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
Writers on the Range
Accessible trails for wheelchair users should be a part of
new wilderness legislation
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
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
Today's Featured Stories
-
OWN YOUR OWN CANYON - 1400 SF STRAW-BALE ECO-HOME ON 80 ACRES - 3 HOURS FROM L.A. 1400 sf of habitable space in a custom-designed eco-home created and completed by a published L.A. architect in 1997-99. Nestled within its own 80-acre mountain...
-
IDAHO STATE DIRECTOR NON-PROFIT MANAGEMENT Become a powerful force in nature. Join The Nature Conservancy and make a tangible and lasting impact in creating a world where both...
-
HIGH COUNTRY NEWS HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE Join the publisher, editors, writers and staff of High Country for the annual Holiday Open House. Refreshments, food, door prizes and merriment. Thursday, December 6,...
-
PRICE REDUCED ON GREAT LOT SOUTH OF MONTROSE 
5 acres, views, utilities to lot line includes paid water tap, great for passive solar design, covenants and NO HOA. Listed by Beckie at Keller...
-
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR The Native American Fish and Wildlife Society (NAFWS) is seeking qualified applicants to fill a vacant Executive Director position in Denver, CO. The position serves...
-
ADMINISTRATIVE & TECHNOLOGY COORDINATOR The Western Environmental Law Center (WELC) is a nonprofit public interest environmental law firm with a 25-year legacy of success using the power of the...
-
PRIVATE WITH INCREDIBLE VIEWS 383 Acres with trails, private road, trees, stream and fabulous views. Earth Sheltered, passive solar home provides 2785 sf of comfort and a "top of...
-
ORGANIC FARM FOR RENT certified, 51 acres, small cottage, outbuildings, equipment and tools. Contact: [email protected]
-
OJO CALIENTE RIVERSIDE SECLUSION 2bd/2bath green home on 2 acres on the Ojo Caliente River, NM. MLS #101605. Contact [email protected]
-
SPECTACULAR VIEWS of mountains, 22+ acres. Close to Arroyo Seco and the Taos Ski Valley, NM. MLS #102585, [email protected]
-
HOME ON RIO GRANDE NEAR BOSQUE DEL APACHE NWR 2br-2ba, acreage. Birders, writers. 1000.
-
COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER, PACIFIC NORTHWEST REGION The Wilderness Society is currently recruiting for a Communications Manager for our Northwest Region. This position can be located in Seattle or Oakland. For more...
-
SALT LAKE CITY EAST BENCH SUGARHOUSE 1912 Orchard House completely rebuilt 2002. 4000 sq ft home and private guest cottage on .53 acres. Reclaimed maple and Doug Fir. Two garages. CathyMooney.com,...
-
FORGE & FAB SHOP FOR SALE - with home on one acre in Pocatello, ID. For information and photos visit www.blackrockforgeproperty.com.
-
SIERRA CLUB PART-TIME ORGANIZING REPRESENTATIVE Sierra Club is looking for a community organizer who can help us protect grizzly bears and other wildlife species in the Northern Rockies region. This...
-
ON THE WILD ROAD WITH HIGH COUNTRY NEWS Join HCN and Black Sheep Adventures on an expedition through the national parks and monuments of Utah and Southwest Colorado, September 7 - 15, 2019....
-
RESTORATION PROGRAM COORDINATOR Grand Staircase Escalante Partners is hiring a full-time Restoration Program Coordinator based in Escalante, Utah. gsenm.org
-
CANYONLANDS FIELD INSTITUTE SEASONAL POSITIONS in Moab, UT start in Spring. Naturalist, River Guides, Camp Cooks, Internships available. Details at cfimoab.org/employment.
-
40 ACRE HOMESITE SPLENDID VIEW
25 acre in native grasses. Cedar draw. Year-round spring. At foot of Moscow Mnt, ID, 7 miles from town.
-
HIGH DESERT HAVEN Custom-built pumice home, endless views, 20 minutes to Taos Ski Valley, NM. Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Taos Real Estate, 575-758-1924, https://hcne.ws/highdeserthaven
