Photojournalism
Gaslit: A Native Nation's Battle in the Oil Fields
The Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation in North Dakota rests above one of the largest proven oil reserves in the United States, making it one of the wealthiest Tribal nations in the country. It’s also home to a massive amount of flaring — the burnoff of natural gas associated with oil production.
But, how much of this valuable resources is being wasted is up for debate. A Howard Center investigation revealed "significant discrepancies between flaring volumes recorded by satellites and the amounts that companies reported to state regulators."
In 2013, the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation, also known as the Three Affiliated Tribes, issued a resolution that denounced the Bureau of Land Managment's handling of flaring on the Fort Berthold Reservation and demanded tribal sovereignty over the regulations on the common practice. The resolution was effectively a paper tiger. BLM says that until regulations are changed at a federal level, there is little they can do to defer to the Tribe's request.
Nonetheless, the Nation continues to push for control over flaring practices on sovereign land, while also seeking alternative uses for the natural gas. This includes a plan to heat green houses with fuel that would otherwise be burned at the well pads. Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation Chairman Mark Fox says he hopes that the green house plan will not only provide a useful outlet for the natural gas, but also move the Tribe toward having food sovereignty.
Nursing on the Road
Travel nurses zigzag the nation taking relatively lucrative, short-term contracts to meet temporary labor needs at medical facilities throughout the nation. These nurses have played a vital role during the pandemic to help at hospitals nearly overrun by COVID-19 cases.
Many travel nurses find short-term rentals while they are on the road working. Others have adopted a small-home philosophy, living out of their their road rigs, which can be anything from an RV to a Sprinter van. Melissa Zuk and David Ryan are two of the thousands of travel nurses whose only home is a road rig.
Little Victims Everywhere
The Howard Center of Investigative Journalism reports: "The federal government is responsible for investigating and prosecuting child sexual abuse in Indian Country. But not until the last decade has it been required to publicly disclose what happens to those cases — disclosures that suggest many are falling through the cracks."
2020 Protests
Hundreds gathered for days of protests outside the Maricopa County Election Department. Demonstrators, some of whom were armed, voiced a myriad of complaints about the presidential election.
Black Lives Matter protesters gather in downtown Portland in July 2020.
Welcome to the Wild Side
Despite environmental threats, North America remains home to an inspiring array of wildlife from muskoxen surviving north of the Arctic Circle to burrowing owls that make their homes along drainage ditches in Southern California.
The Fragile World of Fire and Art
Glass artist Kacey Jones works with Mikey Butzine in Tempe, Ariz., on a Georgia O'Keeffe inspired orchid as a part of her new body of work.
Travel Tales
From Southeast Asia to East Africa there are moments to capture, relish and understanding.