Our Living Lands

Nika Bartoo-Smith covers Indigenous communities in the Pacific Northwest for Underscore News and ICT. Our Living Lands Producer Daniel Spaulding spoke with Bartoo-Smith about her work and the impact of climate change on tribes in the region.

Mesa Verde National Park in Southwestern Colorado is increasingly featuring the voices of Indigenous descendants from the area. Colorado Public Radio’s Elaine Tassy has more.

This story originally aired on June 16, 2025

Climate change is putting snow sports like skiing at risk. For Indigenous skiers, that adds to a long history of exclusion from the sport. In this encore episode, Our Living Lands Producer Daniel Spaulding spoke to Ellen Bradley,  a Lingít skier and the director of the film "Let My People Go Skiing," about access to snow sports for Alaska Native youth and what skiing means to Indigenous people.

Cheyenne McNeil is a Coharie journalist in Brooklyn. McNeil spoke to Our Living Lands Producer Daniel Spaulding about Coharie land and water in North Carolina.

Jeanette DeDios is Jicarilla Apache and Diné and reports for KUNM radio in Albuquerque. Our Living Lands Producer Daniel Spaulding spoke to DeDios about issues facing Indigenous communities in New Mexico.

This story originally aired on September 1, 2025

A group of young Indigenous men spent a week on the Wind River Reservation for a photo camp with National Geographic. In this encore episode, Our Living Lands Producer Daniel Spaulding spoke to Wyoming Public Radio’s Hannah Habermann about the student photographers' showcase.

In southern Oklahoma, the Chickasaw Nation is planting trees to combat climate change. The project is also ensuring that Chickasaw culture gets passed down to the next generation.

Researchers from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa are using Okinawan songs to learn about climate and geology. Justin Higa is a postdoctoral fellow and a traditional music practitioner. Our Living Lands Producer Daniel Spaulding spoke to Higa about the connections between climate, music and culture.

Across the country, Indigenous communities are facing increasing levels of food insecurity. In response, tribes are stepping up their food sovereignty efforts. Wyoming Public Radio’s Hannah Habermann takes us behind the scenes of food distribution day on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming.

The Washoe people believe the Tahoe Basin, which spans parts of Nevada and California, is where life began. Although it is the spiritual center of their world, they now have limited access to its shores. A grassroots nonprofit aims to change that, healing both land and people. KUNR’s Kat Fulwider reports.