#us politics

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1. Despite stiff political headwinds, tribe in Colorado brings utility scale solar project online

“Over the next year and half, solar panels capable of generating 270 megawatts worth of electricity, and 180 megawatts of battery storage will be built on tribal land in neighboring New Mexico[….] They started small with residential rooftop solar. Then came a one-megawatt array that helped power the tribal casino out on the highway. […] The demolition of a nearby coal fired power plant left behind a network of transmission lines and electricity customers [so is now the site of the new project].”

2. ‘Get the Flock Out’: Nationwide Backlash Grows Against AI-Powered Surveillance Tech

“There is growing action [link added by me]—both legal and otherwise—to end the use of ALPRs across the country. According to the public information project Ban Flock Cameras, 82 Flock contracts were terminated across 28 states between August 2021 and May 2026, with 39 of those cancellations occurring in the first five months of 2026 alone. Even Amazon-owned Ring announced earlier this year that it would stop doing business with Flock Safety.”

3. On the brink of extinction, the Javan green magpie gets a conservation lifeline

“With the new action plan, developed and agreed upon by 48 songbird experts, conservation groups are aiming to protect the bird’s montane habitat, engage with local communities to address trapping, and crack down on illegal trade over the next 10 years. Conservation translocations are planned to bolster the few remaining wild populations. For around a decade, [… facilities] have bred more than 130 birds in captivity as an “insurance policy,” Owen says.”

4. The Spectacular Regrowth of New England’s Forests

“”To give you an example, Massachusetts […] is 60 percent forested today. Now, it was probably 90 percent-plus forested when the Europeans arrived, but it went through a period in which 80 percent to 90 percent of the forest was removed[…. T]he Northeast temperature rise with global warming is significantly less because we are so heavily forested […] and it all happened because of what I call benign neglect [after farmers moved to Ohio in the 1850’s].””

5. The women leading a quiet conservation revolution in a Nigerian gorilla sanctuary

“Now, the collective meets twice a month to brainstorm strategies to combat threats to Afi’s biodiversity and review existing wildlife regulations. [They conduct] patrols, targeted at uncovering early signs of hunting, logging or wildfires[… and] the women’s group investigates allegations of wildlife crimes. […] In their homes, the women are also influencing what their families eat to eliminate threatened species from the local diet.”