Magazine
The Gear Biz

October 27, 2003

The West might still be the nation’s outdoor playground, but the Western companies that make outdoor recreation gear are finding greener pastures overseas. Also in this issue: A landmark California water deal has Imperial Valley irrigators finally agreeing to sell Colorado River water to San Diego, without sacrificing the Salton Sea.

Feature

The Gear Biz
The West might still be the nation’s outdoor playground, but the Western companies that make outdoor recreation gear are finding greener pastures overseas

Editor's Note

Pieces of the economic puzzle
The West’s small towns have always been subject to boom-and-bust economies, and even when the coal mines close and the factories move overseas, new economic engines will likely take their place

Essays

In the Northwest, salmon go swoosh
In downtown Portland, Ore., the writer collides with "Salmon Nation" – a new brand name for a new style of conservation, or maybe consumerism

Book Reviews

Snowmaking and drought: a bad combination
Artificial snowmaking at Colorado ski resorts can lead to pollution problems when water is taken from rivers contaminated by heavy metals from mining
Calendar
Right and wrong on public lands
From Conquest to Conservation: Our Public Lands Legacy by Michael P. Dombeck, Christopher A. Wood and Jack E. Williams takes a hopeful view of the ecological future of the nation’s public lands
Gas drilling blamed for smog
Scientists say that oil and gas drilling is responsible for creating high levels of smog-forming hydrocarbons in Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, New Mexico and Colorado

Writers on the Range

My Sensitive Man meets culture shock on the range
A sensitive male from Vermont comes face-to-face with Western violence at the movies

News

California strikes a water truce
A landmark California water deal has Imperial Valley irrigators finally agreeing to sell Colorado River water to San Diego, without sacrificing the Salton Sea
Follow-up
"Socially responsible" investors counsel caution in coalbed methane development; Western Watersheds Project goes after Wyoming rancher Frank Robbins; Fish & Wildlife to protect habitat for threatened bull trout; and environmentalist’s truck hit by arson i
Bill would redraw the boundaries of national monument
Montana Congressman Denny Rehberg, R, wants to yank private lands out of the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument, but some local ranchers fear his bill will just make it harder for them to sell their property.
Gas industry gets cracking
Environmentalists and landowners are worried about the use of hydraulic fracturing to extract coalbed methane, but the industry – and the EPA – are carefully protecting the process and its secrets
National monuments are here to stay
The Supreme Court refuses to hear arguments against six national monuments that President Clinton created under the authority of the 1906 Antiquities Act
A bright spot for illegal workers
The proposed Agricultural Jobs, Opportunity, Benefits and Security Act of 2003 would give legal residency to about a half-million undocumented immigrant farmworkers
West Coast states tackle global warming
Outgoing California Gov. Gray Davis is working with Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski and Washington Gov. Gary Locke on a regionwide plan for slowing greenhouse gas emissions
Mining companies slapped with half the bill for Superfund mess
In Idaho, a judge rules that Hecla and Asarco are responsible for pollution in the Silver Valley, but that the two companies created only half the mine tailings and therefore need pay for only half the estimated damage costs

Heard Around the West

Heard Around The West
Seabiscuit moves to Colorado; black bear vs. David Letterman; Hanford’s radioactive wasp nests; Helen Thomas vs. Brigham Young University; BLM ranger Dick Godwin vs. desert junk and shot-up appliances

Dear Friends

Dear Friends
Tom Bell and Louise Murie MacLeod at HCN’s fall board meeting at Moose, Wyo.; lots of visitors

Letters

High Country News Classifieds
  • DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
    Areas of Responsibility: The Development Director collaborates with the Executive Director, other HEAL Utah staff, board, and supporters to continue building one of Utah's most...
  • DIGITAL ENGAGEMENT SPECIALIST
    Position Summary Western Resource Advocates (WRA) is hiring an organized and creative Digital Engagement Specialist to join our Marketing and Communications Team. The Digital Engagement...
  • 92 ACRE EASTERN WASHINGTON GEM
    Welcome to Lost Creek Sanctuary... a true hidden gem in the heart of the Palouse. 1900 square feet, the main house is warm and charming,...
  • WEEKLY NEWSPAPER FOR SALE
    Vibrant, financially successful 1,100 print run, community-focused subscription newspaper in beautiful Pacific Northwest Washington seeks owner/s. It is time to retire. Now, your Norman Rockwell-like...
  • STAFF ATTORNEY - WILDLANDS AND WILDLIFE PROGRAM
    Job Opening Announcement: Wildlands and Wildlife Program Staff Attorney Reports to: Wildlands and Wildlife Program Director Location: Pacific Northwest, ideally in Eugene, Oregon, Portland, Oregon,...
  • HEAD OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT
    The Head of Project Management will oversee our project execution to ensure that we are providing our partners around the world with the field data...
  • LEGAL DIRECTOR
    Trustees for Alaska is the only nonprofit environmental law firm founded and based in Alaska. We are seeking a Legal Director, full-time based in Anchorage....
  • EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
    The Fund for People in Parks seeks leader to identify, develop, fund, and facilitate high-impact projects in western National Parks. Remote position with some travel....
  • GRASSROOTS REGIONAL COORDINATOR
    Great Old Broads for Wilderness is a women-led national grassroots organization that engages and inspires activism to preserve and protect wilderness and wild lands. The...
  • GRASSROOTS ADVOCACY MANAGER
    Great Old Broads for Wilderness is a women-led national grassroots organization that engages and inspires activism to preserve and protect wilderness and wild lands. Position...
  • GRASSROOTS LEADERSHIP DIRECTOR
    The Grassroots Leadership (Director) oversees the training, guidance, and support of volunteer Broadband Leaders. (Broadbands are women-led grassroots chapters, with 40+ across the country.) They...
  • FOCUS GROUP PARTICIPANT NEEDED
    We would like to invite you to participate in a 60-minute focus group to help us enhance the New Mexico Courts website (https://www.inside.nmcourts.gov/). Our aim...
  • GILA GRASSROOTS ORGANIZER
    New Mexico Wild is seeking a Gila Grassroots Organizer who is passionate about public lands and community engagement. The Gila Grassroots Organizer will take a...
  • 20/40 ACRES IN ARIZONA WINE COUNTRY
    Chiricahua riparian ecosystem: 5100 ft elevation:18+ inches of rain/year: 1/4 mile creek through property: The Chiricahuas' have been called: "The most biologically diverse place in...
  • SMALL CABIN WITH 260 ACRES
    Adorable quaint cabin on the Arizona Strip, on the foothills of the Kaibab Plateau with 260 acres bordering BLM lands on two sides of the...
  • STAFF ATTORNEY
    Food & Water Watch works to create a healthy future for all people and generations to come—a world where everyone has food they can trust,...
  • ASSOCIATE DIR OF DEVELOPMENT FOR CORPORATE AND FOUNDATION RELATIONS
    What We Can Achieve Together: Based in Phoenix, AZ, the Associate Director of Development for Corporate and Foundation Relations (CFR) works closely with the State...
  • ASSOCIATE DIR OF DEVELOPMENT
    What We Can Achieve Together: The Associate Director of Development (ADoD) works closely with the State Director, Director of Development, development team and program leaders...
  • LUNATEC HYDRATION SPRAY BOTTLE
    A must for campers and outdoor enthusiasts. Cools, cleans and hydrates with mist, stream and shower patterns. Hundreds of uses.
  • LUNATEC ODOR-FREE DISHCLOTHS
    are a must try. They stay odor-free, dry fast, are durable and don't require machine washing. Try today.