Indigenous Communities

A new report says forests managed by tribal communities are extremely underfunded. And that’s affecting lands that tribes in the Mountain West and beyond rely on for economic, social and cultural resources.

This weekend, a group of runners completed 50 miles in honor of the survivors and victims of Indian boarding schools.

Water is scarce in much of the Mountain West. That’s why, every spring, one tribe spends days cleaning ditches that are vital to irrigating their farmlands. But aging infrastructure and the effects of climate change are making it harder for farmers to get enough water – even after the cleanings.

For 40 years, the Jemez Pueblo in New Mexico has been working to access the water they feel they’re owed by the federal government. And those efforts are more urgent than ever as climate change and development continue to affect their water supplies.

President Joe Biden designated Avi Kwa Ame, a mountainous area in Nevada that’s revered by many tribes, as a national monument Tuesday.

A new report shows the overrepresentation of Native Americans and Alaska Natives in state prison systems, and some of the greatest disparities are in the Mountain West.

A new database reveals that museums and universities across the U.S. still hold the remains of more than 100,000 Native Americans, despite a federal law passed more than 30 years ago to help return their remains to tribes.

The U.S. Forest Service halted their prescribed burns this summer following an out-of-control burn in New Mexico that became the worst wildfire in the state’s history. Moreover, for Nevada land managers — including many with ties to local tribes — climate change is making it more difficult to put “good” fire on the ground.

President Joe Biden pledged to protect an expanse of land in the Mountain West that tribes have been trying to defend for decades during a speech Wednesday at the 2022 White House Tribal Nations Summit.

The Walker River Paiute Tribe has begun building a self-sufficient food sovereignty program in Schurz – it’s been a long process in the making.