Indigenous

In southern Oklahoma, the Chickasaw Nation is planting trees to combat climate change. The project is also ensuring that Chickasaw culture gets passed down to the next generation.

The declines were felt across the Mountain West. In Idaho, SNAP participation fell nearly 8%. Nevada saw a drop of more than 14%. In Arizona, participation fell by nearly 34%. New Mexico saw a decrease of about 6%, while Wyoming dropped by more than 11%.

As climate change and historic inequities continue to create barriers to outdoor recreation, one skiing nonprofit in rural Alaska is working to help Indigenous people hit the trails.

Our Living Lands Producer Daniel Spaulding spoke to Kiara Tanta-Quidgeon, a Mohegan community advocate and health researcher, about public health challenges facing Indigenous communities and the connections between health and climate.

Gerardo Aldana is a professor at University of California, Santa Barbara. Our Living Lands producer Daniel Spaulding spoke to Gerardo Aldana, a professor at University of California, about Mayan astronomy, Mesoamerican culture, and the importance of Indigenous knowledge.

Proposed legislation would protect nearly 450 miles of waterways from dams and mining amid the Trump administration’s push for more development.

The Mountain West News Bureau’s Rachel Cohen reported from an event where Denver donated bison to several tribes and nonprofits. Our Living Lands Producer Daniel Spaulding talked to Cohen about the experience.

Today, tribes are working to bring back bison, which once roamed Indigenous lands by the millions. Some are getting help to rebuild their herds from the city of Denver, which manages two herds.

Sarah Ortegon, a visual artist, actor and dancer has a new body of work being featured in an exhibition at the Ucross Foundation ranch in Wyoming where she is a Native American Artist fellow. Wyoming Public Radio’s Hannah Habermann spoke with Ortegon to talk craft, creativity and politics.

Researchers say remote geography, inaccurate federal maps, and funding barriers continue to limit reliable high-speed internet in many tribal communities.