High Country News

The life and death of Desert Rock

The Navajo Nation's proposed 1,500-megawatt coal plant always rested on shaky ground. Now, it may collapse entirely.

by Laura Paskus, Aug 13, 2010
Tribal casinos expand and go upscale

To attract more customers and revenue, many Western tribal casinos are adding resort hotels, golf, spas and fancy restaurants.

by Jason Begay, Mar 18, 2013
Seeking the Water Jackpot

The Navajo Nation is determined to finally claim its rightful share of the Colorado River after 86 years of being left out of the region’s water politics.

by Matt Jenkins, Mar 16, 2008
The elephant that was left out of the room …

Indian tribes were left out of the negotiations that divvied up the Colorado River in 1922, but it’s no longer possible to ignore them – particularly in the case of the Navajo Nation.

by Jonathan Thompson, Mar 17, 2008
Shifting sands in Navajoland

On the drought-stricken Navajo Nation, scientist Margaret Hiza Redsteer studies the movement of sand dunes.

by Michelle Nijhuis, Jun 23, 2008
A contaminated history unearthed

Investigative reporter Judy Pasternak describes uranium's effects on the Navajo Nation in Yellow Dirt: An American Story of a Poisoned Land and a People Betrayed.

by Molly Beer, Dec 05, 2010
Will Navajos approve a Grand Canyon megadevelopment?

An audacious development proposal near Grand Canyon National Park divides a tribe and its neighbors.

by Peter Friederici, Dec 10, 2012
The end of an era on the Colorado Plateau

The closing down of the Mohave Generating Station and the Black Mesa Mine are both a victory for environmentalists and Indian water activists, and an economic catastrophe for the Hopi and Navajo nations

by Daniel Kraker, Jan 23, 2006
Indians vs. Greens?

In a controversial resolution, Hopi and Navajo politicians have told environmentalists – including grassroots Indian groups – that they are not welcome on the Rez.

by Jonathan Thompson, Oct 19, 2009
Native power in Tucson

HCN sponsors a conference on energy development and environmental activism on the Hopi and Navajo reservations; visitors; planning; corrections.

by Paul Larmer and Jodi Peterson , Jan 17, 2010