The Republican Party, struggling with infighting and lacking a coherent vision may find new life — or self-destruction — in the West’s green politics
Feature
Posted inJune 23, 2008: Peace on the Klamath
Peace on the Klamath
The enemies in the West’s most vicious water war have finally reached a ceasefire. This is the story of how it happened.
Posted inJune 9, 2008: Why the West needs Mythic Cowboys
Why the West needs Mythic Cowboys
The first Great Truth of contemporary life is that the West is changing. And the second Great Truth is that the Cowboy Myth is an anachronistic view that denies the first truth and assures that we will become a socioeconomic backwater. What we need to do, or so we are told by those who purport […]
Posted inMay 26, 2008: On Cancer’s Trail
On Cancer’s Trail
The women in Stefanie Raymond-Whish’s family have a history of breast cancer. Now the young Navajo biologist is asking why.
Posted inMay 12, 2008: Boom! Boom!
Boom! Boom!
In western Colorado, an energy boom of unprecedented proportions has been layered on top of a thriving amenity economy. Which will come out on top?
Posted inApril 28, 2008: Pillaging the Past
Pillaging the Past
Approximately 90 percent of archaeological sites in the Southwest have been vandalized.
Posted inApril 14, 2008: Taking to the Trees
Taking to the Trees
After conquering rocks, trails and mountains, weekend warriors head for the canopy
Posted inMarch 31, 2008: My Crazy Brother
My Crazy Brother
A personal look at the West’s suicidal tendencies
Posted inMarch 17, 2008: Seeking the Water Jackpot
Seeking the Water Jackpot
For almost a century, the Navajo Tribe has been left out of the Colorado River water game. Now, they’re ready to play their hand.
Posted inMarch 3, 2008: The People of the Sea
The People of the Sea
California’s Salton Sea could dry up and die, or be fixed and developed. Either way, its renegades, recluses, ruffians and retirees will lose.
Posted inFebruary 18, 2008: Reluctant Boomtown
Reluctant Boomtown
Mining abandoned Superior a decade ago. Now the industry is ready to return, but this little Arizona town is not sure it wants it back.
Posted inFebruary 4, 2008: Unnatural Preservation
Unnatural Preservation
In the age of global warming, public-land managers face a stark choice: They can let national parks and other wildlands lose their most cherished wildlife. Or they can become gardeners and zookeepers.
Posted inJanuary 21, 2008: An energy oasis in the political desert
A political speech the West needs to hear
“One of our most urgent projects is to develop a national energy policy. The United States is the only major industrial country without a comprehensive, long-range energy policy. Our program will emphasize conservation … solar energy and other renewable energy sources. … We must face the fact that the energy shortage is permanent. There is […]
Posted inDecember 24, 2007: Last chance for the Lobo
Last chance for the Lobo
Mexican wolves caught in the crossfire of the battle over public lands.
Posted inDecember 10, 2007: Rebels with a Lost Cause
Rebels with a lost cause
A movement of property-rights lawyers emerged from the sagebrush in the 1970s to fight a wave of environmental regulations. They are still fighting in courtrooms across the West, but their role remains ambiguous.
Posted inNovember 26, 2007: Beetle Warfare
Beetle Warfare
What happens when an exotic bug is brought in to fight an exotic weed?
Posted inNovember 12, 2007: L.A. Bets on the Farm
L.A. Bets on the Farm
Faced with unprecedented drought, the West’s most powerful water agency is mixing Wall Street tactics and rice farm supplies to hedge against Southern California’s risk of going dry.
Posted inOctober 29, 2007: Which Way West
Six Good Places
There’s a workaday village – or its ruins, anyway – hidden in the wilderness of the Sierra Nevada. I found it by following a feeling, one mapped onto my brain by ancient forces. Lately this map has begun guiding me in other places: Venice. Vancouver. Aix-en-Provence. Seattle. Even Portland, where I live. And it has […]
Posted inOctober 15, 2007: Cat Fight on the Border
Cat Fight on the Border
Will homeland security concerns keep jaguars from returning to their native U.S. range? Maybe.