High Country News – Know the West

Plutonium in your potatoes?

Tests of four wells on the site of the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory reveal that minute traces of plutonium have leaked into the Snake River Aquifer.

Andrea Barnett May 21, 2001 From the print edition

Of bison, the French and our faux wild

As the Park Service struggles to radio-collar and control Yellowstone's wandering bison, the wildness of the animal is forgotten.

Andrea Barnett Essay Sept. 25, 2000 From the print edition

Small mines stay under the radar

Near Virginia City, Mont., and throughout the West, small mines face minimal regulation and oversight, and private landowners and the state are often left with huge cleanup costs and polluted streams.

Andrea Barnett Aug. 14, 2000 From the print edition

Idaho labs blow another stack

Two conservation groups - Keep Yellowstone Nuclear Fre and Idaho's Environmental Defense Institute - are suing the DOE over radioactive waste treatment at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory.

Andrea Barnett July 3, 2000 From the print edition

Political war continues over bison herd

Despite federal pressure, Montana refuses to budge on its policy of killing bison that stray from Yellowstone National Park, out of fear they may carry brucellosis.

Andrea Barnett Jan. 31, 2000 From the print edition

Decision may help a granddaddy keep its teeth

The Montana Supreme Court's "clean environment" ruling may help clarify the Montana Environmental Policy Act, considered the "granddaddy" of the state's environmental laws.

Andrea Barnett Dec. 6, 1999 From the print edition

Court reads the environment its rights

A precedent-setting legal ruling by the Montana Supreme Court says that Montana citizens have a right to a "clean and healthful" environment.

Andrea Barnett Dec. 6, 1999 From the print edition

Hunters cry: too many predators

A new hunters' group called the Friends of the Northern Yellowstone Elk Herd is blaming wolves for the recent drop in the population of the park's northern elk herd.

Andrea Barnett Nov. 22, 1999 From the print edition

Court enforces a healthy environment

The Montana Supreme Court says that the provision in the state's constitution that guarantees residents "a clean and healthful environment" protects the state's natural resources from actual, proven damage and potential harm.

Andrea Barnett Nov. 8, 1999 From the print edition

Tempers flare over winter plan

Bison biologist Mary Meagher joins conservationists, area business people and snowmobilers in denouncing Yellowstone National Park's new winter use plan.

Andrea Barnett Sept. 13, 1999 From the print edition

Trappers set free in Big Sky state

The Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks approves new trapping regulations that critics say offer no real changes and continue to favor trappers.

Andrea Barnett Aug. 30, 1999 From the print edition

A road could go there

Some conservationists say a proposed land exchange involving Montana's Lewis and Clark National Forest is a bad idea.

Andrea Barnett Dec. 7, 1998 From the print edition

Earth First! The Next Generation

The radical environmental group Earth First! feels some growing pains as a new and younger generation begins to replace the original activists.

Dan Oko And Andrea Barnett Sept. 2, 1996 From the print edition

Earth First! logging protest evokes hostility in Idaho

Locals are wary of Earth First!ers in Idaho logging communities.

Andrea Barnett Aug. 23, 1993 From the print edition

Items by Andrea Barnett

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