Items by Sarah Tory

What happens when an affluent Arizona suburb’s main water supply is cut off?
What happens when an affluent Arizona suburb’s main water supply is cut off?
As the Colorado River crisis worsens, an unregulated housing development faces a reckoning.
Post-Trump, wildlife passages along the border wall keep narrowing
Post-Trump, wildlife passages along the border wall keep narrowing
As construction continues, U.S. and Mexican conservationists work together to preserve remaining corridors.
The threat to Colorado’s acequias and the communities that depend on them
The threat to Colorado’s acequias and the communities that depend on them
In the San Luis Valley, the communal and egalitarian resource offers a way of life.
Where do public lands factor into the homelessness crisis?
Where do public lands factor into the homelessness crisis?
As the housing crisis in the West deepens, more unhoused people are making a home outside.
Rapid growth in Arizona’s suburbs bets against an uncertain water supply
Rapid growth in Arizona’s suburbs bets against an uncertain water supply
‘The alternative is something they don’t want to think about.’
Documenting destruction from above
Documenting destruction from above
A young photographer highlights the environmental crises facing Indigenous communities at home and abroad.
Divided prospects: The fight over an immigration detention center
Divided prospects: The fight over an immigration detention center
When a private prison company came to Evanston, Wyoming, local officials believed an economic revival was at hand. Instead, it unleashed a bitter debate.
The failures of U.S. immigration policies
The failures of U.S. immigration policies
Three new books challenge the way we imagine the U.S.-Mexico border.
Estados Unidos está cerrando sus puertas a quienes solicitan asilo.
Estados Unidos está cerrando sus puertas a quienes solicitan asilo.
‘Los Desposeídos’ sigue la aterrante búsqueda de una familia por refugio, y cuestiona las nuevas políticas públicas y lo que dicen sobre los ideales de esta nación.
The border wall threatens decades of binational wildlife conservation
The border wall threatens decades of binational wildlife conservation
Binational groups are preserving migratory corridors and restoring degraded areas in the Borderlands. Will the landscape be severed?
The U.S. is closing its doors to asylum seekers
The U.S. is closing its doors to asylum seekers
‘The Dispossessed’ follows a family’s harrowing search for safety, and asks what new policies say about the nation’s long-standing ideals.
Why the University of California is fighting for DACA
Why the University of California is fighting for DACA
From a campus legal clinic all the way to the Supreme Court, UC stands up for Dreamers.
To find Jose Montelongo, ICE agents targeted his whole family
To find Jose Montelongo, ICE agents targeted his whole family
One family’s ordeal under Trump’s zero tolerance immigration tactics.
The case against immigration prisons
The case against immigration prisons
Law professor César Cuauhtémoc García Hernández analyzes why America puts so many immigrants behind bars.
Refugees look for belonging in Idaho
Refugees look for belonging in Idaho
The Twin Falls resettlement program continues to thrive in the face of recent serious challenges.
A family held their relatives captive; a community set them free
A family held their relatives captive; a community set them free
A labor trafficking case shows Westerners can sometimes still count on each other to protect those in need.
One rancher’s plan to establish water buffalo in Colorado
One rancher’s plan to establish water buffalo in Colorado
The challenges and possibilities of water buffalo ranching in the Roaring Fork Valley.
The grassroots groups helping asylum seekers on the border
The grassroots groups helping asylum seekers on the border
‘We had no choice but to make it work.’
An Arizona border sheriff confronts the wall
An Arizona border sheriff confronts the wall
President Trump’s pitch is ‘a sound bite, not a cogent public policy position.’
Can stories help us understand the realities of migration?
Can stories help us understand the realities of migration?
In her new novel, Valeria Luiselli explores the possibilities and limits of writing about the border crisis.
Humanitarian aid is being criminalized at the border
Humanitarian aid is being criminalized at the border
Deterrence strategies have turned increasingly punitive for immigrants and activists.
The education crisis for children of deported parents
The education crisis for children of deported parents
In Tijuana, an upstart model tries to address the challenges of educating U.S. kids who relocated to keep their families together.
Two countries, one border and their shared pollution
Two countries, one border and their shared pollution
Communities in South San Diego sue over sewage spills.
As the border wall grows, smuggling tunnels proliferate
As the border wall grows, smuggling tunnels proliferate
The Trump administration is ignoring a big question: How do you secure a border below ground?
A Denver high school welcomes the world’s refugees
A Denver high school welcomes the world’s refugees
The Newcomers explores the lives of immigrant teens and what it takes to become an American.
Prisoners turn to strikes to fight inhumane conditions
Prisoners turn to strikes to fight inhumane conditions
In August, inmates renewed protests against solitary confinement and racially biased sentencing.
Estranged in America
Estranged in America
What happens to a community when its sense of belonging begins to unravel?
Laughter to cope with daily tragedies at the border
Laughter to cope with daily tragedies at the border
Luis Alberto Urrea’s new novel reflects on the family relationships that challenge and transcend the U.S.-Mexico border.
The immigrants contributing to rural towns and economies
The immigrants contributing to rural towns and economies
Decades after their arrival, a family is woven into the fabric of Colorado’s San Luis Valley.
‘Fortifying freedom’ at the Western Conservative Summit
‘Fortifying freedom’ at the Western Conservative Summit
Where the ‘rule of law’ is synonymous with Trump.
High Country News Classifieds
  • HIGH DIVIDE RESTORATION PRACTITIONER
    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...
  • ENVIRONMENTAL AND CONSTRUCTION GEOPHYSICS
    We characterize contaminated sites and locate buried drums, tanks, debris and also find groundwater.
  • SIERRA VALLEY PRESERVE LAND STEWARD
    We are hiring a hands-on worker to help care for the land FRLT has conserved. This position will work directly with the Sierra Valley Preserve...
  • DEVELOPMENT OFFICER
    Are you a supporter of public lands and interested in a career in the nonprofit sector? Grand Teton National Park Foundation is hiring a Development...
  • RANCH GENERAL MANAGER
    Ranch General Manager for a large family-owned Ranch on the island of Molokai, Hawaii. Diversified operations include: an agro-tourism educational retreat center, renewable energy and...
  • COMMUNICATIONS AND PROJECT COORDINATOR CONTRACTOR
    POSITION SUMMARY: The Communications and Project Coordinator will support the Executive Director (ED) in campaign and administrative related tasks. The Coordinator is responsible for research...
  • 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.
  • OREGON AGRICULTURAL LAND EASEMENT (ALE) PROGRAM COORDINATOR
    Status: Full time Reports to: Conservation Program Manager Salary Range: $60,000-65,000 Duration: Position is funded for 12 months, with the expectation of annual renewal Benefits:...
  • VICE PRESIDENT OF CONSERVATION
    The Vice President of Conservation will arrive at a time of remarkable growth and opportunity within the organization. Guided by the bold and ambitious goals...
  • WINTER WILDLANDS ALLIANCE IS HIRING!
    Help us inspire and empower people to protect America's wild snowscapes! We are a small, mighty and growing team dedicated to our work and looking...
  • EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR- ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION COMMITTEE OF WEST MARIN
    The EAC's Executive Director provides overall leadership for the operation of the organization. The Executive Director is responsible for implementing programs and policies set by...
  • UTE LEGENDS
    These carefully researched stories reflect a deep and abiding understanding of Ute culture and history. These authintic, colorful legends also illustrate the Ute's close connections...
  • FUNDRAISING ASSOCIATE - HIGH COUNTRY NEWS
    High Country News seeks an organized and collaborative Fundraising Associate to drive donor discovery and the cultivation and acquisition of mid-level and recurring gifts. This...
  • MONTANA CONSERVATION ASSOCIATE
    GYC is hiring! Please see our careers page for more details greateryellowstone.org/careers
  • 12 ACRES IN EAGLE, COLORADO!
    Tranquility & land are becoming more and more rare. This land is a haven for peace, where nature beckons & flourishes. Enjoy the mountain views...
  • SURGICAL SHARPENING SERVICE
    is a Denver-based mail order surgical instrument sharpening service established in 2009. Specialties include surgical scissors, dental elevators, trocar sets, and gynecological biopsy forceps.
  • 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
    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...
  • 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.