Natural Resources

Medicinal Plants In National Parks of Appalachia Are Facing Several Threats

"Medicinal and aromatic plants in the Appalachian Mountains, which have stood for hundreds of millions of years and contributed to biodiversity across the region, are facing threats from poaching, climate change, and more. The multiple national parks dotting the region are often havens for these plants, though even the protections afforded by the parks cannot prevent all threats."

Source: National Parks Traveler, 03/27/2026

"US Has Caused $10Tn Worth Of Climate Damage Since 1990, Research Finds"

"The US has caused an eye-watering $10tn in global damages to the world over the past three decades through its vast planet-heating emissions, with a quarter of this economic pain inflicted upon itself, new research has found."

Source: Guardian, 03/27/2026

NASA Earthdata Offers a New Look at What Satellites See Down Here

The capacity to visualize Earth’s ecosystems in detail is an invaluable aid to reporting on the environment. That’s now being bolstered with an ongoing upgrade to NASA’s Earthdata program, fueled by its ranks of satellites. Reporter’s Toolbox says the refurbishment offers treasures for journalists ranging from oceans, groundwater and land surfaces to the biosphere and atmosphere.

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Insect Decline Poses Foundational Ecological Hazards

Bugs may get a bad rap, but a serious possible global decline in their populations is making clearer what may be lost for ecosystems and human societies. Issue Backgrounder peers beneath the detritus to find what insects do, how we try to kill them and how they survive, and why it’s so hard to pin down the data around their shifting numbers.

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Trump DOI Issues Sudden Waiver Allowing Budd-Falen To Work On Grazing

"Ethics officials at President Donald Trump’s Interior Department granted Karen Budd-Falen, the agency’s No. 3 official, a waiver on March 11 — the very day that Public Domain inquired about her recent work on grazing issues — that provides her wide latitude to work on grazing policy and permitting, despite her family’s vast personal holdings in the public lands grazing industry."

Source: Public Domain, 03/23/2026

"Big Oil Knew It Was Wrecking Louisiana’s Coast, Records Show"

"Now, parish lawsuits, including one in front of the Supreme Court, could make oil giants pay to restore the state’s vanishing marshes."

Source: ExxonKnews, 03/19/2026

Apache Women Ask Supreme Court To Stop Transfer Of Oak Flat Land For Mine

"The transfer of federal forest land in Arizona to a pair of international companies that plan to mine one of the largest copper deposits in North America is complete, but a group of Apache women is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene as a last-ditch effort to stop the project."

Source: AP, 03/17/2026

Mining Made Tar Creek A Toxic Wasteland. Quapaw Nation Brought It Back.

"The Quapaw Nation is the only US Native community to carry out a cleanup of one of the country’s worst sites of environmental contamination"

Source: Guardian, 03/17/2026

‘Poisoned for Gold’ Project Pricks Nation’s Conscience

Two Ghanian video journalists traveled their country to document how contamination from illegal gold mining was harming the health of workers and nearby communities. Their resulting reporting not only won acclaim from their peers but also ignited a debate that resulted in the closing of polluting mining operations. Read more about their award-winning project and its impact in Inside Story Q&A.

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Wild and Scenic Rivers Carry a Raft of Great Stories

Thousands of miles of rivers across the United States are part of the Wild and Scenic Rivers System, and any one of them can help tell some splashy tales of the power of conservation and the wonders of nature. TipSheet dips a toe into the backstory, then offers story ideas and resources to help report on local wild rivers near you.

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