In this issue of High Country News, long-time contributor Hal Herring explains how immigration policy and a push for cheap labor have changed the economics of forest management. Film critic Jason Asenap examines the history of non-Native directors relying on overused stereotypes of Indigenous people. In a place as complicated as the West, our understanding of what shapes it is ever-evolving.

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Is it ‘High Country News’ or just ‘White Country News’?

I’ve learned a lot from HCN in the last few years, and it’s responsible for my year-long detour to Grand Junction, which will always be a life highlight. But I’m increasingly tired of your magazine’s world-weary white man’s editorial perspective, and what appears to be a lack of commitment to reflecting and representing the diversity…

by Matt King

A poem for coyote

Coyote,     the adaptable one. Never listening     to what you think, Save to leave     when he can         to avoid danger. The howler to the moon,     to the train,     the plane,     and most certainly,         the siren. The longing croon. The desert,     our home. Thank you, Julie…

by Todd Teicheira

Game of trials?

In your short article, “Why the Bundy crew keeps winning in court,” you stated that some of the trial attenders felt that the judge was prejudiced against the defense (HCN, 9/18/17). I attended much, although not all, of the Bundy trials here in Portland, Oregon, and had an opportunity to overhear some conversations among defense…

by Marian Rhys

Geography needs cartography

I am a former archaeologist and currently a professional geographer, so I especially enjoyed the recent feature article “Following Ancient Footsteps” (HCN, 10/2/17). Among the many highlights was the small but effective map that put the whole story into a geographic perspective.  Unfortunately, I have found that maps in feature stories are the exception. I…

by Chris Wayne