Ashley Stimpson

Ashley Stimpson is a Maryland-based freelance journalist whose work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Science, Popular Mechanics, and many other outlets. She is a 2024–2025 Alicia Patterson Fellow.

How One Maryland Community Is Fighting Data Centers and Defending Democracy

A citizen-led effort to put data center development on the ballot in November hangs in the balance

By Ashley Stimpson June 7, 2026

In this story: data centers, Community Advocates, environmental justice, social justice

Wide aerial view of townscape with churches residential blocks and water tower in Frederick Maryland

How to Create an Aquarium Where Fish Thrive

Because your pets deserve more than a tank filled with water

By Ashley Stimpson June 16, 2026

In this story: fish, buyers' guide

Illustration shows the inside of a home aquarium, with fish, snails, plants, and props.

Scientists Name the Fish That Wears a Feather

Cherokee tribes help Western scientists recognize the sicklefin redhorse

By Ashley Stimpson June 25, 2025

In this story: fish, marine ecosystems, indigenous communities

Chattahoochee Forest NFH Deputy Project Leader Joseph Helseth holds a Sicklefin Redhorse sucker. | Photo courtesy of USFWS

Rewilding El Paso

Locals celebrate Texas Parks and Wildlife's reintroduction of bighorn sheep

By Ashley Stimpson April 21, 2025

In this story: animals, saving wild places, conservation

Here's What Happens When Big Data Takes Over a Small Town

In Virginia, the planet's largest proposed data center threatens local ecosystems

By Ashley Stimpson September 12, 2024

In this story: technology, ecosystems, data centers

Illustration shows a tall mainframe building next to a mountain and a farm with a horse grazing

Turbulence Rattles the Northeast's Nascent Offshore Wind Industry

Tradeworkers are left hanging as offshore wind ambitions collide with industry woes

By Ashley Stimpson June 14, 2024

In this story: offshore wind, renewable energy

Illustration shows a person with their hands over their ears atop an offshore wind turbine, with an orange sky

New Maryland Law Is a Boon for Wildlife

How the acres below power lines could be a lifeline to animals on the move

By Ashley Stimpson June 28, 2023

In this story: saving wild places, wildlife, community, healthy communities, nature