Feature

Muddy Waters: Silt and the Slow Demise of Glen Canyon Dam

A float down the Lower San Juan teaches surprising lessons about dams, water and silt in the West.

Current

Rare-earth reality check

Suddenly, everyone is eyeing the West's rare-earth deposits, but mining and processing the metals will not be easy.

Critter contraceptives

Scientists are working on effective birth control methods for wild animals.

Today's garden plants can be tomorrow's invasives

Some popular ornamental garden plants have become invasive, particularly in California.

As seas rise, cities retreat

Climate change is threatening West Coast cities.

Green 'New Urbanist' development rises in Albuquerque suburbs

An ambitious green development is in the works on Mesa del Sol just outside of Albuquerque, N.M.

Editor's Note

The power of the lowly dirt particle

The reservoirs of the West are a far cry from Eastern lakes, especially when it comes to the silt they carry.

Dear Friends

Welcome, Todd; goodbye, Ellen

High Country News welcomes new outreach director Todd Chamberlin and says goodbye to Ellen Kraus, our subscriber services staffer; writerly readers come to call; Tara Waters Lumpkin launches online magazine Izilwane.

Book Reviews

Unheard stories, unseen lives: A review of Southern Paiute, A Portrait

William Logan Hebner and photographer Michael L. Plyler document Native American lives.

A deadly fastball in Denver: A review of The Ringer

In her debut novel, The Ringer, Jenny Shank brings to life two troubled families haunted by violence in Denver.

Essays

The sign maker

The wooden signs Phil Garfoot made still offer directions to his friends, even after his death.

Letters

Consumers feel Big Beef's squeeze, too

Air quality and equity

Cleverly clean

One thumb up, one thumb down

Scapegoating Sarah