Magazine
The mine that turned the Red River blue

August 28, 2000

Though the economic future of the area is uncertain, activists welcome a possible Superfund listing for the huge Molycorp molybdenum mine in Questa, N.M., as a way to save the town and the Red River from yet more mine-waste pollution.

Feature

The mine that turned the Red River blue
Though the economic future of the area is uncertain, activists welcome a possible Superfund listing for the huge Molycorp molybdenum mine in Questa, N.M., as a way to save the town and the Red River from yet more mine-waste pollution.
Ernest Atencio Aug. 28, 2000 From the print edition

Sidebar

The life and times of a mining town
A timeline traces the history of the Molycorp mine in Questa, N.M., and its environmental problems.
Ernest Atencio Aug. 28, 2000 From the print edition
'Molycorp hasn't been a good neighbor to us'
Lifelong Questa resident Joe Cisneros says Molycorp has damaged his air, water and community.
Sandhya Ganapathy And Eirian Humphreys April 28, 2000 From the print edition
'If you want the jobs, you're going to have to deal with it'
Questa resident Alice Martinez defends the Molycorp mine, where her husband worked for many years.
Sandhya Ganapathy And Eirian Humphreys Aug. 28, 2000 From the print edition
'A mine divides a community'
Lifelong Questa resident Berlinda Trujillo has spent years in labor and environmental struggles with the Molycorp mine.
Sandhya Ganapathy And Eirian Humphreys Aug. 28, 2000 From the print edition
'The mine is everything'
An anonymous Questeno says the Molycorp mine has given much to the community and been a good steward of the land.
Sandhya Ganapathy And Eirian Humphreys Aug. 28, 2000 From the print edition

Uncommon Westerners

Floyd Dominy: An encounter with the West's undaunted dam-builder
An interview with legendary BuRec director Floyd Dominy reveals a man proud of the dams and water supply projects he built throughout the West - especially Glen Canyon Dam and its "most wonderful lake in the world, Lake Powell."
Ed Marston Aug. 28, 2000 From the print edition

Essays

Down the Rio Grande, one piece at a time
This issue's lead is part of a series of HCN stories intended to create an honest, insightful picture of the Rio Grande and the varied communities and landscapes it passes through on its long journey.
Greg Hanscom Essay Aug. 28, 2000 From the print edition

Perspective

The latest salmon plan heads toward a train wreck
The long-awaited federal plan for saving the Northwest's endangered salmon avoids the question of breaching dams and satisfies almost no one.
Rocky Barker Essay Aug. 28, 2000 From the print edition

Heard Around the West

Heard around the West
Cliffhanging tourist photographer; New West attack in Ketchum, ID; barfing in Harrison Ford's chopper; Albuquerque's water vigilantes; satellite-controlled watering in UT; off-road vehicles in Colo. Rockies; Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell's gun vs. dogs.
Betsy Marston Aug. 28, 2000 From the print edition

Dear Friends

Dear Friends
Hot summer brings bears into town; visitors; "Know Thine Enemy"; Oops and congrats.
Greg Hanscom Aug. 28, 2000 From the print edition

News

Shaky truce on the Rio Grande
To avoid an environmental lawsuit and placate angry farmers, Albuquerque and the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District will sell enough reservoir water to the drought-plagued river to keep endangered silvery minnow alive and ditches flowing until fall.
Greg Hanscom April 28, 2000 From the print edition
The Latest Bounce
Lyle McNeal wins lawsuit; S.D. wetlands won't get new definition; old-growth red cedar in Idaho's Clearwater Nat'l Forest saved from logging; Montana ballot will have initiative on banning new game farms; Environmentalists Against Gore.
Betsy Marston Aug. 28, 2000 From the print edition
Home is where the heat is
This summer's wildfires are raising questions about development in the "wildland-urban interface" - places like Montana's Bitterroot Valley, where Forest Service firefighters are using all their resources to protect homes and cabins.
Mark Matthews Aug. 28, 2000 From the print edition
Protect yourself from wildfires
Some practical suggestions for making your home more fire safe.
Mark Matthews Aug. 28, 2000 From the print edition
Fires burn through boundaries at Mesa Verde
During the huge fires, Colorado neighbors Mesa Verde Nat'l Park and the Ute Mountain Ute Tribal Park worked together and improved their historically unfriendly relationship, while the town of Cortez realized anew its economic dependence on the parks.
Michelle Nijhuis Opinion Aug. 28, 2000 From the print edition
Who'll clean up a mining mess?
Recent studies show that contamination from Idaho's Bunker Hill Superfund Site has spread throughout the entire Coeur d'Alene River Basin, and some say the Superfund cleanup effort now winding down has not helped at all.
Zaz Hollander And Rebecca Clarren Aug. 28, 2000 From the print edition
Ranchers forgo their federal lease
Two ranchers give up their grazing privileges on Idaho's Boise National Forest, blaming rules to protect spawning habitat for endangered salmon.
Kayley Mendenhall Aug. 28, 2000 From the print edition
Cement glues citizens together
Pueblo, Colo., citizens, who worked for years to restore air and water polluted by their city's one-time steel mills, now fear a planned cement manufacturing plant will make their newly livable community unlivable and polluted once again.
Kayley Mendenhall Aug. 28, 2000 From the print edition
Republicans attack sovereignty
Native Americans throughout the West are angry at Washington state's Republicans for passing a resolution that attacks tribal sovereignty.
Beth Wohlberg Aug. 28, 2000 From the print edition

Opinion

Squishy-soft processes - hard results
Former Sierra Club chairman Mike McCloskey says consensus is a threat to democracy and the environment, but the writer believes the move toward collaboration is a sign of a healthy, maturing West and a vigorous grassroots environmental movement.
Ed Marston Opinion Essay Aug. 28, 2000 From the print edition

Letters

An outrageous review
Russ Mason Aug. 28, 2000 From the print edition
Doug Hawes-Davis replies
Doug Hawes-davis Aug. 28, 2000 From the print edition
Not in the family
Joe B. Wallmo Aug. 28, 2000 From the print edition
Learning from the old-timers
Lauren Davis Aug. 28, 2000 From the print edition
'A gentle giant'
Kathy Karpan Aug. 28, 2000 From the print edition
Wilderness needs strong advocates
Susan Tixier Aug. 28, 2000 From the print edition
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