Feature

Tribes reclaim stolen lands

Using legal and financial savvy and the latest computer technology, Indian tribes across the West are taking control of tribal lands that have been in the hands of the federal government and, often, non-Indian farmers for the last century.

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Radio High Country News; new director of marketing Steve Mandell; "Adirondack Explorer"; visitors, volunteers.

News

Judge nixes salmon plan

A federal judge rules against Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber's plan to save coastal coho salmon through a state tax on timber that included a clause terminating the tax if a federal endangered listing were approved.

Utah finds 3 million more wild acres

Utah Wilderness Coalition volunteers, doing a re-inventory of BLM lands left out of a previous wilderness proposal, come up with 3 million more acres, making a total of 8.5 million acres that activists say should be protected as wilderness.

The Wayward West

Inholdings making up 12 percent of Calif.'s Mojave Nat'l Preserve for sale; 7 of 11 re-introduced Mexican wolves still alive in Southwest; USFWS proposes listing Canada lynx as "threatened"; USFS plans to log Oregon's watershed; L-P still owes money.

Extinct volcano is up for grabs

Northern New Mexico's Valles Caldera is for sale, and many think the world's largest extinct volcano ought to become the nation's next national park.

Congress drags its feet on Baca Ranch deal

Congress is slow to act on the chance to purchase and protect New Mexico's Valles Caldera - also known as the Baca Ranch.

No fences make bad neighbors in Montana

A new range war erupts near Montana's Bozeman Pass, where new homeowners object to rancher Warren McMillan's cattle wandering the open range.

Utes fight for right to prosecute

The Ute Indian Tribe wants tribal members charged with misdemeanors in Roosevelt, Utah, to be turned over to the tribe for prosecution.

Fast flux on a fast track

Even as Washington state officials complain about the slow pace of cleanup at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, the Department of Energy wants to restart nuclear weapons production there.

Tucson acts to stall sprawl

As Tucson, Ariz., grows and sprawls, Pima County creates a long-range plan to protect the Sonoran Desert from being overrun.

Western Slope wins water wrestle

A judge shoots down a water project that would have diverted water from the Gunnison River Basin on Colorado's Western Slope over to Denver's thirsty suburbs.

At Tahoe, it's agreed: old growth gets to stay

Old-growth ponderosa pine trees in the Lake Tahoe Basin - both green and standing dead trees - will be protected from logging under a new regulation.

Book Reviews

Bombers battled from the ground

In northern New Mexico, residents battle Air Force plans for a new bombing range.

Ghostly fish swim in Idaho

Artist Gregg Schlanger's temporary exhibit at Redfish Lake, Idaho - "Sockeye Waters, Sockeye Dreams" - draws attention to the plight of native salmon.

Spills and secrets

The Alberton Community Coalition for Environmental Health wants to educate people about the hazardous waste carried by railroads.

We can take it

Veterans of the 1930s' Civilian Conservation Corps hold reunions this summer.

Not boring, not befuddling

Earthlaw, a public interest law firm in Denver, works for the environment with a sense of humor and even writes literate press releases.

Restoration Days

The Mono Lake Committee celebrates its 20th anniversary over Labor Day, Sept. 4-7.

Incentives for Conserving Open Lands in Greater Yellowstone

A 51-page report gives landowners ideas about protecting the natural value of their land; published by the Greater Yellowstone Coalition.

The Colorado River: How Secure Is Our Water?

Former top water warrior for the State of Colorado, Jim Lochhead, will talk to the Mesa County Water Association on the Colorado River.

The Wilderness Act Handbook

The Wilderness Society has produced an updated report, "The Wilderness Act Handbook," on wilderness legislation.

Blasting through a cathedral

"Voices from a Sacred Place: In Defense of Petroglyph National Monument," a book edited by Verne Huser, is reviewed, including excerpts.

Blind Descent

Nevada Barr's mystery, "Blind Descent," set in New Mexico's Lechuguilla Cave, is reviewed.

Heard Around the West

Heard around the West

Cars and lightning; dogs, coyotes kill more Mont. livestock than wolves do; farmers' demolition derby in Lind, Wash.; driver bangs up 7 cars in parking; bison bump tourists in Yellowstone; bear trouble in Vail, Colo.; Envirocare engineer is a fraud.

Letters

Sorry, no alien invasion here

Yes, there's an alien invasion

Just a hatchet job

Keep Wyoming just the way it is

You bashed Wyoming

Related Stories

A banker battles to hold the government accountable

Browning, Mont., banker Elouise Cobell uncovers a huge financial mess involving billions of dollars of tribal money somehow misplaced by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.