State trust lands generate millions of dollars for carceral facilities and programs every year, largely from extractive industries like oil and gas drilling.
Wyoming
Posted inJanuary 2025: The West's Most Wanted
Tribal objects returned to the Northern Arapaho Tribe
After years of negotiation with the Episcopal Church, over 200 cultural items finally come back home.
Posted inJanuary 2025: The West's Most Wanted
The new year is what we make it
What will you do to help make things better?
Posted inArticles
2024’s biggest conservation wins for the West
There were glimmers of good news across the region, from restored habitats to growing wildlife populations.
Posted inDecember 2024: Land as Reparations
2024 was a year of wacky Western weather
When assessing the region, not much was normal but climate change.
Posted inArticles
Where horses roam, sage grouse struggle
A new study shows the imperiled bird declines as free-roaming horses exceed the land’s capacity.
Posted inNovember 2024: The Once and Future Prairie
Lovesick elk, flamingo fathers, Frankensheep and Bach for bison
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
Posted inArticles
Roads and wildlife don’t mix
Grizzly 399’s death sparks a broader conversation on how to live with wildlife.
Posted inOctober 2024: Latino Vote
The downballot issues driving the West’s 2024 elections
From climate and public lands to shifting political allegiances, the region faces critical choices at the ballot box.
Posted inOctober 2024: Latino Vote
Explaining invasive species to toddlers
And involving them in a murderous task.
Posted inAugust 2024: In the Wake of the Floods
How do you protect wildlife from sprawl?
A fast-growing Utah exurb gets serious about migration corridors.
Posted inArticles
When a landslide blocks your commute
The Teton Pass collapse highlights the importance — and growing vulnerability — of mountain roads.
Posted inArticles
Deer 255 reaches the end of her journey
The ungulate migrated farther than any deer known to science.
Posted inJune 2024: The Idea of Wilderness
Water inequality on the Colorado River
A new accounting reveals deep disparities in Western water consumption.
Posted inArticles
Allegations of Wyoming wolf torture trigger calls for penalty reform
Currently, illegally possessing warm-blooded wildlife in the state is punishable by only a $250 citation.
Posted inApril 2024: Epic Journeys
For these mammals, migration is a means of survival
Will Westerners repair a fractured landscape for mule deer, pronghorn, and elk?
Posted inArticles
Could building on public land address the housing crisis?
The West has a plethora of land and a shortage of houses. Some are wondering if a solution lies within.
Posted inMarch 2024: Fertile Ground
Killer kitties, no-drama llamas and a brand-new arachnid
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.