Looking for more ways to learn, stay updated, and get connected with like-minded folks in these uncertain times? Tune in for the Western Environmental Law Center’s new podcast! Hosted by WELC’s Suze Wehr, Stories of Kinship features conversations about the environmental law and policy challenges, victories, and questions our team and fellow advocates work on every day. We dive into legislative sessions, federal chaos, climate justice, renewable energy, endangered species, and finding our voices as agents of change—even (especially) when it seems like everything is changing. Our vision for the west celebrates places, people, and creatures growing together in an ecology of kinship, building connections from the Sonoran Desert all the way to Puget Sound—and we’re excited to share these stories with you. Check out Episode 1 and Episode 2, and catch future episodes here or on our Substack!

Episode 1: Water, Climate, and Holding the Line in New Mexico (19:54)

What’s it like to advocate at the state level while trying to track and oppose the chaos we’re seeing at the federal level? What are WELC’s priorities for the 2025 New Mexico legislative session? What can people do to stay focused and fired up during this insane time? Welcome to Stories of Kinship, Episode 1: Water, Climate, and Holding the Line in New Mexico. Join WELC’s Erik Schlenker-Goodrich, Communications Director Brian Sweeney, and host Suze Wehr for a discussion on key bills to support in New Mexico right now, including the Clean Horizons Act and two pieces of legislation (now one combined bill) restoring protections for New Mexico water. The episode also highlights the intersectional coalitions building power for change through these legislative efforts, strategies for speaking up where you are right now, and more.

Episode 2: Montana Youth Make History (23:11)

In December 2024, 16 youth plaintiffs and the legal teams at WELC, Our Children’s Trust, and McGarvey Law made climate justice HISTORY! In a massive victory at the Montana Supreme Court after years of work, the court upheld a landmark decision in favor of youth climate activists. In a final 6-1 vote, the justices ruled that Montana was violating residents’ constitutional right to a clean environment. For Stories of Kinship: Episode 2, host Suze Wehr interviews WELC staff attorneys Barbara Chillcott and Melissa Hornbein for an in-depth account of the long road to victory and what it now means for climate justice in Montana (and beyond).

Episode 3: Beyond the Federal Doomscroll (36:44)

“Are you failing with the doomscrolling as much as I am?” The past two months have been a lot on every level. For those of us trying to strike the balance between informed and overwhelmed, it’s hard to know where to focus. So in this conversation, WELC’s Erik Schlenker-Goodrich guides us through impacts from recent Executive Orders, DOGE projects, and attacks on foundational environmental laws like the National Environmental Policy Act and the Endangered Species Act. We discuss what this means from a broader national perspective (spoiler alert: it’s, uh, not amazing) and how we’re preparing to tackle these issues in the months ahead. Towards the end, we’ll provide a couple of quick updates on New Mexico and Oregon legislative session efforts, so stick it out for some good news there, and thanks so much for tuning in!