Essays
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Let's not ram more boats through the Grand Canyon
Even though the river is their livelihood, most river guides oppose the Park Service’s plan to increase the number of boats allowed in the Colorado River in Grand Canyon
by Drifter Smith, Feb 21, 2005 -
Prowling the back spaces of the West
Inside an abandoned Air Force base on the Nevada-Utah border, the Center for Land Use Interpretation houses a remarkable museum of the West's human landscapes.
by Michelle Nijhuis, Feb 07, 2005 -
The BLM wields fork and spatula over the West's wildlands
The Bureau of Land Management is handing out public-lands drilling permits like a McDonald’s drive-through with a hyperactive "Order Assembly Target."
by Matt Jenkins, Feb 07, 2005 -
The wind eternal
The warm chinook winds of Cody, Wyo. keep temperatures mild as they sand away at the town with a steady gale.
by Bill Croke, Jan 24, 2005 -
It's the West's turn to call the shots
The neglected, underestimated Interior West might plant the seeds of change for the current American empire
by Ed Marston, Jan 24, 2005 -
An artist's residency, unplugged
A writer spends time in a primitive cabin in the Colorado mountains, and discovers the wonder of silence and darkness
by Erica Olsen, Dec 20, 2004 -
Go West, Democrats, in the path of Harry Reid
New Senate minority leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., brings to Capitol Hill the lessons learned from a hardscrabble Nevada childhood
by Jon Christensen, Dec 20, 2004 -
Together, we cross the fence
A biologist ponders the fences that block us and the labels that brand us, and says we are going to have to learn to trust each other if we want to get anything done
by Martin Murie, Dec 06, 2004 -
Brace yourselves for the counterrevolution
Don’t worry so much about what President Bush will do to the environment; worry instead about the three new justices he might put on the Supreme Court
by Jon Margolis, Dec 06, 2004 -
A mountain lifts a heavy heart
An emotionally wounded writer is cheered by a visit to Mount St. Helens, even though heavy clouds obscured the volcano
by Rebecca Clarren, Nov 22, 2004 -
Colorado voters snub coal for all things renewable
The board member of a small electric utility opines that the wind power mandate of Colorado's Amendment 37 is good for the energy industry, despite the utilities' resistance
by Ed Marston, Nov 22, 2004 -
In Oregon, a lesson learned the hard way
Oregon’s famed land-use laws take a stake to the heart, thanks to voter ire and planners' failure to explain the benefits of a system that has kept strip-malls and sprawl to a minimum
by Rebecca Clarren, Nov 22, 2004 -
American — and proud of it
There’s nothing like a trip to Europe to make an American appreciate living in a country that still has wilderness.
by Geneen Marie Haugen, Nov 08, 2004 -
Who took the 'farm' out of the Farm Bureau?
Despite its name, the Farm Bureau doesn't care much for farmers.
by Pete Letheby, Nov 08, 2004 -
Environmental issues disappear into election-season smog
Environmental issues were almost invisible in the presidential debates, but an awful lot has happened in the last four years – and most of it has not been good for the West.
by Greg Hanscom, Oct 25, 2004 -
In presidential politics, the West is a forgotten time zone
Even in an election year, the Rocky Mountain West remains flyover country, mostly ignored by politicians and TV networks alike
by Ed Quillen, Oct 25, 2004 -
Hunting: It’s not about the gun
In the presidential election this fall, sportsmen are likely to be split between those who vote for wildlife, and those who vote for the gun
by Tom Reed, Oct 11, 2004 -
So much for sticking to the center
George W. Bush has refused to govern from the center, and with the Republicans in charge of the government, a mandate from the voters doesn’t matter
by Jon Margolis, Oct 11, 2004 -
Revenge of the old-timers: The beavers are back
The sight of a beaver swimming past a barbecue leads to speculation on the role the animal played in the settling of the West, and the current conflicted views New Westerners have about living with wildlife
by Bill Croke, Jun 21, 2004 -
When yesterday’s garbage becomes today’s collectible
A visit to Glass Beach in California leads to dumpster-diving on a grand scale, and offers a preview of future geologic strata
by Alan Kesselheim, Sep 27, 2004
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