The study of tree rings opens a window into the
West’s distant past, and warns us that the region’s
future may be dangerously hot and dry
Magazine
January 24, 2005
The study of tree rings opens a window into the West’s distant past, and warns us that the region’s future may be dangerously hot and dry. Also in this issue: As the Colorado River Basin enters its sixth year of drought, the seven states that rely on the river for water are forced to work together on a new plan for water use.
Feature
Sidebar
The art of counting tree rings requires a lot of patience,
strong legs, and a love of statistical gymnastics
Tree-ring scientists Tom Swetnam and Julio Betancourt
study past climatic conditions seeking clues to better forest
management
Like tree rings, ice cores create a record of the climate
of the past, and the National Ice Core Laboratory in Denver houses
the largest collection of polar ice cores in the world
Editor's Note
January may have brought rain and snow to parts of the
West, but the study of past climates warns us that we still have to
learn to live with drought
Essays
The warm chinook winds of Cody, Wyo. keep temperatures
mild as they sand away at the town with a steady gale.
Book Reviews
In Don’t Let the Sun Step Over You: A White
Mountain Apache Family Life, anthropologist Keith Basso
collects the reminiscences of Eva Tulene Watt
In Great Wyoming Bear Stories, Tom Reed
takes a compassionate and entertaining look at the life, lore and
legend of the grizzly bear
Civil Disobedience: Poetics and Politics in
Action is an inspiring anthology by Anne Waldman and Lisa
Birman
In A Place to Stand, New Mexico’s
finest poet, Jimmy Santiago Baca, has written a stunning memoir of
his turbulent life
Paul R. and Anne H. Ehrlich look at the ways the human
race is jeopardizing the planet in One with Nineveh:
Politics, Consumption and the Human Future
Writers on the Range
The neglected, underestimated Interior West might plant
the seeds of change for the current American empire
Heard Around the West
Top-secret lab has a secret squatter; turtle-helpers in
Boulder; the news and the Good News in Colorado Springs; child in
pinata; kids write to Santa in Jackson, Wyo.
Dear Friends
Jodi Peterson is HCN’s news editor; Andy Robinson,
fund-raiser extraordinaire; John Nutting visits;
corrections
News
As the Colorado River Basin enters a sixth year of
drought, the Interior Department orders seven states to start
coordinating their management of the dwindling water
supply.
Greater sage grouse will not be listed under Endangered
Species Act; cleanup of Nevada’s Yerington Mine is turned
over to the EPA; wilderness supporters plan to reintroduce bills in
new Congress
A change in the federal Endangered Species Act will give
Idaho and Montana more control over threatened gray wolves, but
deny the Nez Perce Tribe a role in wolf management.
Cross-country skiers and environmentalists clash with a
heli-skiing company over use of the Tri-Canyon area in Utah’s
Wasatch Mountains
Inspired by Oregon’s Measure 37, a private-property
rights group in King County, Wash., is fighting to repeal recently
adopted land-use ordinances
An ambitious highway construction project has been put on
hold in Port Angeles, Wash., following the discovery of the
state’s largest prehistoric village
Cloudcroft, N.M., creates its own conservation plan to
protect the rare Sacramento Mountains checkerspot butterfly without
waiting for an endangered species listing
A major pronghorn migration route near Pinedale, Wyo.,
gets squeezed by new subdivisions and oil and gas drill
rigs
Letters
Featured stories
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GRAND CANYON DIRECTOR The Grand Canyon director, with the Grand Canyon manager, conservation director, and other staff, envisions, prioritizes, and implements strategies for the Grand Canyon Trust's work...
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ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Great Old Broads for Wilderness seeks a part-time Administrative Assistant to support the organization's general operations. This includes phone and email communications, office correspondence and...
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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...
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ONE WILL: THREE WIVES by Edith Tarbescu. "One Will: Three Wives" is packed with a large array of interesting suspects, all of whom could be a murderer ... a...
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PROGRAM DIRECTOR, SALAZAR CENTER FOR NORTH AMERICAN CONSERVATION The Program Director will oversee the programmatic initiatives of The Salazar Center, working closely with the Center's Director and staff to engage the world's leading...
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RIVER EDUCATOR/GUIDE + TRIP LEADER Position Description: Full-time seasonal positions (mid-March through October) Organizational Background: Colorado Canyons Association (CCA) is a 10 year old nonprofit organization fostering community stewardship of...
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BOOKKEEPER/ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Position Description: Part-time, year-round bookkeeping and administration position (12 - 16 hours/week) $16 - $18/hour DOE Organizational Background: Colorado Canyons Association (CCA) is a 10...
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LAND STEWARD San Isabel Land Protection Trust seeks a full-time Land Steward to manage and oversee its conservation easement monitoring and stewardship program for 42,437 acres in...
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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Ventana Wilderness Alliance is seeking an experienced forward-facing public land conservation leader to serve as its Executive Director. The mission of the Ventana Wilderness Alliance...
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COMMUNICATIONS AND DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR The Quivira Coalition (www.quiviracoaltion.org) is a Santa Fe-based nonprofit that builds resilience on arid working lands. We foster ecological, economic, and social health through education,...
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GRANT WRITER "We all love this place we call Montana. We believe that land and water and air are not ours to despoil, but ours to steward...
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DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR The Development Director is responsible for organizing and launching a coherent set of development activities to build support for the Natural History Institute's programs and...
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WILDLIFE PROJECT COORDINATOR Founded in 1936, the National Wildlife Federation (NWF or Federation) is America's largest and most trusted grassroots conservation organization with 53 state/territorial affiliates and more...
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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR The Cinnabar Foundation helps protect and conserve water, wildlife and wild lands in Montana and the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem by supporting organizations and people who...
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OLIVERBRANCH CONSULTING Non-Profit Management Professional specializing in Transitional Leadership, Strategic Collaborations, Communications and Grant Management/Writing.
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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...
