While she was an environmental reporter, contributing stories to OPB, Ashley Ahearn was based in Seattle. She also had a podcast called Terrestrial. A couple of years ago, she uprooted her life, moved east and became part of a small rural community in Washington’s Methow Valley. She’s continued to report on environmental issues, including climate change, contributing to the local newspaper and public radio outlets, as part of a year-long rural reporting fellowship funded by Ecotrust. That organization provide financial support to the Methow Valley News, but had no control over the selection or content of the stories covered.