Indigenous Affairs Native nations lead salmon restoration efforts in Columbia Basin The number of returning adult salmon and steelhead has doubled since the 1990s, but is still only halfway to the NWPCC’s goal of 5 million. by Nika Bartoo-Smith Underscore + ICT / February 10, 2025
Indigenous Affairs Cowlitz Tribe youth help lead this year’s First Salmon Ceremony “It’s what we do to thank the salmon for what they give,” said Lydia Hodges, 15, part of the new generation carrying on the sacred ritual. by Nika Bartoo-Smith Underscore + ICT / June 24, 2024
Indigenous Affairs Yakama Nation’s new public safety campus gives justice room to grow The tribal court system, which had occupied a cluster of trailers since the ’50s, plans to add services like a mental health or a veterans court. by Nika Bartoo-Smith Underscore News and ICT / January 9, 2024
Equity Snoqualmie Tribe starts land protection sales tax at Salish Lodge The 2% tax will preserve ancestral sites such as Snoqualmie Falls, and could be a model for other Indigenous nations. by Nika Bartoo-Smith Underscore/ICT / July 17, 2023
News The Washington mental health lifeline made for and by Native people The Native and Strong Lifeline provides connection and culturally specific care to callers in crisis. by Nika Bartoo-Smith Indian Country Today and Underscore News / June 19, 2023
Environment ‘Rife with flawed science’: OR and WA fight Trump’s emissions rollback The states join 26 others to argue the president's plan increases public health risks and violates the federal Clean Air Act. by Cassandra Profita Oregon Public Broadcasting / June 4, 2020
Environment Pacific Northwest forests fit trifecta for curbing climate change — if we stop logging them Study shows trees along the coast and in the Cascade and Olympic mountains have the most potential to sequester carbon. by Cassandra Profita Oregon Public Broadcasting / January 1, 2020
Environment Rockfish are bouncing back from years of overfishing After years of conservation efforts, surveys show depleted populations of groundfish are rebounding ahead of schedule. by Cassandra Profita OPB / December 20, 2018
Environment This Portland design lab wants to eliminate plastic packaging As more cities like Seattle ban plastic straws, Swedish-owned BillerudKorsnäs design lab has is developing a solution. by Cassandra Profita OPB/EarthFix / November 1, 2018
Environment A year after Oregon’s Eagle Creek fire, see how much has changed In this 360 video, see how the Eagle Creek Fire changed the forest and its popular hiking trails. by Cassandra Profita EarthFix/OPB / September 10, 2018
