Most Recent
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Ode to a public lands experiment
It may have lovely photographs, but Valles Caldera: A Vision for New Mexico’s National Reserve is much more than just another coffee-table book.
by Laura Paskus, Feb 19, 2007 -
New Mexico’s water rebel
Albuquerque water developer Bill Turner, a board member of the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District, is often described as the bane of the district as well.
by Laura Paskus, Feb 19, 2007 -
Powered by pond scum
Colorado inventor Jim Sears is among those researchers fascinated by the possibility that algae farms in the Southwest could provide a source of biodiesel.
by Jennie Lay, Feb 19, 2007 -
Sans petrol
Willits, Calif., is one of a growing number of communities trying to prepare for a post-oil world by becoming economically and agriculturally sustainable.
by Tim Holt, Feb 19, 2007 -
Two weeks in the West
Forest Service faces budget cuts; Rural Schools Act dies; local governments may have to pay more firefighting costs; user fees upheld; grazing fees go down; Klamath dams may fall; livestock killed by wolves, and wolves killed; and UFOs in the West.
by Jonathan Thompson, Feb 19, 2007 -
Border Patrol Whack-a-Mole
The United States needs genuine immigration reform instead of the politically motivated shouting match that has taken the place of reasonable debate.
by John Mecklin, Feb 19, 2007 -
One Nation, Under Fire
The Sonoran Desert homeland of the Tohono O’odham Nation has become a nerve-wracking police state, caught in the crossfire between drug and immigrant smugglers and the U.S. Border Patrol.
by John Dougherty, Feb 19, 2007 -
Heard around the West
Plumber vs. golfers in Soap Lake, Wash.; Welcome to Wyoming; don’t mess with mamma coyote; no intelligent life on Earth; amusing headlines; yummy hospital food?
by Betsy Marston, Feb 05, 2007 -
Winter Prayer
Snowshoeing alone at night in the forest, a woman thinks – and prays – about the friends she loves, and the families they worry about.
by Kathleen Dean Moore, Feb 05, 2007 -
A tale of shame and glory in the Southwest
Hampton Sides’ new book, Blood and Thunder: An Epic of the American West, follows Kit Carson through the bloody history of the 19th century Southwest.
by Jared Blackley, Feb 05, 2007 -
Notes from a place of risk and hope
In Big Wonderful: Notes from Wyoming, Kevin Holdsworth describes his love for a harsh landscape in essays, poetry and fiction.
by Julianne Couch, Feb 05, 2007 -
Don’t part out our national parks
If the National Park Service allows commercial bio-prospecting in Yellowstone and our other parks, it will set a dangerous precedent.
by Mike Bader, Feb 05, 2007 -
A Western historian and a Western hero
Las Vegas historian, author and community activist Hal Rothman may be dying from Lou Gehrig’s disease, but he’s determined to go on his own terms – with courage, grace and a sense of humor.
by Matt O’Brien, Feb 05, 2007 -
The West’s public lands are open for business
A close look at the data shows that, despite some restrictions, oil and gas drilling is on the rise in the West.
by Michelle Blank, Feb 05, 2007 -
Energy illusions
A BLM report issued in late 2006 appears to show that less land is available for energy exploration now than in 2003, but a closer look shows that appearances are deceiving.
by Michelle Blank, Feb 05, 2007 -
Red Feather builds homes and communities
The nonprofit Red Feather Development Group recruits volunteers like Zan Wannemuehler to help build straw-bale homes on Indian reservations.
by Erica Ryberg, Feb 05, 2007 -
Condemned
In Idaho and Wyoming, old eminent domain laws allow private entities to condemn landowners’ property – as Peter and Judy Riede discovered when J.R. Simplot Co. announced plans to expand its phosphate mine and build a road across their ranch.
by Rebecca Huntington, Feb 05, 2007 -
Two weeks in the West
Cross-country skiers and snowmobilers clash over access to Logan Canyon, Utah; Mount Jefferson, Mont.; and (of course) Yellowstone; Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth steps down to be replaced by Gail Kimbell; West becomes player in national politics; bor
by Jonathan Thompson, Feb 05, 2007 -
Against the current
For a long time, the West used water as if the supply were endless, but nowadays environmentalists are finding that too much efficiency causes problems of its own, especially in fragile ecosystems like the Colorado River Delta.
by John Mecklin, Feb 05, 2007 -
Heard around the West
Do-it-yourself ski areas; “ecosexuals”; “prescription dog” comes home; Utah’s Radium Stadium; illegal immigrants build fence to keep themselves out; it’s a long way from Sydney, Australia, to Sidney, Mont.
by Betsy Marston, Jan 22, 2007
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