News
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Librotraficantes smuggle controversial books to Arizona
After Tucson, Ariz., scrapped its acclaimed but controversial Mexican American Studies program, novelist Tony Diaz decided to fight back.
by Neil LaRubbio, Apr 20, 2012 -
Braving landfills, dodging avalanches, all for the sake of geoscience
The intrepid scientific grunts behind the Plate Boundary Observatory roam the West keeping tabs on weird-looking far-flung GPS stations.
by Marian Lyman Kirst, Apr 17, 2012 -
Redefining "renewable" to get a clean energy bill through Congress
As his retirement looms, Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., pushes a "clean energy" bill, one that broadens the energy mix beyond traditional "renewable" sources.
by Judith Lewis Mernit, Apr 15, 2012 -
Big game tag auctions raise big bucks for Western states
Hunting tag auctions may get too pricey for a lot of Western hunters, but they also raise significant money for conservation projects.
by Marian Lyman Kirst, Apr 15, 2012 -
The itch that riles Frontera author Denise Chavez
The author and Border Book Festival maven recounts her childhood, her upcoming book, a "mystery love story" and what it's like to run an independent bookstore in the navel of the world.
by Neil LaRubbio, Apr 10, 2012 -
Following the Old Spanish Trail across the Southwest
Archaeologist Jack Pfertsh looks for marks on the landscape and artifact fragments to retrace the historic route near Delta, Colo.
by Jeremy Miller, Apr 05, 2012 -
Margaret Hiza Redsteer uses Navajo memories to track climate change
A scientist taps the recollections of tribal elders as part of her work to piece together the story of landscape change on the Navajo Nation.
by Danielle Venton, Apr 03, 2012 -
Loggers give unique Oregon ponderosa pine a lifeline
In the Willamette Valley, a rare tree makes a comeback. But is it really a victory for restoration?
by Catherine Ryan, Mar 27, 2012 -
Street artist Jetsonorama tries a new kind of healing in Navajoland
A black physician wheatpastes gigantic photographs outdoors to celebrate the tribe and human experience.
by Sarah Gilman, Mar 23, 2012 -
A scrappy community ski hill hangs on in Colorado
In Lake City, Colo., the state's oldest ski lift is still hauling skiers up modest slopes at even more modest prices.
by Nathan Rice, Mar 20, 2012 -
Scars of an unfinished ski area
The proposed Bitterroot ski resort in Montana remains unfinished, entangled in financial and environmental problems.
by Neil LaRubbio, Mar 18, 2012 -
Sodbusting farmers plow up the Northern Plains prairie
The biofuels "corn bubble" and other financial incentives encourage farmers to plow up native grassland in the sensitive Northern Plains prairie potholes ecosystem; government policies don't help.
by Stephanie Paige Ogburn, Mar 19, 2012 -
The BLM struggles to get ahead of oil and gas development in the West
Master leasing plans, or MLPs, are a new tool designed to help the Bureau of Land Management better coordinate energy leasing and development in areas that may need special treatment or protection.
by Kimberly Hirai, Mar 13, 2012 -
Of cowboys and Indians: Ravi Malhotra helps rural businesses
An Indian-born progressive applies social entrepreneur techniques gleaned from the developing world to struggling communities in Colorado through his nonprofit, iCAST.
by Joshua Zaffos, Mar 06, 2012 -
Going down in flames
Today, the mountain and Pacific states have the highest collective cremation rates in the U.S.
by Marian Lyman Kirst, Mar 04, 2012 -
Wilderness bills languish in legislative limbo
Even Republican sponsors can't seem to break their party's determined stonewalling on wilderness bills in the House of Representatives.
by Danielle Venton, Mar 04, 2012 -
Communities help pay for ecosystem services provided by forests
Watershed partnerships between communities and the federal government help make ratepayers more responsible for the health of their water supply.
by Neil LaRubbio, Feb 21, 2012 -
Obama praises natural gas, but is there enough to satisfy U.S. demand?
In his State of the Union speech, President Obama tried to please everyone, but even his renewable energy proposals rely on finding more natural gas than may exist.
by Judith Lewis Mernit, Feb 19, 2012 -
Growing grizzly population conflicts with USDA sheep research station
As Yellowstone's grizzlies spread into the Centennial Mountains, some fear conflicts will arise with the century-old federal Sheep Experiment Station, which summers its flocks in bear habitat on the Idaho-Montana border.
by Sarah Gilman, Feb 19, 2012 -
Photojournalist Lisa Hamilton explores rural California
For her project, Real Rural, photojournalist Lisa Hamilton traveled throughout California, interviewing and photographing scores of rural people.
by Danielle Venton , Feb 19, 2012
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