Meet Haley Samsel, the Star-Telegram’s new environmental reporter
Growing up in Plano, I once believed I would need to travel hundreds of miles from my hometown to forge a career in journalism or international relations. But after spending my college years learning the ropes of reporting in Washington, D.C., I realized how much I missed local, community-focused journalism. More importantly, I missed Texas.
That’s why I am so excited to join the Star-Telegram this month as a reporter focused on the environmental impact of rapid economic development in Tarrant County and the surrounding region.
The need to increase our coverage of these issues has never been more clear. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Fort Worth’s growth consumed about 2,800 acres of prairie per year to accommodate housing developments, malls and warehouses. With this expansion has come a bevy of environmental challenges, including increased concerns about air pollution, waste, flooding and soil erosion, as well as the preservation of land and natural resources in Tarrant County and North Texas.
And while debates over water and air quality already earn their fair share of headlines in the Star-Telegram, we aim to dig deeper into these stories over the next year — with your help.
The best way you can support this initiative is through sending me your ideas and concerns, which will power our journalism. Filling out this two-minute questionnaire at https://bit.ly/FWSTEnviron will help me learn more about which environmental issues you’re interested in or any problems you’re noticing in your community. If you’ve noticed an air quality, flooding or erosion issue in your area, I want to hear about how you and your neighbors are responding. You can reach me directly at hsamsel@star-telegram.com.
One of my core goals at the Star-Telegram is to not only focus on the challenges that Tarrant County residents are encountering, but to also highlight the solutions being pioneered by governmental agencies, environmental groups and corporations.
Sustainable growth is crucial to Fort Worth’s future, and readers need to know how community leaders are (or are not) establishing smart development strategies that protect water and air quality, preserve natural resources and re-use land that has already been developed for residential or commercial purposes.
I also hope to connect environmental issues with other challenges facing our community, including growing income inequality, the divide between urban and rural Texans, racial disparities and public health concerns, including the coronavirus crisis.
None of this work would be possible without Report for America, a national nonprofit organization that has sent more than 220 journalists to news organizations across the country to report on undercovered issues. A grant from the Anita Berry Martin Memorial Fund at the North Texas Community Foundation is also partially funding my reporting, but we could still use your help to support our RFA positions. You can donate to RFA’s partnership with the Star-Telegram, and our new reporting on the environment and the city of Arlington, by making a tax-deductible contribution at www.star-telegram.com/RFA.
If you’re not a subscriber, you can also help our reporting efforts by subscribing to the Star-Telegram at star-telegram.com/subscribe.
As media companies weather the storm of COVID-19 alongside virtually every other industry, I am grateful for the opportunity to serve our readers in Tarrant County and beyond with reporting on the water we drink, the air we breathe and the land we live on. There is no more fertile ground for these kinds of stories, and I look forward to diving in over the coming months.
