High Country News – Know the West

'Thrillcraft' leave a polluted, contentious wake

Across the country, conservationists battle the rapidly growing use of noisy, motorized water "thrillcraft," such as jet skis and power boats.

Danielle Desruisseaux Aug. 4, 1997 From the print edition

Coffee is bad for birds

Migrating songbirds are threatened as Mexican and Central American coffee plantations cut down shade trees to increase the coffee yield.

Danielle Desruisseaux May 12, 1997 From the print edition

The West braces for the big melt

The West has had one of its wettest winters ever, and as the snow keeps falling in the high country, fear of flooding arises.

Danielle Desruisseaux May 12, 1997 From the print edition

Hopis extend eviction deadline

The April 1 deadline for Navajos still living on Hopi Partitioned Lands in Arizona passes without the feared evictions, but the Hopis say the remaining Navajos still need to sign a lease or leave.

Danielle Desruisseaux April 28, 1997 From the print edition

Bringing back the small family farm

A handbook called "Rebirth of the Small Family Farm," by Bob and Bonnie Gregson, offers advice for would-be organic farmers.

Danielle Desruisseaux April 14, 1997 From the print edition

BLM ditches law-enforcement rules

Following complaints, the BLM withdraws new "plain English" regulations on the agency's law-enforcement authority.

Danielle Desruisseaux April 14, 1997 From the print edition

Cows aren't "wild and scenic'

A federal judge orders cattle off Oregon's Donner und Blitzen River, saying the BLM has failed to protect 75 miles of the wild and scenic river.

Danielle Desruisseaux April 14, 1997 From the print edition

Planes beat out quiet

The federal Aviation Administration bows to the protests of air tour operators, and delays setting up new flight-free zones over Grand Canyon until next year.

Danielle Desruisseaux March 31, 1997 From the print edition

It's cows as usual in Oregon

State officials are racing to draw up "emergency" grazing rules so ranchers can turn their cows out as usual this spring.

Danielle Desruisseaux March 17, 1997 From the print edition

Will an elusive cat evade federal listing?

A very rare sighting of a jaguar by a rancher in southern Arizona rekindles a debate about whether to list the animal as endangered or find another way to protect it.

Danielle Desruisseaux March 17, 1997 From the print edition

Tarnished trophies

PEER's report, "Tarnished Trophies," documents how safari hunters bring exotic and endangered animals into the U.S. as game trophies.

Danielle Desruisseaux March 3, 1997 From the print edition

Tepee blockade spurs talks

A Navajo tepee blockade at Mobil Oil Corp. offices near Aneth, Utah, leads to concessions from the company, which activists say has long exploited the reservation without giving anything back to the tribe.

Danielle Desruisseaux March 3, 1997 From the print edition

Boats may get bounced

Jet skiers and those who rent and sell machines to them are irate over a possible ban of the noisy watercraft from Lake Tahoe.

Danielle Desruisseaux Feb. 17, 1997 From the print edition

A-LP makes a hit list

Colorado's Animas-La Plata project makes a Washington, D.C., "corporate welfare" hit list, while the Southern Ute Tribal Council ousts outspoken A-LP opponent Ray Frost over allegations of sexual harassment.

Danielle Desruisseaux Feb. 17, 1997 From the print edition

Lost and found

The fires of summer 1996 in Colorado's Mesa Verde National Park damaged at least one petroglyph panel beyond repair - but also revealed 92 "new" archaeological sites formerly hidden by dense shrub growth.

Danielle Desruisseaux Feb. 17, 1997 From the print edition

Hunters need young blood

The number of young hunters is dropping, recent surveys report.

Danielle Desruisseaux Feb. 3, 1997 From the print edition

Items by Danielle Desruisseaux

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