Items by Ray Ring

Sexy wildflower photos remind us to take in life's details
Who's trashing the most popular park in Bozeman?
What's the matter with Colorado Springs?
What's the matter with Colorado Springs?
The Black Forest Fire highlights a political disconnect around the West
The ATV culture includes loose regulations -- and kids' funerals
The ATV culture includes loose regulations -- and kids' funerals
Western kids have fun -- and die -- motoring off-road, thanks to loose ATV regulations, a libertarian spirit and fun-loving parents.
Conservation goals in Jackson Hole collide with a need for worker housing
Conservation goals in Jackson Hole collide with a need for worker housing
In Wyoming's top resort town, the desire to protect the environment and the community's character kills big affordable housing projects.
A hard right in Idaho
A hard right in Idaho
An HCN editor reflects on the many changes around Coeur d'Alene.
Trading fish for sewage
And other oddities from Heard Around the West
Pot pilgrims
And more oddities from Heard Around the West
Travel, HCN-style
Travel, HCN-style
Editor’s note for HCN’s second annual special issue on travel in the West describes some quirky personal trips.
A different borderland blues
A different borderland blues
Mining in British Columbia could have big impacts on parts of Canada -- and the U.S.
A sampler of U.S. environmentalists working in British Columbia
A sampler of U.S. environmentalists working in British Columbia
U.S. environmental groups like Rivers Without Borders, Conservation Northwest and Round River Conservation Studies work with First Nations in British Columbia to slow a mining rush.
'Twas The Night Before Christmas' Environmental Impact Statement
A long overdue evaluation of the popular 1822 poem
The environmentalists' whitebark pine air force
A bird in hand
A bird in hand
Will the soul of wildlife biology survive in an era of remote monitoring technology?
A sampler of wildlife tech
A sampler of wildlife tech
The gadgets we attach to wild animals and fish include radio transmitters, microchips, acoustic tags, geolocators and accelerometers.
Protecting the forests, and maybe the deserts, too
Protecting the forests, and maybe the deserts, too
Environmentalists are trying to buy out oil and gas leases in national forests, including the Wyoming Range and Thompson Creek Divide, while the drillers often have their way in the desert and sagebrush.
HCN's take on Western elections
You're welcome to add your observations
Voters shape energy policy by choosing utility regulators
Voters shape energy policy by choosing utility regulators
Races for seats on state commissions that oversee utilities are among the most important elections you’ve never heard of. They could decide the future of renewable energy in Montana and Arizona this year.
Is the Latino electorate finally beginning to make its mark?
Is the Latino electorate finally beginning to make its mark?
If Democrats succeed in an improbable coup -- winning a U.S. Senate seat in Arizona, and making the state competitive for Obama -- they’ll have Latino voters to thank.
Glimpses of moderation this election season
Maybe or maybe not a trend, it's worth rooting for ...
In Montana, 'Dr. Trout' battles the planet's most dangerous diseases
In Montana, 'Dr. Trout' battles the planet's most dangerous diseases
Marshall Bloom, who heads up disease research at the Rocky Mountain Laboratories in Hamilton, Mont., discusses his work on deadly viruses and his passion for conservation.
Rehberg and Tester: Policy differences
Rehberg and Tester: Policy differences
A list of some of Republican Rep. Denny Rehberg's major policy differences with incumbent Democratic Sen. Jon Tester.
Who is Denny Rehberg, really?
Who is Denny Rehberg, really?
Republican Rep. Denny Rehberg has exploited his family's long Montana history to get where he is today, but his current campaign for Democrat Jon Tester's Senate seat is raising questions about his record and that history.
Old West versus New West in Taos, N.M.
Old West versus New West in Taos, N.M.
When wandering newcomers and deep-rooted old-timers collide in the West, it gets difficult, especially in a place as culturally complex as northern New Mexico.
Coal-export schemes ignite unusual opposition, from Wyoming to India
Coal-export schemes ignite unusual opposition, from Wyoming to India
Ambitious schemes to build railroads and ports to ship Powder River Basin coal abroad will bring pollution and traffic to communities along the transport path, who are rising up in protest.
Republican hypocrisy on gun control ... and other musings
A caveman CEO and a frothing Range magazine also get dinged
Three days in western Nevada
Three days in western Nevada
A lot of places call themselves "gateway cities," but Reno, Nev., is truly the gateway to a lot of strange and amazingly gorgeous places.
Calling for a crackdown on polygamous crime
Calling for a crackdown on polygamous crime
Crimes committed by a fundamentalist sect on the Utah-Arizona border needs to be seriously investigated by both the Mormon Church and those states.
If corporations are people, what are they really like?
If corporations are people, what are they really like?
The state of Montana is leading the way in the fight to destroy the bizarre legal fiction that corporations are people.
How conservation works south of the border
How conservation works south of the border
Maps, photos and text describe some of the federal and private, nonprofit work in Northwest Mexico to preserve imperiled landscapes and a rich diversity of plants and animals.
High Country News Classifieds
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