Native American Issues / Public News Service

More than 30 tribal nations are represented at the University of South Dakota, according to the institution. (Wikimedia Commons)

USD threats to fire staff part of larger trend

The University of South Dakota threatened to fire staff members in what some see as an ongoing attack on academic freedom, according to reporting in …

The U.S. government recognized the Black Hills as part of the Great Sioux Reservation in the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie. The Black Hills Forest Reserve was established in 1897 and transferred to the U.S. Forest Service in 1905. (R. Blauert, Wikimedia Commons)

Black Hills Visitor Center under new joint tribal, federal oversight

The Black Hills National Forest is one of the latest federal lands to enter a co-stewardship agreement with local tribal nations-a management model en…

The wells providing water on Santee Tribal lands had manganese levels more than 50 times greater than what is considered safe for adults. Excessively high manganese can cause problems with memory, attention and motor skills. (Adobe Stock)

NE Santee Sioux Tribe hopeful after years of unusable tap water

Members of the Nebraska Santee Sioux Tribe hope a solution to their five-year water ordeal may be on the way. Their tap water has been unusable for …

A new Colorado law provides local and tribal governments with science-based resources for siting and permitting new renewable-energy projects, including maps identifying sensitive wildlife habitat. (Adobe Stock)

New resources available to site CO clean-energy projects, protect wildlife

To reach 100% clean energy by 2040 - a move seen as critical for averting the worst impacts of climate change - Colorado must generate five times more…

Two South Dakota drought resiliency projects will supply about 130 homes with high-quality drinking water. (Adobe Stock)

New federal funds earmarked for SD rural water projects

Some rural South Dakotans struggle to get good drinking water but the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has awarded two local communities with grants to …

A new clinic on the Grand Ronde reservation includes solar panels so the building has power even during an outage. (Photo by Claire Carlson)

Clinic on OR reservation drives tribal self-reliance

By Claire Carlson for The Daily Yonder.Broadcast version by Eric Tegethoff for Oregon News Service for the Public News Service/Daily Yonder Collaborat…

With the online tool Ballot Builder, advocates are working to make voting easier, more accessible and efficient for Indigenous people living on Montana's seven reservations. (Adobe Stock)

MT goes live with online tool for Indigenous voters

Indigenous leaders in Montana have announced the release of an online tool to help Native voters learn about the issues and candidates on the ballot…

According to the Native American Rights Fund, more than 1 million eligible Native American voters in the United States are not registered to vote. (Adobe Stock)

Native organizations commemorate 100th anniversary of Citizenship Act

Sunday marks 100 years since the United States granted citizenship to all Native Americans. North Dakota voices are observing the milestone, and …

Some counties in Nevada are required to provide language assistance in Spanish, Shoshone, Paiute or other Native American languages. (Abode Stock)

Early voting underway for Nevada Primary Election

Nevada's early voting started this past weekend and will run through June seventh - with the June Primary Election taking place on Tuesday, June 11…

The difference between age-adjusted non-cardiac mortality rates for the overall population in rural and urban areas grew from being 6% higher in rural areas than urban areas in 1999 to 20% higher in rural areas than urban areas in 2019, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. (Adobe Stock)

Mortality rates in rural Arizona have experts concerned

By Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez for KFF Health News.Broadcast version by Alex Gonzalez for Arizona News Connection reporting for the KFF Health News-Public…

Ho-Chunk, Inc., Apprenticeship Program participant Marquez Bass (right) works with Information Technology Technician Blade Smith to run network cable at one of the company's buildings in Winnebago, Nebraska. (Ho-Chunk, Inc.)

NE Winnebago Tribe apprenticeships prepare students, build workforce

Workforce watchers project the country could face critical worker shortages in many of the skilled trades in coming years. The Nebraska Winnebago …

Recent statewide figures look promising, but homelessness in South Dakota has risen more than 120% since 2007, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. (Adobe Stock)

Sioux Falls programs address rising homeless population

Homelessness in South Dakota may be down overall, but the state's urban areas are an exception. New programs in Sioux Falls aim to address it…

Every year, 37 million falls occur among older adults age 65 and older, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Adobe Stock)

During Older Americans Month, experts share ways to stay healthy and fit

Unintentional injuries are among the top ten leading causes of death for older adults, and during Older Americans Month, experts want to raise …

In a 2018 survey by the Native American Voting Rights Coalition, 32% of respondents not registered to vote in South Dakota said long distances to travel for registration were prohibitive. (Adobe Stock)

Ballot dropbox ban a barrier in SD primary

South Dakota's June 4 primary will be the first national election here since ballot dropboxes were banned in 2023. It is one of 12 states to ban …

Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument's new Molok Loyuk region provides habitat for tule elk, mountain lions, bears, bald eagles and golden eagles. (Hispanic Access Foundation)

Public lands groups cheer expansion of two CA national monuments

Conservation groups, tribes and community organizers are praising President Joe Biden's decision Thursday to expand two national monuments in …

Last month, tribal and community leaders joined members of Congress from across the West to present more than 800,000 petition signatures, urging President Joe Biden to use the Antiquities Act to designate and expand national monuments. (Dominic Gentilcore/Adobe Stock)

NV Tribal Nations push for Bahsahwahbee National Monument

Native American tribes in Nevada are calling for designation of a new national monument within the National Park System in east central Nevada…

New Mexico is the second sunniest state in the nation after Arizona, creating maximum opportunities for solar development. (KristinaBlokhin/AdobeStock)

NM tribal communities benefit from EPA's "Solar For All" program

New federal funding aims to revolutionize solar energy access within New Mexico's Native American communities and benefit the state overall. The …

Nevada has 62,000 Urban Indians, according to the University of Nevada, Reno. (Adobe Stock)

Initiative champions Native voices in Nevada political arena

A Nevada grassroots organization has launched its inaugural endorsement process for the 2024 elections in an effort to champion indigenous voices in t…

Despite making up more than 5% of North Dakota's population, fewer than 2% of state legislators are Native American. Advocates said with more Native candidates running, the gap could soon begin to shrink in the coming years. (Adobe Stock)

ND sees flurry of campaigning among Native candidates

North Dakota's June 11 primary is inching closer and those running for legislative seats are trying to win over voters, including Native American …

Some in Michigan's Native American community say they can relate to the struggles of Palestinians in Gaza. Artist Christina Damianos depicts the idea in her

MI Indigenous group uses art to show solidarity with Palestinians

Some Indigenous groups in Michigan want to draw parallels to their own historic struggles and those of Palestinians in Gaza and they are doing it thro…

For centuries before Europeans arrived in North America, the buffalo not only provided Indigenous societies powerful spiritual support and healing, but also food, clothing, toys, tools, shelter and other necessities of life. (Adobe Stock)

Call for artists to create Wind River Water and Buffalo Alliance logo

The Wind River Water and Buffalo Alliance is looking for a graphic artist to develop a logo. Before Europeans arrived, some 60 million buffalo …

The proposed Ambler industrial mining road would have crossed nearly 3,000 waterways, including the Kobuk and Koyukuk rivers, which are important spawning grounds for the Yukon salmon. (National Wild and Scenic Rivers System)

Biden administration moves to protect Alaska wilderness

Conservation groups are rejoicing over the decision Friday by the Biden administration to reject a proposed mining road in Alaska. The 211-mile …

Native American tribes and support organizations have pursued several lawsuits since the 2020 redistricting cycle, in hopes of securing fair political boundaries. There is also a push to get more tribes to be active when maps are drawn, so legal action will not be necessary. (Adobe Stock)

Tribal advocates keep up legal pressure for fair political maps

Across the U.S., most political boundaries tied to the 2020 Census have been in place for a while, but a national project on map fairness for …

The Bureau of Land Management's newly issued Public Lands Rule is designed to safeguard cultural resources such as New Mexico's Chaco Culture National Park. (Photo courtesy SallyPaez)

BLM's 'Public Lands Rule' could reform conservation, access in NM

Balancing the needs of the many with those who have traditionally reaped benefits from public lands is behind a new rule issued Thursday by the Bureau…

During what is known as the Medicaid post-pandemic

Report: SD Medicaid expansion enrollment remains low

Last year's Medicaid expansion in South Dakota increased eligibility to another 51,000 adults but a new report showed among people across the state wh…

There are more than 1,300 species listed as either endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act, including the piping plover, a shorebird found on sandy beaches in southern Maine. (Adobe Stock)

New Endangered Species Act rules consider climate impact on ME wildlife

Conservationists in Maine said reinstated protections of the Endangered Species Act could help wildlife already struggling to adapt to climate change…

Enbridge owns and operates Line 5, a controversial oil pipeline that crosses tribal lands and runs under a portion of the Great Lakes. (Adobe Stock)

Midwest Tribes to take Line 5 concerns to United Nations forum

Next week, Native American leaders from the Midwest will go before a United Nations panel with their concerns over a controversial oil pipeline they …

Enbridge Energy's longstanding Line 5 oil pipeline has resulted in heavy opposition, including legal challenges, from environmental and tribal organizations in states such as Wisconsin and Michigan. (Photo courtesy Earthjustice)

Tribal interests remain at heart of opposition to Great Lakes oil pipeline

Later this month, Indigenous leaders will speak before a United Nations panel about their ongoing concerns with a controversial oil pipeline in the …

In 2020, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Department of Natural Resources Director Dan Eichenger revoked the 1953 easement allowing Enbridge's Line 5 to operate. (Earthjustice)

Indigenous leaders come to NY to speak about pipeline impacts

Indigenous community leaders will be in New York addressing the United Nations. They'll be speaking at the UN's Permanent Forum on Indigenous …

More than 90% of available land in the Greater Chaco region, former home of Ancestral Puebloan civilizations, is dotted with oil and gas wells, according to WildEarth Guardians. (WildEarthGuardians.org)

Orphaned wells: Environmental, visual pollution for SW Indian Country

Tribal communities, including those in New Mexico, can now apply for grant funding and direct assistance to clean up orphaned oil and gas wells …

Downtown Winnebago is in northeast Nebraska's Thurston County. The Ho-Chunk Village housing development can be seen in the background. (Photo courtesy HCCDC)

Winnebago Tribe's development corp earns top rating, $2 million grant

The Nebraska Winnebago Tribe's Ho-Chunk Community Development Corporation, or HCCDC, has been awarded $2 million through MacKenzie Scott's Yield …

Methane emissions were measured from four dams on the Snake River in southeastern Washington. (davidrh/Adobe Stock)

Report: Lower Snake River dams source of methane emissions

A new report found four dams in the Columbia River Basin are big emitters of methane. Research from the organization Tell The Dam Truth showed the …

Lewiston is at the Washington border where the Snake River enters Idaho. (Nadia/Adobe Stock)

Snake River dams' clean energy claims questioned

A new report found four dams in the Columbia River Basin are big emitters of methane. Research from the organization Tell The Dam Truth showed the …

The Snake River is the largest tributary to the Columbia River. (Sascha Burkard/Adobe Stock)

Carbon emissions found from Columbia River Basin dams

A new report found four dams in the Columbia River Basin are big emitters of methane. Research from the organization Tell The Dam Truth showed the …

The Mario Atencio v. the State of New Mexico lawsuit is the first to focus on a 1971 environmental clause included in the state's constitution. (Austin/Adobe Stock)

NM oil and gas pollution lawsuit gets Santa Fe hearing

A court hearing is scheduled this week in a lawsuit claiming New Mexico is violating residents' rights to a clean and healthy environment by not holdi…

Indigenous people will be discussing tribal identity on and off Montana reservations and learn what it means to be

Indigenous conference to address cultural identity

Billings-based Western Native Voice is holding its annual membership conference in Great Falls starting tomorrow, and members are discussing …

Leaders from the Yurok Tribe and the nonprofit Save the Redwoods walk among native plants planted as part of a revegetation effort at 'O Rew. (Evan-Marie Petit)

Historic agreement to return Redwoods land to Yurok Tribe

Plans to open a new gateway to Redwoods State and National Parks got a big boost Tuesday, paving the way for a key parcel of land to be returned to …

The Puyallup Tribe reservation is located outside of Tacoma. (Derrick/Adobe Stock)

Puyallup Tribe played key role in WA police accountability push

By Frank Hopper for Yes! Magazine.Broadcast version by Eric Tegethoff for Washington News Service reporting for the Yes! Magazine-Public News Service …

Tourism and outdoor recreational are top drivers of New Mexico's economy. (Pew Charitable Trusts)

NM ambassadors travel east to advocate for West's Gila River

New Mexico has one of the nation's last "wild" rivers, free of human-made structures and community representatives will be back in the nation's …

The Quinault Indian Nation has been working on purchasing forest parcesl on their reservation on the Olympic Peninsula for several decades. (Sam Beebe/Flickr)

WA tribe receives funding to return forest lands to tribal stewardship

A Washington state tribe is getting funding to return forest lands to tribal stewardship. The Washington state Legislature has approved $25 million …

The U.S. military opens the Trinity bomb site, 210 miles south of Los Alamos, New Mexico, to the public twice a year. (Nina/Adobe Stock)

NM activist seeking atomic bomb reparations invited to State of the Union

A New Mexico resident will attend President Joe Biden's State of the Union address tonight as legislation is pending to expand the Radiation Exposure …

Following a major earthquake, a 15-meter tsunami disabled the power supply and cooling of three Fukushima Daiichi reactors, causing a nuclear accident in Japan on March 11, 2011. (Freer/Adobe Stock)

Fukushima remembrance event highlights local concerns in Michigan

Bringing together Michigan tribes and environmental advocates, an upcoming event marks a commemoration of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster…

Around 20% of children in San Juan County are uncertain about their next meal, which is double the statewide average, according to Utah Food Bank. (Adobe Stock)

Utah Food Bank opens two pantries on Navajo Nation

Utah Food Bank is expanding in San Juan County, and has announced the opening of two new pantries that will help support residents of the Navajo …

Missouri's Senate Bill 1314, similar to House Bill 2365, prohibits funds from being expended by any state department for interdepartmental programs, staffing or other initiatives associated with

New report reveals high economic risk of anti-DEI laws in Missouri

A new report finds some Missouri laws and prospective laws are perceived as discriminatory regardless of their actual intent - and it outlines some bi…

The Indigenous Peoples Task Force is bringing new baby food to Native populations. Those involved did extensive testing of recipes originally created by Lori Watso, a chef and nurse from the Shakopee Mdewakanton Dakota Community. (Photo courtesy of Jaida Grey Eagle, Arts Midwest)<br /><br />

Indigi-Baby: MN project gets infants off to a wholesome start

By Jay Gabler for Arts Midwest.Broadcast version by Mike Moen for Minnesota News Connection reporting for the Arts Midwest-Public News Service Collabo…

The lands under consideration for the S�tt�tla National Monument in the Medicine Lake Highlands are currently managed by the U.S. Forest Service. (Bob Wick)

Tribes call for new Sáttítla National Monument in northeastern CA

Tribes in far northeastern California are pressing President Joe Biden to create a new national monument about 30 miles from Mount Shasta. The Pit …

Nine in 10 voters across eight Mountain West states including Colorado want oil and gas companies, not federal and state governments, to pay for cleanup and restoration costs. (Adobe Stock)

West's Latino voters want conservation over development on public lands

Voters, including 74% of Republicans, 87% of Independents and 96% of Democrats, would support candidates in elections who prioritize conservation on …

Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge is an internationally recognized wetland and designated Ramsar site. (Adobe Stock)

Calls renewed to protect Ash Meadows wildlife refuge

Nevada conservationists held a webinar to discuss the protection of Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge near the Nevada-California border from propos…

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PNS Daily Newscast: Afternoon Update - July 2, 2024

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Native American/Indigenous

USD threats to fire staff part of larger trend

Black Hills Visitor Center under new joint tribal, federal oversight

NE Santee Sioux Tribe hopeful after years of unusable tap water

New resources available to site CO clean-energy projects, protect wildlife

New federal funds earmarked for SD rural water projects

Clinic on OR reservation drives tribal self-reliance

MT goes live with online tool for Indigenous voters

Native organizations commemorate 100th anniversary of Citizenship Act

Early voting underway for Nevada Primary Election

Mortality rates in rural Arizona have experts concerned

NE Winnebago Tribe apprenticeships prepare students, build workforce

Sioux Falls programs address rising homeless population

During Older Americans Month, experts share ways to stay healthy and fit

Ballot dropbox ban a barrier in SD primary

Public lands groups cheer expansion of two CA national monuments

NV Tribal Nations push for Bahsahwahbee National Monument

NM tribal communities benefit from EPA's "Solar For All" program

Initiative champions Native voices in Nevada political arena

ND sees flurry of campaigning among Native candidates

MI Indigenous group uses art to show solidarity with Palestinians

Call for artists to create Wind River Water and Buffalo Alliance logo

Biden administration moves to protect Alaska wilderness

Tribal advocates keep up legal pressure for fair political maps

BLM's 'Public Lands Rule' could reform conservation, access in NM

Report: SD Medicaid expansion enrollment remains low

New Endangered Species Act rules consider climate impact on ME wildlife

Midwest Tribes to take Line 5 concerns to United Nations forum

Tribal interests remain at heart of opposition to Great Lakes oil pipeline

Indigenous leaders come to NY to speak about pipeline impacts

Orphaned wells: Environmental, visual pollution for SW Indian Country

Winnebago Tribe's development corp earns top rating, $2 million grant

Report: Lower Snake River dams source of methane emissions

Snake River dams' clean energy claims questioned

Carbon emissions found from Columbia River Basin dams

NM oil and gas pollution lawsuit gets Santa Fe hearing

Indigenous conference to address cultural identity

Historic agreement to return Redwoods land to Yurok Tribe

Puyallup Tribe played key role in WA police accountability push

NM ambassadors travel east to advocate for West's Gila River

WA tribe receives funding to return forest lands to tribal stewardship

NM activist seeking atomic bomb reparations invited to State of the Union

Fukushima remembrance event highlights local concerns in Michigan

Utah Food Bank opens two pantries on Navajo Nation

New report reveals high economic risk of anti-DEI laws in Missouri

Indigi-Baby: MN project gets infants off to a wholesome start

Tribes call for new Sáttítla National Monument in northeastern CA

West's Latino voters want conservation over development on public lands

Calls renewed to protect Ash Meadows wildlife refuge