High Country News

Utah's ancient Lake Bonneville holds clues to the West's changing climate

In Utah, scientists are exploring the site of a long-vanished inland sea called Lake Bonneville to understand the West's past - and future - climate.

by Douglas Fox, Nov 07, 2011
Fighting the wind on a Montana camping trip

If you want to be driven crazy by the wind, try canoeing and camping on Montana's Marias River.

by Jeremy N. Smith, Nov 27, 2011
It's a bird, it's a plane, its a contrail

A Westerner becomes a reluctant connoisseur of the contrails that streak across the region’s bright blue skies.

by Charles Kulander, May 26, 2011
Bear witness to climate change

To imagine what your corner of the West will be like in a warmer climate, consider how different plants and animals are at a lower elevation.

by Pepper Trail, Feb 03, 2010
Reawakening our wild humanity

Human beings can learn a lot from our wild animal cousins, but we need to pay more attention to them — especially to the ones we flatten on the highways

by Paul Larmer, Feb 07, 2005
The best-laid plans

It’s high time Arizona realized it’s a desert, and has to share the Colorado River with six other dry Western states

by Greg Hanscom, Mar 21, 2005
What happened to winter?

An unusual winter sends ripples through the West's water and wildlife systems, and leaves scientists wondering whether global warming is the cause.

by Michelle Nijhuis, Apr 18, 2005
On the trail of global warming

This winter’s weird weather has everybody talking, but nobody wants to tackle the big question: Is global warming finally hitting the West?

by Greg Hanscom, Apr 18, 2005
Why should the Arctic Refuge matter to the ski industry?

If the United States doesn’t come up with an intelligent energy strategy, global warming could spell the end of the ski industry

by Pat O'Donnell, May 16, 2005
Exodus

The abandonment of the American Southwest by the Anasazi 700 years ago – and the destruction of New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina today – show that all civilizations are fragile, complex, and ultimately at the mercy of the climate

by Greg Hanscom, Oct 03, 2005