The end of the oil and gas era may be in sight, but the
current energy boom in the West means that a rough and wild ride is
still ahead
Magazine

December 12, 2005
The end of the oil and gas era may be in sight, but the current energy boom in the West means that a rough and wild ride is still ahead. Also in this issue: After Michele DeHart of the Fish Passage Center in Portland, Ore., publicly supported a plan to protect salmon, angry lawmakers led by Sen. Larry Craig yanked the center’s funding.
Feature
Northeastern Utah, southern Wyoming and western Colorado
are humming with new talk of oil shale, but industry insiders say
that the technology has years to go before oil shale development is
financially and environmentally viable
As energy companies go after "unconventional" natural gas
– such as tight-sands gas and coalbed methane –the
environmental impacts are becoming increasingly apparent
Westerners are making a few small efforts to conserve
energy in the face of higher prices, but environmentalists wonder
what it will take to inspire a real change in behavior
With the demand for renewable energy growing and the costs
falling, solar and wind power have moved out of the realm of
idealism into that of the marketplace
Editor's Note
High Country News prides itself on
keeping close to the ground, but for this special issue, we look at
the energy boom in the West from a global perspective
Uncommon Westerners
Award-winning author Denise Chavez created the Border Book
Festival, and founded a Cultural Center in Mesilla, N.M., to help
heal the cultural wounds of the U.S.-Mexico border
Essays
Writer and historian Alvin Josephy is remembered as a good
friend to Indian people, especially the Nez Perce Tribe
Vine Deloria Jr., author of Custer Died for Your
Sins, is remembered as a witty, impassioned and
iconoclastic writer, historian, and teacher, who fought for Indian
peoples and their right to self-determination
Book Reviews
In his serious and poetic first book, Not Just Any Land,
John Price takes a literary journey into the heart of
America’s grasslands
Karen Brichoux’s pensive new novel, The Girl She
Left Behind, recounts the challenges faced by a young woman on her
return to a small Montana town
In Bear, Robert E. Bieder traces the
history of this fascinating animal across centuries of time and a
variety of different cultures
Earth Notes, edited by Peter
Friederici, is a tasty selection of tidbits about the
Southwest’s canyon country
Engineer and city councilman Kamyar Enshayan considers the
inevitable end of the fossil fuel joyride
Writers on the Range
Accessible trails for wheelchair users should be a part of
new wilderness legislation
Heard Around the West
The Lost People of Mountain Village; big-game
tax-deduction scam; pigs and developers; coping with the medfly;
grizzlies vs. highways in Canada
Dear Friends
Visitors; notes from readers; corrections
News
After Michele DeHart of the Fish Passage Center in
Portland, Ore., publicly supported a plan to protect salmon, angry
lawmakers led by Sen. Larry Craig yanked the center’s
funding
"Speed dating" brings Utah legislators and lobbyists
together; EPA cleaning up fewer sites; Fallon, Nev., residents
breathing dangerous tungsten and cobalt; poaching at Wyoming drill
rigs
Critics say that FEMA’s National Flood Insurance
Program is encouraging development in flood-prone areas alongside
Western rivers, such as the Rio Grande
Wyoming lawmakers are trying to pass a law to prevent
sheepherders from quitting their jobs without notice in search of
better-paying employment
The BLM wants to allow oil and gas companies to drill near
Pinedale, Wyo., in wintertime, and some conservationists think the
change may actually help declining mule deer populations
The Forest Service is considering "green" certification
for timber produced on the national forests, but environmentalists
fear it's a form of greenwashing that will wrongly legitimize
public-land logging
Letters
Featured stories
-
PROGRAM DIRECTOR - YELLOWSTONE TO YUKON CONSERVATION INITIATIVE About the Organization The Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative (Y2Y) is a joint Canada-U.S. not-for-profit organization with a mission to connect and protect wildlife habitat...
-
COMMUNICATIONS & DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR Position Type: Full time, exempt Location: Bozeman, MT Compensation: $42,000 - $47,000 Benefits: Major Medical Insurance, up to 5% match on a 401k, PTO, flexible...
-
PARTNERSHIP & COLLABORATION DIRECTOR WEST REGION WILDFIRE COUNCIL- RIDGWAY, CO The partnership & collaboration director will provide leadership and/or assistance with all initiatives that create and enhance connections between...
-
2 FIELD PROJECT SPECIALISTS (POSITION FORMERLY TITLED TRAIL CREW TECHNICAL ADVISOR) Are you passionate about environmental conservation and connecting people to the outdoors? The Pacific Crest Trail Association (PCTA) is looking for someone with outdoor leadership...
-
WATER STEWARD The Blackfoot Challenge is seeking a full-time Water Steward to coordinate and deliver a variety of partnerships and projects aimed at conserving and enhancing water...
-
SMALL FARM AT BASE OF MOUNT SHASTA, CALIF. Fruit/berry/veggie/flower farm in the mountain town of Mount Shasta. Small home, 2 barns (one with apartment), and more. Famously pure air and water.
-
CUSTOMER SERVICE ASSISTANT - (PART-TIME) High Country News, an award-winning media organization covering the communities and environment of the Western United States, seeks a part-time Customer Service Assistant, based at...
-
POLICY & PLANNING SPECIALIST Position Type: Full time, exempt Location: Bozeman, MT highly preferred, remote negotiable Compensation: $50,000-54,000 Benefits: Major Medical Insurance, up to 5% match on a 401k,...
-
CONSERVATION PROGRAM MANAGER Illinois Valley SWCD is offering an incredible career opportunity in beautiful SW Oregon. .8+ FTE, plus benefits. Visit our website for full details.
-
DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Formed in 1980, Western Colorado Alliance for Community Action brings people together to build grassroots power through community organizing and leadership development. The Alliance works...
-
LITIGATION ASSISTANT, NORTHERN ROCKIES OFFICE - FULL-TIME BOZEMAN | REMOTE OPTION Visit our website to apply: earthjustice.org/about/jobs
-
BUFFALO NATIONS GRASSLANDS ALLIANCE SEEKING AN ASSESSMENT CONSULTANT ASSESSMENT OF THE SCOPE OF CONSERVATION PLANNING AND ACTIVITIES IN NATIVE NATIONS IN THE NORTHERN GREAT PLAINS Buffalo Nations Grasslands Alliance Buffalo Nations Grasslands Alliance...
-
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Rural Community Assistance Corporation seeks experienced CFO.
-
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR The Friends of Arches and Canyonlands Parks, the official philanthropic non-profit partner with the National Park Service Southeast Utah Group, is seeking an Executive Director....
-
GRAND CANYON MANAGER Application deadline: May 9, 2022 Anticipated start date: June 15, 2022 About the position Are you passionate about building authentic relationships, supporting tribally led initiatives,...
-
LAND CONSERVATION PROGRAM DIRECTOR Eastern Sierra Land Trust (ESLT) is seeking a Land Conservation Program Director to join our nationally accredited land trust. This is a full-time position based...
-
OUTREACH AND COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR Reports to: Communications and Outreach Director Location: Ashton, Idaho (partial remote schedule possible) Status: Full-time, 40 hours per week Timing and Duration: Position open until...
-
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER The Western Landowners Alliance (WLA) was founded in 2012 by landowners and managers to increase the wellbeing of working lands in the American West and...
-
OUTDOOR PROGRAM - ASSISTANT DIRECTOR (TEMPORARY, FULL-TIME POSITION) St. Lawrence University seeks to fill a temporary, full time, Assistant Director position in the Outdoor Program. The Outdoor Program provides professional outdoor recreational and...
-
ENVIRONMENTAL GEOPHYSICS We find groundwater, reduce excavation costs and determine your IBC site class for a fraction of drilling costs.