Green & indigenous News

https://youtu.be/lVFrUayoglA

The ICT Newscast for Friday, January 30, 2026, covers continued coverage of ICE in Minnesota. Check out the ICT Newscast on YouTube for this episode and more.

• An echo of history for ICT’s Stewart Huntington as he reports on Minneapolis protests against ICE.
• Dakota historian Kate Beane gives a personal historical account of Fort Snelling and a concentration camp that once housed her ancestors.
• “Mercy” is now in theaters and Indigenous actor Kali Reis gives us a sneak peek into her meaty character.
• Tribes across the country are embracing technology and AI in unique ways.
• From Wisconsin PBS,  Hunter Vanzile, Forest County Potawatomi citizen, takes the wheel in competitive racing.
• High fashion meets traditional values at the Hocokata Ti cultural center.

View previous ICT broadcasts here every week for the latest news from around Indian Country.

The post ICT NEWSCAST: The Minneapolis urban Indian community unites against ICE, a history lesson at the Fort Snelling concentration camp and more appeared first on ICT.

From ICT via This RSS Feed.

Across large parts of northern Tanzania, gully erosion—soil erosion caused by flowing water—is cutting deep scars through fertile farmland, grazing areas, roads and even villages. These gullies grow faster every year and what was once a slow environmental process has accelerated into a humanitarian threat. It has serious consequences for food and livelihood security, infrastructure and biodiversity.

From Biology News - Evolution, Cell theory, Gene theory, Microbiology, Biotechnology via This RSS Feed.

Invasive species, pathogens, and parasites can have serious ecological consequences for aquatic ecosystems and also put human health and economies at risk. Early detection of these biological threats is vital for mitigating their impact. A new low-cost autonomous robot expands access to MBARI's engineering innovation, providing resource managers, decision-makers, and communities a tool for monitoring aquatic environments and mitigating the ecological and economic impacts of biological threats.

From Biology News - Evolution, Cell theory, Gene theory, Microbiology, Biotechnology via This RSS Feed.

Ilana Newman
The Daily Yonder

Brandon Small’s pickup squeezes down a narrow dirt road lined with trees and bushes as we drive down the hillside towards the buffalo. We’re on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation in southeastern Montana, a landscape full of yellow grasses and hillsides lined with small pine trees. Small runs the buffalo restoration program here on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation.

Here on the reservation, where food and energy sovereignty are inextricably linked, a new solar installation is helping the tribe become more self-sufficient.

Brandon Small drives across the Northern Cheyenne buffalo pasture near Lame Deer, Montana to fix some water troughs for the animals. He points out where buffalo look like tiny specks on the horizon. Photo by Ilana Newman/Daily Yonder.

The buffalo pasture we’re traversing is huge—15,244 acres, to be exact—and Small said they’re working on expanding even further. Small drove us out here from nearby Lame Deer, Montana, to check on the water infrastructure and give us a tour of the buffalo habitat and the brand new solar installation that will allow them to grow their buffalo operation.

The buffalo enclosure has no transmission lines crossing it, meaning there’s no way to get electricity out to the land unless the electricity is completely off the grid.

Last year, in partnership with Indigenized Energy, a native led nonprofit focused on energy sovereignty, the Northern Cheyenne buffalo program received a solar array that will allow Small to expand the herd and processing capacity of the facility. The 36kW solar array and 57.6kW battery was funded by the Honnold Foundation and Empowered By Light and constructed by Freedom Forever and Jinko Solar in collaboration with Indigenized Energy.

This 36 kW solar and 57.6 kW battery system was installed in 2025 by Freedom Forever in collaboration with Indigenized Energy with donations from Jinko Solar. It was funded by the Honnold Foundation. Photo by Ilana Newman/Daily Yonder.

Cody Two Bears, the founder of Indigenized Energy, sees energy sovereignty as inextricable from food sovereignty. “ We need energy sovereignty to flourish because that’s what’s gonna support all the other initiatives that are so important to tribal people moving forward,” Two Bears said in a Daily Yonder interview.

Tribal nations are supposed to be sovereign nations, self governing and independent from the United States government. But many factors, like broken treaties and stolen traditional homelands, have forced tribal communities into continued reliance on federal subsidies, impeding full sovereignty. But sovereignty is still the goal for every tribal nation. And asserting independence around how they manage their food, health, and energy are some main ways indigenous communities are reclaiming sovereignty.

The Importance of Buffalo

Buffalo are the keystone species of the northern plains, an animal who shape the prairie ecosystem, but they’ve been nearly extinct for a century. Now, tribes and researchers are proving that buffalo are the key to healthier ecosystems and food sovereignty for northern plains tribes like the Northern Cheyenne.

“Having bison on the landscape, especially at really large scales, is likely to increase sort of diversity of vegetation, conditions, and habitat and likely to increase biodiversity,” said Andy Boyce-Pero, a Great Plains researcher for the Smithsonian Institute.

Brandon Small wades through a buffalo water trough that he just performed maintenance on while he takes us on a tour of the Northern Cheyenne buffalo habitat. Photos by Ilana Newman/Daily Yonder.

Before Small started running the buffalo restoration program, he worked at the Rosebud Mine, a coal mine in Colstrip, Montana. The buffalo program has existed since the tribe was given a herd of buffalo in the 1970s, but those buffalo were left relatively unmanaged until Small got involved and created a new management plan.

When Covid-19 hit, Small started to think about how he could help. He saw the currently unmanaged buffalo—who were in the habit of breaking through their fences onto the highway—as a resource the tribe was neglecting, and an important piece of their journey towards self-sufficiency.

He started spending time out with the buffalo, fixing fences and supplying food, while he petitioned tribal council with a management plan for a buffalo program. “I spent a lot of time out there on my own, out of my own pocket,” said Small as we drove on a ridge overlooking the buffalo enclosure.

Brandon Small wades through a buffalo water trough that he just performed maintenance on while he takes us on a tour of the Northern Cheyenne buffalo habitat. Photos by Ilana Newman/Daily Yonder.

It’s obvious how much Small cares about the animals that we eventually find, munching on grass on either side—and in the middle of—the dirt road we are slowly driving along.

Small’s five year goal was to form a “tribal buffalo program that was self-sufficient, where I didn’t need any money from the tribe or federal government,” he said.

He said they’re currently on track with that goal, but it’s not cheap to take care of a herd of more than 300 buffalo. “This year we’re spending 32,000 [dollars] on hay alone,” said Small.

The solar array also brings the buffalo program closer to self-sufficiency. It currently powers a small bunkhouse with a mini split that, during our September visit, provided welcome relief from the hot sun, Starlink internet, and a freezer that holds processed bison meat. It also powers electric fences and gates to keep out intruders. Small said that they have had issues with poaching in the past.

The solar array allows for electricity and internet access on the remote landscape of the buffalo habitat which helps with processing the animals and allows for operations to grow over time. Photo by Ilana Newman/Daily Yonder.

In December 2025, the Northern Cheyenne buffalo solar array was named one of Solar Builder Magazine’s projects of the year, highlighting the remote location of the project and how it builds capacity and sustainability for the tribe’s buffalo program.

Eventually, Small wants to have a small processing facility onsite. The solar array was built to be expandable to grow with the program.

The buffalo are both a source of food and economic development for the tribe. In November 2025, Small and the buffalo program handed out 5,414 pounds of buffalo meat. But they also sell the animals to other buffalo ranchers. The first year, Small said they sold 103 animals for around $126,000 to a rancher in South Dakota.

The processed buffalo meat sits in a freezer that would be impossible without the solar array. Small and the buffalo restoration program donate the processed meat to the tribe in regular giveaways. Photo by Ilana Newman/Daily Yonder.

There is a fine line between running a successful business and providing for the community, said Small. “We wanted to do it in such a way that we could still get meat processed and donated out to the communities, but still have enough money to keep our operation going and keep growing and expanding.”

This solar array, as well as the buffalo program overall, helps the Northern Cheyenne tribe become more sovereign and self-sufficient in every way. “Energy policy is really health policy because of what energy extraction has continuously done to our water, our air, our land, and our animals,” said Two Bears.

The post The Northern Cheyenne Tribe reclaims sovereignty through solar energy and buffalo restoration appeared first on ICT.

From ICT via This RSS Feed.

Turning on the light to turn off pain: This is the principle behind a new analgesic method called light-induced analgesia (LIA), discovered by scientists from the CNRS1 in rodents. Noninvasive and drug-free, LIA proves to be more effective and longer-lasting than commonly used analgesics such as ibuprofen. The study was published in Nature Communications on 26 January 2026.

From Biology News - Evolution, Cell theory, Gene theory, Microbiology, Biotechnology via This RSS Feed.

A new University of Oxford study finds that almost half of the global population (3.79 billion) will be living with extreme heat by 2050 if the world reaches 2.0°C of global warming above pre-industrial levels—a scenario that climate scientists see as increasingly likely.

From Earth News - Earth Science News, Earth Science, Climate Change via This RSS Feed.

Cold spray whipped off the ropes as a diesel engine throbbed in the background. One by one, empty shellfish pots came over the side of the fishing boat, occasionally containing the remnants of crab and lobster claws and carapaces. Something strange was going on.

From Biology News - Evolution, Cell theory, Gene theory, Microbiology, Biotechnology via This RSS Feed.

An upside-down jellyfish drifts in a shallow lagoon, rhythmically contracting its translucent bell. By night that beat drops from roughly 36 pulses a minute to nearer 30, and the animal slips into a state that, despite its lack of a brain, resembles sleep.

From Biology News - Evolution, Cell theory, Gene theory, Microbiology, Biotechnology via This RSS Feed.

Blood tests are useful tools for doctors and scientific researchers: they can reveal a lot about a body's health. Usually, a blood sample is taken to get a picture of the large molecules that are present, such as cholesterols, lipids and proteins. This is called a metabolic profile.

From Biology News - Evolution, Cell theory, Gene theory, Microbiology, Biotechnology via This RSS Feed.

Desertification is accelerating under climate change, threatening biodiversity, food security, and human well-being across the Mediterranean Basin, southern Europe, and the Middle East. Water scarcity and land degradation reduce carbon sequestration, increase soil erosion, and undermine rural livelihoods, pushing many dryland ecosystems into long-term decline.

From Biology News - Evolution, Cell theory, Gene theory, Microbiology, Biotechnology via This RSS Feed.

Aging muscles heal more slowly after injury—a frustrating reality familiar to many older adults. A UCLA study conducted in mice reveals an unexpected cause: Stem cells in aged muscle accumulate higher levels of a protein that slows their ability to activate and repair tissue, but helps the cells survive longer in the harsh environment of aging tissue.

From Biology News - Evolution, Cell theory, Gene theory, Microbiology, Biotechnology via This RSS Feed.

Mary Annette Pember
ICT

The remains of a man found in Pinal County, Arizona, have been identified through DNA testing as 35-year-old Glenn Thomas Tate Jr., who disappeared in 2020.

Tate, a citizen of the Gila River Indian Community and a descendant of the White Mountain Apache Tribe, was last seen on July 22, 2020, in Sacaton, Arizona, where he was seeking medical treatment at a facility on the Gila River Reservation.

His skeletal remains were found in 2024 in a desert area a few miles from Sacaton. His family could not be reached for comment.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs Missing and Murdered Unit and the Pinal County Medical Examiner’s Office teamed with the Texas-based Othram company to use DNA testing to positively identify the remains.

Othram, which works with the BIA as part of its Operation Spirit Return, announced the findings this month.

Scientists at Othram developed a DNA extract from Tate’s remains and then used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing, known as FGGS, to build a comprehensive profile.

Othram’s in-house forensic genetic genealogy team used the profile to develop investigative leads that were turned over to law enforcement.

“FGGS allows us to create a highly detailed DNA profile even from old, degraded or tiny evidence,” David Mittleman, CEO of Othram, told ICT in a previous interview about its work with the BIA.

Othram began working with the BIA Missing and Murdered Unit in 2022 as part of Operation Spirit Return, which was launched by the BIA Office of Justice Services and handled by the Missing and Murdered Unit,

Operation Spirit Return seeks to identify unknown human remains that have been located within or close to Indian Country and that are believed to belong to either American Indian or Alaska Native persons.

The identification of Tate represents the 15th case in Arizona where officials have publicly identified an individual using technology developed by Othram, according to a statement released by the company.

Based on forensic evidence found with Tate’s then-unidentified remains in 2024, the Pinal County Medical Examiner was unable to determine a cause of death.
The investigation is being handled by the BIA’s Missing and Murdered Unit, which did not reply to ICT’s email regarding the status of the case.

The post DNA tests identify remains of missing Gila River man appeared first on ICT.

From ICT via This RSS Feed.

  Today Christ Jacob Belseran received the Oktovianus Pogau Award for courage in journalism from Pantau Foundation. The citation is usually reserved for reporters who continue their work despite adversity and, at times, direct threats. Belseran is a contributor to Mongabay Indonesia and the editor and founder of Titastory, a local outlet he established in Ambon in 2020. His reporting has tracked how mining, land claims, and state decisions land on the lives of Indigenous communities across the Maluku islands and North Maluku— where forests underpin livelihoods and culture. Pantau credited him with explaining how large companies seize land, degrade forests, and pollute coastal waters, and with covering protests and community aspirations that some would prefer remain unrecorded. In Pantau’s telling, the work is not performed from a safe distance. Belseran travels by boat and on foot, sleeping where he can—sometimes in village houses, sometimes alongside the communities he is covering. He has described it, with a characteristic understatement, as “nomadic journalism.” In practice, it involves carrying a machete to clear paths, foraging for food, setting small fires to keep biting insects at bay, and sleeping on makeshift beds of branches. The greater dangers, as he notes, come from people. Pantau recounts an episode in East Halmahera in which police tried to prevent him from filming a meeting between an Indigenous community and local officials. The community responded by threatening to walk out if the journalist was expelled. For Belseran, it was a practical lesson about the role a reporter…This article was originally published on Mongabay

From Conservation news via This RSS Feed.

University campuses are often places of learning and discovery, but rarely do researchers find a new species living right on their doorstep. However, that is exactly what happened when a research team from Kyushu University discovered a new species of ladybird beetle, Parastethorus pinicola, on a pine tree at Kyushu University's Hakozaki Satellite.

From Biology News - Evolution, Cell theory, Gene theory, Microbiology, Biotechnology via This RSS Feed.

Agricultural waste that is usually burned or left to rot could play a far bigger role in tackling climate change if it were instead used in long-lasting building materials, according to new research from the University of East London (UEL).

From Earth News - Earth Science News, Earth Science, Climate Change via This RSS Feed.

Southern Africa is world renowned for its fossil record of creatures that lived in the very distant past, including dinosaurs. But, about 182 million years ago, a huge eruption of lava covered much of the landscape (the inland Karoo Basin) where most of the dinosaurs roamed. After that, the dinosaur fossil record in the region goes abruptly quiet for the Jurassic Period (which lasted from 201 million to 145 million years ago).

From Biology News - Evolution, Cell theory, Gene theory, Microbiology, Biotechnology via This RSS Feed.

Ashwagandha is a small shrub that's having a big moment. Used in traditional Indian medicine for thousands of years, ashwagandha is now one of the most popular herbal supplements in the U.S. because of its professed benefits for sleep and stress. In the U.S. alone, ashwagandha was the third-most purchased herbal supplement, with sales totaling $144 million in 2024, according to the American Botanical Council. It's also one of the precious few medicinal herbs that has received the National Institutes of Health's stamp of approval.

From Biology News - Evolution, Cell theory, Gene theory, Microbiology, Biotechnology via This RSS Feed.

DNA can be thought of as a vast library that stores all genetic information. Cells do not use this information all at once. Instead, they copy only the necessary parts into RNA, which is then used to produce proteins—the essential building blocks of life. This copying process is called transcription, and it is carried out by a molecule known as RNA polymerase II.

From Biology News - Evolution, Cell theory, Gene theory, Microbiology, Biotechnology via This RSS Feed.

New Hampshire Republicans are attempting to do away with a 50-year-old property tax exemption for households and businesses with solar, contending that the policy forces residents without the clean energy systems to unwittingly subsidize those who have them. Supporters of the exemption, however, say this argument is misleading, insulting, and at odds with New Hampshire’s tradition of letting communities shape their own local governments.

The focus of the debate is a bill proposed in the New Hampshire House this month by Republican Representative Len Turcotte and several co-sponsors in his party. The measure would repeal a law, established in 1975, that authorizes cities and towns to exempt owners of solar-equipped buildings from paying taxes on whatever value their solar systems add to their property. As of 2024, 153 of the state’s municipalities — roughly two-thirds — had adopted the exemption, one of the only incentives offered in support of residential solar power in the state.

The exemption means that homeowners without solar must pay more property tax to make up for the money not being collected from the ​“extreme minority” who have solar panels, Turcotte said while presenting his legislation at a hearing of the House Science, Technology, and Energy Committee last week. This ​“redistribution” of the tax burden is unfair, he said.

The solar property tax exemption is a fairly common policy: Nationally, 36 states offer some version of it. While legislators in many states have targeted pro-solar policies like net metering, property tax exemptions have so far avoided similar attacks. New Hampshire, therefore, could end up as a proving ground for whether this approach can find traction.

Read Next

Illinois families are going electric — for free

Kari Lydersen

New Hampshire does not have a sales tax or an income tax and leans heavily on local property taxes for revenue; its rates are among the highest in the country. That makes changes to property tax policy a particularly sensitive subject. The solar exemption bill has Republicans, who are typically tax averse, walking a fine line between championing what they say is fairness for all and pushing a policy that will inevitably raise taxes for some.

The state authorizes 15 other property tax exemptions — including for elderly residents, veterans, and those with disabilities — but Turcotte’s bill targets only the one for solar.

The exemption is a ​“local option” policy, meaning cities and towns must opt in through a vote in each municipality. Turcotte, however, doubts the average resident realized that they were signing up to pay more on their own taxes.

“They see a feel-good measure,” he said. ​“Do they truly understand? I don’t believe they do.”

After Turcotte presented his bill, the remaining speakers — about a dozen clean energy advocates, lawmakers, business leaders, and local solar owners — uniformly opposed his proposal.

Read Next

New England’s final coal plant shuts down years ahead of schedule

Sarah Shemkus, Canary Media

Removing the exemption would be an unfair rule change after homeowners invested in solar systems with the understanding they’d be getting a tax break, many argued. Businesses using solar could face a ​“significant tax increase,” said Natch Greyes, vice president of public policy at New Hampshire’s Business and Industry Association. The change could cost homeowners with solar hundreds of dollars per year while barely reducing the property tax rate for everyone else, others said.

In the town of Hudson, for example, $2.2 million in property value isn’t taxed because of the exemption, out of a tax base of $5.1 billion, its chief assessor, James Michaud, testified. Removing the exemption would have virtually no effect on the tax rate, he said.

“It’s almost incalculable how small it is,” he said.

Whatever tiny tax shift the exemption creates is worth it, others argued, saying that it provides an incentive for the public good: More solar means lower greenhouse gas emissions and less burden on the grid. Turcotte countered that these broader benefits of solar — many of which have been well documented — are ​“subjective.”

The question of local control also loomed large in the testimony. In New Hampshire, whose motto is ​“Live Free or Die,” the right of individual towns to decide on their own rules and regulations has long been a point of pride. Repealing the exemption would mean overriding decisions made by voters. Turcotte’s claim that residents didn’t understand what they were getting into is not only condescending but also just plain wrong, several witnesses said.

“You are essentially, with this bill, substituting your judgment about what is proper at the level of local taxation for that of town meetings and city councils throughout the state,” said Representative Ned Raynolds, a Democrat, while questioning Turcotte.

The bill now awaits a vote in committee before it can face a floor vote from the full House. It would then advance to the Senate. Republicans control both chambers of the state Legislature and the governor’s office.

But the bill’s opponents hope that lawmakers will heed their arguments and give weight to the mass of voters who have approved the exemption across the state.

“This is the reason two-thirds of the towns have adopted it: They can see it’s a good thing,” testified David Trumble, a solar owner from the town of Weare. ​“Solar is a good thing.”

This story was originally published by Grist with the headline New Hampshire Republicans want to raise taxes on homes with solar on Jan 31, 2026.

From Grist via This RSS Feed.

Miles Morrisseau
ICT

Indigenous music continues to rise and be recognized at Canada’s annual celebration of music, the Juno Awards.

Once relegated to the Indigenous-only categories at Canada’s version of the Grammys, Indigenous musicians are once again competing for prizes in a variety of genres including folk, blues, rap and classical.

This year will mark the 55th anniversary of the awards handed out by the Canadian Academy of Records Arts and Sciences. The 2026 award ceremony is set for Hamilton, Ontario, on March 29 and will be broadcast live on CBC and CBC Gem.

Some of the artists, like Cree singer-songwriter Siibii, are first-time nominees. Others, such as William Prince, Tia Wood, Aysanabee and Snotty Nose Rez Kids are returning to the show for another chance to bring home a trophy.

Here are the Indigenous nominees at the 2026 Juno Awards.

Classical Album of the Year
‘Where Waters Meet’
Canadian Chamber Choir featuring Sherryl Sewepagaham
In the category of Classical Album of the Year (Large Ensemble), the album, “Where the Waters Meet,” by the Canadian Chamber Choir features Sherryl Sewepagaham. Sewepagaham is a Dene/Cree singer and composer from the Little Red River Cree Nation in Northern Alberta.

Blues Album of the Year
‘Sing Pretty Blues‘
Crystal Shawanda
Crystal Shawanda, Wikwemikong First Nation, is nominated for Blues Album of the Year for “Sing Pretty Blues,” which she released on her own label New Sun Records.

Traditional Roots Album of the Year
‘Heal the Divide’
Morgan Toney
Morgan Toney, Mi’kmaq, is nominated for Traditional Roots Album of the Year for his release, “Heal the Divide.”

Contemporary Roots Album of the Year
‘Further from the Country’
William Prince
William Prince, Peguis First Nation, is nominated in the category of Contemporary Roots Album of the Year for his latest release, “Further from the Country.” Prince won this award in 2023 for his album, “Stand in the Joy.”

Alternative Album of the Year
‘Edge of the Earth’
Aysanabee
Aysanabee, Sandy Lake First Nation, received a nomination for Alternative Album of the Year for his latest release, “Edge of the Earth.” He took home the prize in this category in 2024 for his album, “Here and Now.”

Rap Single of the Year
‘Dumb‘
SonReal featuring Snotty Nose Rez Kids
Snotty Nose Rez Kids, in collaboration with SonReal, are up for Rap Single of the Year for “Dumb.” The Haisla duo from Kitimat Village took home the award for Rap Album of the Year for the record, “Red Future,” at the 2025 Juno Awards.

Traditional Indigenous Artist or Group of the Year
Traditional Indigenous Artist or Group of the Year nominees are Bad Eagle for “Battle At The Beach,” Bear Creek for “On the Move,” Manitou Mkwa Singer for “Me & You,” Piunguataq for “Arnirniliit Suli,” and YB Nakota for “Nakota Tayhunyabi.”

Contemporary Indigenous Artist or Group
In the category for Contemporary Indigenous Artist or Group, the nominees are Aysanabee for “Edge of the Earth,” Sebastian Gaskin for “LoveChild,” Shawnee Kish for “Chapter 1,” Siibii for the self-titled album, “Siibii,” and Tia Wood for “Sage my Soul.”

The post Indigenous music rising at annual Juno Awards appeared first on ICT.

From ICT via This RSS Feed.

The cells in our bodies move in groups during biological processes such as wound healing and tissue development—but because of resistance, or viscosity, those cells can't just neatly glide past each other.

From Biology News - Evolution, Cell theory, Gene theory, Microbiology, Biotechnology via This RSS Feed.

KATHMANDU — On Nov. 8, 2025, a sense of anxiety swept through Rangeli municipality in eastern Nepal. Social media photos appeared to show a cackle of spotted hyenas entering the town from the nearby India-Nepal border. As the images went viral and were picked up by national media, the District Forest Office deployed a team to capture the animals, but to no avail. “No one could confirm the sighting, and we later found the information to be false,” said district forest officer Utsav Thapa. The hyenas in the image (Crocuta crocuta), found in Africa, are also not native to Nepal, it was later revealed. The incident shows how online misinformation is increasingly shaping public perception in the country, including in the wildlife and conservation sector. Such false reports often create confusion and fear, leading to negative views of wild animals, said Gobinda Pokharel, a researcher and conservation officer at the National Trust for Nature Conservation Nepal. “When it comes to wildlife, even many mainstream media publish unverified reports that help spread false information,” Pokharel told Mongabay. “Such instances not only incite fear and confusion but also affect people’s perception of animals, their behavior and, eventually, their conservation.” The hyena incident is not a single isolated case. As internet and smartphone use become pervasive, various forms of misinformation ranging from fake wildlife sightings to protest-related falsehood, are spreading rapidly across social and mainstream media. The trend has fueled public fear while intensifying debates over regulation, digital literacy and freedom of expression.…This article was originally published on Mongabay

From Conservation news via This RSS Feed.

COLOMBO — In Sri Lanka, agamid lizard species are growing increasingly vulnerable due to three main factors: shrinking habitats, climate change and being traded as exotic pets. The Indian Ocean island is home to more than 20 species of agamid lizards and shows exceptionally high endemism with more than two-thirds of them found nowhere else on Earth. Sri Lanka’s wet zone forests and mountain ranges are their home, where they now face threats from extensive habitat loss. Add to this situation the increasing threat of being smuggled out of the island to be traded as exotic species, and the story of Sri Lankan agamids turn bleak. In March 2025, a study highlighted that more than 40% of agamids’ most critical habitats remain unprotected in the island country. The paper, published in Integrative Conservation, indicates that agamid hotspots are primarily concentrated in the island’s wet zone, especially Sinharaja Forest Reserve, the Peak Wilderness Sanctuary and the Dumbara (or Knuckles) Mountain Range. The research states that these unprotected areas are vital for species with tiny ranges, such as Cophotis lizards. Images suggested on Instagram with the search word ‘Cophotis dumbara’. Image via Instagram. Agamid lizards in Sri Lanka are both threatened and evolutionarily distinct, with 19 of 22 species endemic to the island, says the study, which assessed the distribution of 14 threatened agamid lizard species using species distribution modeling (SDM). The generated distribution maps have been used to identify highly diverse target areas for agamid conservation, both within and outside protected…This article was originally published on Mongabay

From Conservation news via This RSS Feed.

Melissa Olson
MPR News

The Red Lake Nation tribal council has passed a resolution on a vote of 10-0 that prohibits U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal immigration agents from entering Red Lake tribal lands, unless the agents have a court order signed by a federal judge.

There have been no reports of ICE agents on Red Lake’s reservation. The tribe’s reservation is located 30 miles north of Bemidji.

The resolution was passed in mid-January approximately a week after ICE agent Johnathan Ross shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Macklin Good, an observer and protester, in her car.

The resolution stated concerns over ICE agents stopping and arresting Native Americans in the northwest part of the state.

The resolution requires ICE agents to obtain a warrant and meet with the tribe’s public safety director before coming onto the Red Lake reservation, and it goes on to state that an ICE agent must also be accompanied by a tribal public safety officer when on tribal land.

Red Lake Nation legal director Joe Plumer said he plans to send the resolution to be posted at the Red Lake Nation Embassy and the Mino-Bimaadiziwin apartment complex owned by the tribe in south Minneapolis, effectively prohibiting ICE agents from entering onto the properties.

The resolution also prohibits ICE from fishing on those portions of Lower and Upper Red Lake within the reservation boundaries. Plumer said that an incident involving a pipeline worker who fished illegally on Lower Red Lake several years ago prompted tribal officials to add the provision. Plumer said tribal officials are concerned that non-tribal members are “largely unaware of the tribe’s laws and regulations.”

Red Lake Nation is the only closed reservation in the state. The 800,000-plus acre reservation is exempt from a federal law which allows some states, including Minnesota, to exercise concurrent jurisdiction on tribal lands.

A separate letter from Red Lake chair Darrell Seki Sr., sent to Democratic members of Minnesota’s Congressional delegation, urged lawmakers to work to end ICE operations in Minnesota, saying tribal officials had been “informed that federal officers will soon turn their sites north, and that we are preparing our members at Red Lake for the likelihood of having to deal with this mayhem firsthand.”

The post Red Lake Nation leaders pass resolution restricting ICE entry onto tribal lands appeared first on ICT.

From ICT via This RSS Feed.

Perched on a hill overlooking Carthage, Tunisia's famed blue-and-white village of Sidi Bou Said now faces the threat of landslides, after record rainfall tore through parts of its slopes.

From Earth News - Earth Science News, Earth Science, Climate Change via This RSS Feed.