YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Mont. – Like millions of other Americans tuned to the nightly news, rancher Delas Munns has watched in disgust as the death toll of Yellowstone bison climbs. The images of bloody gut piles and docile behemoths corralled and shipped to slaughterhouses like cattle do not make him happy. Munns and his five […]
Todd Wilkinson
Posted inFebruary 17, 1997: No home on the range
Federal agency was careless with a live vaccine
Note: This article is a sidebar to this issue’s feature story. Conservationists, animal rights groups and Park Service officials have long been wary of the federal agency that has ordered the slaughter of Yellowstone bison. Recently, they have uncovered evidence that gives some credence to their fears. Internal documents obtained by High Country News suggest […]
Posted inFebruary 17, 1997: No home on the range
To the south, bison and cattle coexist
Note: This article is a sidebar to this issue’s feature story. JACKSON, Wyo. – South of Yellowstone National Park near the Grand Tetons, cattle have grazed “nose-to-nose” with brucellosis-infected bison and elk for more than 75 years. How is it that this herd of nearly 300 bison that roams from Grand Teton National Park to […]
Posted inMay 27, 1996: Utah ushers its frogs toward oblivion
Utah ushers its frogs toward oblivion
In the middle of the last century, thirsty pioneers traveling along the Humboldt Trail through Utah knew how to find potable water: If there were snakes and frogs in a spring or pool, it was safe to drink. This method never failed them. When Brigham Young and his plucky tribe of Mormon refugees from persecution […]
Posted inMay 27, 1996: Utah ushers its frogs toward oblivion
Frogs: The ultimate indicator species
Note: This article is a sidebar to this issue’s feature story: Utah ushers its frogs toward oblivion Native frog populations are plummeting all over the world. No one knows exactly why, but there are six prominent possibilities. Destruction of wetlands is one, contamination of water supplies by biocides, pollutants, and acid rain another. A third is […]
Posted inSeptember 18, 1995: The West's fisheries spin out of control
Can sheep and coyote ever coexist?
Finding a niche has never been a problem for the coyote. The wily predator thrives in dense forests, bone-dry deserts and even cities, despite more than a century of human persecution. Taking a cue from the coyote, a scrappy coalition of conservationists, biologists, entrepreneurs and ranchers in Montana is trying to claw its way into […]
Posted inSeptember 5, 1994: Can planning rein in a stampede?
Park Service trying to evict cave cafe
Thanks to the presence of a huge subterranean cafeteria, the 2 million visitors to Carlsbad Caverns National Park each year can gawk at stalagmites and stalactites while nursing a cold sandwich and soda. But the crumbs may not fall where they have been. The National Park Service and conservationists are going against a chamber of […]
Posted inJune 27, 1994: Home, home on the range ... where neo-Nazis and skinheads roam
Home, home on the range … where neo-Nazis and skinheads roam
John Trochman calls himself a “Christian Patriot” and defender of the American Constitution. The soft-spoken man with a Robert E. Lee beard is also a field general in the “Militia Of Montana,” a paramilitary survivalist organization formed to fight what it perceives as oppression by the federal government. The number one threat to freedom, Trochman […]
Posted inJune 27, 1994: Home, home on the range ... where neo-Nazis and skinheads roam
Montana organizes to fight the hate groups
Note: This article is a sidebar to this issue’s feature story, Home, home on the range … where neo-Nazis and skinheads roam. BILLINGS, Mont. – When Wayne Inman left Portland, Ore., two years ago to become police chief of Billings, Mont., he thought he had put hate crimes in his rear view mirror. Only a month […]
Posted inOctober 4, 1993: Mining reform: Searching for common ground
A ‘Holy Land’ is saved in Montana
The “Gallatin Range Consolidation Act of 1993” land swap appeases loggers, pleases environmentalists and protects elk, grizzly and Yellowstone cutthroat trout. To read this article, download this HCN issue in PDF format. This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline A ‘Holy Land’ is saved in Montana.
Posted inMay 17, 1993: Fore! in Santa Fe
Montana is made safe for polluters
The Montana Legislature weakened environmental controls with a flurry of bills this year. To read this article, download this HCN issue in PDF format. This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Montana is made safe for polluters.
Posted inJuly 1, 1991: The Snake's imperiled salmon: A personal call to act
Park Service and Geological Survey split over geysers
Congress will decide whether the protection afforded to Yellowstone National Park’s famous geothermal wonders should be extended to features beyond the park boundary. Download entire issue to view this article: http://www.hcn.org/issues/23.12/download-entire-issue
Posted inDecember 31, 1990: The land no one wanted
Montana bison hunts presage a range war
Montana’s largest hunting organization has joined animal-rights activists and conservationists in condemning the state’s hunt on bison leaving Yellowstone National Park this winter. Download entire issue to view this article: http://www.hcn.org/issues/22.25/download-entire-issue
Posted inOctober 22, 1990: Will 1990 bring a greener West?
Goats test notions of ‘native’ and ‘exotic’ species
A new invasion of mountain goats — and a plan to shoot them — is forcing Yellowstone resource managers to re-open the old debate over maintaining native and exotic species in America’s oldest wildlife sanctuary. Download entire issue to view this article: http://www.hcn.org/issues/22.20/download-entire-issue
Posted inJune 4, 1990: The stake in the West's heart
A glossary of mining terms
Definitions of “reclamation,” “bonding,” and “sensitive areas.” Download entire issue to view this article: http://www.hcn.org/issues/22.11/download-entire-issue
Posted inMarch 26, 1990: Is there room for everyone?
Is there room for everyone?
The tranquil snowscape of Yellowstone has become a symbol of efforts to expand commercial development in the national parks. Download entire issue to view this article: http://www.hcn.org/issues/22.6/download-entire-issue
Posted inJanuary 1, 1990: The decline of the West's made-in-Washington economy continues
Dig shows wolves in Yellowstone area
A paleontologist has unearthed evidence suggesting wolves existed in Yellowstone National Park for hundreds of years, rebutting critics of restoring wolves who say the area was never home to the animals. Download entire issue to view this article: http://www.hcn.org/issues/22.1/download-entire-issue
Posted inDecember 18, 1989: Poachers: Driving wild things to extinction
Poachers: Driving wild things to extinction
As habitat dwindles around the world, the Rocky Mountain West has become a stronghold for commercial poachers and illegal hunters seeking the last concentrations of trophy animals. Download entire issue to view this article: http://www.hcn.org/issues/21.24/download-entire-issue
Posted inJune 20, 1988: Parks are increasingly vulnerable
Wyoming elk antlers head for the Orient
During its 20-year history, the annual Boy Scout Elk Antler Auction, held each spring in Jackson, Wyo., has slowly become dominated by antler traders from the Orient who export the horns to Korea and transform them into wafer-sized aphrodisiacs or medicinal teas. Download entire issue to view this article: http://www.hcn.org/issues/20.12/download-entire-issue