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Tanya Heikkila

@taheikkila.bsky.social

120 followers 140 following 11 posts

Public policy professor | Environmental social scientist - focused on water and energy governance | Mom, partner, cook, traveler, and dog-lover | Mostly a Westerner who occasionally wanders

Political science 35%

Environmental science 20%

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Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Reposted by Lisa M. Thompson, Tanya Heikkila

Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · Mar 14

The Trump regime will arrest you in the middle of the night because you spoke your mind.

And federal agents in plain clothes who refuse to identify themselves will be the ones to do it.

If you think I'm being hyperbolic, watch this clip.

Prem Thakker ツ @premthakker.bsky.social · Mar 14

NEW: Family of Mahmoud Khalil just released footage of his arrest

“Stop resisting”
“He’s not resisting”

Agents seen continuing to ignore Mahmoud’s wife as she asks basic questions

Reposted by Michael E. Mann, Mary Feeney, Tanya Heikkila

Walker Bragman @walkerbragman.bsky.social · Jul 10

SCOOP

www.importantcontext.news/p/national-s...

Reposted by Tanya Heikkila

Kyle Clark @kylec.bsky.social · Jun 14

Sky9 over the #NoKings protest in Denver. Marchers filled Colfax from Fox St to the Capitol, about eight city blocks long.

Reposted by Tanya Heikkila

Los Angeles Times @latimes.com · May 27

Groundwater is rapidly declining in the Colorado River Basin, satellite data show

Groundwater is rapidly declining in the Colorado River Basin, satellite data show

As the Colorado River’s reservoirs have declined, even larger amounts of groundwater have been drained from aquifers. Using satellite data, scientists have estimated the vast water losses.

www.latimes.com

Reposted by Tanya Heikkila

MU-Peter Shimon 🀄️ @mu-peter.bsky.social · May 20

NSF’s grant cuts fall heaviest on scientists from underrepresented groups 🧪

Projects to broaden participation were cut disproportionately—and were often led by Black scientists, women, and those with disabilities
www.science.org/content/arti...

These students at Chicago State University are part of a program to broaden participation in science that the National Science Foundation has terminated. William Woods/Chicago State

Reposted by Tanya Heikkila

The Conversation U.S. @us.theconversation.com · May 20

Redefining "harm" in the Endangered Species Act could undo decades of habitat protection for threatened species. The public has until May 19 to comment on the Trump Administration proposal to exclude habitat destruction from the definition. An ecologist and a law professor explain: buff.ly/RIZKUJh

Reposted by Tanya Heikkila

Chris Dunker @chrisdunker.bsky.social · May 19

A $1.2 million grant from the National Science Foundation was supposed to help the University of Nebraska-Lincoln recruit engineering students from rural parts of the Cornhusker State.

The Trump administration canceled the grant last month: journalstar.com/news/state-r...

Trump administration cancels grant to recruit engineering students from rural Nebraska

Among the hundreds of National Science Foundation grants terminated by the Trump administration were programs to recruit engineering students from rural Nebraska and improve math instruction at the co...

journalstar.com

Reposted by Tanya Heikkila

Janet Allegrezza 🫘🇺🇦 ✌️ @janetallen.bsky.social · May 12

DUE PROCESS DUE PROCESS
DUE PROCESS DUE PROCESS
DUE PROCESS DUE PROCESS
DUE PROCESS DUE PROCESS
DUE PROCESS DUE PROCESS
DUE PROCESS DUE PROCESS
DUE PROCESS DUE PROCESS
DUE PROCESS DUE PROCESS

We don't have justice or liberty without it."
Repost!

Science Magazine @science.org · May 8

Exclusive: National Science Foundation staff were told today that the agency’s 37 divisions—across all eight directorates—are being abolished and the number of programs within those divisions will be drastically reduced.

Exclusive: NSF faces radical shake-up as officials abolish its 37 divisions

Changes seen as a response to presidential directives on what research to fund

Reposted by Tanya Heikkila

Mark Lubell @envpolicycenter.bsky.social · Apr 30

UC Davis Ph.D. student Tara Pozzi led our new paper on learning and adaptive management in the California Delta. Big takeaway: Social capital is way more important than resources in driving how policy forums contribute to learning. @taheikkila.bsky.social psjblog.net/2025/04/30/l...

Learning in Polycentric Governance: Insights from the California Delta Science Enterprise

by Tara Pozzi, Mark Lubell, Tanya Heikkila, Andrea K. Gerlak, & Pamela Rittelmeyer Science enterprises play an increasingly important role in shaping the policy process. While existing literatu…

Reposted by Samuel Morin, Tanya Heikkila, Marina Alberti

Meade Krosby @meadekrosby.bsky.social · Apr 28

Well, it's official. We just received notice that all authors on the Sixth National Climate Assessment have just been released from their roles.

The NCA is a vital, Congressionally mandated resource for our nation as we prepare for the impacts of climate change. This is a huge loss.

NCA6 Update
April 28, 2025
Dear NCA6 Participants,

Thank you for your participation in the 6th National Climate Assessment. At this time, the scope of the NCA6 is currently being reevaluated in accordance with the Global Change Research Act of 1990. We are now releasing all current assessment participants from their roles. As plans develop for the assessment, there may be future opportunities to contribute or engage.

Thank you for your service.

Reposted by Tanya Heikkila, Kent Johnson

Spooky Back From the Dead Lazarus @jlazarus.bsky.social · Apr 23

I'm sorry I know there's a lot going on but how are we not screaming about Ron DeSantis stealing $10 million from Medicaid and the money ending up with pro-DeSantis superPACs, funneled through a charity run by his wife?

HOW IS THIS NOT NATIONAL NEWS?
www.miamiherald.com/news/politic...

The $10M steered to Hope Florida by the state was Medicaid money, document shows

A draft agreement of a $67 million settlement between the DeSantis administration and a Medicaid contractor that had overbilled the state sheds new light on how $10 million of that amount was diverted...

www.miamiherald.com

Reposted by Tanya Heikkila

Javi Ibarrondo @jibarrondo.bsky.social · Apr 21

U.S. climate data websites go dark | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti... 🧪

U.S. climate data websites go dark

Lapse may be temporary, but draft budget plans would eliminate service

www.science.org

Tanya Heikkila @taheikkila.bsky.social · Apr 19

Thank you @davebrady72.bsky.social !

Reposted by Tanya Heikkila

Matthew Facciani @matthewfacciani.bsky.social · Apr 18

The National Science Foundation is now terminating previously awarded grants that deal with DEI or misinformation.
www.nsf.gov/updates-on-p...

Updates on NSF Priorities

Tanya Heikkila @taheikkila.bsky.social · Apr 10

Trump tries to put more nails in the coffins of democracy and climate change mitigation.

Trump Threatens Climate Policies in the States

After halting federal attempts to combat global warming, President Trump is now targeting efforts by states to reduce greenhouse gases, setting up a legal clash.

www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Tanya Heikkila

🎃 Fiona "Fi" Webster 🎃 @fiona-webster22.bsky.social · Apr 10

There’s now a growing body of evidence that climate protest works—not just to decrease anxiety in your head but to change the world outside of it. And contrary to all the stereotypes about preachy greenies putting other people off the cause, there doesn’t seem to be much risk of provoking backlash.

Worried About the Climate? Get Off the Couch. The Data Supports It.

Activism isn’t just the “antidote to despair.” A growing body of research suggests it’s also pretty effective at changing the world.

newrepublic.com

Reposted by Tanya Heikkila

The New York Times @nytimes.com · Apr 9

The Keystone pipeline system, which carries crude oil from Canada to the U.S., was shut down on Tuesday because of a leak that spilled an estimated 3,500 barrels of oil in southeastern North Dakota, government and company officials said.

Oil Spill in North Dakota Prompts Shutdown of Keystone Pipeline

An estimated 3,500 barrels of oil spilled in a field near Fort Ransom, N.D., and the release was contained, the pipeline’s operator said.

www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Andrew L. Jackson, Tanya Heikkila

Jaweed Kaleem @jaweedkaleem.bsky.social · Apr 8

UPDATED: At least 83 students -- at campuses for University of California, California State University and Stanford -- have had their visas revoked as of Monday evening.

Jaweed Kaleem @jaweedkaleem.bsky.social · Apr 7

LATEST: At least 45 student visas across the state have been revoked by the Trump administration, California universities report, as numbers grow. A lawsuit has been filed in a Los Angeles federal court against DHS and Kristi Noem www.latimes.com/california/s...

Caught off-guard, California colleges scramble to determine scope of student visa cancellations

More universities are discovering that international student visas were cancelled last week, causing growing concern and confusion at UCLA and other California campuses.

www.latimes.com

Reposted by Tanya Heikkila

Art Candee 🍿🥤 @artcandee.bsky.social · Apr 6

This.

⬇️

Reposted by Tanya Heikkila

Rachel Maddow @maddow.msnbc.com · Mar 31

"use creative tactics, stay active for long periods of time, and retain public support by eschewing violence even when facing government repression..."

www.foreignaffairs.com/united-state...

How to Save a Democracy

Americans can learn from opponents of authoritarianism elsewhere.

www.foreignaffairs.com

Reposted by Tanya Heikkila

Elizabeth A. Koebele @eakoebele.bsky.social · Mar 31

Grateful to have participated in this research for the State of the Bay Delta Science report - which features an article on governance issues for the first time! - w/ Jess Rudnick, @taheikkila.bsky.social, Tiffany Morrison, & Chelsea Batavia. Article version out now ⬇️

doi.org/10.15447/sfe...

Assessing the State and Efficacy of Climate Governance Research and Practice in the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta

Author(s): Rudnick, Jessica; Heikkila, Tanya; Koebele, Elizabeth; Morrison, Tiffany; Batavia, Chelsea | Abstract: Climate change affects nearly every aspect of the interdependent biophysical and socia...

Tanya Heikkila @taheikkila.bsky.social · Mar 29

The world of higher ed now.

How Colleges Are Surveilling Students Now

Colleges are using surveillance videos and search warrants to investigate students involved in pro-Palestinian protests. Experts say it’s a new frontier in campus security that could threaten civil li...

www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Tanya Heikkila

The Conversation U.S. @us.theconversation.com · Mar 28

Ecological disruptions can cause social and political instability, economic strife, and strained international relations. Scholars explain how these crises impact #nationalsecurity: buff.ly/CXbn2QA #ecology #publichealth

Ecological disruptions are a risk to national security

Overfishing, disease and environmental crimes cause social and political instability, economic strife and strained international relations.

theconversation.com

Reposted by Tanya Heikkila

Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · Mar 27

Congratulations everyone: we live in a country where Fulbright students can be grabbed off the streets and disappeared for writing an essay protesting foreign policy.
www.nytimes.com/2025/03/26/u...

Ms. Ozturk was listed as one of several authors of an opinion essay published last March in the Tufts student newspaper. The essay criticized university leaders for their response to demands that Tufts “acknowledge the Palestinian genocide” and divest itself from companies with ties to Israel.

She is one of several students who have been targeted for deportation by the Trump administration. Alireza Doroudi, an Iranian citizen and doctoral student at the University of Alabama, was detained off campus by federal immigration officials, the school said in a statement on Wednesday. It was not clear why the student was targeted, and U.S. immigration officials did not immediately respond to questions on Wednesday evening.

Reposted by Tanya Heikkila, Mathias Frisch

Justin Baragona @justinbaragona.bsky.social · Mar 26

And here it is!

www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...

Here Are the Attack Plans That Trump’s Advisers Shared on Signal

The administration has downplayed the importance of the text messages inadvertently sent to The Atlantic’s editor in chief.

www.theatlantic.com

Reposted by Tanya Heikkila

Veena Dubal @veenadubal.bsky.social · Mar 23

“Todd Wolfson, the president of the American Association of University Professors, a nat’l faculty rights group, described the move as the greatest incursion into academic freedom & free speech since Sen Joseph R. McCarthy’s crusade against communism in the 1950s.”

www.nytimes.com/2025/03/22/n...

Columbia University’s Concessions to Trump Seen as a Watershed

Threatened with losing $400 million in federal funding, the university agreed to overhaul its protest policies and security practices.

www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Tanya Heikkila

The Conversation U.S. @us.theconversation.com · Mar 22

Water cooperation is essential when countries share lakes and rivers – yet it’s been deteriorating in many places, with serious consequences buff.ly/XpBUZ6H
#WorldWaterDay

Water cooperation is essential when countries share lakes and rivers – yet it’s been deteriorating in many places, with serious consequences

Nationalistic behavior can put people, economies and ecosystems, and even peace, at risk. The US, which paused Columbia River talks with Canada, isn’t the only country shifting in this direction.

theconversation.com

Reposted by Hilde Van den Bulck, Tony Gallagher, Nev Jones , and 5 more Hilde Van den Bulck, Tony Gallagher, Nev Jones, Tanya Heikkila, Jen Schneider, Kath Albury, Yara Mekawi, Dominique C. Bergmann

WIRED @wired.com · Mar 18

They're called public records for a reason. Starting today, WIRED will *stop paywalling* articles that are primarily based on public records obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, becoming the first publication to partner with @freedom.press to offer this for our new coverage.

Wired is dropping paywalls for FOIA-based reporting. Others should follow

As the administration does its best to hide public records from the public, Wired magazine is stepping up to help stem the secrecy

Reposted by Tanya Heikkila

Joyce White Vance @joycewhitevance.bsky.social · Mar 18

The Environmental Protection Agency plans to eliminate its scientific research arm, firing as many as 1,155 chemists, biologists, toxicologists and other scientists, according to documents reviewed by Democrats on the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology. www.nytimes.com/2025/03/17/c...

Trump Administration Aims to Eliminate E.P.A.’s Scientific Research Arm

More than 1,000 chemists, biologists and other scientists could be laid off under a plan to dismantle the Office of Research and Development.

www.nytimes.com