Record-breaking heat and drought are frying the West, and
scientist John Harte of the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory in
Gothic, Colo., warns that this summer is only the kick-off for what
global warming is likely to bring.
Magazine
August 19, 2002
The drought of 2002 has left the West blistered and burnt, scientists predict worse to come. Have we learned anything yet? Also in this issue: This year's drought has killed 10,000 cattle and ravaged the range. But corruption and resentment over earlier attempts to control grazing are stifling reform just when it's needed most.
Feature
Drought is having catastrophic impacts on the Navajo
Reservation, but past history and current politics keep grazing
reform from happening.
On the Walla Walla River In southern Washington and
northern Oregon, local farmers and environmentalists have avoided a
drought-sparked water war with collaboration and innovative
irrigation reform.
Mercilessly hot conditions in the drought-stressed West have aggravated infestations of bark beetles that attack several species of trees -- but perhaps the best response to the epidemic is to do nothing at all.
In the drought-stricken West, water cops, singing
governors and giant walking raindrops are just some of the odd
measures spawned by water-conservation campaigns.
Sidebar
In drought-stricken northern New Mexico, ranchers are
pushing to open the Valles Caldera National Preserve to livestock
grazing.
As Nevada's Walker Lake gets smaller and saltier, the
Paiute tribe, local farmers and the BLM wrestle over water rights
and wonder how to keep the threatened Lahontan cutthroat trout
alive without destroying the area's economy.
At Roosevelt Lake in Arizona, endangered southwestern
willow flycatchers are actually thriving as the water level drops
and willow and tamarisk take over.
Essays
At the Burning Man Festival in Nevada's Black Rock Desert, an eccentric city is created and then destroyed, and lives are sometimes changed along the way.
Perspective
Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., is in hot
water over his attempt to appeal-proof a controversial thinning
project in his home state, but the situation is more complicated
than his gleeful Republican opponents admit.
Writers on the Range
Living with drought in cities such as Denver, Colo., has
its challenges.
Heard Around the West
Hotchkiss, Colo.; Santa Fe finds bright spots in drought;
"Aspen - The Sitcom"; speeding and religion in Idaho; benefits of
clear-cuts; organic lunches in California schools; biking to work
in Flagstaff; Julia Child in Aspen.
Dear Friends
Drought story brings rain; here's to our readers;
visitors; HCN bids a fond farewell to staffers Anne Miller and
Marion Conger Stewart.
Conservationist Mardy Murie's 100th birthday will be
celebrated with a special gathering at the Murie Center in Moose,
Wyo.
News
The Forest Service blames environmentalists for this
summer's catastrophic Western wildfires, and although Greens reply
that the agency is actually at fault, the push for more logging is
growing in Congress.
Endangered Rio Grande silvery minnow; Park Service
deliberating about snowmobiles; Thomas Slonake's resignation from
Indian Trust Accounts forced; Organization of American States'
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Mary and Carrie
Dann.
Tension is rising between Mexico and the U.S. over the
little water left in the drought-stricken Rio Grande.
The planned Joshua Hills development in Southern
California could hurt neighboring Joshua Tree National Park and the
Coacella Valley Preserve, the only remaining home of the endangered
fringe-toed lizard.
Firefighters are worried that a lawsuit filed against the
Forest Service, blaming the agency for the loss of homes near
Connor, Mont., may make it harder to use backfires to fight
wildfires.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs rescinds the official federal
status of the Chinook Indian tribe.
A draft policy released by the National Marine Fisheries
Service in July does little to resolve the controversy over whether
hatchery salmon and steelhead deserve equal protection with wild
fish.
In California, the International Mountain Bicycling
Association is leery of a new proposal to designate two and half
million acres of wilderness in the state.
Letters
Featured stories
-
YELLOWSTONE TREASURES: THE TRAVELER'S COMPANION TO THE NATIONAL PARK Dreaming of a trip to Yellowstone Park? This book makes you the tour guide for your group! Janet Chapple shares plenty of history anecdotes and...
-
OLIVERBRANCH CONSULTING Non-Profit Management Professional specializing in Transitional Leadership, Strategic Collaborations, Communications and Grant Management/Writing.
-
SAGE GROUSE CCAA COORDINATOR 
The Powder Basin Watershed Council, headquartered in Baker City, Oregon, seeks a full-time Sage Grouse CCAA Coordinator. This position is part of a collaborative effort...
-
MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER High Country News, an award-winning media organization covering the communities and environment of the Western United States, seeks a Marketing Communications Manager to join our...
-
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR - OKANOGAN LAND TRUST Executive Director, Okanogan Land Trust Position Announcement Do you enjoy rural living, wild places, family farms, challenging politics, and big conservation opportunities? Do you have...
-
GREAT VIEWS, SMALL FOOTPRINT Close to town but with a secluded feel, this eco-friendly home includes solar panels, a graywater reuse system, tankless hot water, solar tubes, and rainwater...
-
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Powder River Basin Resource Council, a progressive non-profit conservation organization based in Sheridan, Wyoming, seeks an Executive Director, preferably with grassroots organizing experience, excellent communication...
-
COMMUNITY ORGANIZER- NORTHERN PLAINS RESOURCE COUNCIL Organize with Northern Plains Resource Council to protect Montana's water quality, family farms and ranches, & unique quality of life. Starts $35.5k. Apply now- northernplains.org/careers
-
BEAUTIFUL, AUTHENTIC LIVE YULE LOG CENTERPIECE - beautiful 12" yule log made from holly wood, live fragrant firs, rich green and white holly, pinecones and red berries. $78 includes shipping. Our...
-
CRAZY HORSE MEMORIAL DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMS FOR THE INDIAN UNIVERSITY OF NORTH AMERICA
Crazy Horse Memorial, in the Black Hills of South Dakota, is currently accepting applications and nominations for the Director of Programs for The Indian University...
-
CRAZY HORSE MEMORIAL® MANAGER OF RESIDENCE LIFE FOR THE INDIAN UNIVERSITY OF NORTH AMERICA®
Crazy Horse Memorial is currently accepting applications for the Manager of Residence Life for The Indian University of North America. This position is responsible for...
-
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Are you an art lover who dreams of living in the mountains? Is fundraising second nature to you? Do you have experience managing creative people?...
-
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR The Public Lands Foundation, a non-profit organization supporting the multiple-use management of public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management, seeks an experienced leader...
-
COLD WEATHER CRAFTS Unique handmade gifts from the Gunnison Valley. Soy lotion candles, jewelry, art, custom photo mandalas and more. Check out the website and buy Christmas locally...
-
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR North Cascades Institute seeks their next Executive Director to lead the organization, manage $4 million operating budget, and oversee 60 staff. Send resume/cover letter to...
-
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF High Country News, an award-winning media organization covering the communities and environment of the Western United States, seeks an Editor-In-Chief to join our senior team...
-
LENDER OWNED FIX & FLIP
2 houses on 37+ acres. Gated subdivision, Penrose Colorado. $400k. Possible lender financing. Bob Kunkler Brokers Welcome.
-
HISTORIC LODGE AND RESTAURANT - FULLY EQUIPPED Built in 1901, The Crazy Mountain Inn has 11 guest rooms in a town-center building on 7 city lots (.58 acres). The inn and restaurant...
-
POLLINATOR OASIS
Seeking an experienced, hardworking partner to help restore a desert watershed/wetland while also creating a pollinator oasis at the mouth of an upland canyon. Compensation:...
-
ELLIE SAYS IT'S SAFE! A GUIDE DOG'S JOURNEY THROUGH LIFE by Don Hagedorn. A story of how lives of the visually impaired are improved through the love and courage of guide dogs. Available on Amazon.
