Killing one owl to save another
Is it ever the right thing to do? Two ethicists weigh in.
Desert Subdivision: The paradox of naming a development after Edward Abbey
A Moab housing development named for the author of ‘Desert Solitaire’ sparks debate over Abbey’s legacy and growth in a delicate ecosystem.
When is it appropriate to call out bad trail etiquette?
With more trail users than ever before, trail etiquette is important to preserve the places we love. But it doesn’t mean the same thing to every visitor.
Will changes at San Gabriel Mountains National Monument serve LA’s communities of color?
As the monument reaches a decade of federal recognition, the Biden administration hopes to address funding and stewardship challenges alongside the expansion.
An environmental justice coalition for all
How has Biden’s record on conservation served communities of color?
History, addiction and community in Tommy Orange’s latest novel
A Q&A with the author of ‘Wandering Stars’ and ‘There, There.’
Audio: The Joshua tree-yucca moth link
These desert species wouldn’t survive without the other. Can they weather climate change together?
Undamming the Klamath
Tribal nations are restoring the river while reclaiming and revitalizing their cultural heritage.
Bozeman’s boom depends on immigrants but struggles to support them
One of the nation’s fastest-growing cities relies on a vulnerable population of workers to fuel its economic explosion.
Los motivos ocultos de la prosperidad de Bozeman
El auge económico de una de las ciudades estadounidenses con mayor crecimiento depende del trabajo de un grupo vulnerable de personas.
How attacks on energy substations play into the hands of extremists
When the West’s electrical grid is targeted, motives tend to matter less than ensuing propaganda.
Tribes lead on wildlife passages
How a new pot of federal funding could help reconnect Native lands.
The West remains cattle country
Livestock has indelibly altered the region’s land, water and air.
An all-lady seal-hunting crew
Seeking sustenance from the sea.
Get our newsletters
Most Popular Stories
High Country News Classifieds
- High Country News is hiring an interim Customer Service Manager to oversee every aspect of the product fulfillment process, including managing mail, data entry, and subscription delivery in support of our award-winning nonprofit media organization. This position takes responsibility for […]
The West in Perspective
In This Issue
May 2024: A River Returns
The West is always in motion, a place of constant change and contradiction. Condos rise as dams fall: Latino immigrants journey thousands of miles to build houses for millionaires in Montana, while Northwest tribes take the lead on restoration as dams come down and the…
Receive 2 free issues of HCN
Water
What’s next for the Owyhee Canyonlands?
When dams come down, what happens to the ocean?
Cattle are drinking the Colorado River dry
Wildlife
Bird-naming brouhahas, buggy burritos and a goat-milking meetup
Wildlife habitat and tribal cultures threatened by Washington’s largest wind farm
The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act is still a bipartisan unicorn
Public Lands
As national monuments multiply, Bears Ears forges forward
Is Biden a public-lands protector?
Drilling for oil on public land is about to cost a lot more
Indigenous Affairs
Art without the mask of Native identity
Tribes turn to the U.N. for help intervening in gigantic Arizona wind project
Indigenous people rush to stop ‘false climate solutions’ ahead of COP29
Communities
A Salt Lake Valley collective brings gardening and queer communities together
Can ice climbing bring life to an isolated Colorado town in the dead of winter?
At UN, Interior says it’s starting to include consent in tribal policy
Books
The Boldt Decision and where the rule of law held
Reflections on Barry Lopez
During climate chaos, a witness and champion of the West
In the News
How a tiny endangered species put a man in prison
The Devils Hole pupfish is nothing to mess with.