Feature

Charles Bowden on The War Next Door

On the U.S.-Mexico border, the corrupt and futile War on Drugs takes a violent toll on the poorest people.

Editor's Note

It's the population, stupid?

Some Westerners want to blame our environmental woes on overpopulation, but the problem is not that simple.

Dear Friends

Power (and financial) struggle

Wide-ranging talk at HCN's "Power Struggle" discussion in Tucson; HCN board meeting raises financial issues; clarification, corrections.

Two Weeks in the West

Turnover at the top

Many environmental groups are seeing a changing of the guard, epitomized by 38-year-old activist Mike Brune's new job as head of the Sierra Club.

Uncommon Places

Down the wormhole

An obscure cave near Steamboat Springs, Colo., contains rare hydrogen sulfide-consuming worms that might hold a key to extraterrestrial life forms.

Book Reviews

The myths of Native American identity

Paul Chaat Smith's latest book, Everything You Know About Indians Is Wrong, is a funny and painful collection of essays on the ways that Indians are stereotyped.

Essays

Good night, sweet trees

A scientist sees a Shakespearean tragedy unfold in the West’s dying aspen forests, victims of climate change.

Letters

'Rage against the machine'

Reporting facts, even when it hurts

Letter of intent

Meditation in stone

Current

Water fallout

A nuclear power plant proposed for Green River, Utah, needs more water than might be available in this dry part of the world.

How it Works

The bald eagle paradox

What happens when the recovery of an endangered species threatens the survival of other species?

Evidence

The incredible journey

A toilet was among the artifacts the Trash Track project followed across the country from original owner to final destination in a landfill.

Focus

The smoke police

Simon Winer patrols the San Francisco Bay Area, sniffing out violators when poor air quality requires a ban on wood-smoke fires.