The research co-ops funded by Congress each year since 1960 provide substantial returns for taxpayers.
Politics
Posted inArticles
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.
Posted inMay 2025: The Art of the Cruise
Losing more than a Forest Service job
Trail work, though underappreciated, made for a life well-lived in the woods.
Posted inArticles
How DOGE threatens the Forest Service and public lands
Workers describe projects on wildfire prevention, environmental restoration and trail repair halted by Trump administration terminations.
Posted inArticles
Trump and Musk take aim at the rural West
Spending cuts hurt communities, economies and public lands.
Posted inArticles
In Montana, a new map flipped 12 red seats
A common thread runs through states where Democrats made largest gains: bipartisan maps.
Posted inArticles
ICE in your community? Here’s what to know.
Advocates say people who face less legal risk have an important role to play, from documenting raids to advocating for their neighbors.
Posted inArticles
Trump’s funding cuts leave the nation vulnerable to catastrophic wildfire
‘What do they want, more fires?’
Posted inFebruary 2025: Immigrant Stories
The climate fight endures
Despite a hostile administration, local governments in the West recognize the need to
continue the energy transition, and they have plans.
Posted inArticles
‘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.
Posted inIssues
‘Esto se trata de poder’: Los inmigrantes indígenas se enfrentan a una segunda administración de Trump
La gobernadora de Dakota del Sur, Kristi Noem, a quien se le prohibió la entrada a nueve reservas tribales, supervisará las políticas de importancia única para los pueblos indígenas.
Posted inArticles
The American Climate Corps fades away
After just 8 months, Biden’s green jobs program shut down before Trump took office. What did it do?
Posted inArticles
How luxury real estate benefits from Montana’s agricultural tax code
Key takeaways from our investigation revealing how expensive properties use a system meant to help farmers and ranchers.
Posted inArticles
The EXPLORE Act is a blueprint for bipartisan conservation legislation
Bipartisan support for the act highlights the outdoor industry’s growing political clout, but questions remain about its cultural and environmental impact.
Posted inArticles
Montana’s ag tax slashes bills for thousands of million-dollar homes
Properties classified ‘agricultural’ get a tax break despite no bona fide operations. Can lawmakers’ new proposals tighten qualifications?
Posted inArticles
Jimmy Carter’s mixed environmental record
The former president emphasized conservation, protection — and coal mining.
Posted inJanuary 2025: The West's Most Wanted
Who voted in the 2024 election?
Many Democrats stayed home, while independents swung to the right.
Posted inArticles
Our imperiled public lands
President-elect Trump, a Republican-dominated Congress and Utah launch an all-out assault on environmental protection.