Feature

Healing the Gila

Three years after cows were banned from some Southwestern rivers, the San Francisco River in the Gila National Forest shows signs of recovery, but struggling ranchers and uneven wildlife numbers prove that the struggle over desert grazing is still alive.

Dear Friends

Dear Friends

Sympathy from all over for Sept. 11; books by Mary Sojourner, Diane Josephy Peavey and Philip L. Fradkin; "Bear Deluxe" likes HCN; visitors.

Remembering Mike

Former Sen. Mike Mansfield of Montana is remembered as a man of integrity, honesty and rare authenticity, who respected others and always listened patiently, even to his adversaries.

Uncommon Westerners

The Rio Grande's unsung diplomat

Rafter and river advocate Steve Harris tries to work with local farmers to preserve the Rio Grande in New Mexico.

News

The Latest Bounce

Earthjustice appeals ruling about difference between wild and hatchery salmon; Klamath farmers apply for relief; Idaho Supreme Court denies water to wildlife refuge; Mark Rey confirmed as undersecretary of Ag for Natural Resources/Environment.

A monorail for the mountains?

Growing traffic on Colorado's Interstate 70 has some thinking the state should consider building a monorail to ferry people from Denver into the mountains.

Park boss gored by grazing feud

Former Dinosaur National Monument Superintendent Dennis Ditmanson's attempt to resolve a long-lasting grazing conflict with the ranching Mantle family leads to criticism from staffers and environmentalists.

A graceful gazelle becomes a pest

Inrroducing an African gazelle called the oryx for big-game hunting on New Mexico's White Sands Missile Range has led to a host of problems, as the animals breed and spread throughout the area.

Monument of tall trees will stand

A federal judge rejects a challenge to the existence of California's Giant Sequoia National Monument, designated by President Clinton toward the end of his presidency.

Pigs run hog wild in the Olympics

Feral pigs are invading the area near Washington's Olympic National Park.

Power plant creates noisy dispute

A power plant proposed for rural Canyon County, Idaho, is facing a battle from local critics, who object to the plant's potential noise, among other things.

ESA didn't kill firefighters

An investigative report says that a delay in taking water from the Chewuch River because of the Endangered Species Act did not cause the deaths of four firefighters on the Okanogan forest last July.

Pygmy owls lose one in court

A federal district judge removes some federal protection for the endangered ferruginous pygmy owl habitat in southwestern Arizona near Tucson.

Trumpeter swans for the taking

Some fear that a hunt planned for tundra swan in Utah may accidentally target the rare trumpeter as well.

Book Reviews

Good Neighbor Handbook

The free, illustrated "Good Neighbor Handbook," written by Katherine Bill and published by the Methow Conservancy, aims to give new arrivals in Washington's Methow Valley advice about adapting to their new home.

Grassfires burn bigger

A new study says that less than 15 percent of fires target national forests; most hit grassland and shrubland in state, tribal, private or BLM ownership.

Remembering internment in Idaho

Idaho's Sun valley Center for the arts hosts "Whispered Silences," a multidisciplinary exhibition exploring Japanese-American internment camps across the West.

Essays

High Country News: Friend or foe?

HCN's associate publisher tries to explain why the paper sometimes prints Writers on the Range columns that readers - and even staff - find wrong-headed or foolish.

Heard Around the West

Heard around the West

Living with bears and coyotes; small-town police blotters; Idaho Rep. Butch Otter's Web site to keep eye on greens; Klamath Basin "Sucker Beer"; "Polygamy Porter"; lazy duck hunters; Vegas' faux New York never included World Trade Center towers.

Letters

WOTR columns are propaganda

Freedom or irresponsibility?

Sharper than a serpent's tooth

Kudos for Craig

Related Stories

One rancher stands in defiance...

New Mexico rancher Hugh B. McKeen continues to battle the federal government over grazing restrictions on his Gila National Forest allotment.

...while another quietly moves ahead

Alma, N.M., rancher Sewell Goodwin believes that removing cattle from riparian grazing has actually improved their health.