Sarah Trent

Both a writer and photographer, I specialize in narrative science and environmental reporting, and am drawn to stories about the ways everyday people are impacted by or responding to climate change. That means I often write about conservation, wildlife, recreation, agriculture, natural disasters, and climate solutions. Previously, I've focused on sustainable and small business, Main Street economic development, and social finance. A recipient of a 2020 Overseas Press Club Fellowship and a graduate of UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, I am currently based in Southwest Washington. My other obsessions include birding, bicycles, and DIY home renovation.

Recent Work //

• High Country News | To protect wild bumblebees, people have to find them first

• Outside Magazine | Philip Kreycik wasn't supposed to die this way

• New York Times | photos + text Another challenge for conservation efforts: Gender inequity

• High Country News | photos + text Going with the flow: This Washington experiment could rebuild eroding coastlines
• OPB's Think Out Loud | radio interview An experiment in Washington aims to stop coastal erosion
• Mother Jones | photo + text This experiment could help restore eroding coastlines
• Atlas Obscura | photos + text Washington’s ‘Washaway Beach’ experiment is reshaping ideas about coastal erosion
• Hakai Magazine | photos + text An experimental beach barrier could be key to rebuilding eroding coastlines
• Investigate West | photo + text This Washington experiment could rebuild eroding coastlines
• Crosscut | photo + text The WA cranberry farmer trying to turn the tides of Washaway Beach
• High Country News | New bird flu strain threatens North American wildlife
  • The Atlantic | Wild birds in North America are dying like never before
• High Country News | Returning sea otters to Oregon could revive kelp forests
  • The Atlantic | Oregon has mixed feelings about the return of sea otters
  • Mother Jones | These cuties could help save Oregon's kelp forests
• High Country News | The power of atmospheric rivers, explained
  • Popular Science | There are rivers in the sky—and one is causing raging rain over California
• Wall Street Journal | photos + text Declining salmon population threatens fishing tourism in Pacific Northwest

• Wall Street Journal | Invasive insects and plants spread northward

• High Country News | When dams come down, fish come home

• High Country News | How to prevent an anti-government revolution

• Outside Magazine | Far more people die from heat exposure than we know. A simple program might help.

• Outside Magazine | How hot is too hot to exercise?

• Longreads | Burning Out: As the climate changes, are search & rescue teams ready for the next big disaster?

• Yes! Magazine | photos + text Post-Soviet Co-ops: Mongolian herders borrow a tool from the recent past

• Wall Street Journal | photos + text Extreme heat threatens fish, crops

• Wall Street Journal | Heat wave hit Northwest businesses from Christmas trees and doughnuts to fish

• Wall Street Journal | U.S. Heat Waves 2021: Understanding what’s at play, including climate change

• Devex | Mongolian nomads create shared funds and financial security

• Nikkei Asian Review | photos only Mongolia's cashmere trade tries to break into the 21st century

• Next City | A blueprint for more equitable transportation planning

• Next City | Turning healthcare into community wealth in Cleveland

• Next City | How much do businesses in your city care about people and planet?

Awards //

• 2020 Overseas Press Club Fellowship
• 2020 Clay Felker Award for Excellence in Narrative Writing (UC Berkeley School of Journalism)
• 2019 Randy Shilts Memorial Award for Exceptional Reporting (UC Berkeley School of Journalism)