In Montana’s dying farm country, "vanguard
agriculture" is putting people back to work on the land
Magazine
December 26, 2005
In Montana’s dying farm country, "vanguard agriculture" is putting people back to work on the land. Also in this issue: Concerned citizens overflow a meeting in Delta, Colo., as a crucial deadline for protecting roadless areas in national forests nears.
Feature
Sidebar
Montana’s land-grant universities have so far shown
little interest in promoting organic agriculture
More Montana farmers are starting to raise oilseed crops
and produce their own biofuels to save on energy costs
Editor's Note
Supporting sustainable, local, organic food production is
one way to reduce our ecological impact and restore the
West’s rural communities
Uncommon Westerners
Andrea Malmberg of Wyoming’s Twin Creek Ranch uses
her gourmet cooking to put her ranch guests in touch with the land
and with the food they eat
Essays
Backcountry seasonal ranger Tony Prendergast has spent
much of the past six summers working in western Colorado’s
Gunnison National Forest
Book Reviews
In Predatory Bureaucracy, Michael J.
Robinson traces the history of the U.S. Biological Survey,
particularly its war on wolves
Gary Ferguson explores the history and culture of the
backbone of the West in The Great Divide: The Rocky
Mountains in the American Mind
In The Sum of Our Past, Judy Busk
weaves personal memoir and historical research together as she
retraces the Mormon and Oregon Trails in the modern "covered wagon"
of her van
The Pictograph Murders by P.G.
Karamesines, combines archaeology, witchcraft and murder in a
chilling first novel set in Utah
Writers on the Range
The war in Vietnam destroyed a long-lasting liberal
coalition; now, political scandals and the war in Iraq are
threatening the conservative coalition that took its
place
Heard Around the West
Evolution Amber Ale; wolves, bears and elk in Yellowstone;
Starbucks vs. Sambuck’s; cows adopt an elk; PETA vs. your
daddy the fisherman
Dear Friends
Happy Holidays from HCN; festive recipes; Juan Butron wins
award
News
Concerned citizens overflow a meeting in Delta, Colo., as
a crucial deadline for protecting roadless areas in national
forests nears
Who rewrote Park Service’s management policies?;
judge permits building of U.S.-Mexico border fence; Superintendent
David Hunsaker leaves Utah’s Escalante National Monument;
judge says Forest Service blew his ruling out of
proportion
Wyoming Game and Fish plans to test feedgrounds elk and
slaughter any that are infected with brucellosis in order to keep
the disease from spreading to cattle
Budget crunches have thinned Forest Service staffing even
as visitor numbers soar, making it hard to enforce regulations such
as trail closures
Reps. Richard Pombo’s and Jim Gibbons’
controversial proposal to sell off public lands was pulled after
both Republican and Democratic lawmakers and citizens rallied
against it
A federal judge has ordered the government to buy back
offshore oil and gas leases that energy companies say can’t
be developed, leading some to wonder if the BLM will have to do the
same with leases in potential wilderness areas
Letters
Featured stories
-
NOVA SCOTIA OCEAN FRONT Camp or Build on 2+ acres in Guysborough. FSBO. $36,000 US firm. Laurie's phone: 585-226-2993 EST.
-
TECHNICAL ADVISOR TO THE GOOD NEIGHBOR AGREEMENT Northern Plains Resource Council seeks an independent contractor to implement the Good Neighbor Agreement (GNA) between local communities and the Sibanye-Stillwater Mining Company in Montana....
-
POEM+ NEWSLETTER Start each month with a poem in your inbox by signing up for Taylor S. Winchell's monthly Poem+ Newsletter. No frills. No news. No politics....
-
STAFF ATTORNEY The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA), Utah's largest conservation organization, has an immediate opening in its Salt Lake City office for a staff attorney. SUWA's...
-
DEVELOPMENT & COMMUNICATION SPECIALIST Idaho Walk Bike Alliance seeks a lover of bicycling, walking, and all modes of active transportation who willingly puts the car in the garage and...
-
COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR Friends of Inyo - the Communications Director is a full-time permanent position that reports to the Executive Director and utilizes communication strategies and production skills...
-
INDIGENOUS AFFAIRS EDITOR High Country News seeks an editor to oversee the work of our award-winning Indigenous Affairs Desk. This individual will lead a team of passionate journalists...
-
HIKING TO THE EDGE: Confronting Cancer in Rocky Mountain National Park. Poetry and photos on survival thinking. E-book and paperback available at Amazon.com.
-
OPERATIONS MANAGER Founded in 1936, the National Wildlife Federation has grown into America's largest and most trusted grassroots conservation organization with 53 state/territorial affiliates and more than...
-
IPLC RIGHTS AND EQUITY PROGRAM ASSOCIATE 
A LITTLE ABOUT US Founded in 1951, the Nature Conservancy is a global conservation organization dedicated to conserving the lands and waters on which all...
-
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FUTURE WEST Future West seeks an executive director to lead this dynamic organization into the future. Based in Bozeman, MT this well-respected nonprofit provides communities in the...
-
PART-TIME EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Mitchell Museum of the American Indian Location: Evanston, IL Salary Range: $45,000 @ 24 hours per week. send resume: [email protected] www.mitchellmuseum.org
-
COMMUNICATIONS LEAD Southeast Alaska Conservation Council is hiring! Who We Are: The Southeast Alaska Conservation Council (SEACC) is a small grassroots nonprofit based out of Juneau, Alaska,...
-
SENIOR POLICY ADVISOR Since 1989, The Nature Conservancy in Alaska has been doing work you can believe in protecting the lands and waters that all life depends on....
-
OUTDOOR PROGRAM - ASSISTANT DIRECTOR St. Lawrence University seeks to fill the position of Assistant Director in the Outdoor Program. To view the complete position description, including minimum qualifications required,...
-
PUBLIC LANDS DIRECTOR Job Announcement Conserve Southwest Utah is seeking a dedicated advocate for conservation and public lands Public Lands Director a "make a difference" position Conserve Southwest...
-
FOR SALE Yellowstone Llamas Successful Yellowstone NP concession Flexible packages
-
WE'RE LOOKING FOR LEADERS! As we celebrate 50 years of great Western journalism, High Country News is looking for a few new board members to help set a course...
-
WIND RIVER WRITERS AND PHOTOGRAPHERS RETREAT BY THE NATIONAL BIGHORN SHEEP CENTER Enhance your writing or photography skills with world-class instructors in the beautiful Wind River Mountains. All skill levels welcome. Continuing education credits available.
-
EARTH CRUISER FX FOR SALE
Overland Vehicle for travel on or off road. Fully self contained. Less than 41,000 miles. Recently fully serviced Located in Redmond, OR $215'000.
