Science & Environment

Why Rural America Must Protect Its National Monuments 

It takes a community to protect public lands
Essay and photography by Matt Witt

Georgia Garden Connects Cherokee Nation to Its Roots

Tribal elder helps safeguard Cherokee culture with more than 400 traditional plants

Republicans Use Little-Known Law to Open Minnesota Boundary Waters to Mining

Republicans’ decision effectively bypasses the rights of tribal nations and could drastically reshape U.S. public lands protections

Iowa’s High Cancer Rate Linked to Nitrate, Pesticides, PFAS and Radon

A new report combines science on environmental risk factors with the lived experiences of Iowans battling cancer
Nina Elkadi, Sentient

Man’s First Best Friend

Wolves were our companions long before dogs. Can we co-exist with wolves again?

Maine Listened to Farmers and Confronted the PFAS Crisis

A new book captures how a state responded with integrity to the hazards of “forever chemicals”

Small Towns Say ‘No’ to PFAS Treatment Plant

Residents in upstate New York fight back against a decades-long legacy of toxic exposure

USDA Can Address the PFAS Crisis on Farmland, Report Finds

Rep. Pingree of Maine calls for a federal safety net to support farmers affected by PFAS pollution
Shannon Kelleher, The New Lede

Data Centers Are Reshaping Local Politics in the Great Lakes

Rural communities raise the alarm about rising costs and water use
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CAFOs
February 16, 2026

Why Is California Paying North Carolina Farms to Make Gas From Hog Waste?

A growing biogas pipeline network has already drawn civil rights complaints

Blanca Begert, Inside Climate News
Environment
February 2, 2026

What Happens When a Small Town Can’t Drink Its Water?

Nitrate pollution is straining small water facilities in Iowa, even when they have advanced filtration systems

Nina Elkadi, Sentient
Agriculture
January 29, 2026

Are Americans Getting Sweet on Sorghum?

With maple syrup production shrinking as the world warms farmers see this ancient grain an alternative

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