Environment Tribes can hunt on ancestral lands north of U.S. border, Canada says After 10 years of legal battles, the Sinixt tribe won recognition and hunting rights in their traditional homelands across the Canadian border. by Anna V. Smith High Country News / May 11, 2021
Environment The Chinook Indian Nation’s 120-year fight for sovereignty Federal recognition provides tribes with critical health care and education. But there are nations the U.S. refuses to recognize. by Anna V. Smith High Country News / April 7, 2021
How wildfires in the American West hurt the entire country As smoke travels, it can cause illness and economic hardship thousands of miles away. by Mara Kardas-Nelson InvestigateWest / October 1, 2020
As wildfires break records, firefighters face growing health risks Emerging scientific evidence shows they may be at risk of respiratory and heart illness, and maybe even cancer. by Mara Kardas-Nelson InvestigateWest / September 28, 2020
How British Columbia protects its people from wildfire smoke The Canadian province is well ahead of Washington and Oregon in protecting people’s health from wildfires. by Mara Kardas-Nelson InvestigateWest / September 22, 2020
Wildfire smoke’s health impacts have only just begun A growing body of evidence shows smoke sickens and can even kill. Is the government doing enough to protect residents? by Mara Kardas-Nelson InvestigateWest / September 21, 2020
During wildfires, West Coast farmworkers forced to put harvest over health Little is done to protect the workers’ health, and many feel powerless to hold employers accountable. by Mara Kardas-Nelson & Jess Alvarenga & Rosa Amanda Tuirán InvestigateWest / October 6, 2020
News Labor shortages, heat bring tough tides for WA shellfish farm At Taylor Shellfish Farms, hiring is increasingly a challenge as skyrocketing housing costs and difficult working conditions make it hard to recruit. by Mara Kardas-Nelson High Country News / October 17, 2022
Environment Standing up for salmon in Alaska's boundary waters In southeast Alaska, tribes on both sides of the border unite in opposition to a Canadian mine that threatens ancestral fish runs. by Samantha Larson / November 21, 2018
Environment The impermanence of wonder and whales A lifelong visitor to the San Juan Islands reflects on the southern resident orcas, changing ecosystems and the passage of time. by Samantha Larson / October 29, 2018