Billions of dollars are being spent to fight Western
wildfires, but some scientists now believe that the big blowups
can’t be prevented, and that they may be good for the health
of the forests
Magazine
May 26, 2003
Billions of dollars are being spent to fight Western wildfires, but some scientists now believe that the big blowups can’t be prevented, and that they may be good for the health of the forests. Also in this issue:Environmentalists fear the Republican-sponsored "Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003" – intended to prevent wildfires – will prove anything but healthy for the forests.
Feature
Sidebar
We need to revise or toss out some of our fire vocabulary,
especially "wildland-urban interface," "pre-settlement condition"
and Smokey’s slogan "only you"
History and science show that the recent "catastrophic"
wildfires in the West are not really a new development
Greg and Mary Tilford, who lost their house in
Montana’s Bitterroot fires in 2000, are part of a group of
homeowners suing the Forest Service for compensation
High Country News takes a critical look at fire in the
West with stories from our redesigned print edition, a special
three-part radio series, and a newly released special
report
Editor's Note
Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado, which has
experienced three major fires since 1996, can help teach the rest
of the West how to live with wildfire
Essays
The death of Lori Piestewa, a young Hopi woman killed in
combat in Iraq, has brought both grief and pride to the close-knit
Navajo and Hopi communities
Forests aren’t destroyed by wildfires; instead,
wildflowers are reborn
Conversation
Writer David James Duncan talks about his "insane passion
for rivers" and the broken hearts of Westerners
Book Reviews
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: Seasons of Life and Land,
a book of photographs by Subhankar Banerjee, stirs up so much
controversy in Washington, D.C., that the Smithsonian relocates an
exhibition of the images
The Paonia, Colorado-based Center for Native Ecosystems
tries to look out for the kind of endangered species often
neglected by other groups
Writers on the Range
In the Northwest, a legal decision resurrects the idea of
breaching four dams on the Snake River to save endangered
salmon
Heard Around the West
Las Vegas’ golf courses get crushed rock;
artificial-turf fairways; Wyoming as a Western "Shangri-La"; Sierra
Nevada’s "chain monkeys" becoming obsolete; license to
panhandle in Salt Lake City; protester locks self to wrong door;
and Montana upholds drink
Dear Friends
HCN’s new look!; summer interns Rosemary Winters and
Stephanie Tidwell; HCN potluck and board meeting in
Paonia
News
Environmentalists fear the Republican-sponsored "Healthy
Forests Restoration Act of 2003" – intended to prevent
wildfires – will prove anything but healthy for the
forests
General Accounting Office tells Defense Department to
clean up its mess; Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation wants wolves
de-listed, and names Peter Dart new CEO; EPA forbids its scientists
to talk about perchlorate contamination; and Energy Department will
lay
Scientists think pesticides may be killing frogs in
California’s Sierra Nevada
Catron County, N.M., landowner Charles Cooksey and the
company he hired to clear a road through a national forest are
fined for damaging archaeological sites on public land
The Wildlands Conservancy buys 600,000 acres of Southern
California desert, making the largest purchase of private land for
conservation purposes in the country’s history
In Idaho, environmentalists sue to prevent the widespread
spraying of pesticides
Industry officials say that two new regulations could mean
the end of gold-mining in California
The BLM clears the way for 66,000 new coalbed methane
wells and 5,000 conventional oil and gas wells in the Powder River
Basin of Wyoming and Montana
Letters
Today's Featured Stories
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BIRDS OF PREY NCA PARTNERSHIP - DEVELOPMENT AND MARKETING DIRECTOR Background: The Birds of Prey NCA Partnership is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization based in Boise, Idaho, which was established in 2015 after in-depth stakeholder input...
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SOUTHWEST BORDERLANDS INITIATIVE PROFESSOR OF NATIVE AMERICANS AND THE NEWS MEDIA Southwest Borderlands Initiative Professor of Native Americans and the News Media The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University is...
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MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR 
AWF seeks an energetic Marketing and Communications Director. Please see the full job description at https://azwildlife.org/jobs
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DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS SW REGION The Southwest Communications Director will be responsible for working with field staff in Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico to develop and execute detailed communication plans...
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THE SILVER LEAF CO-HOUSING DEVELOPMENT An intentional community designed for aging in place. Green built with Pumice-crete construction (R32), bamboo flooring, pine doors, T&G ceiling with fans, and maintenance free...
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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CITIZENS FOR RESPONSIBLE OIL & GAS (CFROG) is a Ventura County, CA based watch-dog and advocacy non-profit organization. cfrog.org
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TED SCRIPPS FELLOWSHIPS IN ENVIRONMENTAL JOURNALISM Take your journalism skills to the next level and deepen your understanding of environmental issues by applying for the 2019-2020 Ted Scripps Fellowships in Environmental...
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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, WINTER WILDLANDS ALLIANCE
WINTER WILDLANDS ALLIANCE POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT: EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Winter Wildlands Alliance seeks an experienced and highly motivated individual to lead and manage the organization as Executive...
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CONSERVATION DIRECTOR The San Juan Mountains Association is seeking a visionary leader to spearhead its public lands stewardship program in southwest Colorado. For a detailed job description...
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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AT CASCADE FOREST CONSERVANCY The Cascade Forest Conservancy seeks a passionate ED to lead our forest protection, conservation, education, and advocacy programs.
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HUNTING ADVOCACY NONPROFIT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Mountain Pursuit is a new, bold, innovative, western states, hunting advocacy nonprofit headquartered in Jackson, Wyoming. We need a courageous, hard working, passionate Executive Director...
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CURATOR, DRAPER NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM The Draper Natural History Museum (DNHM) at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center of the West in Cody, WY, invites applications for the Willis McDonald, IV...
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WANTED TO BUY
Couple seeks quiet, private, off-grid acreage in area with no/low cell phone service and no/low snowfall. Conservation/bordering public lands a plus. CA, OR, WA, ID,...
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32 ACRES IN COLORADO ROCKIES WITH YURT 20mi N of Steamboat Springs, majestic views, aspen forest, year-round access, yurt, septic, solar electric, seasonal ponds, no covenants, bordering National Forest. Ag status. $449K....
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SEEKING BREAKOUT LEADER AND COMMUNICATIONS/DEVELOPMENT EXPERT IN SE UTAH Conservation nonprofit Friends of Cedar Mesa in Bluff, Utah is hiring for two positions: Communications & Development Manager/Director (remote work possible) and a Deputy Director...
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QUALIFY FOR CA INDUSTRIAL HEMP LICENSE? Former northern Sierra winery, with 2208 sq.ft. commercial building, big lot, room to expand.
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COMMUNICATIONS ASSOCIATE The dZi Foundation is seeking a FT Communications Associate with a passion for Nepal to join our team in Ridgway, Colorado. Visit dzi.org/careers.
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EXPERT LAND STEWART Available now for site conservator, property manager. View resume at http://skills.ojaidigital.net.
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CONSERVATIONIST? IRRIGABLE LAND? Stellar seed-saving NGO is available to serious partner. Package must include financial support. Details: http://seeds.ojaidigital.net.
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OWN YOUR OWN CANYON - 1400 SF STRAW-BALE ECO-HOME ON 80 ACRES - 3 HOURS FROM L.A. 1400 sf of habitable space in a custom-designed eco-home created and completed by a published L.A. architect in 1997-99. Nestled within its own 80-acre mountain...
