A Quick Update from the Reporting Trail
Editor's Note: Independent reporting often unfolds long before a story is published. I wanted to share a brief update on what Wild Narrative Project has been working on—and what's coming next.
Hi all —
It’s been a quieter stretch than usual here at Wild Narrative Project, and I wanted to share a brief update on what’s been happening behind the scenes.
Much of the last few months has gone into records requests, research, and field reporting tied to several ongoing investigations. That work doesn’t always show up immediately in the publication feed, but it has been steady—and increasingly revealing.
Earlier this spring, Wild Narrative Project was awarded a seed grant from the Fund for Investigative Journalism to support reporting in Nevada. Earlier this month, I returned from several days of field reporting in Jakes Wash, where I documented water infrastructure, grazing conditions, and landscape conditions tied to ongoing reporting on drought response, public lands management, and federal wild horse policy.
That reporting is still underway, and I’m currently working through field notes, photographs, agency records, and monitoring documents gathered before and during the trip.
As an important side note, my colleague Monica Ross, a professional wild horse gather observer and documentarian, continues to provide her time, truck, and true passion for Nevada public lands so that WNP can protect the spine of this investigation. Her expertise on the millions of acres across the Great Basin is invaluable.
In the meantime, we recently published a closer look at the Bureau of Land Management’s proposed national grazing rule and the accountability questions it raises for public lands management going forward.
Also on the reporting calendar:
the U.S. Forest Service proposal that could reduce opportunities for public participation in environmental review
wild horse roundup operations— in both planning and operation stages across western states
ongoing reporting on wolves and wildlife management in Northern California
continued investigation into how public lands decisions are documented, measured, and evaluated across the West
Thank you for reading, sharing, and supporting this work. Independent reporting takes time, especially when the story begins in agency records and continues out on the landscape—but that connection between policy and place remains at the heart of what Wild Narrative Project is here to do.
More soon.
— Jen