Forrest Wilder

Forrest Wilder, a native of Wimberley, Texas, joined the Observer as a staff writer in 2005. Forrest specializes in environmental reporting and runs the “Forrest for the Trees” blog. Forrest has appeared on Democracy Now!, The Rachel Maddow Show and numerous NPR stations. His work has been mentioned by The New York Times, the Washington Post, the New Yorker, Time magazine and many other state and national publications. Other than filing voluminous open records requests, Forrest enjoys fishing, kayaking, gardening and beer-league softball. He holds a bachelor's degree in anthropology from the University of Texas at Austin.

The ResponseAug 08, 2011
Texas Observer reporter Forrest Wilder provides video stills from The Response, Texas Governor Rick Perry’s, Aug. 6th prayer rally held in Houston. Read more [...] Full Story

What Must Happen for Texas to Turn BlueMay 23, 2013
Polling indicates that Democrats have no lock on the Latino vote, and that control of Texas may hinge on which Latino voters show up at the polls. Full Story
Harold Simmons Wins Another Favor from the LegeMay 21, 2013
Every session, Harold Simmons' radioactive waste dump company comes to the Legislature with a new favor to ask. Every session Rep. Lon Burnam, a Fort Worth Democrat with a peace activist pedigree, puts up a spirited protest. And every session, Simmons—one of the state's most generous GOP donors—pretty much gets what he wants. Full Story
Instead of Tax Breaks for Yacht Owners, How About Closing Corporate Loopholes?May 14, 2013
If we need more money—and there’s no doubt we do—let’s undo the massive tax breaks, tax abatements, corporate loopholes and big-business giveaways before we start raising the sales tax. Full Story
A Last-Ditch Effort to Rein in Payday LoansMay 08, 2013
In a last-ditch effort to salvage payday loan reform, Rep. Mike Villarreal called on a recalcitrant Texas House committee to send legislation to the House. Full Story
Water, MUD and Beer: Recipe for an Explosive Hill Country Development FightMay 03, 2013
In hindsight, perhaps Greg LaMantia, a scion of a South Texas family who made its fortune as a regional Budweiser distributor, shouldn't have named his 5,000-acre spread near Wimberley "Needmore Ranch." Full Story

Payday Loan Chain Owned by Major GOP Donor Skirts Texas LawNov 28, 2012
As serendipity would have it, I had stumbled onto the latest mutant creature in the wild and wooly world of Texas payday lending. "What you've come across is really important," said Ann Baddour of Texas Appleseed. "It looks like they have found a loophole within a loophole." Full Story
Election Night RecapNov 06, 2012
During this exciting election night, the Observer has you covered. We will be live-blogging and tweeting the election results starting around 4 p.m. today (November 6th). You can find our up-to-the-minute posts at this very URL. Full Story
Taking on Gulf Chemical in FreeportOct 08, 2012
Three months ago, Melanie Oldham moved from Angleton to a tiny old home in downtown Freeport, a southeast Texas town that lies in the [...] Full Story
At Universities, Fracking Research Funded by Oil and Gas CompaniesSep 07, 2012
Critics are calling it “frackademia”—the nexus between academia and companies with a stake in “fracking,” the controversial method of extracting gas and oil from [...] Full Story
Gov. Perry Promotes Critic of Evolution to No. 2 Spot at Texas Education AgencyAug 27, 2012
There was big news in the world of Texas public education today and not just because the kids are heading back to school. Gov. [...] Full Story