Navajo Nation

Influential Navajo filmmaker Bennie Klain has died. He was a documentarian whose numerous films focused on the intersection of modern and traditional Indigenous culture. KNAU’s Ryan Heinsius has this remembrance.

Indigenous nations are at the frontlines of climate change, but they’re also leaders in how to adapt to changing weather conditions and transition to renewable energy. That’s the conclusion of a new report published by the Institute of Tribal Environmental Professionals at Northern Arizona University. KNAU’s Melissa Sevigny spoke with two of the report’s authors, Nikki Cooley and Kelsey Morales.

Navajo Nation leaders and federal officials recently toured an abandoned uranium mine on the reservation. The trip highlighted the continued threats posed by radioactive pollution and the massive cleanup effort required to remediate hundreds of such mines. KNAU’s Ryan Heinsius reports.

A coalition of tribes and environmental groups are urging the federal government to overhaul how it regulates mining in the West and Alaska. They say current rules disproportionately impact Indigenous people and harm the environment. KNAU’s Ryan Heinsius reports.