High Country News

Conservation agreements try to head off endangered species listings

Candidate conservation agreements try to keep rare species, like Colorado's Gunnison sage grouse, off the endangered species list, or at least healthy enough to lessen the restrictions that come with listing.

by Joshua Zaffos, May 31, 2012
A Colorado newspaperman fights for his valley's water

Bob Rawlings, publisher of the Pueblo Chieftain, has battled for decades to bring water to southeastern Colorado and, once it's there, to keep it no matter what.

by Matt Jenkins, Mar 26, 2012
Residents of Montana's High Plains are angry - but not at the real threats

Though climate change and the economy are the issues threatening their livelihoods, many of the High Plains people are angry at almost everything else.

by Joe Wilkins, Feb 02, 2012
Fixing what ain't broken in Foggy Bottom

The U.S. House of Representatives is wasting its time passing unnecessary and absurd laws, but at least that’s helping to keep it out of trouble.

by Ed Quillen, Jan 11, 2012
Resolutions for living smarter in 2012

We could all live healthier, more fulfilling and sustainable lives if we would try to do more with less.

by Linda Hasselstrom, Jan 09, 2012
Land trusts thrive despite, and because of, the Great Recession

The recession has afforded a unique opportunity for land trusts to protect more of the West’s private open land through direct acquisitions and, increasingly, conservation easements.

by Jon Christensen, Jenny Rempel and Judee Burr , Dec 13, 2011
Heard around the West

Dirk Kempthorne and luxury RVs; The Farmer Wants a Wife, maybe; no rules (or bras) at Sturgis; look before you pee; hard-working Washington pot-growers; Arizona’s biggest marijuana farm; with defense lawyers like this one, who needs a prosecutor?; and big bird with a bad grip

by Betsy Marston, Sep 04, 2006
Heard around the West

Running shoes for immigrants; farming fun; Red Delicious apples weren’t; Utah’s only archaeology cop; Fiasco’s Mexican Grill; Codes of the West for urban newcomers

by Betsy Marston, Jun 12, 2006
Management by mega-fire

It’s a basic fact of Western life that fire rarely behaves the way we want it to.

by Paul Larmer, Oct 16, 2011
How can "woofers" stay on the farm?

Young people are eager to serve as unpaid interns on organic farms, but translating their dreams into a real, self-supporting lifestyle is proving harder.

by Dev Carey, Oct 13, 2011