Institute for Journalism and Natural Resources

Beyond yellowstone: 2023 sej post-conference tourthe sej post-conference tour, conducted april 23-26 in Idaho, took 15 sej conference-goers to the doorstep of america's iconic national park - yellowstone - and worked its way across the high divide. Along the way, journalists met with people who live and work on this landscape and saw first-hand how they're addressing a number of issues across the region. Topics covered included biodiversity, climate change, landscape-scale conservation, public and private land use, energy production, and a boom in outdoor recreation.lake superior instituteijnr held a five-day, six-night Institute for 15 journalists, june 11-16, that traveled along Minnesota's north shore of lake superior and explored how we use, manage, and conserve this incomparable freshwater resource. Journalists also learned about the national - and even global - stories of energy production, indigenous rights, climate change and freshwater fisheries the massive lake encompasses. Participating journalists heard from scientists, resource managers, tribal and first nation leaders, local officials and industry representatives as they developed a better understanding of both the current state of the great lakes and the history of resource use in the region, and left better prepared to write about freshwater systems across the country.klamath river institutewith the removal of four dams along the klamath river, a new chapter for this historically rich river system begins. Indigenous peoples have relied on the river for water and sustenance for millennia. But more recently, its waters have been divided and subdivided in attempts to support large-scale agriculture, generate hydroelectric power, and sustain varied ecosystems. Now, between human engineering and relentless drought, the klamath river barely resembles what it once was. Literally no one - tribes, farmers, ranchers, fish, or wildlife - gets what they need. Ijnr conducted a six-day, seven-night Institute september 16-22 for 13 journalists that explored the klamath river basin from its headwaters in southern Oregon to its mouth in northern California, and investigated how removal of four dams will impact indigenous rights and sovereignty, hydrology, food systems, agriculture practices, river ecosystems, fisheries, wildlife migrations, the energy system, and more.traditional ecological knowledgea virtual workshop for journalistsfor millennia, the indigenous peoples of this continent have been building complex knowledge systems about their relationship with the world around them. Until recently, these ways of knowing - often referred to as "traditional ecological knowledge or tek - were largely ignored by western science. Now, indigenous communities are joining federal, state, academic and non-profit organizations and agencies in conversations about how humanity stewards its Resources, shapes its lands and waters and responds to the climate crisis. Ijnr conducted a two-day virtual workshop november 13-14 that helped 26 journalists better understand how tribes and first nations are joining discussions over environmental policy and resource management - and the challenges and opportunities tek brings to conservation and restoration efforts. Journalists learned about such topics as treaty rights on traditional territories, prescribed burning and cultural fire, fish and wildlife conservation, climate resilience, and capacity building for indigenous stewardship of lands and waters.wildfire policy, politics and science: a virtual workshop for journalistsas wildfire seasons start earlier, last longer and cause more damage than ever before, state and federal officials struggle to keep up. A changing climate keeps moving the target as decision makers strive to provide Resources for beleaguered firefighters, define risk, prepare homeowners for the inevitable and seek solutions - all while bigger, hotter fires keep coming.ijnr conducted a two-day virtual workshop december 5-6 to help 25 journalists better understand and cover the science and policy surrounding the shifting fire landscape. Reporters heard from expert speakers, including indigenous fire practitioners, policy-makers, academics, and fire managers about such topics as climate change and shifting fire regimes, community preparedness and resilience, insurance, updates in federal fire policy and funding, wildland firefighter well-being, prescribed burning and collaborative management, and equity and impacts of wildfire.field reporting grantsijnr's field reporting grants are intended to support on-the-ground reporting projects by individual journalists, and cover expenses such as travel, lodging, research, and some compensation. Specific grant categories include environmental justice and indigenous communities, as well as several grants named after ijnr board members or past associates, focused on marine issues, wildlife conservation, early-career journalists, and other topics. In 2023 ijnr awarded grants to nine individuals, and project topics ranged widely: endangered whales, bison restoration, water shortages, desert floods, air quality, wildfire impacts, polar bears, wood pellets, and the outdoor economy.