Debra Utacia Krol on Muck Rack

Debra Utacia Krol

Verified
Phoenix
As seen in: AZCentral | The Arizona Republic, MSN, Yahoo Life, HuffPost, USA Today, Yahoo Canada, Yahoo News, Aol, New York Daily News, Yahoo Finance, VICE and
Covers:  Native American issues, including but not limited to environment, health, science, travel, gaming; I also cover general travel and eco tourism
Doesn't Cover: Play-by-play sports [except, of course, the World Hoop Dance Championship!]
Bot blocker. Jolon NDN reports Indigenous issues for @azcentral-my stories are free to read #NativeTwitter #Indigenous also at @debkrol.bsky.social

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Debra Utacia Krol’s Biography

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Specialties: Native American issues, including science and environmental issues, economic development, business, Native American art; travel/tourism [both Native and mainstream]; and photojournalism.

Indigenous storyteller Debra Utacia Krol is an award-winning journalist with an emphasis on Native issues, environmental and science issues, and travel who's fond of averring that "My beat is Indians." She is an enrolled member of the Xolon (also known as Jolon) Salinan Tribe from the Central Ca…

Debra Utacia Krol’s Journalist Portfolio

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Winds of Change, Spring 2018

Winds of Change, Spring 2018

Anuhea Parker may still be in high school, but the Native Hawaiian is already an accomplished science student.

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Borders and Baskets: How the Creation of Borders Changed Kumeyaay Life

Borders and Baskets: How the Creation of Borders Changed Kumeyaay Life

Artbound "The Art of Basket Weaving" is a KCETLink production in association with the Autry Museum of the Ame…

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Will the Southwest U.S. Run Short of Water in 2019? * The Revelator

Will the Southwest U.S. Run Short of Water in 2019? * The Revelator

Water managers say no, but Native American tribes are keeping careful watch on the "water that connects us." …

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2018 Arizona Official State Visitor's Guide

2018 Arizona Official State Visitor's Guide

26 ways to experience Indian Country in Arizona.

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Native Americans Are Pissed Off at Trump's Move to Slash Public Land

Native Americans Are Pissed Off at Trump's Move to Slash Public Land

The Valley of the Gods in Bears Ears National Monument Photo by Katherine Frey/The Washington Post via Getty …

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Native Hidden Figures

Native Hidden Figures

The 2016 film Hidden Figures depicts three female African-American mathematicians whose work supported the s…

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Articles

Tsaile student represents Navajo Nation at the National Spelling Bee

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By Debra Utacia Krol 
| AZCentral | The Arizona Republic
Koen Harvey had honed his spelling and vocabulary skills since the second grade. That perseverance, plus some encouragement from his mom, led the 14-year-old eighth-grader to compete against 246 other top orthographers at the 2026 Scripps National Spelling Bee.
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California farmer in line to lead water agency as river crisis worsens

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By Debra Utacia Krol 
| Aol
California farmer in line to lead water agency as river crisis worsens A third-generation farmer from California's San Joaquin Valley may become the next head of the federal agency that oversees water supplies in the drought-stricken Colorado River Basin. Aubrey Bettencourt, who recently stepped down as head of USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service, is expected to be formally nominated by President Donald Trump as the next commissioner of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.
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3 summer road trips: How to see Colorado's Most Treasured Views Original

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By Amber Roldan, Nate Trela , Debra Utacia Krol 
| Fort Collins Coloradoan
Amber Roldan Nate Trela Debra Utacia Krol Fort Collins Coloradoan June 10, 2026, 4:01 a.m. MT From scenic trails to cultural preservation sites, the history behind these Colorado destinations can help you celebrate America's 250th birthday.
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Interview

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What was your first job as a journalist?

Writing intern for the Science and Technology News Network.

Have you ever used a typewriter?

Yes.

How is social media changing news?

It's made reporting more real-time, but it also requires warp-speed verification to avoid snafus.

Awards

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Native American Journalists Association Tribal Media Award

2013 - Environmental Story - Division III

Best Environmental Story for "Honoring the Eagle," which spotlights a unique collaboration between tribal, state and private entities to bring the desert nesting bald eagle from the brink of extinction. Winds of Change magazine, Fall 2013.

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Native American Journalists Association Tribal Media Award

2011 - Best Environmental Story

Best Environmental Story for "Beetle Decimating Environment in North America," an in-depth look at the emerald ash borer and this invasive species' effects on the environmental, cultural and economic health of Northeastern tribes. http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2011/02/28/beetle-decimating-environment-north-america-19352

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Native American Journalists Association National Tribal Media Award

2018 - Online – Best News Story

The Feds Are Attacking a Program That Gives Indigenous People Land. A land trust in Guam set aside for native people is being sued by Trump's Department of Justice because it won't lease to non-natives.

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Native American Journalists Association National Tribal Media Award

2018 - Print / Online – Best Elder Coverage

Paiute Tribe elders navigate a faltering health care system. As federal funding dwindles, remote Nevada tribes struggle for access.

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Best Beat Reporter - Environmental Issues

2019 - Best Journalism

This award is given to a Native American journalist whose body of work demonstrates her or his expertise in covering a beat.

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National Press Foundation Award

2021 - Feddie Award

Photo/videographer Cheryl Evans and I accepted the 2021 Feddie Reporting Award for documenting the struggles of Indigenous peoples to access and protect important religious sites on land controlled by the federal government. The series ran in the Arizona Republic.

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