Items by Ray Ring

Editorial drift
Bipartisan weather emerges in the Northern Rockies
We can do our part to defuse the West
The BLM fails to provide public records
The BLM fails to provide public records
The agency's main Freedom of Information Act office appears incompetent or overworked.
Defuse the West
Defuse the West
Public-land employees are easy targets for a violent, government-hating fringe.
Reports from the front lines
Reports from the front lines
Excerpts from official accounts of threats against U.S. Forest Service and BLM employees.
Bowden the half-mad hiker
Bowden the half-mad hiker
The iconic Southwest writer brought minimal gear but loads of reading material on the trail.
Adiós Charles Bowden
Adiós Charles Bowden
The writer passed away in Las Cruces, New Mexico, on Aug. 30.
Bowden the half-mad hiker
Bowden the half-mad hiker
The iconic Southwest writer brought minimal gear but loads of reading material on the trail.
Adiós Charles Bowden
Adiós Charles Bowden
The writer passed away in Las Cruces, New Mexico, on Aug. 30.
Taking the romance out of farming
Taking the romance out of farming
Some farms are using the river as their sewer.
Border out of control
Border out of control
National security runs roughshod over the Arizona wild.
Remembering Cecil Garland
Remembering Cecil Garland
The passing of a wilderness advocate, and an HCN correspondent moves to North Dakota.
Native American tourism quietly thrives
Native American tourism quietly thrives
Can tourists benefit, not just exploit, tribal communities?
Adventure travel vs. conservation
Adventure travel vs. conservation
A conversation with outdoor entrepreneur Bill Bryan.
Strange little museums and zoos enliven the region
Strange little museums and zoos enliven the region
Mishaps and mayhem from around the West.
A brave and unusual conservationist turns 90
A brave and unusual conservationist turns 90
Happy birthday to HCN’s founder, Tom Bell.
Savoring the horror stories
Savoring the horror stories
HCN readers get a kick out of their difficult travels in the West.
Best place to see a crowd of grizzlies
Best place to see a crowd of grizzlies
A few tourists get close to amazing numbers of bears catching salmon at Alaska's McNeil River Falls.
How to travel the West on $5,000 per day
How to travel the West on $5,000 per day
Our pick of high-end tourism accessories includes a $600K RV and an 87-tool Swiss Army knife.
The Hanford Whistleblowers
The Hanford Whistleblowers
For decades, insiders have reported problems in the cleanup of our worst nuclear mess — but is anyone listening?
What do a biker bar and nuclear waste have in common?
What do a biker bar and nuclear waste have in common?
Gritty, ongoing reportage delivers an important message: The fundamental problem with nuclear energy — its incredibly dangerous waste products — remains unsolved.
Top 10 reasons not to move to Bozeman
Hard lessons from the mighty salmon runs of Bristol Bay
Hard lessons from the mighty salmon runs of Bristol Bay
The world’s longest ongoing salmon research reveals the astounding complexity of wild ecosystems -- and how easily it can be lost.
Discovery: Good ol' tallgrass was formed by good ol' bacteria
Worst place for a major mine?
Worst place for a major mine?
Update on the proposed Pebble Mine in Alaska’s Bristol Bay region -- a threat to the world’s best salmon ecosystem.
Western towns shaped by industries they pursue
Western towns shaped by industries they pursue
Converting an old mine to a physics lab in Lead, South Dakota, is just one example of how towns change directions due to deliberate actions as well as random chance.
Wonderful, gritty 'Indian Relay' documentary airs on PBS
Help HCN complete its online archives!
Help HCN complete its online archives!
We’re scanning in all of the pre-1994 issues for our website; visitors came to call; correction.
Killer bees could help solve honeybee colony collapse
High Country News Classifieds
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    The Executive Director of the Badlands Conservation Alliance (BCA) builds and leads a premiere North Dakota advocacy group that serves to protect the ecology of...
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    We characterize contaminated sites, identify buried drums, tanks, debris and also locate groundwater.
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    13 stories of extraordinary courage including HCN founder Tom Bell, PRBRC director Lynn Dickey, Liz Cheney, People of Heart Mountain, the Wind River Indian Reservation...
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    Go Bulk! Go Natural! Our products are better for you and better for the environment. Say no to single-use plastic. Made in U.S.A., by a...