"Federal prosecutors in Brazil filed a 155 billion-real ($43.5 billion) civil lawsuit on Tuesday against iron miner Samarco and its owners, Vale SA and BHP Billiton, for a collapsed tailings dam in November that killed 19 people and polluted a major river."

"For more than 150 years, the big agricultural corporations that produce sugar have been top dogs in the island’s economic life and its political governance. As the industry winds down, a new generation of activists are dreaming big of replacing sugar not only with a new agricultural model but also a new political settlement."

"Five Native American nations will join together to bury his remains".

"He’s been called “the most important human skeleton ever found in North America.” Known as Kennewick Man, the 9,000-year-old Paleoamerican was unearthed in 1996 in the city of Kennewick, Washington. But the discovery was more than a thrilling moment for archaeologists—it sparked a legal battle that lasted more than two decades. Now, reports Nicholas K. Geranios for the Associated Press, Kennewick Man’s saga will finally come to an end with a Native American burial.

"Rangers at southern Utah's Arches National Park were investigating large graffiti Thursday that was carved so deeply into a famous redrock arch that it might be impossible to erase, officials said."

"Indian villagers have found a way to bottle the fragrance of monsoons."

"The armed occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge which ended in February has left an unexpected legacy to the park, one that appears to be in conflict with the occupiers' original intent. Since the siege on the refuge ended in early February, the park has seen a surge of financial support."

"The National Park Service is celebrating its 100-year anniversary this year. A century ago, the Park Service was created with the mission of protecting and preserving some of the most awe-inspiring places in the country. And at the same time, its mission is to help people who visit those places enjoy them, and that's not always an easy balance."