Health insurance – and the lack of it – in the
West; Larry Craig, Burning Man, and parts of Montana go up in
flames; Wyoming booms and house prices are up, but the kids are
still leaving in droves; new Border Patrol duds debut.
Items by Jonathan Thompson
In southern Colorado, conservation groups find a way to
save 9,000 high-altitude acres from second-home
development.
Coal-mining is always a dangerous business; wild horse
problems in Nevada; biofuel boondoggle?; and biofuel bio the
numbers.
Santa Fe coyotes replaced by mountain lions; cat problems
in Colorado; bunny restraining order in Oregon; dead snakes bite
back; mysterious things in a dead bird’s tummy.
Jonathan Thompson learns to love guns – and to fear
them even more than he did before.
In the Rocky Mountain West, old mining claims are suddenly
the newest real estate hot spots.
Coal-fired power plants don’t get no respect;
nuclear is nudging its way in; resort real estate is hot as
plutonium
When it comes to fund raising, Mitt Romney is the
West’s favorite presidential candidate, as is demonstrated by
a series of charts
The continuing saga of the white-tailed prairie dog vs.
Julie MacDonald; sage grouse in trouble; Westerners are still
burning – and drowning; statistics about air conditioning and
a long hot summer
Jonathan Thompson takes his family to one of the
West’s last drive-in movies, and fondly remembers his own
misspent youth.
The West is on fire; Dick Cheney exposed; toning down
RS-2477; and firefighting statistics
On the messy bureaucratic soap opera As Interior Turns,
the cast keeps changing, and getting indicted; Good Samaritans need
to able to clean up old mines without getting burned; foreign
countries drive Western mining boom; and data about
mining
Western states get serious about global warming; Colorado
stands up to energy industry; environmental
“terrorists” sentenced; “Kids in the
Woods”; McMansions & mobile homes; eco-chic ain’t
cheap
Chefs fight for salmon, and uranium gets hotter;
electricity usage and generation in the West; data on park fees and
visitors
Westerners like to romanticize our wide-open spaces and
wild wolves, but in rural areas, our real mascot is the ubiquitous
feral dog
James M. Doohan heads to final frontier (briefly) from New
Mexico’s spaceport; northern spotted owls in trouble again;
Veterans Conservation Corps; drugged up and rehabbing in the
West
Western real estate slump hits suburbs, but developers
keep on developing; Marijuana McMansions; copper booming; Logan,
Utah, rejects dirty power; Tri-State puts off two coal power
plants; animals killed by Wildlife Services
Death (and life) in the Sonoran Desert; fire and drought
in the Southwest; courts rule against Bush on environmental
issues.
No yellow snow for Snowbowl; gonorrhea and meth: a match
made in hell; split-estate bills in New Mexico and Colorado;
Montana’s green energy bills languish; “Rocky Mountain
High” second Colorado state song, bolo tie is official New
Mexico neckwear.
Western governors go green; King Coal gets hammered;
Divine Strake strikes out; Colorado cons on the North Forty; Mother
Nature’s bodyguards; Western wagering data; and energy use
and Bush approval: a case of eerie symmetry.
Visitors; Las Vegas writer and historian Hal Rothman dies;
farewell to Dolores LaChapelle and Ed LaChapelle
The Intergovernmental Panel On Climate Change has bad
news; Govs. propose global warming legislation; nuclear revival in
the wings; Rockies Prosperity Act back in Congress; Arizona may
stifle ballot measures; Bush’s budget; the West’s
electrical grid.
Forest Service faces budget cuts; Rural Schools Act dies;
local governments may have to pay more firefighting costs; user
fees upheld; grazing fees go down; Klamath dams may fall; livestock
killed by wolves, and wolves killed; and UFOs in the
West.
Cross-country skiers and snowmobilers clash over access to
Logan Canyon, Utah; Mount Jefferson, Mont.; and (of course)
Yellowstone; Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth steps down to be
replaced by Gail Kimbell; West becomes player in national politics;
bor
The writer derides the recent busts of illegal
immigrants
Boosters of a Western primary hope it could give the
Interior West a greater voice in the politics of Washington,
D.C.
In 10 Western states this November, voters face a total of
82 ballot measures
Mongolians visit HCN; Chuck and Tim
Worley visit; Tucson’s lawns; Wilderness Society honors Terry
Tempest Williams and Tom Bell; correction
The writer started a weekly paper: Why doesn't
everybody?
In an introduction to this special issue celebrating
independent media, High Country News associate
editor Jonathan Thompson recalls the exciting, exhausting,
high-caffeine years he spent publishing his own newspaper in a
small mountain town
Featured stories
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DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT, ARIZONA CHAPTER What We Can Achieve Together: Arizona's Director of Development (DoD) is responsible for directing all aspects of one or more development functions, which will secure...
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CAPACITY BUILDING PROGRAM MANAGER What We Can Achieve Together: The Capacity Building Program Manager works directly with the business unit's Arizona Healthy Cities Program Director to advance the Healthy...
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MEMBERSHIP AND OFFICE MANAGER - FRIENDS OF THE INYO Friends of the Inyo - Donor database management & reporting, IT/HR, and office administrative support. PT or FT. Partly remote OK but some in-office time...
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NORTHERN NEW MEXICO PROJECT MANAGER New Mexico Land Conservancy is seeking a qualified Northern New Mexico Project Manager to provide expertise, leadership and support to the organization by planning, cultivating,...
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GRAPHIC AND DIGITAL DESIGNER Application deadline: December 17, 2022 Expected start date: January 16, 2023 Location: Amazon Watch headquarters in Oakland, CA Amazon Watch is a dynamic nonprofit organization...
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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Eugene, Ore. nonprofit Long Tom Watershed Council is seeking a highly collaborative individual to lead a talented, dedicated team of professionals. Full-time: $77,000 - $90,000...
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GIS SPECIALIST What We Can Achieve Together: The GIS Specialist provides technical and scientific support for Geographic Information System (GIS) technology, data management, and visualization internally and...
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LOWER SAN PEDRO PROGRAM MANAGER What We Can Achieve Together: The Lower San Pedro Program Manager directs some or all aspects of protection, science, stewardship and community relations for the...
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FOREST RESTORATION SPATIAL DATA MANAGER What We Can Achieve Together: The Forest Restoration Spatial Data Manager fills an integral role in leading the design and development of, as well as...
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WATER PROJECTS MANAGER, SOUTHERN AZ What We Can Achieve Together: Working hybrid in Tucson, AZ or remote from Sierra Vista, AZ or other southern Arizona locations, the Water Projects Manager,...
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SENIOR STAFF THERAPIST/PSYCHOLOGIST: NATIVE AMERICAN STUDENT SPECIALIST Counseling Services is a department strategically integrated with Health Services within the Division of Student Services and Enrollment Management. Our Mission at the Counseling Center...
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THE NATURE CONSERVANCY IS HIRING A LOCAL INITIATIVES COORDINATOR The Nature Conservancy in Wyoming seeks a Local Initiatives Coordinator to join our team. We're looking for a great communicator to develop, manage and advance...
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LAND AND WATER PROTECTION MANAGER - NORTHERN ARIZONA We're Looking for You: Are you looking for a career to help people and nature? Guided by science, TNC creates innovative, on-the-ground solutions to our...
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SENIOR CLIMATE CONSERVATION ASSOCIATE The Greater Yellowstone Coalition (GYC) seeks a Senior Climate Conservation Associate (SCCA) to play a key role in major campaigns to protect the lands, waters,...
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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR The Southern Nevada Conservancy Board of Directors announces an outstanding opportunity for a creative leader to continue building this organization. SNC proudly supports Nevada's public...
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CORTEZ COLORADO LOT FOR SALE Historic tree-lined Montezuma Ave. Zoned Neighborhood Business. Build your dream house or business right in the heart of town. $74,000. Southwest Realty
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STRAWBALE HOME BESIDE MONTEZUMA WELL NAT'L MONUMENT Straw Bale Home beside Montezuma Well National Monument. Our property looks out at Arizona fabled Mogollon Rim and is a short walk to perennial Beaver...
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ATTORNEY AD Criminal Defense, Code Enforcement, Water Rights, Mental Health Defense, Resentencing.
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LUNATEC HYDRATION SPRAY BOTTLE A must for campers and outdoor enthusiasts. Cools, cleans and hydrates with mist, stream and shower patterns. Hundreds of uses.
