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
-
WYOMING OUTDOOR COUNCIL Two positions: Development Director OR Development Writer, Communications Director. Full job descriptions at https://wyomingoutdoorcouncil.org/careers.
-
CONSERVATION PROJECT MANAGER Great Land Trust seeks to hire a Conservation Project Manager. Position is full-time, based in Anchorage, Alaska. First review of applications will be on October...
-
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Eagle Valley Land Trust Executive Director Position Description Summary of Position: The Executive Director, working with and reporting to the Board of Directors, has overall...
-
FINANCE & LOGISTICS COORDINATOR 
The Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, founded in 1928 as an independent nonprofit organization, is a biological field station located near Crested Butte, Colorado. Our primary...
-
DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
See Full Job Description
-
DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR Position: Development Coordinator Responsible to: Executive Director Time Commitment: 15-20 hours per week, or as otherwise agreed upon General Description: The Development Coordinator assists the...
-
EDUCATION CENTER MANAGER Friends of Cedar Mesa seeks a full-time Education Manager for the Bears Ears Education Center to provide day to day operational and administrative oversight. See...
-
TROUT UNLIMITED SCP SOUTHWEST REGIONAL DIRECTOR Seeking to hire an experienced advocate/manager to oversee the organization's sportsmen/women-driven advocacy in Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona. Open until filled
-
PROGRAM MANAGER for northern AZ collaborative conservation ranchlands group
-
AMAZING PROGRAM DIRECTOR If you're an amazing Program or Education Manager looking for an exciting and fulfilling position with an organization that makes a difference in the community,...
-
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Partners are seeking an experienced and energetic Executive Director who is excited about the opportunity to lead our growing organization! A full description of the...
-
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR High Country News Seeks an Executive Director to advance its mission, grow its audience and influence, and strategically and sustainably guide the organization through a...
-
2 PROPERTIES ON THE WESTERN EDGE OF THE GILA WILDERNESS Organic farm, hot springs, San Francisco River runs through both. [email protected]
-
CHUCK BURR'S CULTUREQUAKE.COM BLOG Change will happen when we see a new way of living. Thinking to save the world.
-
SOCIETY FOR WILDERNESS STEWARDSHIP BOARD MEMBER Join the SWS board and help us broaden, diversify, and engage the wilderness community.
-
NEW MEXICO BIRDER'S PARADISE. Fully furnished 2B/2B home near Bosque del Apache NWR, great for nature lovers.
-
COMING TO TUCSON? Popular vacation house, furnished, 2 bed/1 bath, yard, dog-friendly. Lee at [email protected] or 520-791-9246.
-
DIRECTOR, TEXAS WATER PROGRAMS The National Wildlife Federation seeks a Director to lead our water-related policy and program work in Texas, with a primary focus on NWF's signature Texas...
-
SPLIT CREEK RANCH Spectacular country home on 48 acres with Wallowa River running through it! 541-398-1148 www.RubyPeakRealty.com
-
PERU: WEAVING WORDS & WOMEN ADVENTURE April 2020. A 13-day women-only immersion into the culture of Peru led by Page Lambert and True Nature Journeys. Includes Machu Picchu. Graduate credit available...
