Uncommon Westerners
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Colorado couple turns healthy profit from healthy beef
David and Kay James are doing a good business raising "grass-finished" beef on their ranch near Durango, Colo.
by Peter McBride, Mar 21, 2005 -
Nun calls the faithful to an 'ecological ministry'
Sister Joan Brown of Albuquerque, a Franciscan, believes Christianity needs to go beyond the doors of the church and into the natural world
by April Reese, Feb 21, 2005 -
'Redneck liberal' defends a hard-to-love landscape
Tim Faber, a carpenter, ranch hand and ‘redneck liberal,’ devotes himself to preserving the wild landscapes of Montana’s Missouri River Breaks
by Ron Selden, Feb 07, 2005 -
Protecting the people's right of way: Public-access advocate Bill Calvert
When a gravel company locked a gate on a road into California’s Yuba Goldfields, a 70-year-old retired salesman named Bill Calvert suddenly became a citizen activist, and fought for public access to public lands
by Tim Holt, Dec 20, 2004 -
Transforming the Forest Service: Maverick bureaucrat Wendy Herrett
Wendy Herrett, a woman with "the heart of a warrior," braved discrimination to become the first female district ranger in the Forest Service and a pioneer in ecosystem management
by Tim Sullivan, Dec 06, 2004 -
Saving wildlife, one animal at a time: Veterinarian Kathleen Ramsay
Veterinarian Kathleen Ramsay founded The Wildlife Center in Espanola, N.M., to treat and rehabilitate sick and injured wildlife
by Deborah Begel, Nov 08, 2004 -
Bucking the trends: Black Hills crusader Marvin Kammerer
Black Hills rancher Marvin Kammerer helped form the Black Hills Alliance in South Dakota to work for social justice and the environment
by Charles Ray, Sep 27, 2004 -
Composing the new Western: Calexico
Joey Burns and John Convertino, along with the other members of the band Calexico, create music that is thoroughly rooted in the desert Southwest around Tucson, Ariz.
by Joshua Garrett-Davis, Sep 13, 2004 -
Taking the load off the environment
Jonathan Fox-Rubin believes his western Colorado company, Fiberforge, holds the key to creating an environmentally responsible car
by Mitzi-Jill Rapkin, Aug 16, 2004 -
Speaking up for rural Oregonians: Judge Laura Pryor
Judge Laura Pryor of Gilliam County, Ore., has led the charge to create the Eastern Oregon Rural Alliance to help eastern Oregon’s small rural communities
by Rebecca Clarren, Aug 02, 2004 -
Scientific Principle: Klamath whistleblower throws in the towel
The biologist who blew the whistle on the National Marine Fisheries Service over Klamath River fish kill, resigns from his agency to protest the triumph of politics over science.
by Laura Paskus and Mike Kelly, Jul 19, 2004 -
Fighting for the Rocky Mountain Front: Montana rancher Karl Rappold
Montana rancher Karl Rappold is determined to save his beloved Rocky Mountain Front from development by the oil and gas industry
by Ron Selden, Jun 21, 2004 -
Defending the West Desert: Utah activist Jason Groenewold
Jason Groenewold didn’t set out to be an environmental activist, but now he directs the Healthy Environment Alliance of Utah, which is fighting toxic waste disposal in the West Desert
by Tim Westby, Jun 07, 2004 -
A champion of 'cooperative conservation': Interior Secretary Gale Norton
Interior Secretary Gale Norton talks to High Country News about her "Four C’s" credo: "Communication, consultation and cooperation, all in the service of conservation"
by Alex Pasquariello, May 24, 2004 -
Filmmakers Filmmakers Dru Carr and Doug Hawes-Davis: Documenting the Evolving West
Dru Carr and Doug Hawes-Davis formed High Plains Films to make environmental documentaries that are even-handed, humane, and not at all preachy
by Jed Gottlieb, May 10, 2004 -
Green investor Hal Brill: Bringing the Money Home
Investment advisor Hal Brill has found a way to help investors follow their conscience, succeed as socially responsible people, and get a return on their dollars.
by Matt Jenkins, Apr 26, 2004 -
Wrecking homes for open space: Philanthropist Jennifer Speers
Jennifer Speers, a Salt Lake city resident with a legacy from her great-grandfather of stopping development along the Palisades in New York and New Jersey and a strong bent toward conservation, buys the Rio Colorado property, and pulls down Moab developer
by Lisa Church, Apr 12, 2004 -
Connecting Indian Country: Talk-show host Harlan McKosato
New Mexico’s Harlan McKosato sees his radio show, Native America Calling, as an "electronic talking circle" that helps build bridges between cultures
by Paul Krza, Mar 29, 2004 -
Persistence frees the Mokelumne: River advocate Pete Bell
Former rock-n-roll drummer Pete Bell is dedicated to keeping California’s Mokelumne River as free-flowing as possible
by Tim Holt, Mar 15, 2004 -
Creating immigrant leaders: Labor organizer Ramon Ramirez
Ramon Ramirez of PCUN, the Northwestern Treeplanters and Farmworkers United, fights on behalf of the rights of immigrants, at home in the Willamette Valley of Oregon and across the globe
by Tim Sullivan, Mar 01, 2004






