water for its reservation.
Law
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In the nation’s first youth-led climate trial, a case for hope
Five days of expert testimony argued that Montana can transition away from fossil fuels and reap economic benefits in the process. Now it’s up to the judge.
Posted inAugust 1, 2023: In the Line of Fire
The Supreme Court upheld ICWA. Now what?
ICWA policy and federal Indian Law experts break down the court’s Brackeen v. Haaland ruling — and what it means for families.
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Colorado Supreme Court drowns public access to riverbeds
Roger Hill’s landmark lawsuit fizzled out in court. What happens now?
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Despite the law meant to keep Native American families together, they’re being broken apart
A mother used the Indian Child Welfare Act to win back her parental rights. Then they came for her second child.
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Meet the youth attempting to hold Montana to account on climate
Loving the land, racing against time and paving the way for others inspired the plaintiffs to bring a case that went to trial this week.
Posted inJuly 1, 2023: Waiting for Water
How Arizona squeezes tribes for water
A High Country News/ProPublica investigation shows that Arizona goes to unusual lengths in water negotiations to extract restrictive concessions from tribes.
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The Supreme Court just made it easier to destroy wetlands and streams
The decision strips federal protections from the ephemeral streams that are crucial for life in the arid West.
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Judge rules Wyoming corner crossers did not trespass
The hunters who stepped over the corner of a Carbon County ranch did no damage to private property.
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Supreme Court shrinks definition of the Clean Water Act
In a ruling siding with an Idaho couple, justices removed protections from waters they said were non-navigable, like wetlands.
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How social work can help fight the impacts of climate change
Denver’s Lisa Reyes Mason leads a new generation of social workers in helping communities adapt to the climate crisis.
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What hazardous cargo moves on Colorado railroads? It’s a ‘black box’, even to state regulators
In many Western states, 19th-century laws and deregulation allow chemical- laden trains to roll in obscurity — leaving hazmat teams guessing.
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What you need to know about the largest global gathering of Indigenous leaders
The summit, beginning today, offers a rare opportunity to collaborate on stopping threats to Indigenous lands and lives.
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Will the new U.N. High Seas Treaty help protect Pacific salmon?
In March, conservationists worldwide celebrated the historic agreement, which governs the ocean waters where salmon spend most of their lives.
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Colorado works on an oil and gas well cleanup guarantee, but doubts loom
The state’s financial assurance process called ‘the strongest in the nation.’
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Researchers solve one of the Borderlands’ biggest water puzzles
Officially, the U.S. and Mexico share 11 groundwater basins. A new map bumps that figure up to a stunning 72.
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The West’s salt lakes are turning to dust. Can Congress help?
A new research and monitoring program aims to conserve threatened but overlooked saline ecosystems.
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A year in the Borderlands: The biggest stories from 2022
With a little help from our friends, HCN untangles the complexities of the U.S.-Mexico border.
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How the West’s public lands fared in 2022
It was a bad year for dams and a good one for ‘green’ metals.
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The Cherokee Nation was promised a delegate to Congress. Why doesn’t it have one?
‘Lapse of time cannot divest Indian nations of their treaties and treaty rights.’