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Shutdown causes ‘confusion’ across the Forest Service
Prescribed burns are on hold during shutdown while logging continues.
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The Trump administration’s repeal of the roadless rule could threaten wildlife
A 2001 policy restricts road construction on Forest Service land. What happens to at-risk species if it’s removed?
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The Trump administration is asking park rangers to rewrite history
And some national park site staffers are pushing back.
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Amid raids in California, families struggle to locate detained workers
Days after the workplace immigration raids that first sparked protests in Los Angeles, families still had no contact with relatives in detention.
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What defunding public media would mean for the West
Data show that rural, tribal and Western stations would be most impacted by Trump’s attempt to cut CPB funding.
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Federal workers say Biden’s BLM left them vulnerable to Trump
Documents show Interior rejected a union contract for employees at BLM headquarters days before the inauguration.
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Judge rules federal job cuts ‘unlawful’
The Forest Service, Park Service and other agencies must immediately reinstate workers purged by Trump.
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The Trump administration is trying to fire the ‘backbone’ of wildland firefighting
Last month’s terminations cut employees who serve critical support roles on fires.
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‘They’ll have to drag me out before I go.’ EPA workers stand firm despite Trump chaos
Staff outside D.C. headquarters respond to funding freeze and other orders from the new administration.
Posted inFebruary 2025: Immigrant Stories
‘This is about power’: Indigenous immigrants face a second Trump administration
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, who was banned from nine tribal reservations, will oversee policies uniquely important to Indigenous people.
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What it’s like to be an incarcerated firefighter
Eddie Herrera, a formerly incarcerated firefighter, talks about the job and how he sees what’s happening in Los Angeles.
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How Western ports anchor U.S. supply chains
The Baltimore bridge collapse highlights the nation’s dependence on the shipping industry.
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A proposed bottle-deposit bill in Washington would help the environment — and low-income communities
The legislation would add a premium for bottles returned by organizations supporting people who rely on deposit refunds.
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Know the West, cover by cover
High Country News informs and inspires, and the magazine’s covers are part of the reason why. Here’s a peek into our process.
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2023 in Native environmental news
The beat’s biggest news that you might have missed.
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Stories that made us green with envy in 2023
A roundup of the articles we wish we’d written ourselves this past year.
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Medicaid’s big paperwork problem
After a federal rule expired this spring, millions of people have been disenrolled from Medicaid. Many of them may still be eligible.
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The EV mining rush could come to Montana’s mountains
A company announced it found the country’s highest-grade rare earth deposit in Montana.
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The feds declined to seriously cut Colorado River water use. Here’s what that means
After Southwestern states failed to cut a deal, the Interior Department took it easy on them.