The Thacker Pass Mine brings many uncertainties to the region’s Indigenous and settler ranching communities. This episode features Susan Frey, a rancher in Orovada, and Gary McKinney, a Shoshone Paiute activist who lives on the Duck Valley Reservation. Together, Gary and Susan ask what resistance and survival look like in the long term.

Mining for the Climate is a co-creation of Nate Otjen and Jessica Ng. It’s a production of Blue Lab at Princeton University.

Episode Credits:

Written by Jessica Ng and Nate Otjen

Hosted by Jessica Ng

Sound design by Gianna Imparato

Research and production team: Nate Otjen, Jessica Ng, Christopher Bao, and Jose Santacruz

Music by Pixabay (www.pixabay.com)

Audio Clip Credits:

Gary McKinney on Camp Peehee Mu’huh, Instagram, 2021

Attached Documents:

U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, “Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Thacker Pass Lithium Mine Project,” September 2023

Lithium Americas, “Technical Report on the Thacker Pass Project, Humboldt County, NEVADA, USA,” December 2024

Copyright 2025 Nate Otjen, Jessica Ng and Blue Lab (bluelabmedia.org). All rights reserved.

The questions of who can access land and which uses are prioritized have become urgent and pervasive in northern Nevada. The federal government determines how public land is used and which entities have priority accessing it. This episode discusses how mining became prioritized over other forms of land use in the region and considers the implications of this history for present-day communities facing lithium mines.

Mining for the Climate is a co-creation of Nate Otjen and Jessica Ng. It’s a production of Blue Lab at Princeton University.

Episode Credits:

Written by Nate Otjen

Hosted by Nate Otjen

Sound design by Gianna Imparato

Research and production team: Nate Otjen, Jessica Ng, Christopher Bao, and Jose Santacruz

Music by Pixabay (www.pixabay.com)

Copyright 2025 Nate Otjen, Jessica Ng and Blue Lab (bluelabmedia.org). All rights reserved.

Outsiders and those who are not connected to the land often see the desert West as barren and unpopulated. However, Indigenous peoples and other beings have coexisted with the land since time immemorial. In this episode, we hear from Native and non-Native people who have deep connections with the McDermitt Caldera. Together they are grappling with what the potential loss of these attachments means and fighting to protect them.

Mining for the Climate is a co-creation of Nate Otjen and Jessica Ng. It’s a production of Blue Lab at Princeton University.

Episode Credits:

Written by Christopher Bao

Hosted by Christopher Bao

Sound design by Christoper Bao

Research and production team: Nate Otjen, Jessica Ng, Christopher Bao, and Jose Santacruz

Music by Pixabay (www.pixabay.com) and Xeno-Canto (www.xeno-canto.com)

Copyright 2025 Nate Otjen, Jessica Ng and Blue Lab (bluelabmedia.org). All rights reserved.