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Colville, Washington Survived the Timber Wars. Now It's Tackling Wildfire

Jake Bullinger

October 23, 2020 |

Bitterroot |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Colville, Washington

A collective of timber companies, conservationists, and forestry professionals has made the adjacent national forest more resilient to wildfires by focusing on small-diameter trees while preserving old growth. In 2019, the Northeast Washington Forest Coalition allowed for the harvesting of 87.1 million board-feet from the forest and 16,561 acres underwent controlled burns and mechanical thinning to mitigate the risk of wildfires. The group’s record of compromise and innovation could offer a blueprint for other areas looking to boost the resilience of fire-prone forests and rural economies.

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With Buffalo, Native Americans are Restoring a Wildlife Economy

Jake Bullinger

September 30, 2020 |

Bitterroot |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Wyoming

Massive herds of bison once roamed the American prairie, powering the "wildlife economy" and making Plains Native American tribes both rich and healthy. Now, indigenous tribes are bringing back what was once a cultural and economic mainstay in the indigenous culture. In doing so, members are able to renew traditional practices such as using bison for meat, making robes, and using parts of the animal in ceremonies. The eradication of bison took place in the 19th century as a tactic to force tribes off their native lands and onto reservations. The return of the animal signifies a step toward healing.

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This Denver Group is Keeping Immigrants' Restaurant Dreams Alive

Jake Bullinger

August 14, 2020 |

Bitterroot |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Denver, Colorado

Comal Heritage Food Incubator trains immigrant and refugee women to start their own businesses in the food industry. Comal offers coaching, financial support, and connections to social services. It also pays trainees, which has been vital to endure the food industry shutdowns during the Covid-19 pandemic. The group also ensures members have food, rent assistance, school supplies, or diapers for their children. They partner with the Denver Metro Emergency Food Network, delivering about 290,000 meals since the pandemic began. The model is working in other cities, including Seattle and San Francisco.

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AI & Big Data Will Lead to Better Conservation

Jake Bullinger

August 07, 2020 |

Bitterroot |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

Naturalists are using technology like smartphone cameras and artificial intelligence to better track animal and plant conservation efforts across the United States. The online platform eButterfly allows users to share photos of butterflies that can inform scientists about how certain species’ ranges are shifting. Colorado Parks and Wildlife use a version of AI to identify and count species photographed by camera traps. While, AI could allow scientists to sort through more images and map out more complex ecological relationships, machine-learning algorithms take time to set up and large datasets to train.

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How Big Tech is Reshaping the Power Grid

Jake Bullinger

May 22, 2020 |

Bitterroot |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Los Lunas, New Mexico

As part of a deal with Facebook to build a data center in New Mexico, an electric utility is investing in renewable energy to power the center. Through power purchase agreements, which are contracts to buy renewable energy, the social media company is accelerating the state’s transition away from fossil fuels. These contracts often come with large tax breaks for companies, but Facebook will help finance $800 million worth of wind and solar installations that can generate 396 megawatts of power. These agreements can also be implemented in other states who are hardest-hit by the decline of coal consumption.

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Can Michelle Lujan Grisham Save New Mexico?

Jake Bullinger

April 17, 2020 |

Bitterroot |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, New Mexico

New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham was quick to start implementing measures to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus, prior to the state reporting any cases. Although it's yet to be seen what the long term impact will be, her use of "utilizing post-9/11 emergency authorizations to stem the pandemic in the absence of federal directives" such as issuing a stay-at-home order and waiving red tape that prevented people from accessing unemployment benefits and food stamps, have so far received recognition as possibly slowing the spread.

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A Street Medicine Expert on Keeping Homeless People Safe From COVID-19

Jake Bullinger

March 24, 2020 |

Bitterroot |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Los Angeles, California

Street medicine is used across the United States to bring health care access to those experiencing homelessness, but this model of care has had to adapt to better address living in times of coronavirus. For the Street Medicine program at the University of Southern California, this means prioritizing disaster preparedness, crisis mitigation, and containment instead of trust-building outreach, while also limiting the size of medical teams that come in contact with patients.

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Montana's Grand Prairie Experiment

Jake Bullinger

February 21, 2020 |

Bitterroot |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Malta, Montana

According to the WWF, 69 percent of the Northern Great Plains remains untilled, providing great opportunity for making sure that land remains untouched. Two conservation organizations, the Nature Conservancy and the American Prairie Reserve, are butting heads as they both try to preserve the land, albeit via different means. Although they both face opposition for their methods, this article lays out exactly how both have already managed to make great strides in conserving the land and increasing biodiversity.

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Mountain Towns Face Big-City Traffic. Maybe It's Time for Big-City Transit.

Jake Bullinger

January 31, 2020 |

Bitterroot |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Park City, Utah

With rural areas and mountain towns increasingly facing traffic issues during peak outdoor season or other temporary population growth periods, some have modeled responses after urban transit plans. Park City, the host of the Sundance Film Festival offers free buses throughout the weekend to cut back on commuter traffic; other towns have planned shuttle services between towns and dedicated e-bike routes to reduce car usage in their communities.

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This Montana Group Has Adventurers Working for Scientists

Jake Bullinger

January 10, 2020 |

Bitterroot |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Bozeman, Montana

Outdoor enthusiasts make effective citizen scientists. In Montana, Adventure Scientists pairs outdoor adventure-seekers with scientists looking to collect data in remote locations. The volunteers gather data that inform US Forest Service and other conservation studies. The project has led to research collection by volunteers worldwide.

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