An unusual winter sends ripples through the West's water
and wildlife systems, and leaves scientists wondering whether
global warming is the cause.
Magazine

April 18, 2005
Scientists are struggling to understand winter in the West: the effects of the unusual weather on water and wildlife, and whether the changes are linked to global warming Also in this issue: Recently released e-mails show that federal employees falsified information about the safety of the proposed nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nev.
Feature
Sidebar
The Pacific Northwest and Northern Rockies brace for a
fierce fire season, and desperately seek the resources to fight
it.
The Columbia River Basin's serious drought means a hard
choice between fish and hydropower
Editor's Note
This winter’s weird weather has everybody talking,
but nobody wants to tackle the big question: Is global warming
finally hitting the West?
Essays
The greatest wildflower bloom of a generation hits Death
Valley, and people come from all around in search of the beauty of
"Bloomstock"
Book Reviews
Maria Chabot – Georgia O’Keeffe:
Correspondence 1941-1949 tempts with its glimpse into the
life of a famous painter but finally fascinates with its portrait
of Chabot and her life in Abiquiu, N.M., during World War
II
In The Conquest of Bread, Richard
Walker takes a sweeping, skeptical look at the history of
agriculture in California
The World’s Water 2004-2005,
edited by Peter Gleick, is the fourth installment of an annual
report that covers water issues that span the globe
In Cronies, Robert Bryce takes on the
state of Texas and its enormous political power, tracing the
network of "cronies" that brought both George Bushes to the White
House
In The Western Confluence, Matthew
McKinney and William Harmon try to find practical ways to solve the
West’s endless struggles over water and resource
management
Writers on the Range
Montanans are rebelling against the federal government,
angry at the Recreation Enhancement Tax, the Patriot Act, and the
loss of their National Guard to Iraq
News
EPA will investigate allegations that bunk science led to
approval of hydraulic fracturing; racketeering lawsuit against
environmentalist dismissed; ACLU sues over BLM’s decision to
Wyoming’s Martin’s Cove historic site to Mormon
Church
A recent study from the U.S. Geological Survey finds
traces of pharmaceuticals, pesticides and personal care products in
Colorado’s streams and groundwater
Ski resorts become a tool for real estate speculation and
development across the West.
The Friends of the Columbia Gorge, a small conservation
group based in Portland, Ore., has received a $4 million bequest
from Norman Yeon
A high-tech climate model will give farmers in
Washington’s Yakima Valley a kind of crystal ball for
predicting weather, choosing which crops to plant, and dealing with
drought and global warming
Preparations have begun to bring down a century-old dam on
Fossil Creek in central Arizona
In New Mexico, Alamogordo’s plan to build a
desalinization plant and tap the Tularosa Basin aquifer has area
ranchers and farmers worried
Recently released e-mails show that federal employees
falsified information about the safety of the proposed nuclear
waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nev.
Heard Around the West
Strange tales from the California Highway Patrol; "Foo Foo
Coffee" vs. gas prices; tumbleweed chic; advice for migrants; dumb
laws; Gov. Dave Freudenthal is a colorful maverick
Dear Friends
Dave Foreman on "Nature’s Crisis" and what HCN is
doing wrong; kids these days; visitors; clarifications
Letters
Uncommon Westerners
Jeff Lee and Ann Martin of Denver are working to turn
their huge personal library into a "land-study" center and
residential library, the Rocky Mountain Land Library
Featured stories
-
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR California Coalition for Rural Housing (CCRH) seeks a strategic and visionary Executive Director: View all job details here- https://bit.ly/CCRHED
-
MONTANA BLUES The new novel by Ray Ring, retired HCN senior editor, tackles racism in the wild, a story told by a rural White horsewoman and a...
-
DIGITAL ENGAGEMENT SPECIALIST Title: Digital Engagement Specialist Location: Salt Lake City Reports to: Communications Director Status, Salary & Benefits: Full-time, Non-Exempt. Salary & Benefits information below. Submission Deadline:...
-
CONSERVATION FIELD ORGANIZER Title: Conservation Field Organizer Reports to: Advocacy and Stewardship Director Location: Southwest Colorado Compensation: $45,000 - $50,000 DOE FLSA: Non-Exempt, salaried, termed 24-month Wyss Fellow...
-
UTAH STATE DIRECTOR Who We Are: The Nature Conservancy's mission is to protect the lands and waters upon which all life depends. As a science-based organization, we create...
-
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Apply by Oct 18. Seeking collaborative, hands-on ED to advance our work building community through fresh produce.
-
INDIGENOUS AFFAIRS EDITOR - HIGH COUNTRY NEWS High Country News is hiring an Indigenous Affairs Editor to help guide the magazine's journalism and produce stories that are important to Indigenous communities and...
-
STAFF ATTORNEY Staff Attorney The role of the Staff Attorney is to bring litigation on behalf of Western Watersheds Project, and at times our allies, in the...
-
ASSISTANT VICE PRESIDENT FOR DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION Northern Michigan University seeks an outstanding leader to serve as its next Assistant Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion. With new NMU President Dr. Brock...
-
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR The Clark Fork Coalition seeks an exceptional leader to serve as its Executive Director. This position provides strategic vision and operational management while leading a...
-
GOOD NEIGHBOR AGREEMENT MANAGER Help uphold a groundbreaking legal agreement between a powerful mining corporation and the local communities impacted by the platinum and palladium mine in their backyard....
-
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR The Feather River Land Trust (FRLT) is seeking a strategic and dynamic leader to advance our mission to "conserve the lands and waters of the...
-
COLORADO DIRECTOR COLORADO DIRECTOR Western Watersheds Project seeks a Colorado Director to continue and expand WWP's campaign to protect and restore public lands and wildlife in Colorado,...
-
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF HISTORY - INDIGENOUS HISTORIES OF THE NORTH AMERICAN WEST Whitman College seeks applicants for a tenure-track position in Indigenous Histories of the North American West, beginning August 2024, at the rank of Assistant Professor....
-
DAVE AND ME Dave and Me, by international racontuer and children's books author Rusty Austin, is a funny, profane and intense collection of short stories, essays, and poems...
-
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Rural Community Assistance Corporation is looking to hire a CFO. For more more information visit: https://www.rcac.org/careers/
-
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR The Absaroka Beartooth Wilderness Foundation (ABWF) seeks a new Executive Director. Founded in 2008, the ABWF is a respected nonprofit whose mission is to support...
-
CANYONLANDS FIELD INSTITUTE Field seminars for adults in natural and human history of the northern Colorado Plateau, with lodge and base camp options. Small groups, guest experts.
-
COMING TO TUCSON? Popular vacation house, everything furnished. Two bedroom, one bath, large enclosed yards. Dog-friendly. Contact Lee at [email protected] or 520-791-9246.
-
ENVIRONMENTAL AND CONSTRUCTION GEOPHYSICS We characterize contaminated sites, identify buried drums, tanks, debris and also locate groundwater.