Thousands of miles of rivers across the United States are part of the Wild and Scenic Rivers System, and any one of them can help tell some splashy tales of the power of conservation and the wonders of nature. TipSheet dips a toe into the backstory, then offers story ideas and resources to help report on local wild rivers near you.
"As soon as the barrier broke, a flood of poison brought death to the river. Gushing through the fragile wall built to hold back mining waste in Zambia’s copper belt in February 2025, more than 50m cubic litres of acid and heavy metals poured into the Chambishi stream – a tributary of the Kafue River, the country’s longest waterway."
"The U.S. Forest Service said it plans to approve South32’s Hermosa project in Patagonia, Arizona, despite the water problems the mine is already causing."
"A coalition of organizations has again sued the Trump administration for its 'giveaway' of federal lands in Alaska for industrial purposes. At issue are the steps the administration has taken to allow a 211-mile-long road across a pristine stretch of the state, passing through Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve and crossing the Kobuk Wild River, to access the site of a proposed copper mine."
"Air pollution from coal-fired power plants spiked in 2025, a striking reversal of long-term progress in air quality as the Trump administration boosted coal use." "EPA data shows pollution bumps that are among the largest in decades, just as the agency rolls back rules cracking down on pollution from coal-fired power plants."
"Two Utah Congress members have introduced a resolution that could end protections for Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Conservation groups worry similar maneuvers on other federal lands will follow."
"Oxy drilled four miles down in Colorado, and did so quickly — a promising development for the geothermal industry."
"High along the Southwind Nature Trail, the tallgrass prairie waves in all directions, a mix of present-day reality and historical mirage stretching to the horizon much as it did more than 150 years ago." "Today, the vast majority of what was an estimated 140 million to 170 million acres of tallgrass prairie is gone, plowed under by 19th century agricultural sprawl and the development that followed."
"No companies bid for the chance to drill in more than 1 million acres of water off Alaska’s Cook Inlet, the Interior Department said Wednesday."
"President Donald Trump’s sweeping changes at the National Park Service have destabilized the agency and its core missions, critics say."
