Feature

Helping Hummingbirds with Citizen Science

The dedicated volunteers of the Hummingbird Monitoring Network gather field data to help conserve the birds they love.

Editor's Note

Calling all science nerds

Across the country, "citizen scientist" volunteers help professional researchers by gathering data on wildlife species, from moose to hummingbirds.

Dear Friends

HCN stories win awards

Two HCN stories win recent awards; summer visitors come to call; catching up with former intern Lisa McKhann.

Book Reviews

Reality fiction: a review of What You See in the Dark

Manuel Muñoz creates a dark mystery inspired by the filming of Alfred Hitchcock's legendary thriller Psycho.

The aftermath of violence: A review of The Color of Night

The narrator of Madison Smartt Bell's disturbing 13th novel is a former member of a murderous, Manson-like cult.

Essays

How I survive scorching Phoenix summers

The midsummer heat of Phoenix is unbearable to an adult human being - unless you take a lesson from the desert wildlife, and adapt.

Letters

We're listening

Current

Junk rule pits rural ideals against suburban standards

In New Mexico's San Juan County, a new ordinance contrasts upper class aesthetics against a rural lifestyle.

Flight risks: Cities reduce hazards for migrating birds

Four Western cities receive grants to improve habitat for the millions of migratory birds that pass through urban areas every year.

EPA aims to clean up polluted air in Western gas fields

The federal government sets its sights on clearing the air above gas operations

California tribe competes with the state to restore its homeland

The Mountain Maidu Indians and the state Department of Fish and Game are both seeking control of California's Humbug Valley.

Farmland conservation program may be plowed under

The Conservation Reserve Program, which pays farmers to idle highly erodible cropland, is facing budget cuts and other challenges.

Tribes use land conservancies to reclaim ancestral grounds

The Kumeyaay Indians of Southern California are among the tribes using new strategies to reclaim rights to their lands.