In the new film adaptation of Denis Johnson’s novella, I saw my own Forest Service career reflected back at me.
Washington
Posted inJanuary 2026: Deep Time in the West
“Legend-dairy” mountain peaks, visiting bears and remembering a blubbery blowout
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
Posted inArticles
Western Washington faces a long recovery after record-breaking flooding
An unusually swift series of atmospheric rivers hit the region, worsened by warm temperatures.
Posted inArticles
Washington approves over 99% of archaeological permits, records show
As tribes struggle to protect their heritage, the nation’s leading state archaeologist says she lacks the authority to stop development projects.
Posted inNovember 2025: Precious Metalheads
Attack of the owls, emu-cipated emus, and say ‘hi’ to the bumpy little snailfish
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
Posted inNovember 2025: Precious Metalheads
Want fluoride in the water? Too bad.
Across the West, lawmakers are skipping over the will of voters and yanking fluoride.
Posted inArticles
Washington moves to conserve its state forests
The proposal would protect 77,000 acres of ‘structurally complex’ forests.
Posted inArticles
Invasive fruit fly hits the Yakama Nation’s huckleberry fields
Students from Heritage University and Northwest Indian College were the first to document the presence of the spotted wing drosophila on the Yakama Nation Reservation — a first step to help eradicate it on tribal land.
Posted inSeptember 2025: Who Controls Our Food?
Who controls food in the West?
Consolidation, shifting politics, water rights and the myth of the cowboy all play into the region’s ability to feed itself.
Posted inArticles
The race to protect homes from speculators post-wildfire
Around the West, community land trusts are helping people recover from disaster — and prepare for the next one.
Posted inArticles
How community assemblies kindle advocacy and solutions
Labor organizer Rosalinda Guillen explains how participatory democracy gives workers political power.
Posted inAugust 2025: Fire Culture
Booting out bullfrogs, bees make a break for it, and say goodbye to the billboard!
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
Posted inArticles
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?
Posted inArticles
Trump quits deal with Northwest tribes to restore salmon
The plan to remove four hydroelectric dams in the Columbia River Basin that blocks the free flow of salmon was canceled.
Posted inArticles
Can this Washington member of Congress turn the Democratic Party around?
Marie Gluesenkamp Perez’ ‘Blue Dog’ strategy of appealing to working-class rural moderates won her a long-held Republican district.
Posted inJune 2025: The Promised Land
How to preserve a glacier’s legacy
Artists are called to document the existence, and disappearance, of glacier.
Posted inMay 2025: The Art of the Cruise
The hidden costs of wolf conservation
‘Pay for presence’ aims to compensate ranchers for predator-related losses, but Western states might not be able to afford it.
Posted inMay 2025: The Art of the Cruise
How the feds abandoned reservations to burn
Tribal wildfire programs are underfunded and overburdened.
Posted inIssues
Nutritious nutria, hammock headgear, famous fungi and a juvenile giraffe
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
Posted inMay 2025: The Art of the Cruise
The subversive power of Spanish-language radio
For decades, immigrant communities have used the airwaves to educate and protect themselves. Under Trump, they’re doing it again.