Politics & Policy
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A chance to do it right in the West
Hoping for a Western Interior secretary who practices the politics of collaboration.
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The persistence of bigotry, Western-style
A father of a biracial child listens to the casually racist jokes of his rural Colorado neighbors.
Water
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Desperate measures
Over the years, Westerners have come up with a lot of wacky schemes to get more water.
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Ultimate solution?
Southern California wants to use desalination to increase its water supply, but critics think the idea needs to be taken with a grain of salt.
Culture & Communities
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How to survive the lean times
Her brush with homelessness gives Jane Goetze the background to offer some wry advice.
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Real work
The joys – and hardships – of outdoor physical work take a toll.
Energy
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Stuck in the PAWGmire
The Pinedale Anticline Working Group was supposed to give citizens input on the local oil and gas boom, but it hasn’t worked out as planned.
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Snapshot
The declining value of clean energy stocks reflects the credit crunch and the plunge in oil and gas prices after earlier highs.
Growth & Planning
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A battle for the land – and soul – of the West
In Bargaining for Eden: The Fight for the Last Open Spaces in America, photographer Stephen Trimble tells the story of the controversial Snowbasin ski development in Utah.
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River giveaway, too
Flora & Fauna
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Heeding history’s lessons
There are lessons to be learned from the mistakes that were made, not only in the near-extermination of the wolf, but also in its successful reintroduction.
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Still Howling Wolf
Ranchers and environmentalists in Wyoming are still squabbling over wolves as the animal bounces on and off the endangered species list.
Climate & Pollution
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Who’ll clean up when the party’s over?
There are efforts to reclaim oil and gas drilling sites, but many fear it’s too little, too late.
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Passing gas
Western states are struggling to figure out how to capture the methane emissions from coal mines.
Mining & Agriculture
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Field Day
In some Western states, including Colorado, prison inmates are taking the place of immigrant farmworkers.
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Believe it or not: Ranching has something to teach us
Once denounced by many environmentalists, ranching is finally getting some respect, and Courtney White feels that it’s about time.
Recreation
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If you build it, will they come?
A desert village called Big Water and a troubled ski resort near the hardscrabble town of Beaver are two unlikely places in Utah where entrepreneurs plan to build exclusive resorts for the ultra-rich.
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An unlikely Shangri-la
Steve and Marc Jenson have ambitious plans to turn a failed ski resort near Beaver, Utah, into a private enclave for the ultra-rich, but not everyone is thrilled about the idea.
