Feature stories
Browse High Country News feature stories
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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 -
The street hierarchy
Aaron Gilbreath mulls the very large difference between being a pedestrian in ultra-cool Portland, Ore., and in sprawling Phoenix, Ariz.
by Aaron Gilbreath, Sep 15, 2008 -
Reclaiming the low country
Jared Farmer speaks in praise of Utah’s neglected “low country” landscapes – places like Utah Lake.
by Jared Farmer , Sep 11, 2008 -
The Mog Squad
In the quest for the ultimate firefighting machine, the BLM in Nevada has turned to some very big, very strange, and very foreign vehicles.
by Matt Jenkins , Sep 02, 2008 -
An unlikely Shangri-la
Steve and Marc Jenson have ambitious plans to turn a failed ski resort near Beaver, Utah, into a private enclave for the ultra-rich, but not everyone is thrilled about the idea.
by Christopher Solomon , Aug 18, 2008 -
Hostile takeover
In the Pacific Northwest, scientists reluctantly consider killing barred owls to save increasingly threatened northern spotted owls.
by Kim Todd , Jul 30, 2008 -
A fractured party
The Grand Old Party will either find a new life – or court self-destruction – in the West today, where moderates and hard-liners are battling over conservation issues.
by Ray Ring, Jul 21, 2008 -
Peace on the Klamath
For years, Native Americans, fishermen and farmers have battled over the Klamath River in southern Oregon and Northern California, but finally a complicated truce is in the works.
by Matt Jenkins, Jun 23, 2008 -
Why the West needs Mythic Cowboys
Jeffrey Lockwood believes that the modern West could use an infusion of old-fashioned Cowboy Mythology.
by Jeffrey Lockwood, Jun 09, 2008 -
On Cancer’s Trail
The women in Stefanie Raymond-Whish’s family have a history of breast cancer, and the young Navajo biologist wants to know whether the uranium on the reservation might have something to do with it.
by Florence Williams, May 26, 2008 -
Boom! Boom!
An energy boom of unprecedented proportions is transforming western Colorado towns like Rifle, which just recently recovered from the last big energy boom – and a catastrophic bust.
by Francisco Tharp, May 12, 2008 -
Pillaging the Past
Craig Childs explores the fine line that separates archeology from grave-robbing in the American Southwest.
by Craig Childs, Apr 28, 2008 -
Taking to the Trees
After conquering rocks, trails and mountains, weekend warriors have found a new hobby: Climbing the West’s big trees.
by Morgan Heim, Apr 14, 2008 -
My Crazy Brother
Ray Ring takes a personal, painful look at the West’s suicidal tendencies, as shown in the life and death of his brother, John.
by Ray Ring, Mar 31, 2008 -
Seeking the Water Jackpot
The Navajo Nation is determined to finally claim its rightful share of the Colorado River after 86 years of being left out of the region’s water politics.
by Matt Jenkins, Mar 16, 2008 -
The People of the Sea
California’s Salton Sea is at a crossroads, but whether it dries up and blows away or is restored and rejuvenated, the future does not look bright for its resident renegades, retirees and recluses.
by Terry Greene Sterling, Mar 03, 2008 -
Reluctant Boomtown
A copper-mining company is courting Superior, Ariz., but the former mining town – now re-inventing itself as a modest tourist haven – is unsure whether it really wants a new marriage with extractive industry.
by Jonathan Thompson, Feb 18, 2008 -
Unnatural Preservation
Public-land managers in the era of global warming face uncomfortable choices: Do they intervene to protect dying plants and animals, or stand back and let this new version of “nature” take its course?
by M. Martin Smith and Fiona Gow, Feb 04, 2008 -
A political speech the West needs to hear
High Country News imagines – and delivers – the kind of speech about our energy future that the West needs to hear from its next president.
by Ray Ring, Jan 21, 2008 -
Last chance for the Lobo
Mexican Wolves in Catron County, New Mexico struggle to survive in the midst of underfunding, inbreeding, and hostile local ranchers.
by John Dougherty, Dec 24, 2007
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