Coverage

SEJ's 32nd annual conference took place April 19-23, 2023, hosted by Boise State University. Below, you'll find multimedia coverage provided by SEJ, volunteers and conference attendees.

All available audio and video recordings are posted on this page. The three sessions below had no or poor audio quality due to technical issues or speakers not using the microphones. If you should have a recording of any and would be willing to share, please contact Cindy MacDonald: cmac@sej.org.

Wildlife Corridors Are Having a Moment
How To Be an Ally for Environmental Journalists of Color
Getting Past Greenwashing

Additional coverage:

SEJ's public Facebook page.
SEJ's members-only Facebook discussion group.
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Please use the hashtag #SEJ2023 for Instagram, Twitter, etc.
Public SEJ #SEJ2023 Boise Flickr conference photo group, where you can upload/share your own conference photos.
See a list of all the coverage stories.

It's critically important to SEJ to gather evidence on the impact of our work. So we're tracking stories inspired by or informed by our conference in Boise. The stories don't have to be about Boise or Idaho; they can be based on sources or ideas you got from being at the conference. Please help us to keep SEJ strong and share links, photos, copies of reporting generated or informed by this conference. Send your story links to Cindy MacDonald, SEJ's Web content manager. It's never too late. Please send yours! Moderators, speakers, tour leaders: We also welcome resources, tipsheets, etc., from sessions or tours that you wish to share.

Panel Moderators, Tour Leaders and Speakers:

Translate your hard work for #SEJ2023 into a short report and reach thousands through the SEJournal Online! Fill out this brief form and we’ll be in touch to explain how.

Page Menu

Wednesday, April 19
Thursday, April 20
Friday, April 21
Saturday, April 22
Sunday, April 23
Sunday-Wednesday, April 23-26 (post-conference tour)
Miscellaneous conference coverage (includes pre-conference and multi-session stories)

Wednesday, April 19

Workshop 1. Covering Biodiversity: Saving All the Parts

Audio recording, 8:45 a.m. panel, "Global Efforts To Slow the Biodiversity Crisis on Land and Sea" (01:13:50 / 33.86MB).
Audio recording, 10:15 a.m. panel, "The National Landscape for Preserving Biodiversity"(01:03:59 / 29.35MB).
Audio recording, Lunch panel, "Gorongosa National Park’s Restoration"(00:45:46 / 21.02MB).
Audio recording, 12:45 p.m. panel, "Rethinking How We Cover Extinction" (01:06:55 / 30.69MB).
Audio recording, 2:00 p.m. panel, "Lessons From Local and Global Reporting Projects"(01:09:39 / 31.94MB).
"'Three Rivers of Woe' — David Quammen on Climate Change, Extinction, and Epidemics," The Revelator, October 4, 2024, by John Platt. Also published in SEJournal, September 25, 2024.
"SOS: Save Our Species," NPR's 1A, November 27-30, 2023, by Amanda Williams.
"Hot Globe Talks Biodiversity, COVID & Writing With David Quammen," May 5, 2023, by Steve Chapple. Podcast version, May 8, 2023.
Event description.

Workshop 2. Covering Watersheds As Connected Systems

Audio recording, 8:45 a.m. panel, "Lay of the Land: Watersheds Governance and Power Structures" (01:04:44 / 29.69MB).
Audio recording, 10:15 a.m. panel, "Emerging Watershed Challenges: Climate, Contaminants and More" (01:23:56 / 38.48MB).
Audio recording, Lunch panel, "Collaborative Approaches to Watersheds Coverage" (00:28:14/ 12.98MB).
"A Watershed Moment for River Systems," The Maine Monitor, April 30, 2023, by Annie Ropeik.
"Watershed Management and the Columbia River Basin," Idaho Matters/Boise State Public Radio, April 18, 2023, by Samantha Wright — an interview with panel "Lay of the Land: Watersheds Governance and Power Structures" speaker Mary Lou Soscia, former Columbia River Restoration Program Manager, Region 10, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (retired).
Event description.

Opening Reception and Dinner: Welcome to Boise!

Idaho environmental journalist Rocky Barker (left) and Shannon Wheeler, vice-chair of the Nez Perce Tribal Executive Committee. © Photo courtesy of Boise State University. See more photos of this event on our public Flickr page.

"Why Rural Nevada Electric Co-Ops Are Watching Proposals To Remove Snake River Dams," The Nevada Independent, November 12, 2023, by Daniel Rothberg.
"Debate Over Snake River Dams," DTN/The Progressive Farmer, April 24, 2023, by Chris Clayton.
"Idaho’s Congressmen Are the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse for the Environment | Opinion," Idaho Statesman, April 23, 2023, by Bob Kustra.
Event description.

Thursday, April 19

All-Day Tour 2. Saving Raptors: Habitat, Humans and Harm

"The Mystery of the Vanishing Kestrels: What’s Happening to This Flashy Falcon? The New York Times, June 5, 2023, by Catrin Einhorn.
Event description.

All-Day Tour 5. Ranching With Wolves: Can Humans and Predators Coexist?

"Children of the Wolves," a documentary about wolves and teens in progress, inspired by this tour, directed by SEJ member Barb Kuensting. Read the Jan 26, 2024 announcement.
Event description.

All-Day Tour 6. Not Your Grandparent's Mining: Innovations in Resource Extraction

National Native News, May 12, 2023, Segment 2 (at 01:20), by Chuck Quirmbach.
"Environmentalists Aim To Block Gold Mine Near Yellowstone — By Buying It," The Washington Post, May 11, 2023, by Dino Grandoni.
"As More Wisconsinites Use Solar Panels and Drive EV, More Mining May Come to Western States," WUWM/Milwaukee Public Media, May 8, 2023, by Chuck Quirmbach.
Event description.

All-Day Tour 7. Agriculture, Climate Change and the Lives of Farmworkers

"Risky Heat Days Are Increasing in the Carolinas — And That's Bad for Outdoor Workers," Blue Ridge Public Radio, May 12, 2023, by David Boraks.
Event description.

All-Day Tour 8. What Happens in Idaho Doesn't Stay in Idaho: From the Mountains to the Orcas Downstream in Puget Sound and the Pacific

"Salmon vs. Dams," Power Switch/POLITICO, May 15, 2023, by Gloria Gonzalez and Arianna Skibell.
Event description.

Afternoon Tour 6. Advancing Nature-Based Solutions in Idaho

"Treasure Valley Urban Wood Network Encourages Recycling of Unwanted Trees for Idaho Artisans, Idaho Capital Sun, July 3, 2023, by Steve Stuebner.
Event description.

Friday, April 21

Opening Plenary: Clean Energy and the Land — The High-Stakes Battle Over Climate Solutions

L-R: Moderator Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times energy reporter; Shannon Eddy, Large-scale Solar Association executive director; Idaho Conservation League executive director Justin Hayes; BLM director Tracy Stone-Manning; Shannon Wheeler, vice-chairman, Nez Perce Tribal Executive Committee; and UC Santa Barbara Environmental Studies assistant professor Grace Wu. © Society of Environmental Journalists.

Watch the video recording.
Audio recording (01:03:24 / 36.34MB).
"How Can We Speed Up Solar and Wind Energy? Here Are Some Ideas," Los Angeles Times, May 11, 2023, by Sammy Roth.
"Idaho Power Eyes More Solar. But Here’s Why Clean Energy Remains a Challenge," Idaho Statesman, April 30, 2023, by Ian Max Stevenson.
Event description.

Concurrent Sessions 1. The Hunt for Critical Minerals, From California's Brine Fields to the Deep Ocean

Audio recording (01:15:01 / 30.11MB).
Event description.

Concurrent Sessions 1. Public Trust and Water Rights in the West

Audio recording (01:14:21 / 29.85MB).
Event description.

Concurrent Sessions 1. Ethically Covering Tribal Issues and Traditional Knowledge

Audio recording (01:10:02 / 28.12MB).
Event description.

Concurrent Sessions 1. Journalism Toolkits 201: New Approaches to FOIA and Tech Tools

Audio recording (01:13:21 / 29.45MB).
Event description.

Concurrent Sessions 1. Doing the (Surprising) Math on Western Wildfires

Audio recording (01:16:42 / 30.78MB).
Event description.

Concurrent Sessions 1. How Culture Reporting Can Help Climate News Reach a Wider Audience

Audio recording (01:14:36 / 29.94MB).
Event description.

Concurrent Sessions 1. Climate Displacement, Migration and White Nationalism

Audio recording (01:19:33 / 31.93MB).
Event description.

Concurrent Sessions 2. Bugs, Disease and the West: A New Era in Human Health

Audio recording (01:06:30 / 26.7MB). Note: Portions of this audio are heavily impaired.
Event description.

Concurrent Sessions 2. Utilities 101: Not Just a Business Beat

Audio recording (01:13:43 / 29.59MB).
"How Utilities’ Fossil Fuel Investments Are Driving Up Rates for the Most Vulnerable," Environmental Health News, July 17, 2023, by Lily Carey.
"What Can Ohio Regulators Do To Prevent Future Utility Corruption Scandals?" Energy News Network, April 27, 2023, by Kathiann M. Kowalski (concurrently on Eye on Ohio).
Event description.

Concurrent Sessions 2. Connecting Extreme Weather and Climate Change

Audio recording (01:11:08 / 28.55MB).
"Observations From SEJ: Connecting Extreme Weather and Climate Change," Local Media Association, May 2, 2023, by panel moderator Frank Mungeam.
Event description.

Concurrent Sessions 2. When the Smoke Clears: Forests, Carbon and Climate

Audio recording (01:10:36 / 28.34MB).
Event description.

Concurrent Sessions 2. Trauma-Informed Climate Journalism

Audio recording (00:58:54 / 23.65MB).
Event description.

Concurrent Sessions 2. Salmon and Their Many Dam Problems

Audio recording (01:08:51 / 27.64MB).
"When the Dams Come Down, What Happens to Barge Traffic?" High Country News, July 29, 2024, by Kim Cross.
Event description.

Concurrent Sessions 2. In a Changing Climate, Boom and Bust in Bering Sea Fisheries

Audio recording (01:16:11 / 30.58MB).
Event description.

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland Keynote and Q&A

L-R: Interior Secretary Deb Haaland; moderator Deb Krol, Indigenous Affairs Reporter – Climate, Culture & Commerce, The Arizona Republic; DOI Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy Management and Budget Joan Mooney; Bureau of Land Management Director Tracy Stone-Manning; and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Martha Williams. © Society of Environmental Journalists. See more photos of this event on our public Flickr page.

Watch the video recording.
"Biden Administration Announces 15 New Renewable Energy Projects on Public Lands," The Hill, November 6, 2023, by Zack Budryk (uses AP photo of Haaland).
"House Republicans Look To Slash Budgets for Interior Department and EPA," Wyoming Public Radio, July 19, 2023, by Will Walkey.
"Construction on Willow Oil Project in Alaska Underway, an Industrial Info News Alert," Business Wire, May 9, 2023 (story picked up by multiple news outlets).
"'A Cry For Help': Federal Agency Eyes A New Kind Of Leasing To Safeguard Public Lands," HuffPost, May 2, 2023, by Chris D'Angelo.
"NEH Joins Interior Dept. Effort To Document Federal Indian Boarding School History," Wyoming Public Radio/Boise State Public Radio News, May 2, 2023, by Murphy Woodhouse.
"$125 Million Investment Will Help Restore Watersheds and Critical Wildlife Habitat Across America Via 240 Locally-Led Projects," Revitalization, The Journal of Urban, Rural and Environmental Resilience/Reconomics Institute, May 1, 2023.
"White House Approves Alaska Oil Drilling, Despite Party’s Left Wing," Move FM/Midwest Radio Network (Australia), April 29, 2023.
"Biden Approves Alaska Oil Project, Enraging Supporters," Big News Network (Dubai), April 28, 2023, by Robert Besser (story picked up by multiple news outlets).
"Alaska Will Receive Share of New Federal Funds for Fish Passage Projects," The Cordova Times, April 28, 2023, by Margaret Bauman.
"Interior Secretary Defends Willow Oil Exploration Project," The Cordova Times, April 28, 2023, by Margaret Bauman.
"Federal Dollars Continue To Flow to Western Conservation Projects," Wyoming Public Radio, April 25, 2023, by Will Walkey.
"North America’s Only International Wildlife Refuge Is on the Detroit River. Visit By Bus," BridgeDetroit, April 25, 2023, by Jena Brooker.
"Now Vying for Second Term, Can Biden Repair His Damaged Climate and Environmental Justice Image?" Inside Climate News, April 25, 2023, by Kristoffer Tigue.
National Native News, April 24, 2023, Segment 2 (at 01:37), by Chuck Quirmbach.
"U.S. Interior Secretary Unveils $125 Million for Local Climate Projects," Colorado Newsline, April 24, 2023, by Jacob Fischler.
"News Wrap: U.S. Embassy Urges Americans in Sudan To Shelter in Place," PBS NewsHour, April 22, 2023 (Secretary Haaland segment at 00:42).
"Kerry Says US, China Must Work Together on Climate, World 'Not Doing Enough'," Fox News, April 22, 2023, by Julia Musto.
"Haaland Defends Willow, Says US Won’t End Oil Drilling," The Associated Press, April 22, 2023, by Matthew Daly (story picked up by multiple news outlets).
"BLM Chief: Staff Shortages Are the Biggest Hurdle to Speedy Energy Project Permitting" (preview only; subscription required), POLITICO Pro, April 21, 2023, by Gloria Gonzalez.
"Interior Releases $140M for Western Water Conservation and Efficiency" (preview only; subscription required), POLITICO Pro, April 21, 2023, by Catherine Morehouse.
"U.S. Interior Secretary Unveils $125 Million for Local Climate Projects," Idaho Capital Sun, April 21, 2023, by Jacob Fischler.
Event description.

Beat Dinner 10. A Changing Political Climate: How Climate Policy Will Shape Local and National Elections

"Climate Action Is Mayor's Priority In Boise. What Could Charlotte Learn?" WFAE Charlotte (N.C.), April 28, 2023, by David Boraks. See also: Social media posts @davidboraks on Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.
Event description.

Saturday, April 22

Concurrent Sessions 3. Not So Sleepy FERC’s Green Energy Push

Audio recording (01:17:48 / 31.22MB).
Event description.

Concurrent Sessions 3. Navigating Newsrooms: A Guide For Early-Career Environmental Journalists

Audio recording (01:15:11 / 30.17MB).
Event description.

Concurrent Sessions 3. Adjusting the Focus: How To Tell Climate Stories to Both Local and National Audiences

Audio recording (01:12:39 / 29.16MB).
Event description.

Concurrent Sessions 3. Clean Energy Next Gen

Audio recording (01:14:39 / 25.69MB).
"Critics Question How Climate-Friendly an Appalachian 'Blue' Hydrogen Hub Will Be," Energy News Network, August 21, 2023, by Kathiann M. Kowalski.
Event description.

Concurrent Sessions 3. Flood Watch: Reporting on Historic Transformations in Flood Risk Management

Audio recording (01:14:41 / 29.98MB).
Event description.

Concurrent Sessions 3. Getting Social Without Getting Conned

Audio recording (01:02:42 / 25.18MB).
Event description.

Concurrent Sessions 3. Weaving the Personal Into the Global and Political: Environmental Stories Close to the Bone

Audio recording (01:12:21 / 29.04MB).
Event description.

Concurrent Sessions 3. Lawyering Up: Environmental Lawyers As Essential Sources and What They're Tracking

Audio recording (01:12:44 / 29.19MB).
Event description.

Concurrent Sessions 4. Getting Past Greenwashing

"The Marketing of Earth Day and the Tyranny of Simple Solutions," Global Warming is Real, April 24, 2023, by Thomas Schueneman.
Event description.

Concurrent Sessions 4. The Problems With Solutions Journalism

Audio recording (01:12:20 / 29.03MB).
Event description.

Concurrent Sessions 4. Reporting on the Rights-of-Nature Movement

Audio recording (01:14:03 / 29.72MB).
Event description.

Concurrent Sessions 4. Covering Gas and Air Quality Inside the Home

Audio recording (01:15:34 / 30.33MB).
Event description.

Concurrent Sessions 4. Up in Smoke: Covering Wildfire's Impacts on Air Quality and Climate Change

Audio recording (01:14:50 / 30.03MB).
Event description.

Concurrent Sessions 4. Covering Climate in the Statehouse

Audio recording (01:15:48 / 30.42MB).
"Prying Open the Statehouse Doors," SEJournal, October 18, 2023, by Erin Jordan.
Event description.

Concurrent Sessions 4. How To Include Environmental Justice in Climate Stories

Audio recording (01:08:03 / 27.32MB).
Event description.

Concurrent Sessions 4. Podcasting Across Divides and in Community

Audio recording (01:14:45 / 30.00MB).
Event description.

Lunch Plenary: Covering Gender and Environment Connections, at Home and Abroad

L-R: Moderator Jen Christensen, Writer/Producer, CNN's Health & Climate Unit and National Board Secretary, NLGJA the LGBTQ Journalists Association; Lorena Aguilar, Executive Director, Kaschak Institute for Social Justice for Women and Girls; Jina Dhillon, Director of Technical Excellence, Ipas; Ally Orr, Business Intelligence Analyst, Applied Materials and Founder, Women in STEM, Medicine, and Law Scholarship; and Amy Westervelt, Editor-in-Chief, Critical Frequency.

Sunday

Environment in Fiction

Audio recording (01:13:37 / 29.55MB). Note: The recording of this program was interrupted as a question was asked. The question they are responding to when the program returns is, “Do you include a part of you in your books?”
Event description.

Sunday-Wednesday, April 23-26

Post-Conference Tour. Beyond Yellowstone: Connecting Divided Landscapes

"'Airbnb for Outdoors' Comes to Idaho, Backed — and Used — by Billionaire Wilks Brothers," Idaho Statesman, July 31, 2023, by Nicole Blanchard.
"'Airbnb for Outdoor Recreation' Could Turn Idaho Into a Playground for the Wealthy," Yahoo! Idaho Statesman Editorial Board, July 30, 2023.
"Why Do Republicans Want to Kill This Tiny Dancing Chicken?" Heatmap, July 29, 2023, by Neel Dhanesha.
"Program Uniting Wildlife and Ranches Expands to Idaho and Montana," Boise State Public Radio News, July 14, 2023, by Rachel Cohen.
"Neel Dhanesha’s Field Notes," The Uproot Project, May 26, 2023.
"Japanese Americans Object To Proposed Wind Farm at WWII Incarceration Site," All Things Considered/NPR, May 22, 2023, by Rachel Cohen.
"Congress Should Fund the BLM (No, Not That One)," The Economist, May 18, 2023, by Aryn Braun.
"Volunteers Work To Protect Birds in Kansas City From Window Strikes, by Tracking Where They're Killed," KCUR/NPR Kansas City, May 18, 2023, by Eva Tesfaye.
"Idaho Threatens Lawsuit If U.S. Doesn’t Delist Grizzlies From Endangered Species Act," Idaho Statesman, May 10, 2023, by Nicole Blanchard.
Event description.

Miscellaneous conference coverage (includes multi-session and 'informed-by-the-conference' stories)

"Plugged In: How the Inflation Reduction Act Is Changing America," NPR's 1A, August 14-17, 2023, by Amanda Williams.
"Do Your Homework Before You Buy Carbon Offsets — Will They Do What They Promise?" WFAE Charlotte (N.C.), October 16, 2023, by David Boraks.
"Is Hydropower Good Or Bad for the Environment? We Went to Idaho To Find Out," Los Angeles Times, September 28, 2023, by Sammy Roth.
"Klamath Tribes Raise Concerns for Public Health Near Toxic Algae Bloom," KOBI-TV NBC5 (Medford, Ore.), August 29, 2023, by Taylar Ansures.
"Road Trip! Kicking the Tires on Electric Travel in the Northwest," KUOW-FM, July 15, 2023, by John Ryan.
"On the Hunt for Yellowstone’s Bison," The Washington Post, May 13, 2023, by Dino Grandoni.
"What Will SEJ Bring to Penn in April 2024?" Center for Science, Sustainability, and the Media, University of Pennsylvania, May 12, 2023, by Heather Kostick.
"Water Bills Advance As Lawmakers From Both Parties Back More Agency Funding," The Nevada Independent, May 4, 2023, by Daniel Rothberg.
"Biden’s Renewable Energy Goals Blow Up Against a Painful WWII Legacy," The Washington Post, May 3, 2023, by Dino Grandoni.
"Boiling Point: To Idaho and Beyond!" Boiling Point/Los Angeles Times, May 2, 2023, by Sammy Roth.
Climate Point newsletter, USA Today, April 27, 2023, by Janet Wilson.
"Bureau of Land Management Director Speaks About Her Love of Protecting Public Lands," Morning Edition/Boise State Public Radio, April 20, 2023, by Samantha Wright.
"What's Next for Public Lands: A Conversation With Tracy Stone-Manning," Idaho Matters/Boise State Public Radio, April 20, 2023, by George Prentice and Samantha Wright.
"The Fight To Remove Four Snake River Dams in Idaho," Idaho Matters/Boise State Public Radio, April 17, 2023, by Samantha Wright.
"The Society of Environmental Journalists Conference Returns to Boise," Idaho Matters/Boise State Public Radio, April 6, 2023, by Samantha Wright (an interview with SEJ Executive Director Meaghan Parker).

Topics on the Beat:

Other or All

Region:

National (U.S.)

Mountain West (CO ID MT NV UT WY)

International

Visibility:

Public

Coverage: SEJ's 32nd Annual Conference