The island of Hawaiʻi—the largest and the southeasternmost of the Hawaiian Islands—is home to a diverse range of cultures, species, ecosystems, climate zones, and shorelines. Its coastline is surprisingly long, comprising more than a third of the state’s total coastline. In fact, only eight states in the nation have coastlines longer than that of Hawaiʻi Island.
"Start with the rising sun and work toward the setting sun, but take only the mature trees, the sick trees, and the trees that have fallen. When you reach the end of the reservation, turn and cut from the setting sun to the rising sun and the trees will last forever."
—Attributed to Chief Oshkosh, Menominee Nation
Across rural landscapes of the Northern Great Plains, evidence of the beef cattle industry is everywhere: tall grain elevators and bins that store feed products dominate many small towns, and it’s very common to see beef cattle grazing in pastures or gathering around automated feeders in animal feeding operations. Indeed, in Nebraska—long known as “the beef state”—the Nebraska Beef Council asserts that beef production is “the state’s single largest industry and the engine that powers the state’s economy.”
“For thousands of years, the Puyallup River and coasts of the Puget Sound have sustained our way of life by giving us the salmon, shellfish, wild game, roots, berries, and cedar trees that are the foundation of our culture, traditions, and heritage. In spite of the many challenges we have faced, our spirits remain tied to this land.”
—Bill Sterud, Puyallup Tribal Council Chairman
If you live in or visit Nevada, thank the generations of water planners who made it possible to turn on the lights or drink water from a tap. Then give thought to the new realities their modern counterparts must address: water demand is outpacing supply, and the problem is likely to worsen if the imbalance isn't addressed.
Over the past 40 years, some lobstermen in South Thomaston, Maine, say that they could "set their watches” by the start of the lobster shedding event each season. In 2012, though, extreme warm ocean temperatures—an ocean heat wave—combined with early and repeated lobster shedding. The obvious changes in lobsters during this event galvanized many lobstermen to take the impacts of climate change seriously.
For millennia, the Suquamish Tribe has depended on fish, shellfish, game, and plants supplied by a variety of ecosystems in Puget Sound. The fruits of these Pacific Northwest ecosystems provide for the Tribe's economic, nutritional, and cultural needs. Knowledge of these ecosystems enabled the Tribe to overcome various challenges through two centuries of conflict and cooperation with European traders, American settlers, and modern developers.
Terry Williams is blunt when he describes the environmental crisis tribes in the Pacific Northwest are facing: "We’ve lost 90 percent of the salmon population."
As the Tulalip Tribe’s Fisheries and Natural Resources Commissioner, Williams has witnessed the decline of salmon and its impacts on tribal members. For the Tulalip and other tribes in the region, the population crash of salmon is much more than an assault on their economic lifeblood—it is a cultural and spiritual threat to their identity as a people.
As the number of ice-free days in the seas surrounding Alaska increases over time, so do opportunities. Oil and gas companies are ramping up offshore exploration and drilling in the Arctic and the shipping industry is increasing traffic around and through the region. As a result, Arctic residents may have new opportunities for jobs and development across the region.