Stories and cultural narratives are passed down from one generation to the next, in formal education settings or informally through close or extended family and community ties.

• Teaching Stories
• Creation Stories
• Battle and History
• Traditional Lifeways

Indigenous peoples and settlers gathered plants and grasses for both edible and medicinal purposes, as well as for homewares and ceremonial purposes.

• Mountain
• Desert
• Riparian
• Prairie
• Sagebrush Steppe

Scattered throughout the West are the remnants of the past.  Ancient petroglyphs mark the paths of Indigenous people while abandoned mines attest to the presence of the first white settlers.

• Archaeological
• Travel (stage coach, Pony Express, Oregon Trail, railroad)
• Geographical
• Mining

Lost in the rush of everyday media, the voices of today record important happenings from unique perspectives that help form the basis of tomorrow’s stories.

• Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument
• Red Desert
• Extractive industry challenges (uranium tailings, fracking)
• Watersheds

Animals were central to the survival of Indigenous peoples, providing food, clothing and tools. Their importance is reflected in the key role they play in native culture and stories.

• Wildlife
• Mythical or Extinct
• Domesticated