Forest Service overhaul sows confusion, concern
In the Trump administration’s reorganization of the struggling agency, painful echoes of BLM’s past moves.
The government-funded coverup under our noses
History will judge the Trump administration harshly for elevating oil and gas at the expense of everything else.
Why intentional fires can still be safe during this dry spring
Land managers are finding pockets of cool, wet conditions, allowing them to safely reduce future fire risk.
How I found trans joy in backcountry splitboarding
Under an administration threatening my existence, I find self-love through movement.
War exposes the energy dominance lie
True energy independence comes from weaning ourselves from fossil fuels.
Bureau of Indian Affairs could face reorganization, deeper staff cuts
Tribal leaders say previous cuts have already impacted the government’s ability to carry out programs in Indian Country.
How HCN is helping fill a growing need for local news
The Western Environmental Reporting Collaborative ramps up in July.
Utah’s new study aims to kill ‘as many cougars as possible’
Critics say the state’s attempt to boost ungulate populations lacks scientific grounding and transparency.
Public lands need less extraction and more rewilding
In the age of extinction, we need a new model for these landscapes and the communities that rely on them.
The West’s heatwave ‘virtually impossible without climate change’
Climate researchers found the region’s extreme weather is caused primarily by the burning of fossil fuels.
Congress contemplates sweeping investigation of Native boarding schools
What the Truth and Healing Commission Bill would — and would not — do.
In major reversal, Interior allows top official with close industry ties to work on grazing policy
Karen Budd-Falen, the agency’s associate deputy secretary, had previously recused herself from working on grazing matters.
The BLM wants to ramp up logging. Oregonians aren’t so sure.
People are grappling with the agency’s notice that signals a significant increase in timber harvesting across 2.5 million acres.
‘Music brings an uplifting spiritual experience’
#iamthewest: Giving voice to the people that make up communities in the region.
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In This Issue
April 2026: Inside the Attack on Public Lands
In this issue we take a hard look at the on-the-ground impacts of the Trump administration’s slash-and-burn staffing and budget cuts, particularly as they affect the beloved, irreplaceable Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. We also ask what “domestic terrorism” really means and why so many notorious bombers…
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Water
What can we learn from salt lakes?
A shrinking Colorado River is forcing farms to change
How Montana tribes are using sovereignty to restore their waterways
Wildlife
Wildlife loves Wyoming’s ‘Golden Triangle.’ So do oil companies
How federal cuts are reshaping Alaska’s communities, research and species management
Badger signs: An essay from Terry Tempest Williams’ new book ‘The Glorians’
Public Lands
Black riders have always held the reins
Trump’s BLM is going all-in on resource extraction
Trump’s BLM nominee waffles on public land sell-off stance
Indigenous Affairs
Heavily contested pumped hydro-storage project gets federal go-ahead
LandBack advances across the West
What does ‘time immemorial’ really mean?
Communities
A champion Iditarod musher proved that caring and trust win races
How people are helping breeding frogs dodge cars
The Colorado River rift abides
Books
Three books explore deep time and help us look forward
We need to talk about the pretendians in our midst
National parks aren’t just for tourists. They’re an essential home for wildlife.
In the News
Markwayne Mullin is for Trump – and Indian Country
The Cherokee congressman, who is hard-right and white-passing, may not seem like an Indigenous lawmaker, but he’s no anomaly.