Feature stories
Browse High Country News feature stories
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Salmon Justice
Judge Jim Redden has given the Bush administration an ultimatum: Submit a viable plan for salmon restoration, or face the possible removal of four dams on the lower Snake River.
by Ken Olsen, Jan 22, 2007 -
Confessions of a Methane Floozy
An environmentalist who owns royalty interest in New Mexico oil and gas wells heads down to the San Juan Basin to talk to rancher Tweeti Blancett, driller Tom Dugan and others about the moral complexities inherent in Americans’ energy use
by Hannah Nordhaus, Dec 25, 2006 -
Old but Faithful
Former Park Service supervisors Bill Wade and Rob Arnberger formed the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees to defend the national parks from what they see as the Bush administration’s ill-conceived changes
by Stephen J Lyons, Dec 11, 2006 -
The West: A New Center of Power
The West gains traction as a center of power in 2006, and nine more indicators from the midterm elections.
by Ray Ring, Nov 27, 2006 -
Bred for success
The Peregrine Fund has mastered the art of breeding aplomado falcons and other endangered birds of prey, but critics say the organization is blind to the importance of wildlife habitat
by Stephanie Paige Ogburn, Nov 13, 2006 -
Peace Breaks Out In New Mexico's Forests
In northern New Mexico, the Collaborative Forest Restoration Program brings Hispanic loggers and Anglo environmentalists together to work on creating healthy, sustainable forests and rural economies
by Peter Friederici, Oct 30, 2006 -
A River Once More
In Oregon, a revolutionary community alliance is working to put water – and steelhead trout – back into the Deschutes River
by Matt Jenkins, Oct 16, 2006 -
From the ground up
The Crested Butte News, a successful independent newspaper in a small Rocky Mountain town, has come full circle and is once again owned by a chain
by M. John Fayhee, Oct 02, 2006 -
Going Big
Mountain bikers are finally winning respect, along with increased access to trails, but a growing breed of gonzo riders with heavy, fast, high-tech bikes -- and a thirst for riding in wilderness – could threaten all that.
by Patrick Farrell, Sep 18, 2006 -
Reborn
With global warming an increasing threat, some are urging a return to nuclear energy, but the industry’s own checkered past reminds us that a nuclear renaissance will be neither easy nor cheap
by Jonathan Thompson, Sep 04, 2006 -
The Lure of the Lawn
It’s not easy to wean Westerners away from their lush, traditional, turfgrass lawns, but with drought an increasing fact of life, Xeriscape gardening is finally catching on
by Michelle Nijhuis, Aug 21, 2006 -
Is It or Isn’t It (Just Another Mouse)?
As scientists clash over the Preble’s meadow jumping mouse's biological categorization, the complexity of endangered species science steps into the light
by Christie Aschwanden, Aug 07, 2006 -
Taking Liberties
The Western states are home to a stealth campaign by libertarians who – under the guise of reforming eminent domain – are out to destroy all land-use planning through "takings" ballot initiatives
by Ray Ring, Jul 24, 2006 -
The Tamarisk Hunter
In the desert Southwest of 2030 Big Daddy Drought runs the show, California claims all the water, and a water tick named Lolo ekes out a rugged living removing tamarisk.
by Paolo Bacigalupi, Jun 26, 2006 -
The Perpetual Growth Machine
Phoenix, Ariz., is determined to disprove the idea that the West will someday run out of water and that every boom has to come to an end
by Matt Jenkins, Jun 12, 2006 -
'Clinging hopelessly to the past'
In his determination to cling, however hopelessly, to Utah’s past, Canyon Country Zephyr founder Jim Stiles has taken on miners, ranchers, developers, mountain bikers and – most recently – some of his fellow environmentalists
by M. John Fayhee, May 29, 2006 -
The Immigrant's Trail
This special issue of High Country News takes an on-the-ground look at the human landscape of illegal immigration in the West
by Jonathan Thompson, May 15, 2006 -
Magic Valley Uprising
An unusual grassroots coalition of citizen activists stops a coal-fired merchant power plant from being built in Idaho’s Magic Valley
by Ray Ring, May 01, 2006 -
The War on Wildfire
President Bush says the Healthy Forests Restoration Act and Initiative were needed to fight wildfire, but several years into the new rules, critics question whether the changes they brought were helpful or even necessary
by Kathie Durbin, Apr 17, 2006 -
Land of Disenchantment
A native New Mexican tries to understand the heroin epidemic that is destroying the Hispano community of the Espanola Valley
by Angela Garcia, Apr 03, 2006
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