Ashli

I’m fortunate to be part of a team of dedicated reporters and editors with deep experience—and we’re still growing! ➡️ lookouteugene-springfield.com/hiring/ I’ll be covering wildfires, industrial pollution, and more. If you have a story idea, let’s connect! 📧 ashli@lookoutlocal.com

I relocated from Seattle to the Willamette Valley last summer—my first move driven by personal reasons rather than work. It's serendipitous to find a newsroom launching that shares my values: putting people first in the most consequential stories affecting our community.

This week, I started as the Environment and Public Health Correspondent at Lookout Eugene-Springfield, a community newspaper that's digital. ✨ We officially launch on April 10! ✨➡️ lookouteugene-springfield.com

Humbled to be a @selc_org 2025 Reed Writing Award finalist. EtO stories are complex & emotional to report. Grateful for @MLK50Memphis editors, @wendi_c_thomas & Adrienne Johnson Martin, and their thoughtful support to this work. southernenvironment.org/news/meet-our-…

Velsicol’s cleanup is 20+ years in the making. The Memphis plant’s 2012 closure lagged nationwide action spurred by Rachel Carson’s "Silent Spring" published in 1962. Advocates & residents hope public institutions will finally hold the company accountable. tennesseelookout.com/2024/12/11/vel…

If TDEC accepts a settlement from the company, the state will be left to determine what to do with wide-ranging contamination including a baseball diamond-shaped pile of hazardous waste and a fluctuating groundwater plume of chemicals beneath it. Image: 2024 RCRA Application

Big development in the 3-year Velsicol investigation at @TNLookout ⬇️ The company’s proposal to transfer into an environmental trust follows recent questions from regulators and attorneys about mismanagement and potentially fraudulent activity. tennesseelookout.com/2024/12/11/vel…

Finally did the Bluesky thing. Connect with me ➡️bsky.app/profile/ashlib…

Scientists and health workers in the American West are warning of the rising risk that wildfire smoke poses for pregnant people and newborns, reports @ashliblow for @newlinesmag. newlinesmag.com/reportage/the-…

Wildfire smoke threatens everyone’s health, but pregnant people face even greater risks due to physiological changes. @Amie_FR and I spent months on this @NewLinesMag story. TY for your thoughtful edits as we publish after an election with big implications for repro health.

Bracing for our smoky future: Scientists and health workers in the American West are sounding the alarm about the risk that wildfire smoke poses to pregnant people and newborns. @ashliblow reports for @newlinesmag: newlinesmag.com/reportage/the-…

For @Sierra_Magazine, I report that large slash piles, stacked like bonfires, pose a serious fire risk as wildfires intensify on the Cascade Range. Why there’s a backlog and possible solutions ⬇️ sierraclub.org/sierra/when-sl…

For @NextCityOrg and @yesmagazine, we explore how the land back movement is a key part of getting fire back on the landscape. ⬇️

Should WA's foresters harvest timber or sell it for carbon credits? Small farmers and policy makers work to balance the environment and jobs as emphasis moves toward preserving trees for carbon sequestration. (by @ashliblow @CascadePBSNews @cascadePBS) cascadepbs.org/environment/20…

This week, the #SEJSpotlight was on freelancer @ashliblow. If you missed her takeover today, check it out below and more here: sej.org/sejspotlight-a… Join Ashli in SEJ’s incredible network — apply for membership: sej.org/how-to-join-sej

@MLK50Memphis @UrbanistOrg @sciam @uwevansschool @soljourno But I’m still learning because environmental politics and science are constantly evolving. It’s why reporting on climate and justice is "brat" to me—challenging the status quo and pushing back against what makes us insecure, just like @Charli_XCX says. -@ashliblow

@MLK50Memphis @UrbanistOrg @sciam @uwevansschool @soljourno solutionsjournalism.org/resources/unpa…

@MLK50Memphis @UrbanistOrg @sciam These stories required analytical thinking, existential questioning, and humbling conversations with communities— skills I strengthened in my master’s program at @uwevansschool. @soljourno recently published my capstone project on how journalists can better unpack climate policy:

@MLK50Memphis @UrbanistOrg And across the West, a shape-shifting fungus is spreading, but governments have failed to track it. Limited data show Latino, Asian, and Native American outdoor workers are most at risk of life-threatening disease. For @SciAm: scientificamerican.com/article/valley…

@MLK50Memphis Over to Seattle, what happens after a Superfund site is cleaned up? Gentrification or community empowerment? I explored this along the Duwamish River with @UrbanistOrg. theurbanist.org/2024/05/01/duw…