Items by J. T. Thomas

Open space initiative offers hope
The Lake County Open Space Initiative has preserved land around Leadville and created trails for cross-country skiing and other recreation, but some local politicians say it’s snatching up too much private land and water.
Edward S. Curtis and the North American Indian
A new book, "Edward Sheriff Curtis: Visions of a Vanishing Race" by Florence Curtis Graybill and Victor Boesen, and a documentary film, "Coming to Light: Edward S. Curtis and the American Indian" by Anne Makepeace, discuss the controversial photographer.
Out of the grave
A legendary Colorado journal, the "Mountain Gazette," is being resurrected in Breckenridge, Colo., after two decades of dormancy.
Power poles make deadly perches
Kirk Hohenberger and other vocal raptor experts are pushing utility companies to make power poles safe for the birds that perch on them.
To burn or not to burn
The Burning Man arts festival has asked the BLM for permission for another desert arts gathering to be held Labor Day in the Nevada desert.
Jet Skis: Thrill or scourge?
The jet ski industry is pushing on the Park Service to open more park sites for personal watercraft, but the National Park Service and the Dept. of Interior can't agree on how to manage the fast boats.
Water in rivers is OK
New Mexico's attorney general rules that water rights may be held onto even if the water is not diverted from the stream to be used.
El Nino sweeps across the West
El Nino's impacts on the West have varied widely and unpredictably.
Climbing ban upheld at Devils Tower
A judge upholds the right of the National Park Service to ask rock climbers to stay off Wyoming's Devils Tower during June, when Native Americans hold religious ceremonies.
Jetboat race withdrawn
A planned jetboat race up and down a 50-mile stretch of the Yellowstone River in Montana is cancelled following a flurry of criticism.
All is not quiet on the Rocky Mountain Front
Following Forest Supervisor Gloria Flora's banning of new oil and gas leases on Montana's Rocky Mountain Front, Sen. Max Baucus has a bill to ban oil and gas exploration on surrounding forests as well.
A road to ruins?
New Mexico Sen. Pete Domenici is trying to push a controversial six-lane highway through Albuquerque's Petroglyph National Monument.
River heritage plan sent downstream
The American Heritage Rivers Initiative, intended to help rivers such as Colorado's North Fork of the Gunnison, meets surprising opposition from Western conservatives.
Shooting down high-tech hunting
The Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission restricts some high-tech hunting tools and tactics - although not as many as hunter and activist Allen Weinert recommended.
When green becomes red
The Wilderness Society and the Forest Service have published reports that disagree entirely on how much money the agency has lost through commercial timber sales in Washington and Oregon.
Water for people and fish
A conservation effort will protect the water in Colorado's Snowmass Creek, as well as nearby land and a trailer park.
High Country News Classifieds
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  • HOMESICK: WHY HOUSING IS UNAFFORDABLE AND HOW WE CAN CHANGE IT
    A timely, damning, and ultimately hopeful investigation of housing in the United States. Essential reading in the West.
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  • MONTANA BLUES
    Thrilling new crime novel by ex-HCN editor Ray Ring : A rural White horsewoman and an urban Black man battle White supremacists in a tough...
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