Luna is a Michigan native that left the midwest for the first time just six years ago and hasn’t stopped exploring since. Her curiosity led her to degrees in neuroscience and the fine arts at the University of Michigan where she started telling multimedia stories. Luna’s most recent work was with a non-profit in northern India that promotes financial independence through craft making for rural women. In her free time she can be found taking her camera and her dog, Rhubarb, for a walk.
Emily oversees coverage of the northern part of our region as an associate editor based in Moscow, Idaho. Her lifelong love of the outdoors was sparked by a childhood spent swimming and paddling the lakes and rivers of New York State’s Adirondack Mountains. She earned a bachelor’s degree at Colgate University in central New York, a master’s degree in biology at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and a graduate certificate from the University of California Santa Cruz’s Science Communication Program. She spends most of her free time cross-country skiing or cooling off in the nearest lake or river, depending on the season.
Paige oversees coverage of HCN’s South Desk from Durango, Colorado. Her writing focuses on the complexities and wellbeing of rural communities and she often gravitates toward narratives where wild people and wild places collide. As associate editor, Paige also helps shape the magazine’s investigative coverage. She has covered Western issues for nearly a decade and holds a master’s degree from the Missouri School of Journalism. When she’s not writing, she’s hiking or skiing in the San Juan Mountains with her hound, Porter.
Nick was born and and grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma. After graduating from St. Olaf College, a small school in southeastern Minnesota, he got his journalism start at a newspaper in the Philadelphia area covering local government. He then moved to Washington, D.C., where he covered campaigns, lobbying, and money in politics for E&E News, an environmental and energy publication. When not writing, he is usually exploring the mountains around Gunnison.
Graham Lee Brewer is a contributing editor on the High Country News Indigenous affairs desk. He is a native of Oklahoma, where he resides with his son, and a member of the Cherokee Nation. Graham is an alum of The Oklahoman newspaper, where he extensively covered the state criminal justice system. Graham serves as a board member for the Native American Journalists Association.
Brian, a fourth-generation Wyoming native, grew up in Pinedale and holds a M.F.A from Western Colorado University and a B.A. in English liberal arts with a minor in writing and media studies from the University of Northern Colorado. He has worked as a foreign correspondent, writer, audio journalist, and most recently, a Ted Scripps Fellow in Environmental Journalism at the University of Colorado.
Events & Business Partner Coordinator Location: Colorado
Laura has loved the Southwest since she first moved to Colorado in 1981. After seven years in Seattle, she is excited to return to the mountains of Colorado, which she considers home. Laura has worked in marketing, development, advertising and community relations for numerous non-profits, including Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Spiritual Paths Foundation, and most recently, Pilchuck Glass School. She has spent many years working in public libraries. Laura enjoys time with family and friends, gardening, fiber arts, reading, qigong and visiting hot springs.
email: lauradathcn.org
Kalen Goodluck
Editorial Fellow Location: New Mexico
Kalen Goodluck is Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara and Diné from Albuquerque, New Mexico. He attended Bard College in Annandale-On-Hudson, New York, and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Human Rights. After collaborating on a documentary with his brother, Kalen got a master’s degree at the City University of New York Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism. Before joining High Country News, Kalen interned twice at NBC News’ Investigative Unit, where he reported on the medical device industry. He also contributed to a team through Type Investigations (formerly The Investigative Fund) that dug into right wing extremism. When not reporting, he enjoys eating s’mores by a campfire.
Bear Guerra is a photographer who focuses on social and environmental justice issues, the impacts of globalization and development, and the human condition in communities often underrepresented in the media. His work and collaborations with media, non-profit, and arts organizations have been published and exhibited widely. Amongst other recognitions, he has been a finalist for a National Magazine Award in Photojournalism; and was a Ted Scripps Fellow in Environmental Journalism at the University of Colorado. Originally from San Antonio, TX, Bear lives in Tucson, AZ with his wife and frequent collaborator, journalist (and HCN contributing editor) Ruxandra Guidi, and their daughter.
Ruxandra Guidi, a native of Venezuela, has reported throughout the United States and Latin America for both magazines and public radio, and in both English and Spanish. She has worked extensively as an independent journalist, and has also worked for PRI’s The World, NPR’s Latino USA, and as a U.S.-Mexico border reporter for the Fronteras Desk initiative. Her work has been published by Orion Magazine, National Geographic NewsWatch, The Atlantic, and others. She’s a board member for the award-winning nonprofit journalism collaborative, Homelands Productions, and she regularly collaborates with husband, photographer Bear Guerra, under the name Fonografia Collective.
Greg Hanscom is an award-winning journalist and news industry trailblazer. In more than two decades in the business, he has helped for- and nonprofit news organizations from coast to coast adapt to a fast-changing business environment, and reach broader, more diverse audiences. It all began at High Country News, where he started as an intern and worked his way up to the editor’s chair. He is honored to be back at HCN after 14 years away, helping to write the next chapter of a long-running story about the region he loves.
Erica moved to Paonia in late 2015 from Isle of Wight, England, having fallen in love with this part of Colorado after being a regular visitor to the U.S. for many years as a spouse of an American. Recently, she returned to the UK and provides support from afar. Previously, Erica served as the Director of Finance and HR for the UK Sailing Academy, a youth training nonprofit, for 20 years. She has two grown children, one of whom lives in California. Erica loves walking/hiking, having wonderful friends in her life and anything feline.
email: ericahathcn.org
Karen Howe
Customer Service Specialist Location: Colorado
Karen Howe grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah and graduated with a B.A. in Environmental Studies and Art from Western State Colorado University. She interned at Thistle Whistle Farm in Hotchkiss, spent a year as a Fellow with the Rocky Mountain Farmers Union and worked for two years with the Delta County Libraries. She enjoys spending time with her dairy goats, exploring for petroglyphs and hiking the Black Canyon National Park.
email: karenhoweathcn.org
Maya L. Kapoor
Associate Editor Location: California
In her role as associate editor, Maya combines her fascination with biology and her love for environmental humanities. She reports on climate change, endangered species and social justice, while also editing book reviews and essays. Previously, Maya served as associate editor for High Country News’ South Desk. She has more than a decade’s experience as a field biologist and environmental educator in the Western United States and Latin America. In her free time she likes to backpack.
email: mayak at hcn.org
Gretchen King
Digital Editor Location: Colorado
Gretchen is excited to hear from HCN readers and help them forge a stronger connection to the stories of the West. She oversees the digital content of High Country News, including its website, social media presence and newsletters. With a B.S. in journalism and master’s in professional communications, Gretchen has worked in the web world since 1992 (and knows this dates her to admit). Raised on the Western Slope of Colorado, Gretchen has lived in Boulder, Indiana, Oregon and, most recently, Fairbanks, Alaska. Now living in Gunnison, she loves any mountain experience, chocolate, yoga and spending time with her husband, Mike, and 12-year-old son, Riley.
email: gretchenk at hcn.org
Jessica Kutz
Assistant Editor Location: Arizona
Jessica Kutz got her start in journalism as a staff reporter at a small-town daily newspaper in Telluride, Colorado. She has a degree in international affairs from the University of Colorado and an international media certificate. After completing an internship and fellowship with High Country News, she is now an assistant editor based out of Tucson, Ariz. Jessica focuses her reporting on the issues and stories that impact under-represented communities that call the West home.
After completing his internship in 1984, Paul went on to hold almost every possible position at High Country News. He is now responsible for working with the board of directors, drumming up funding and generally making sure the magazine is sailing in the right direction. He holds a master’s degree in natural resource policy and worked for years at the Sierra Club. Every summer he plants a few crops on his small ranch in Western Colorado and pretends to be a farmer.
email: plarmer at hcn.org
Betsy Marston
Editor at Large Location: Colorado
She may have edited High Country News for 19 years – longer than anyone else in the history of the publication – but Betsy insists the experience did not make her crazy. She currently writes the column “Heard Around the West.” She describes herself as a “volunteeraholic,” and in no particular order, loves Paonia, biking back roads, reading the Sunday New York Times, and her grandchildren Maude, Bruno and Sorcha.
email: betsym at hcn.org
Kathy Martinez
Customer Service Manager/Circulation Systems Administrator Location: Colorado
Since 1995 Kathy has worked her way up the ranks of theHCNCirculation Department from part-time office staff (applying labels to the newspaper when it was mailed from our Paonia office) to circulation service manager. Kathy now concentrates on the database needed to supportHCN’s subscribers. When not atHCNyou can find her fishing and camping in the great outdoors or staying close to home gardening, cooking and being a grandma.
email: kathyathcn.org
Laurie Milford
Director of Development Location: Colorado
Laurie brings 17 years of experience in senior nonprofit and education management to High Country News. Previously, she was executive director at the Wyoming Outdoor Council, where she played a role in establishing the first state laws to regulate the flaring of methane in natural gas drilling operations and to require oil and gas companies to determine baseline water quality before using hydraulic fracturing. She was involved in the long-term protection of more than 3 million acres of BLM and Forest Service lands, including the landmark Wyoming Range Legacy Act and was instrumental in raising funds to achieve these successes. Laurie served as a production editor for Westview Press in Boulder, Colorado, and holds a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in English from the University of Iowa and the University of Wyoming respectively. She graduated from the Institute for Conservation Leadership in 2008; in 2010 the institute recognized her as an exemplary leader in the conservation movement. Laurie lives in Hotchkiss with her husband and son.
email: lauriem at hcn.org
Carol Newman
Development Assistant Location: Colorado
Carol calls Colorado her home state, although, she was born in the midwest, and spent 12 years in Charlotte, North Carolina, prior to moving back to Colorado in 2014. As a Coloradan, she became interested in environmental issues at a young age and supports efforts to protect our natural resources. Her other passion is art, and the thriving arts community in the Paonia prompted Carol’s move to the Western Slope. Carol has wide-ranging experience working with nonprofits both as a staff member and as a board member. In her spare time, Carol loves to create art (of course!), spend time with family and friends, and go on adventures.
email: carolnewman at hcn.org
Michelle Nijhuis
Contributing Editor
Michelle began her journalism career in 1998, as aHigh Country Newsintern, and has written and edited forHigh Country News ever since. Now a project editor forThe Atlantic, Michelle has also written about science and conservation forNational Geographic,The New York Times Magazine, and many other publications; her reporting has won several national honors and been included in fourBest Americananthologies. Until 2013, Michelle and her family lived off the electrical grid nearHCN's home base in Paonia. They now live on the north side of the Columbia Gorge, in Washington state.
Ever since Mark was a child, the woods were his home and being a steward of the environment became a way of life. His passion for the outdoors eventually grew into a 20 year career with the National Park Service. Through the NPS, Mark was able to live and work in some of the most beautiful places that this country has to offer. Mark can now be found working for HCN as part of the Customer Service team. During his off time, Mark keeps busy tending to his backyard farm and garden, exploring the peaks and forests of the western states with his wife, or playing with his kids.
email: marknydellathcn.org
Alyssa Pinkerton
Major GiftAdviser Location: Colorado
Alyssa was born in Florida, but don’t hold that against her. She has worked for High Country News in the development department since October 2008. She enjoys building relationships with the remarkable readership, staff and board of directors. When she’s not working with donors, you can find her romping out in the wild lands, painting pictures, dancing, or soaking in hot springs - with her two darling towheads.
email: alyssap at hcn.org
Helen Santoro
Intern Location: Colorado
Helen Santoro was born and raised in New England, where she spent weekends in the mountains of Vermont. She earned a bachelor's degree from Hamilton College in upstate New York, where she fell in love with winter camping in the Adirondack Mountains. After testing out the world of neuroscience research at Boston Children’s Hospital, she earned a master’s degree from the University of California Santa Cruz’s Science Communication Program. In her free time, she spends her days hiking, rock climbing or skiing with her wife and dog.
Elena is a contributing editor for HCN's back of the book, helping shape the magazine's book reviews and essays. She started as an editorial intern and fellow on the Indigenous Affairs desk, and she wrote a cover story about the alleged crimes of a Colorado funeral home. She spends most of her time freelancing from Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Carl comes to HCN from Eugene, Oregon where he studied journalism through the University of Oregon’s professional master’s program and wrote for Eugene Weekly. Originally from the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, Carl has lived and travelled through much of the West. When he’s not digging into environmental news stories, he likes to spend time outside skiing and exploring high country rivers and lakes.
Anna V. Smith has spent the majority of her life in the Pacific Northwest, from growing up in rural Oregon to becoming a news reporter on a small cluster of islands in northern Washington. She joined the High Country News team in Paonia as our editorial intern in July 2016 and is now an assistant editor based in Oregon, where she writes and edits for HCN’s Indigenous affairs desk. In 2018 and in 2019 she received Best Coverage of Native America from the Native American Journalism Association.
Leah Sottile is a freelance journalist whose features, profiles, investigations and essays have been featured in the Washington Post, New York Times Magazine, Playboy, California Sunday Magazine and The Atlantic, among others. She is the host of the National Magazine Award-nominated podcast, Bundyville, made in collaboration with Longreads and Oregon Public Broadcasting. She lives in Oregon.
Hannah Stevens holds a degree in biology from Colorado College and a MA in conservation biology from Columbia University. She spent more than a decade at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx, where she had her nose in herbarium collections (including holding in hand a plant collected by Charles Darwin himself), data management, phytochemistry, international field work and, most recently, headed the Geographic Information Systems conservation research program. Hannah recently landed back in Paonia where once upon a time her family had an organic garlic farm. You can now find her managing HCN’s monthly giving program, which includes helping over 800 wonderful donors, and helping with other development campaigns. In her spare time, she tries to keep up with her daughters and partner (who hopes one day she will actually row a boat; paddleboarding is really more her style), chickens, and a big garden.
email: hannahstevensathcn.org
Diane Sylvain
Copy Editor Location: Colorado
Diane is a one-time Air Force brat who grew up all over the country but lost her heart to western Colorado. When she’s not copy editing, she writes rambling essays about nothing in particular and occasionally even finds the time to do a bit of artwork. She’s worked for HCN since 1990 and lives in a very old and indescribably ramshackle house in Paonia, surrounded by mountainous piles of books, interesting rocks and seashells, and patrolled at night by the ghosts of all the cats who have gone before. Her hobbies include making bad puns, complaining about sciatica, displaying an obnoxious certainty about grammar, and enjoying long walks, leisurely train trips and periodic retreats to the nearest Trappist monastery, which as everybody knows is a great place to meet interesting guys.
Jonathan Thompson is a native Westerner with deep roots in southwestern Colorado. He owned and edited the Silverton Standard & the Miner newspaper in the tiny town of Silverton, Colo., and was the editor-in-chief of High Country News from 2007 to 2010. He was a 2011-12 Ted Scripps fellow in environmental journalism at the University of Colorado in Boulder. Now he lives in Sofia, Bulgaria, with his wife and two daughters and is writing a book about the Gold King Mine disaster.
Growing up in Toronto, Sarah Tory devoured books on mountaineering, learned to ski on the modest yet icy slopes several hours away and became an avid rock climber and runner. The summers after her high school graduation in New Hampshire and freshman year at Williams College in Massachusetts, she returned to the Canadian Rockies, where she cleaned cabins at a lodge – and encountered grizzly bears.
Sarah, who recently completed her MFA from Columbia University in New York, has covered environmental issues for the English-language Santiago Times in Chile and worked on a documentary about mining in Peru. She and a friend once biked 5,000 kilometers through Argentina and Chile, ending in Argentinas Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world. "Ramona," her trusty touring bike, accompanied her to Paonia, but her interest in a mountain bike is growing daily.
Cindy has been responsible for making High Country News look its best since 1990, including shepherding its transition from newspaper to magazine and from black and white to full color. A former newspaper reporter and editor, she works with photographers and artists and heads up the design and production of the magazine. Cindy and her husband, Don Olsen, also work on the family farm and are continuing to add on to the Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired Usonian house they built overlooking their hayfields.
email: cindy at hcn.org
Alan Wells
IT Manager Location: Colorado
Alan is a Colorado native who has always been entranced by the beauty and uniqueness that is the state, whether building trails during his time with the Youth Open Space program or mountain biking through the Rockies. Alan’s fascination with technology began at a young age when he deconstructed the family computer and eventually learned to put it back together in working order.
Alan graduated in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in computer science and engineering from the University of Colorado. Prior to joining High Country News, Alan refurbished and recycled personal and enterprise IT equipment, helping to complete the end stages of the hardware life-cycle in an ethical and sustainable manner. He continues to pursue a connection with the natural beauty of Colorado and the West, and researches digital logistics and the impact of ubiquitous technology on individuals and societies.
email: alanw at hcn.org
Tammy York
Customer Service Specialist Location: Colorado
Tammy grew up in the finger lakes region of New York State but set out for Colorado after receiving her bachelor's degree in Cultural Anthropology from SUNY Potsdam. She has been helping High Country News readers since 2008. In her spare time she enjoys hanging out with her husband and four kids, camping, hiking, swimming and playing guitar.
email: tammyyorkathcn.org
Mary Zachman
Bookkeeper Location: Colorado
Mary grew up in Santa Barbara, California, and lived on the west coast of Florida. The West called her back, and she moved to Colorado in 2009, first landing Montrose and then in Ridgway. In 2015 she found Paonia and has felt at home ever since. Mary shares her home with her husband, John, and their two dogs. She has three grown kids who followed her to Colorado. Mary loves hiking and exploring the beautiful Colorado landscapes. In addition to her work at HCN, Mary does bookkeeping for KVNF and a solar company, and works at a local home bakery. Mary’s passion is real, healthy, organic food, and she loves spending time cooking with the bounty that Paonia offers.
FEATURES DIRECTOR - HIGH COUNTRY NEWS
High Country News, an award-winning news organization covering the communities and environment of the Western United States, seeks a Features Director to join our editorial...
GENERAL MANAGER
The Board of UYWCD seeks a new GM to manage operations & to implement our robust strategic plan. Details at www.upperyampawater.com. EOE
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
The Friends of the San Juans is seeking a new leader guide our efforts to protect and restore the San Juan Islands and the Salish...
80 ACRES
straddles North Platte Fishery, Wyoming. Legal access 2 miles off 1-80. Call 720-440-7633.
DIRECTOR OF PRODUCT AND MARKETING
High Country News seeks a Director of Product and Marketing to join our senior team during an exciting chapter of innovation and growth. This individual...
IMPROVED LOT
Private road, hillside, views. Well, pad, septic, 99 sq.ft. hut. Dryland permaculture orchard. Wildlife. San Diego--long growing season
UNIQUE INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITY
Profitable off-the-grid business located 2 miles from Glacier National Park. Owner has 6 years operating experience. Seeking investor or partner for business expansion and enhancement....
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Vacation rental located in calm protected waters 8 miles from Sitka, AK via boat with opportunities to fish and view wildlife. Skiff rental also available.
EXPERT LAND STEWART
Available for site conservator, property manager. View resume at http://skills.ojadigital.net.
CONSERVATIONIST? IRRIGABLE LAND?
Stellar seed-saving NGO is available to serious partner. Package must include financial support. Details: http://seeds.ojaidigital.net.
CANYONLANDS FIELD INSTITUTE
Colorado Plateau Natural & Human History Field Seminars. Lodge, river, hiking options. Small groups, guest experts.
WESTERN NATIVE SEED
Specializing in native seeds and seed mixes for western states.
OJO CALIENTE COMMERCIAL VENTURE
Outstanding location near the world famous Ojo Caliente Mineral Spring Resort. Classic adobe Mercantile complete w/living quarters, separate 6 unit B&B, metal building and spacious...
Tales from scores of ex-employees unearth the human costs of an economy that runs on copper.
High Country News, an award-winning news organization covering the communities and environment of the Western United States, seeks a Features Director to join our editorial...
The Board of UYWCD seeks a new GM to manage operations & to implement our robust strategic plan. Details at www.upperyampawater.com. EOE
designed by architect David Swanson in 1966. Located a block from Saguaro National Forest, yet minutes to Downtown and the UofA campus, 3706 sqft, 6...
The Friends of the San Juans is seeking a new leader guide our efforts to protect and restore the San Juan Islands and the Salish...
straddles North Platte Fishery, Wyoming. Legal access 2 miles off 1-80. Call 720-440-7633.
High Country News seeks a Director of Product and Marketing to join our senior team during an exciting chapter of innovation and growth. This individual...
Private road, hillside, views. Well, pad, septic, 99 sq.ft. hut. Dryland permaculture orchard. Wildlife. San Diego--long growing season
Profitable off-the-grid business located 2 miles from Glacier National Park. Owner has 6 years operating experience. Seeking investor or partner for business expansion and enhancement....
Vacation rental located in calm protected waters 8 miles from Sitka, AK via boat with opportunities to fish and view wildlife. Skiff rental also available.
Stellar seed-saving NGO is available to serious partner. Package must include financial support. Details: http://seeds.ojaidigital.net.
Colorado Plateau Natural & Human History Field Seminars. Lodge, river, hiking options. Small groups, guest experts.
Specializing in native seeds and seed mixes for western states.
Change will happen when we see a new way of living. Thinking to save the world.
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Outstanding location near the world famous Ojo Caliente Mineral Spring Resort. Classic adobe Mercantile complete w/living quarters, separate 6 unit B&B, metal building and spacious...
