High Country News

(Don't) Let it burn

A "temporary" policy change requires Forest Service firefighters to put out fires they might have let burn in previous years, for fear of them raging out of control.

by Emily Guerin , Sep 02, 2012
A Climate Change Solution?

Pete McGrail believes the volcanic basalt that underlies the Columbia River Basin may hold a cure for global warming: carbon sequestration.

by Valerie Brown, Sep 03, 2007
A nature lover's bucket list

Time is running out to see the natural wonders that are endangered by rampant global warming.

by Tim Lydon, Feb 15, 2010
A new normal for snow

The dry 2000s means snow trackers have to adjust "normal" downward.

by Sarah Jane Keller, Feb 04, 2013
Alaska Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell on the U.S. as an Arctic nation

Treadwell, an expert in the politics of the opening Arctic, discusses offshore drilling, the Arctic as a global economic powerhouse, and climate change adaptation.

by Michael Burger, Aug 21, 2012
An underwater forest reveals the story of a historic megadrought

Scientists find a climatic archive at the bottom of an alpine lake in California's Sierra Nevada.

by Brendon Bosworth, Dec 25, 2012
As seas rise, cities retreat

Climate change is threatening West Coast cities.

by Nathan Rice, Apr 17, 2011
Back to the future

A long time ago, the earth warmed considerably; now, scientists study fossils to find out what happened – and what it might mean for us today.

by J. MADELEINE NASH, Oct 13, 2008
Bark beetle kill leads to more severe fires, right? Well, maybe

The connection between bark beetle outbreaks and Western forest fires is more complicated than it might appear.

by Gail Wells, May 13, 2012
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