High Country News

Semi-wild in the new West

Semi-wild rural landscapes, where humans mingle with wildlife, are a richer source of biodiversity than many Westerners realize.

by Paul Larmer , May 08, 2009
Exploring High Mountain Lakes in the Rockies

Exploring High Mountain Lakes in the Rockies by biologist Fred W. Rabe takes a detailed look at mountain lakes, describing their formation, geology and aquatic plants and animals

by Staff, Mar 06, 2006
The call of the semi-wild

Semi-wild rural landscapes, where humans mingle with wildlife, are a richer source of biodiversity than many Westerners realize.

by Paul Larmer , Aug 31, 2010
A Mexican rancher struggles to shift from cattle to conservation

In Northwest Mexico, rancher Carlos Robles Elías works hard to make his Rancho El Aribabi into an oasis of biodiversity, despite the challenges of a sagging economy and rampant drug cartel violence.

by Tony Davis, May 06, 2012
The grasslands — humanity's big backyard

In Sonoita Plain: Views from a Southwestern Grassland, biologists Carl and Jane Bock convey the subtle beauty of the wildlife and people of Arizona’s Sonoita Valley.

by Michelle Nijhuis, Sep 19, 2005
Do subdivisions designed for conservation actually help wildlife?

Conservation development is supposed to reduce the habitat fragmentation caused by exurban sprawl -- but it only works if it's done right.

by Emily Wortman-Wunder, Jun 05, 2012
How conservation works south of the border

Maps, photos and text describe some of the federal and private, nonprofit work in Northwest Mexico to preserve imperiled landscapes and a rich diversity of plants and animals.

by Ray Ring, Tony Davis and Talli Nauman, Apr 29, 2012
An encyclopedia of rivers

The huge, copiously illustrated Rivers of North America is the first comprehensive effort to detail the current state of the continent’s rivers

by Irene Wanner, Nov 27, 2006
Super rodents build super habitat

In the Southwest’s Chihuahuan Desert, prairie dogs and kangaroo rats provide food and shelter for a host of other animals.

by Morgan Heim, Aug 09, 2007
Agriculture’s wild side

In Farming with the Wild: Enhancing Biodiversity on Farms and Ranches, Daniel Imhoff discusses what’s wrong with industrialized agriculture and offers suggestions on how to fix it.

by Ali Macalady, Nov 10, 2003