Where giant kangaroo rats — and other critters — thrive
Thanks to concerted conservation, California’s Carrizo Plain is once again home to rare wildlife.
See the West’s rich geologic past
An illustrated timescale of Earth focuses on the region’s landscapes, flora and fauna.
An EPA proposal would make it harder for tribes to protect their water
The agency’s plan would narrow water quality reviews and eliminate one of the few ways that tribes can their enforce treaty rights.
Would you pay 1% more for wildlife?
A bill in the Oregon Legislature would tax tourists for conservation.
How to find deep time in Seattle
A geologist connects Earth’s history to the amazing stones that clad the city’s buildings.
The Grand Canyon and Meteor Crater have a surprising link
Mysterious driftwood high in Grand Canyon caves hints at the legacy of Arizona’s huge impact crater.
Three books explore deep time and help us look forward
The future has already happened.
‘Train Dreams’ is an ode to the lonely labor of forestry
In the new film adaptation of Denis Johnson’s novella, I saw my own Forest Service career reflected back at me.
‘My history is a blip’
#iamthewest: Giving voice to the people that make up communities in the region.
Lawmakers call for an investigation into Interior’s Karen Budd-Falen
House Democrats are demanding an ethics probe into the high-ranking Interior appointee over her financial ties to the massive Thacker Pass lithium mine.
The nation’s trails are disappearing
Government-issued maps offer a promise for safely exploring our public lands, but they no longer reflect the reality of what’s actually on the ground.
Alaska’s public lands are a political battleground
The first year of the second Trump administration saw a bewildering array of federal actions in the 49th state. Here’s your guide to where things now stand.
How pronghorn outran the ice age
Can they outrun an uncertain climate future?
Congress passes environmental funding without Trump’s deep cuts
But the bipartisan effort still trimmed climate research and fails to solve agencies’ chronic underfunding.
Most Popular Stories
High Country News Classifieds
- Position Summary The Communications Manager leads New Mexico Wild's comprehensive communications strategy to advance organizational conservation goals by expanding, diversifying, and engaging supporters through strategic media campaigns, digital communications, newsletter and other print publications, and public outreach. This position manages […]
In This Issue
February 2026: The Recording Artists
Our February issue swings from the rich musical and social history of Black people in Portland, Oregon, to the ongoing conflict between imperiled sage grouse and cattle grazing on the sagebrush steppe of the Western U.S. Colorado’s wolf reintroduction program is running into problems because…
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Water
‘We’re basically slitting our own throat’: Montana rolls back water-quality standards
Skimpy snow makes life worse for skiers — and everyone else
Top Interior Department official has ties to Thacker Pass lithium mine
Wildlife
“Legend-dairy” mountain peaks, visiting bears and remembering a blubbery blowout
Americans generally like wolves − except when reminded of politics
Cascades frogs vanished from Lassen Volcanic National Park in 2007. Now, they’re back.
Public Lands
6 takeaways from our public-lands grazing investigation
Water across the West at risk as Trump targets national monuments
National parks aren’t just for tourists. They’re an essential home for wildlife.
Indigenous Affairs
What does ‘time immemorial’ really mean?
We need to talk about the pretendians in our midst
Colorado cannot heal until it confronts Sand Creek honestly
Communities
Digging out in the Palisades Fire burn zone
A year after the Eaton Fire, permit delays keep Black families from returning
These Americans were prosecuted for voting
Books
The fallout from Ruby Ridge
‘It’s a story of hope’: Reflections on undamming the Klamath
Denver’s storied tradition of sex work, then and now
In the News
An age-old monument faces modern threats
Scientists say Grand Staircase-Escalante isn’t reaching its full research potential.