Forgotten sovereigns

In Western states, the older a water claim, the more secure it is during a drought. Tribes have long been excluded from that system and now, they're pushing for change.

When power players like mining and agriculture are involved, tribal nations, usually the senior-most water-rights holders, often must fight obstruction.

The Chemehuevi’s reservation fronts about 30 miles of the Colorado River, yet 97% of the tribe’s water stays in the river, much of it used by Southern California cities. The tribe isn’t paid for it.

Arizona's unique method for awarding water to tribes was supposed to open up economic possibilities beyond farming for the Hopi Tribe. Instead, the tribe says it has dashed their dreams of building a thriving homeland.

Colorado tribes are worried that a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last month against the Navajo Nation in a Colorado River water rights case may narrow the federal government’s broad, historic responsibility to provide them with aid.

Historically, grizzly bears occupied most of Montana, including the Pryor Mountains, but likely have not inhabited these mountains since the late 1800s.

The state of Idaho is appealing a case that prompted the Fish and Wildlife Service to start a big new study of reintroducing grizzly bears into the Bitterroot ecosystem that links the Gem State and Montana.

Can states handle grizzly bear management, and the scrutiny that comes with it? Here's a look at the future of bears in the West.

These are hopeful signs for a creature that, despite a century of challenges, remains a symbol of wildness in the American West.

New study uses trail cameras and speakers to isolate what human sounds do to animals.

A conservation effort has returned bison to Blackfeet Nation tribal lands more than a century after the animal was nearly slaughtered to extinction.

Sizable new swaths of Wyoming’s greater sage grouse domain — including parts of the Powder River basin and Moneta area — could soon receive the highest level of state protection afforded to the embattled bird.

Very few Pronghorn are taking part in the longest annual migration in the lower 48 this year, largely because of an extremely harsh winter.

Across the West, a vast swath of federal land has been staked out by oil and gas drillers, miners, cattle grazers, loggers, renewable energy developers and outdoor recreationists. Soon, the federal agency that oversees those lands will allow them to be leased for a new purpose: conservation.

Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks held a press conference Thursday morning to address concerns and answer questions about their work to stop trout population declines in southwest Montana rivers.

Mining climate anxiety for profit.

The search for lithium has found its way to a treasured corner of the Nevada desert, resulting in a lawsuit by conservation groups who say further mining exploration could endanger a trove of species found nowhere else in the world.

The Nevada mining and chemical-processing project has begun about 50 miles north of Winnemucca. General Motors will use the lithium in electric cars.

The company that wants to mine for critical minerals in southeast Nebraska has signed a deal with Stellantis, giving the automaker access to the rare earth elements used to produce high-powered magnets needed for its electric vehicles.

The market for lithium, cobalt and nickel is skyrocketing amid the clean energy transition, but the International Energy Agency says more work is needed to ensure a sustainable supply chain.

The White House hopes to approve a $1.7 billion Arizona manganese and zinc mine, offering domestic minerals for EV battery supply chains.

The project in White River National Forest is the first step toward capturing methane, a potent greenhouse gas, and converting it to fuel.

UW’s Enhanced Oil Recovery Institute and a carbon capture company aim to develop a statewide carbon capture and storage pipeline system in Wyoming.

An expert weighs in about Project Tundra and the viability of retrofitting coal plants to capture carbon.

A Colorado State University study found that despite a 38% reduction in light availability, a C3 semi-arid grassland only reduced aboveground productivity and photosynthesis by 6%, pointing to the feasibility of grassland agrivoltaics.

The New Mexico Supreme Court has affirmed a decision by utility regulators who rejected a proposal by the state’s largest electric provider to transfer shares in a coal-fired power plant to a Navajo energy company.

The warning signs were clear and repeated. Former tribal education leader Forrest Cuch believes shortcomings are intentional because it “keeps the Indian down.”

The school districts in the Uinta Basin haven't done much to incorporate Ute language and culture into the curriculum, which experts say would help them succeed.

Research shows heat domes, wildfires and vanishing polar ice are the symptoms; unabated greenhouse gas emissions are the cause.

As Earth this week set and then repeatedly broke unofficial records for average global heat, it served as a reminder of a danger that climate change is making steadily worse for farmworkers and others who labor outside.

With more than nine million hectares of forest burned so far this year in Canada, 2023 is the worst wildfire season on record.

Even Southwestern desert residents accustomed to scorching summers are feeling the grip of an extreme heat wave smacking Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico and Southern California this week with 100-degree-plus temps and excessive heat warnings.

Everything you need to know about the science linking global warming to extreme heat.

Colorado and Idaho represent two poles of state-level political homogenization. Both are fast-growing Rocky Mountain states that have been transformed by an influx of like-minded residents. Life in the two states can be quite similar — conversations revolve around local ski areas, mountain bike trails, and how newcomers are making things too crowded. But, politically, they increasingly occupy two separate worlds.

How is Utah's population changing as a result of people moving in and out of the state? Tribune data columnist Andy Larsen has the data.

A logger, forester and former mayor joined forces to help Butte Falls manage its forests to protect the town and build an economy supported by tourism rather than logging.

The economy, Idaho housing costs, state pay levels and competition with federal agencies are playing a role.

Increased turbulence in the crosswinds flowing over a forest means greater unpredictability for where embers go. But that conclusion came from taking a look underwater.

Thinning forests to prevent fires produces a lot of sticks and other debris, which also pose a fire risk. In Colorado and elsewhere, scientists are using fungi to turn those trimmings into soil.

The Center for Biological Diversity and 350 Colorado petitioned the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to hear their complaint, bypassing the lower courts. The two groups say the EPA approved a state plan to reduce ozone pollution even though that plan will not meet federally mandated goals for clean air.

State air pollution officials are likely to vote by the end of the year on a 2025 ban on the sale of push or hand-held, gasoline-powered lawn equipment in nine Front Range counties with ozone problems.

K.P. Kauffman was supposed to pay its fines and remediate 78 sites by Aug. 1 or stop operating in Colorado. A judge agreed to stay that order while the company sues to block it from taking effect.

Supporters of the Biden administration's ban say confusion and misinformation have clouded the issue, but local residents insist it's about local control.

An exploration of the beauty and challenges of the sacred Bears Ears.

Despite winning two court fights against penalties for corner crossing, hunters are not yet assured they and others can step with immunity through private airspace to reach public property, legal experts say.

Jackson Hole Mountain Resort is looking for federal approval for about 35 projects, some of which will impact whitebark pine, the iconic western conifer recently protected under the Endangered Species

Owners and local businesses in Marble, Colorado, blame Instagram for the influx of people who disregard leave no trace etiquette.

The Bureau of Land Management's draft rule elevating the role of conservation in its mission has sparked debate across the West.

Hydropower loss added 121 million metric tons of carbon emissions over 20 years — about the same as putting 1.3 million more cars on the road.

Colorado is drought-free for the first time in four years — a rare reprieve for a state in the middle of a 23-year megadrought.

Colorado's San Luis Valley counties band together in bid to delay or block water sales to the Front Range and beyond.

From desalinating seawater to ripping out grass and changing crops, here are some of the boldest and most crucial ideas.

Perhaps the most stark reminder that much of northwest Montana is now in either “moderate” or “severe” drought is the empty boat docks along the shores of Flathead Lake.

A humble lake in a Canadian suburb may soon become the symbolic starting point for a radical new chapter in Earth’s official history: the Anthropocene, or the age of humans.