Essays
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Utah's wilderness warriors reply
Scott Groene of the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance disagrees with a recent High Country News essay about the best way to protect our remaining wilderness
by Scott Groene, Sep 27, 2004 -
Occupying less
A wild bird helps teach a woman how to let go of the need to own things
by Mary Sojourner, Sep 13, 2004 -
Failure of leadership, not a lack of water, dooms the Klamath River
Only the federal government can find away to protect both salmon and farmers in the Northwest’s Klamath River watershed
by Tim Holt, Sep 13, 2004 -
Fees and our forests don't always fit
Idaho’s Republican senator says he can’t support the Recreation Fee Demonstration Program, which charges people to visit their own public lands
by Larry Craig, Aug 30, 2004 -
'Conservation' strategy is a wolf in sheep's clothing
The Bush administration’s doublespeak on roadless areas may alienate one of its constituencies: the hunters and anglers who love our wild country
by Chris Wood, Aug 16, 2004 -
On a lonely road, time rolls to a stop
The writer travels from New York to Nevada every year, just to stop on one of the state’s empty highways and listen to the endless desert silence
by Jim Harmon, Aug 02, 2004 -
Backpacker, beware: Don't boldly go where you don't belong
Backpacker magazine is taking advantage of Global Positioning Systems to send tourists into remote and dangerous places
by Sean Neilson, Aug 02, 2004 -
Roadkill is a right and a privilege, and don't you forget it
A judge’s ruling proves you can get a free lunch – at least, if you live in northern Idaho, and you like to eat roadkill
by Kevin Taylor, Jul 19, 2004 -
As dams fall, a chance for redemption
Visits to three Western dams – California’s doomed Matilija Dam, the unfinished Elk Creek Dam in Oregon, and the Southwest’s giant Glen Canyon Dam – lead the author to consider the fact that sooner or later, every dam crumbles
by Daniel McCool, Jun 21, 2004 -
At home on the range with 10-year-old writers and dreamers
A teacher at a small rural school in Colorado encourages her young students to express their feelings and describe the world they live in
by Kate Krautkramer, Jun 07, 2004 -
I've tried, but I can't eat the view
Missoula, Mont., like many amenity-rich Western towns, is becoming too expensive for its working-class population
by Mark Matthews, Jun 07, 2004 -
Throwing out the dishwater
In order to remain aware of the amount of water she uses in her dry climate, the author collects her dishwater daily, and pours it on her compost pile
by Susan Tweit, May 24, 2004 -
The common beauty of a spring day
A spring day in Montana leads to an encounter with sandhill cranes, and with beauty
by Charles Finn, May 10, 2004 -
Motorized recreation belongs in the backcountry
Off-road vehicle users need to be responsible, but at the same time they should fight against any restrictions to backcountry riding
by Dave Skinner, May 10, 2004 -
Off-road vehicles are chewing up our public lands
The only solution to the destruction of public lands by off-highway vehicles is to begin to restrict their use in the backcountry
by Tonia Wolf, May 10, 2004 -
Look for the best — and keep it
Safeguarding special places should come from those already settled in such places, but usually we fall into self-righteousness and apathy. A positive vision for local action requires setting priorities for the natural landscape that gives a place its spe
by Penelope Grenoble O'Malley, Apr 26, 2004 -
The West's mythmakers are now its newcomers
Montana "characters" may be more a creation of newcomers who feed on and then in turn feed our Western myths than a real reflection of Montana’s character and past
by John Clayton, Apr 26, 2004 -
Die, baby harp seal! It's time for environmentalism to get ugly
Environmental groups’ calendar portrayals of the beleaguered harp seal are too pretty and too hackneyed to convince humans that the race must see beyond its own wants if it is to hold off the end of nature
by Lydia Millet, Apr 12, 2004 -
Why Greens need blue blazers
Greenies, until America becomes less pretentious, your party needs to trade in tie-dye for the uniform of power: gray flannel trousers and a nice, pink-pinstriped shirt
by Lou Bendrick, Apr 12, 2004 -
Bush is a man of his word: He's audacious, but should that be surprising?
Democrats can learn a thing or two from the way Bush and the conservative Republicans are using political power
by Jon Margolis, Mar 29, 2004
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