War exposes the energy dominance lie
True energy independence comes from weaning ourselves from fossil fuels.
Public lands need less extraction and more rewilding
In the age of extinction, we need a new model for these landscapes and the communities that rely on them.
The West’s heatwave ‘virtually impossible without climate change’
Climate researchers found the region’s extreme weather is caused primarily by the burning of fossil fuels.
Congress contemplates sweeping investigation of Native boarding schools
What the Truth and Healing Commission Bill would — and would not — do.
In major reversal, Interior allows top official with close industry ties to work on grazing policy
Karen Budd-Falen, the agency’s associate deputy secretary, had previously recused herself from working on grazing matters.
The BLM wants to ramp up logging. Oregonians aren’t so sure.
People are grappling with the agency’s notice that signals a significant increase in timber harvesting across 2.5 million acres.
‘Music brings an uplifting spiritual experience’
#iamthewest: Giving voice to the people that make up communities in the region.
What can we learn from salt lakes?
A Q&A with Caroline Tracey about her new book, which documents the plight of one of our most unusual ecosystems.
Montana’s wild week in politics could have national consequences
What was shaping up to be a sleepy election year in Montana is now anything but.
Wildlife loves Wyoming’s ‘Golden Triangle.’ So do oil companies
How Trump’s oil-and-gas agenda threatens a critical, and little-known, ecosystem.
Black riders have always held the reins
What ‘High Horse’ gets right about Black cowboys and the West.
A shrinking Colorado River is forcing farms to change
From low-flow nozzles to baling hay at night, see how farmers are adapting to less water.
How federal cuts are reshaping Alaska’s communities, research and species management
A former U.S. Geological Survey research scientist reflects on the Trump administration’s sweeping changes in the agency.
Heavily contested pumped hydro-storage project gets federal go-ahead
The project in the Columbia Gorge would involve tunneling through a Ḱamíłpa sacred mountain.
Most Popular Stories
High Country News Classifieds
- High Country News is hiring a Partnerships Editor to oversee and expand our collaborations with other media outlets, including the newly formed Western Environmental Reporting Collaborative. This is a new role with big potential to grow the reach and impact […]
In This Issue
March 2026: The Uncertainty of Farming in the Colorado River Basin
HCN looks at several Western ecosystems and the various species that depend on them — including the human beings who rely on the drought-stricken Colorado River. How are farmers in the Colorado River Basin adapting to climate change, given the contentious politics around water use?…
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Water
How Montana tribes are using sovereignty to restore their waterways
The Colorado River rift abides
Snowmaking could be the future of skiing. But at what cost?
Wildlife
Badger signs: An essay from Terry Tempest Williams’ new book ‘The Glorians’
Coyotes and cougars and rats, oh my!
As a caribou herd crashed, wildlife managers turned to killing predators
Public Lands
Trump’s BLM is going all-in on resource extraction
Trump’s BLM nominee waffles on public land sell-off stance
It’s time to rethink how we care for our public lands and waters
Indigenous Affairs
LandBack advances across the West
What does ‘time immemorial’ really mean?
We need to talk about the pretendians in our midst
Communities
A champion Iditarod musher proved that caring and trust win races
How people are helping breeding frogs dodge cars
How community organizers are amplifying Oregon’s Black music history
Books
Three books explore deep time and help us look forward
National parks aren’t just for tourists. They’re an essential home for wildlife.
The fallout from Ruby Ridge
In the News
Markwayne Mullin is for Trump – and Indian Country
The Cherokee congressman, who is hard-right and white-passing, may not seem like an Indigenous lawmaker, but he’s no anomaly.