The Chinese immigrants trafficked on New Mexico’s weed farms
Migrant workers were trapped in the Southwest’s illicit cannabis boom and treated as criminals — until investigators began chasing their bosses.
On Mount Shasta, a photographic record outlasts living memory
The re-photo project is a map of what time used to be.
Collapsing mountains in Alaska are causing massive tsunamis
Climate change is shrinking glaciers, destabilizing the state’s coastline and shaking its tourism industry.
Bears vs. backpacks, busted-up boulders, a sheepish spectacle and the Yoda of Love
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
Canelo Hills ladies’-tresses grow only in the Southwest’s vanishing ciénegas. Can they be rooted there again?
Scientists restore an endangered orchid to Arizona’s desert wetland.
Apparitional
A poem by Joan Kane.
The rules for grazing on 155 million acres of public lands are getting overhauled
The new rule cuts public involvement and favors the livestock industry.
Can restoration save the Delta smelt?
In the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, new wetlands await the threatened fish.
Let’s go in on the American dream, together
Samantha Paige Rosen’s anthology offers communal living as affordability solution.
The Klamath Tribes couldn’t get federal dollars for salmon. Then the Yurok stepped in
For more than 100 years, salmon had been absent from the Klamath Tribes’ lands — a fact that cut them off from funding sources to fix that.
‘It’s OK to learn from your mistakes’
#iamthewest: Giving voice to the people that make up communities in the region.
Love letter to a blooming giant
What a single plant can tell us about humanity.
Meet the West’s new environmental reporters
The Western Environmental Reporting Collaborative launches this month.
Meet the students graduating from Montana’s smallest classes
The people graduating from classes of 3, 2 and 1 have big ambitions.
Most Popular Stories
High Country News Classifieds
- Experience the perfect blend of privacy, convenience and natural beauty with these two, level, contiguous lots on Conestoga Court, totaling 5 acres. Located at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac, you'll be nestled between Mt. Eddy and Mt. Shasta, with […]
The West in Perspective
In This Issue
July 2026: Lost in the Weeds
The West has always dealt with natural disasters, human trafficking and crime, but today those problems are taking on new forms. What happens when one of Alaska’s melting glaciers causes a landslide that sends a tsunami tearing through a fjord frequented by cruise ships and…
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Water
The Deschutes River goes to the water-rich few during drought. Farmers are paying the price
The curious comeback of Putah Creek’s salmon
Glen Canyon Dam dances with deadpool
Wildlife
The electrifying allure of a tide pool creature
Bazillions of bunnies, Montecito’s ‘hog heaven,’ and pride will always prevail
On Oregon’s McKenzie River, an unprecedented approach to restoration takes shape
Public Lands
Sen. Mike Lee targets the Roadless Rule
Billions in border wall contracts are going to a Montana firm run by a Trump donor
Managed retreat in Ruidoso could mean more public lands
Indigenous Affairs
Treat water like family, not profit
The facade of the Red Wind commune
War, climate change and AI are at stake at the 2026 UN Indigenous forum
Communities
‘What we have to do is come together and stick together’
White Salmon has been fighting for free mail for decades
If you can’t find a Utah peach this year, climate change may be to blame
Books
What can we learn from salt lakes?
Badger signs: An essay from Terry Tempest Williams’ new book ‘The Glorians’
Three books explore deep time and help us look forward
In the News
A Westerner’s guide to the Endangered Species Act
What you need to know about the law that’s shaped our region.