Indigenous

Upper Basin states like Utah worry water could get leased to cities downstream. Tribe members say they want to access a resource that is rightfully theirs.

The Land and Water Conservation Fund is over 60 years old and receives about $900 million each year. However, not all Indigenous tribes know they can take part, or how to navigate applying.

A federal campaign on pregnancy is expanding its outreach to Indigenous communities. That includes videos sharing personal stories and warning signs for pregnancy-related health concerns.

In other news, Utah water officials are asking Utahns to not water their lawns until next month. And, using an unauthorized ATV on Ute tribal land is now considered trespassing.

The region has long depended on coal production and power plants, but many of those facilities have shut down, leaving local leaders searching for new economic pathways.

Nature access doesn't just mean who lives near a park or trees — with a close connection to issues like income and pollution exposure, it can also mean who has access to clean air and water.

The new policy affects those who have defaulted on their student loans. According to higher education analysts, about 40% of Native borrowers default on their federal loans.

The Stokes Nature Center is opening a community nature park in Nibley featuring trails, gardens, yurts, and preserved open space for wildlife.

Students and other Cache Valley residents are working together to grow native plants at Stokes Nature Center that have sustained Indigenous communities for generations.

Host Laura Gelfand talks with author Mariaelena Huambachano on her book "Recovering Our Ancestral Foodways: Indigenous Traditions as a Recipe for Living Well."