Our Living Lands

Indigenous musicians are using heavy metal to express their feelings about climate change and colonialism. Our Living Lands Producer Daniel Spaulding spoke with Grist reporter Taylar Stagner about some of the music that embodies that connection.

In Florida, the Everglades are under growing threat from climate change. Cheyenne Kippenberger, a member of the Seminole Tribe of Florida, spoke to Our Living Lands Producer Daniel Spaulding about the impact storms and rising tides are having on her homelands. 

In Florida, the Everglades are under growing threat from climate change. Cheyenne Kippenberger, a member of the Seminole Tribe of Florida, spoke to Our Living Lands Producer Daniel Spaulding about the impact storms and rising tides are having on her homelands.

Climate change is causing more floods across the globe. In Oklahoma, that flooding has an outsized impact on Indigenous communities.

This story originally ran on Dec. 23, 2024 and was re-aired on Feb. 17, 2025.

After the devastating fires in Los Angeles, hundreds of pets were displaced. It adds to an ongoing issue around the country, including on Indigenous lands. In this encore conversation, the Mountain West News Bureau’s Hanna Merzbach spoke with Grist reporter Taylar Stagner about how climate change has made wildfires a year-round concern for people -- and dogs – on reservations.

Invasive species are increasingly affecting tribal lands, and climate change is making it worse. The Mountain West News Bureau's Rachel Cohen spoke with Mitzi Reed, an enrolled citizen of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians who also leads the Native American Fish and Wildlife Society’s invasive species program, about how she works with tribes on invasive species challenges — from freshwater mussels to plants like water primrose.

Bill Tripp, the Karuk Tribal Natural Resources Director, is a leading proponent of cultural fire. Tripp has been conducting cultural burns on Karuk ancestral territory and training the next generation of fire practitioners, while also supporting key research on cultural fire.

In the final part of our series on Indigenous-led fire, Our Living Lands producer Daniel Spaulding chatted with the Mountain West News Bureau’s Murphy Woodhouse about his reporting on Karuk cultural burning.

The Karuk Tribe has a centuries-long tradition of burning their land to keep it healthy. These practices are the inspiration for regular prescribed fire training on their ancestral territory. In the second part of our series on Indigenous-led fire, the Mountain West News Bureau’s Murphy Woodhouse reports on the Karuk’s work to chart a path back to a more sustainable relationship with fire amid the wildfire crisis.

The devastation in and around Los Angeles is a reminder that extreme wildfires burn year-round. Climate change has made the situation more dire. That’s why the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California is working to reintroduce intentional, cultural fire meant to restore forest health - and reduce explosive fires. In this first installment of a three-part series on Indigenous fire, the Mountain West News Bureau’s Kaleb Roedel has more.

Rising seas are forcing Indigenous communities to move. Rising temperatures are causing drought and loss of traditional foods. Michael Charles, a Navajo professor at Cornell University, is trying to quantify the impact of climate change on Indigenous life in North America. Our Living Lands producer Daniel Spaulding spoke to Charles about his work.