Denver, Colo., one of the West’s most sprawling,
traffic-choked cities, has become a champion of mass transit with
FasTracks, its ambitious light-rail project
Magazine
November 14, 2005
Denver, Colo., one of the West’s most sprawling, traffic-choked cities, has become a champion of mass transit with FasTracks, its ambitious light-rail project. Also in this issue: A provision in the new energy bill promises funding to speed up the oil and gas permitting process in BLM offices – without costing the industry an extra penny.
Feature
Sidebar
Longer commuter rails could connect the West’s
far-flung cities in ways they haven’t been connected since
the glory days of the railroad
Architect Kevin Koernig, who commutes from suburban
Littleton to downtown Denver, loves light rail because it saves him
money, keeps him healthy, and gives him extra time to
read
Charlie Lybrand enjoys living in his transit-oriented
complex in metro Denver, because he rarely has to drive to get to
college or go out to party
Light rail has become unexpectedly popular in deeply
conservative Salt Lake City, Utah
Editor's Note
Westerners may love their cars, but the region’s
rapid growth means that even the most ardent car-lovers have a
stake in mass transit, and in Denver’s grand experiment in
light rail
Uncommon Westerners
Janelle Holden, the daughter of two Republican
legislators, works with the Predator Conservation Alliance in
Montana to help ranchers learn how to co-exist with wolves and
other predators
Essays
As mountain towns get more accessible and lively, even in
midwinter, the author relishes the way his tiny, remote town slows
to a stop once the mountain pass highway is closed for the
season
Book Reviews
Laura Pritchett’s first novel, Sky Bridge, perfectly
captures the speech and rhythms of everyday life in the
hardscrabble ranchland of the eastern Colorado plains
Ethnobotanist Kat Anderson’s new book, Tending the
Wild, examines the way California’s native peoples used
– and shaped – the landscape’s natural resources
before Europeans invasion
In Imperfect Pasture, Bruce Smith, Eric
Cole and David Dobkin examine the conservation successes –
and failures – of the National Elk Refuge near Jackson,
Wyo.
The Mountain Encyclopedia by Frederic
V. Hartemann and Robert Hauptman delivers intriguing,
well-illustrated facts and figures about mountainous topics from
all over the world
Writers on the Range
Sen. Larry Craig’s suggestion that New
Orleans’ 9th Ward be restored as a wetland may represent a
newfound respect for the power of nature and the limits of the
human ability to control it
Heard Around the West
Old-timers can no longer ski for free at Park City;
80-year-old farmer won’t slow down; scary killer bee stories;
Alaskan pork; Bluff vs. Pokershare.com; no road to new high school
in Tombstone
Dear Friends
Thanks to readers for Research Fund gifts and the many
responses to HCN’s survey;
visitors
News
A provision in the new energy bill promises funding to
speed up the oil and gas permitting process in BLM offices –
without costing the industry an extra penny
Assistant Interior Secretary Rebecca Watson resigns; Texas
oil baron Oscar Wyatt indicted in Iraq oil-for-food scandal;
Congress won’t fund "bunker buster" nukes; Fish and Wildlife
OK with lynx mortality at proposed Wolf Creek ski village
American Indian tribes face an uphill battle in their
effort to protect sacred sites on federal land in the
West
A land-exchange plan especially designed for
California’s Eastern Sierra could help prevent development
controversies such as the current one over the proposed Whitney
Portal project near scenic Lone Pine
Oregon’s controversial Measure 37, which de-clawed
the state’s famous land-use regulations, has been ruled
unconstitutional by a Marion County judge.
The La Plata County commissioners have signed two deals
allowing energy companies to double the density of coalbed methane
wells near Durango, Colo.
Conservationists fear that the new National Park Service
management policy will reduce environmental protection at the
expense of commercial interests
The Fish and Wildlife Service has announced plans to
remove the marbled murrelet from the endangered species list,
despite the small seabird’s declining numbers
Letters
Featured stories
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DISTRICT MANAGER 
The San Juan Islands Conservation District is seeking applicants for the District Manager position. The position is open until filled and application plus cover letter...
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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Mountain Time Arts, a Bozeman-based nonprofit, is seeking an Executive Director. MTA advocates for and produces public artworks that advance social & environmental justice in...
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BEND AREA HOME WITH AMAZING CASCADE PEAKS VIEW Enjoy rural peacefulness and privacy with one of the most magnificent Cascade Mountain views in sunny Central Oregon! Convenient location only eight miles from Bend's...
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MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER High Country News, an award-winning media organization covering the communities and environment of the Western United States, seeks a Marketing Communications Manager to join our...
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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF High Country News, an award-winning media organization covering the communities and environment of the Western United States, seeks an Editor-In-Chief to join our senior team...
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RESEARCH FELLOW (SOUTHWESTERN U.S. ENERGY TRANSITION) The Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) in partnership with the Grand Canyon Trust is seeking a full-time Fellow to conduct topical research...
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LENDER OWNED FIX & FLIP
2 houses on 37+ acres. Gated subdivision, Penrose Colorado. $400k. Possible lender financing. Bob Kunkler Brokers Welcome.
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ONCE OR TWICE A short historical novel set in central Oregon based on the the WWII Japanese high altitude ballon that exploded causing civilian casualties. A riveting look...
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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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HOUSE FOR SALE Rare mountain property, borders National Forest, stream nearby. Pumicecrete, solar net metering, radiant heat, fine cabinets, attic space to expand, patio, garden, wildlife, insulated garage,...
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COMMUNITY ORGANIZER- NORTHERN PLAINS RESOURCE COUNCIL Want to organize people to protect Montana's water quality, family farms and ranches, & unique quality of life with Northern Plains Resource Council? Apply now-...
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CONSERVATION MANAGER The Rio Grande Headwaters Land Trust (RiGHT) is hiring an energetic and motivated Conservation Manager to develop and complete new conservation projects and work within...
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POLLINATOR OASIS
Seeking an experienced, hardworking partner to help restore a desert watershed/wetland while also creating a pollinator oasis at the mouth of an upland canyon. Compensation:...
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ELLIE SAYS IT'S SAFE! A GUIDE DOG'S JOURNEY THROUGH LIFE by Don Hagedorn. A story of how lives of the visually impaired are improved through the love and courage of guide dogs. Available on Amazon.
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COMING TO TUCSON? Popular vacation house, furnished, 2 bed/1 bath, yard, dog-friendly. Lee at [email protected] or 520-791-9246.
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NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY All positions available: Sales Representative, Accountant and Administrative Assistant. As part of our expansion program, our University is looking for part time work from home...
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RUBY, ARIZONA CARETAKER S. Az ghost town seeking full-time caretaker. Contact [email protected] for details.
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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Powder River Basin Resource Council, a progressive non-profit conservation organization based in Sheridan, Wyoming, seeks an Executive Director, preferably with grassroots organizing experience, excellent communication...
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ADOBE HOME Passive solar adobe home in high desert of central New Mexico. Located on a 10,000 acre cattle ranch.
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STEVE HARRIS, EXPERIENCED PUBLIC LANDS/ENVIRONMENTAL ATTORNEY Comment Letters - Admin Appeals - Federal & State Litigation - FOIA -
