Feature

The mine that turned the Red River blue

Though the economic future of the area is uncertain, activists welcome a possible Superfund listing for the huge Molycorp molybdenum mine in Questa, N.M., as a way to save the town and the Red River from yet more mine-waste pollution.

Dear Friends

Dear Friends

Hot summer brings bears into town; visitors; "Know Thine Enemy"; Oops and congrats.

Uncommon Westerners

Floyd Dominy: An encounter with the West's undaunted dam-builder

An interview with legendary BuRec director Floyd Dominy reveals a man proud of the dams and water supply projects he built throughout the West - especially Glen Canyon Dam and its "most wonderful lake in the world, Lake Powell."

News

Shaky truce on the Rio Grande

To avoid an environmental lawsuit and placate angry farmers, Albuquerque and the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District will sell enough reservoir water to the drought-plagued river to keep endangered silvery minnow alive and ditches flowing until fall.

The Latest Bounce

Lyle McNeal wins lawsuit; S.D. wetlands won't get new definition; old-growth red cedar in Idaho's Clearwater Nat'l Forest saved from logging; Montana ballot will have initiative on banning new game farms; Environmentalists Against Gore.

Home is where the heat is

This summer's wildfires are raising questions about development in the "wildland-urban interface" - places like Montana's Bitterroot Valley, where Forest Service firefighters are using all their resources to protect homes and cabins.

Protect yourself from wildfires

Some practical suggestions for making your home more fire safe.

Who'll clean up a mining mess?

Recent studies show that contamination from Idaho's Bunker Hill Superfund Site has spread throughout the entire Coeur d'Alene River Basin, and some say the Superfund cleanup effort now winding down has not helped at all.

Ranchers forgo their federal lease

Two ranchers give up their grazing privileges on Idaho's Boise National Forest, blaming rules to protect spawning habitat for endangered salmon.

Cement glues citizens together

Pueblo, Colo., citizens, who worked for years to restore air and water polluted by their city's one-time steel mills, now fear a planned cement manufacturing plant will make their newly livable community unlivable and polluted once again.

Republicans attack sovereignty

Native Americans throughout the West are angry at Washington state's Republicans for passing a resolution that attacks tribal sovereignty.

Essays

Down the Rio Grande, one piece at a time

This issue's lead is part of a series of HCN stories intended to create an honest, insightful picture of the Rio Grande and the varied communities and landscapes it passes through on its long journey.

The latest salmon plan heads toward a train wreck

The long-awaited federal plan for saving the Northwest's endangered salmon avoids the question of breaching dams and satisfies almost no one.

Heard Around the West

Heard around the West

Cliffhanging tourist photographer; New West attack in Ketchum, ID; barfing in Harrison Ford's chopper; Albuquerque's water vigilantes; satellite-controlled watering in UT; off-road vehicles in Colo. Rockies; Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell's gun vs. dogs.

Letters

An outrageous review

Doug Hawes-Davis replies

Not in the family

Learning from the old-timers

'A gentle giant'

Wilderness needs strong advocates

Related Stories

The life and times of a mining town

A timeline traces the history of the Molycorp mine in Questa, N.M., and its environmental problems.

'Molycorp hasn't been a good neighbor to us'

Lifelong Questa resident Joe Cisneros says Molycorp has damaged his air, water and community.

'If you want the jobs, you're going to have to deal with it'

Questa resident Alice Martinez defends the Molycorp mine, where her husband worked for many years.

'A mine divides a community'

Lifelong Questa resident Berlinda Trujillo has spent years in labor and environmental struggles with the Molycorp mine.

'The mine is everything'

An anonymous Questeno says the Molycorp mine has given much to the community and been a good steward of the land.