High Country News April 18, 2011
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.






