Items by Hilary Watts

Gray water, green living
Brian Moore has retrofitted his house in Phoenix, Ariz., to enable him to re-use water and live more sustainably
Judge leaves Front Range cities mile-high and dry
A Colorado judge cancels the water right of a private company that had planned to build the state’s largest dam and use it to pipe water from the Western Slope to the cities of Denver and Colorado Springs
Super-sized dam could be a cash register for California farmers
The Bureau of Reclamation has agreed to deliver more water to California’s Central Valley Project than it actually has, and is considering raising Shasta Dam to provide it
Crazy like a fox, or a fish, or a bat...
In The Back Road to Crazy, Jennifer Bove gathers the true-life adventure stories of 25 wildlife biologists
Suburbia blasts through a national monument
A rocky western escarpment and the Petroglyph National Monument have long held back Albuquerque’s sprawl, but now the Volcano Heights development is coming, and a controversial road through the monument may be built
Former refuge manager takes heat for saving frogs
Wayne Shifflett, former manager of the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge in southern Arizona, was charged with illegally moving a small population of imperiled Chiricahua leopard frog tadpoles, in order to save their lives when drought threatened their habitat.
Blades, birds and bats: Wind energy and wildlife not a cut-and-dried issue
Wind farms are working to make their turbines less hazardous to birds and bats
Farmers and ranchers say city is stealing water
In New Mexico, Alamogordo’s plan to build a desalinization plant and tap the Tularosa Basin aquifer has area ranchers and farmers worried
Climate model may help farmers know what to grow
A high-tech climate model will give farmers in Washington’s Yakima Valley a kind of crystal ball for predicting weather, choosing which crops to plant, and dealing with drought and global warming
Rock jocks fight a mining company
Resolution Copper Company is trying to obtain a land swap in order to mine at Arizona’s Oak Flat campground, a popular rock-climbing spot
Indian tribe to share refuge with feds
The Nisqually Tribe will share management of recently purchased land in Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge in Washington with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Is Preble's just another meadow mouse?
The Fish and Wildlife Service wants to delist the threatened Preble’s meadow jumping mouse, on the grounds that the animal is genetically identical to a more common species
Coal company takes refuge in a blind spot
Environmentalists on both sides of the border are up in arms over a Canadian coal company’s plans for an open-pit mine north of Montana’s Glacier National Park
Locals flush proposed kitty litter mine
A recent court ruling denying a proposed cat-litter mine in Nevada’s Washoe County could give local communities more control over mining projects on federal land.
Dear friends
New interns Julie McCord and Hilary Watts; feisty HCN board meeting in Boulder; corrections
High Country News Classifieds
  • WATER ADVOCACY MANAGER
    Do you want to help shape the future of groundwater in the Grand Canyon region? The Grand Canyon Trust is hiring its first water advocacy...
  • EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
    California Coalition for Rural Housing (CCRH) seeks a strategic and visionary Executive Director: View all job details here- https://bit.ly/CCRHED
  • MONTANA BLUES
    The new novel by Ray Ring, retired HCN senior editor, tackles racism in the wild, a story told by a rural White horsewoman and a...
  • DIGITAL ENGAGEMENT SPECIALIST
    Title: Digital Engagement Specialist Location: Salt Lake City Reports to: Communications Director Status, Salary & Benefits: Full-time, Non-Exempt. Salary & Benefits information below. Submission Deadline:...
  • CONSERVATION FIELD ORGANIZER
    Title: Conservation Field Organizer Reports to: Advocacy and Stewardship Director Location: Southwest Colorado Compensation: $45,000 - $50,000 DOE FLSA: Non-Exempt, salaried, termed 24-month Wyss Fellow...
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    Who We Are: The Nature Conservancy's mission is to protect the lands and waters upon which all life depends. As a science-based organization, we create...
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    Apply by Oct 18. Seeking collaborative, hands-on ED to advance our work building community through fresh produce.
  • INDIGENOUS AFFAIRS EDITOR - HIGH COUNTRY NEWS
    High Country News is hiring an Indigenous Affairs Editor to help guide the magazine's journalism and produce stories that are important to Indigenous communities and...
  • STAFF ATTORNEY
    Staff Attorney The role of the Staff Attorney is to bring litigation on behalf of Western Watersheds Project, and at times our allies, in the...
  • ASSISTANT VICE PRESIDENT FOR DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION
    Northern Michigan University seeks an outstanding leader to serve as its next Assistant Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion. With new NMU President Dr. Brock...
  • EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
    The Clark Fork Coalition seeks an exceptional leader to serve as its Executive Director. This position provides strategic vision and operational management while leading a...
  • GOOD NEIGHBOR AGREEMENT MANAGER
    Help uphold a groundbreaking legal agreement between a powerful mining corporation and the local communities impacted by the platinum and palladium mine in their backyard....
  • EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
    The Feather River Land Trust (FRLT) is seeking a strategic and dynamic leader to advance our mission to "conserve the lands and waters of the...
  • COLORADO DIRECTOR
    COLORADO DIRECTOR Western Watersheds Project seeks a Colorado Director to continue and expand WWP's campaign to protect and restore public lands and wildlife in Colorado,...
  • ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF HISTORY - INDIGENOUS HISTORIES OF THE NORTH AMERICAN WEST
    Whitman College seeks applicants for a tenure-track position in Indigenous Histories of the North American West, beginning August 2024, at the rank of Assistant Professor....
  • DAVE AND ME
    Dave and Me, by international racontuer and children's books author Rusty Austin, is a funny, profane and intense collection of short stories, essays, and poems...
  • CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
    Rural Community Assistance Corporation is looking to hire a CFO. For more more information visit: https://www.rcac.org/careers/
  • EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
    The Absaroka Beartooth Wilderness Foundation (ABWF) seeks a new Executive Director. Founded in 2008, the ABWF is a respected nonprofit whose mission is to support...
  • CANYONLANDS FIELD INSTITUTE
    Field seminars for adults in natural and human history of the northern Colorado Plateau, with lodge and base camp options. Small groups, guest experts.
  • COMING TO TUCSON?
    Popular vacation house, everything furnished. Two bedroom, one bath, large enclosed yards. Dog-friendly. Contact Lee at [email protected] or 520-791-9246.