High Country News August 05, 1996
Feature
Disappearing railroad blues
The merger of the Union Pacific and Southern Pacific railroads creates a monopoly that may leave some of Colorado and Utah's working towns without rail transport for their coal.
Dear Friends
Dear friends
Consensus issue reprinted, odds and ends, summer visitors, looking for lost freelancers.
News
Fear of flying: Local resistance keeps condors behind bars
Endangered California condors will not be restored to northern Arizona on schedule, owing to opposition by local towns such as Kanab, Utah.
A cellular call of the wild
The installation of cellular transmitters in Yellowstone National Park means hikers can now use cellular phones on the trails.
BIA comes under fire - again
In one of the largest class action suits ever filed against the federal government, 300,000 Native Americans are demanding a full statement of their individual Indian Money Accounts from the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Feds set "terrible precedent' with Kolob Canyon settlement
An out-of-court settlement with public agencies will give more than $2 million to survivors of an outing in Utah's Kolob Canyon that killed two Explorer Scout leaders.
Drought has Navajos discussing a taboo subject - range reform
The Southwest's drought has Navajos discussing overgrazing on the reservation and the need for range reform.
Prayers generate hope and bring showers
The drought helps spur a religious resurgence for traditional Navajos, as shown by a ceremony on Colorado's Hesperus Peak, one of the Four Sacred Mountains in Navajo lore.
Animas-La Plata hits a wall in the House
The House of Representatives votes to halt funding for Colorado's controversial Animas-La Plata water project.
Marching to stop a Montana mine
A coalition of ranchers and Montana tribes leads a 600-mile march to protest a gold mine in Montana's Sweet Grass Hills.
'Takings': Lobbyists love it, the public doesn't
Despite opposition and apathy from the public, "takings" legislation continues to appear in Congress.
Logging starts - and stops again - in Southwest
The Forest Service tries to lift an injunction against logging on 11 national forests in Arizona and New Mexico, but a federal judge orders the chainsaws silent again until the question of the Mexican spotted owl is addressed.
Book Reviews
We love our parks
The survey "American Views on National Park Issues" shows that parks are very important to citizens.
If you're looking for scarlet mormons
The Butterfly Pavilion and Insect Center opens near Denver, Colo.
Getting wired in the Northwest
ONE/Northwest seeks to put Northwest environmentalists on the Internet.
Partners for an unspoiled place
The Greater San Juan Partnership wants to protect the southern Rocky Mountains.
Will the real West please stand up?
An exhibit in Denver, Colo., called "The Real West" re-examines old myths but pulls some punches, too.
Heard Around the West
Heard around the West
Overheard cafe conversations in North Dakota; "Amazing Grace" radio in South Dakota; sheep's "beautiful buttocks" gone; fish image problems; Arizona speeding excuses; Idaho UFOs.
Related Stories
A confirmed railroad addict
The condition of being a railroad buff is probably hereditary, says the writer, remembering the trains of his childhood.
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