Western Indian reservations and former logging towns are
among economically depressed communities seeking to cash in on the
new market for gourmet and medicinal plants, but some worry that
the boom of "wild crafting" plants may not be entirely
benign.
Magazine

February 15, 1999
Western Indian reservations and former logging towns are among economically depressed communities seeking to cash in on the new market for gourmet and medicinal plants, but some worry that the boom of "wild crafting" plants may not be entirely benign.
Feature
Sidebar
Nine sought-after plants with descriptions and what they
are used for.
In his own words, mushroom harvester Bill Knight describes
and defends his trade.
In her own words, Hoopa Valley Tribal member Sherlette
Colegrove describes the Indian approach to harvesting plants and
mushrooms.
Yan Saeteurn, who was born in Laos and now lives in
Redding, Calif., has built a life brokering matsutake mushrooms in
the Oregon woods.
Essays
During the height of the boom in harvesting Pacific yew
trees for the cancer-curing taxol in their bark, a logger wrestles
with ambiguous feelings about the trees he is felling for
money.
An East Coast writer recalls how he first fell utterly in
love with the desert landscape of Tucson, Ariz., and later decided
he loved it so much he would have to protect it by not moving
there.
Book Reviews
The background studies to the report "Water in the West:
Challenge for the Next Century" are worth their considerable weight
in gold to anyone seriously interested in the complex problems
surrounding water in the West.
"The Colorado Railroad and Rail Corridor Guide" will be
useful both to those trying to preserve existing rail lines and
those seeking to turn abandoned rail corridors into
trails.
News
Residents of King County, Wash., are fighting over whether
a 112-acre farm, protected by the county's farmland preservation
program, can be turned into a soccer field.
A 32,000-acre ranch on the border of Utah and Colorado
will remain a ranch rather than a subdivision, thanks to the
efforts of a land trust in each state that helped the landowner
place conservation easements on his land.
A 139-year history of hardrock mining ends in Leadville,
Colo., as the last working mine - Asarco's Black Cloud Mine -
closes down, leaving the town uncertain of its identity and its
economic future.
BLM acknowledges 5.7 million acres in Utah as wilderness;
USFS halts hardrock mining on Mont.'s Rocky Mtn. Front; Canada lynx
released in Colo. forest; Oregon drops appeal of salmon listing as
endangered; Ag Dept. proposes organic label for
meat/poultry.
Eleven reintroduced wolves have been sighted recently near
Jackson Hole, Wyo., as they migrate south from Yellowstone toward
Grand Teton National Park and the National Elk Refuge.
A rash of vandalism at Moab's Sand Flats Recreation Area,
which includes the famous Slickrock bike trail, seems to be
directed at mountain-biking tourists.
A three-story house being built on the rim of Washington's
Columbia River Gorge - in defiance of the National Columbia River
Gorge Scenic Area - has become a battleground between supporters of
the scenic act and property-rights advocates.
Casper, Wyo.'s Amoco oil refinery is one of the state's
most notorious hazardous waste sites, and some fear that EPA's
decision to turn over responsibility to the Wyoming Dept. of
Environmental Quality means that cleanup will not be
complete.
The remains of 42 Oglala Indians, stored for years at the
Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., are at last returned
and buried on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South
Dakota.
The 20 residents of a Montana ghost town called Southern
Cross are fighting eviction notices issued when the mining company
that owned the land under their homes sold it to
developers.
Snowmobilers and locals in Superior, Mont., who are
economically dependent on them, are fuming about the Lolo National
Forest's decision to close 400,000 acres, including the popular
Great Burn Wilderness Area, to motorized vehicles.
An activist group called Buffalo Nations has set up
tripods to block the road leading to a planned bison pen near West
Yellowstone, Mont., where stray bison would be held and tested for
brucellosis.
Environmentalists applaud the Pima County Board of
Supervisors' decision to kill the Canoa Ranch development, planned
on the outskirts of rapidly growing Tucson, Ariz.
Heard Around the West
Oldest male grizzly killed in Mont.; $3.6 million teardown
near Aspen.; wolves vs. sharks in Jackson Hole; Bats in Belfry,
Mont.; dart-pierced duck in Great Falls, MT; PETA vs. McDonalds in
Utah school; anti-Olympics license plates; impotence in
bikers.
Dear Friends
A very good year for HCN; January HCN board meeting in St.
George, Utah.
Letters
Featured stories
-
ARKANSAS RIVER COMMUNITY PRESERVE LAND MANAGEMENT PLANNER Central Colorado Conservancy seeks a land management planner to facilitate the creation of a management plan for the Arkansas River Community (ARC) Preserve on a...
-
WATER ADVOCACY MANAGER Do you want to help shape the future of groundwater in the Grand Canyon region? The Grand Canyon Trust is hiring its first water advocacy...
-
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 The new novel by Ray Ring, retired HCN senior editor, tackles racism in the wild, a story told by a rural White horsewoman and a...
-
DIGITAL ENGAGEMENT SPECIALIST Title: Digital Engagement Specialist Location: Salt Lake City Reports to: Communications Director Status, Salary & Benefits: Full-time, Non-Exempt. Salary & Benefits information below. Submission Deadline:...
-
CONSERVATION FIELD ORGANIZER Title: Conservation Field Organizer Reports to: Advocacy and Stewardship Director Location: Southwest Colorado Compensation: $45,000 - $50,000 DOE FLSA: Non-Exempt, salaried, termed 24-month Wyss Fellow...
-
UTAH STATE DIRECTOR 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...
-
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Apply by Oct 18. Seeking collaborative, hands-on ED to advance our work building community through fresh produce.
-
INDIGENOUS AFFAIRS EDITOR - HIGH COUNTRY NEWS High Country News is hiring an Indigenous Affairs Editor to help guide the magazine's journalism and produce stories that are important to Indigenous communities and...
-
STAFF ATTORNEY Staff Attorney The role of the Staff Attorney is to bring litigation on behalf of Western Watersheds Project, and at times our allies, in the...
-
ASSISTANT VICE PRESIDENT FOR DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION Northern Michigan University seeks an outstanding leader to serve as its next Assistant Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion. With new NMU President Dr. Brock...
-
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR The Clark Fork Coalition seeks an exceptional leader to serve as its Executive Director. This position provides strategic vision and operational management while leading a...
-
GOOD NEIGHBOR AGREEMENT MANAGER Help uphold a groundbreaking legal agreement between a powerful mining corporation and the local communities impacted by the platinum and palladium mine in their backyard....
-
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR The Feather River Land Trust (FRLT) is seeking a strategic and dynamic leader to advance our mission to "conserve the lands and waters of the...
-
COLORADO DIRECTOR COLORADO DIRECTOR Western Watersheds Project seeks a Colorado Director to continue and expand WWP's campaign to protect and restore public lands and wildlife in Colorado,...
-
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF HISTORY - INDIGENOUS HISTORIES OF THE NORTH AMERICAN WEST Whitman College seeks applicants for a tenure-track position in Indigenous Histories of the North American West, beginning August 2024, at the rank of Assistant Professor....
-
DAVE AND ME Dave and Me, by international racontuer and children's books author Rusty Austin, is a funny, profane and intense collection of short stories, essays, and poems...
-
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Rural Community Assistance Corporation is looking to hire a CFO. For more more information visit: https://www.rcac.org/careers/
-
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR The Absaroka Beartooth Wilderness Foundation (ABWF) seeks a new Executive Director. Founded in 2008, the ABWF is a respected nonprofit whose mission is to support...
-
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.