Mountain bikers are finally winning respect, along with
increased access to trails, but a growing breed of gonzo riders
with heavy, fast, high-tech bikes -- and a thirst for riding in
wilderness – could threaten all that.
Magazine
September 18, 2006
Mountain bikers are finally winning respect, along with increased access to trails, but a growing breed of gonzo riders with heavy, fast, high-tech bikes — and a thirst for riding in wilderness — could threaten all that. Also in this issue: National pundits say the nation’s political parties are moving toward the extremes, but in the West, Republicans — unhappy with some far-right politicians — seem to be heading back to the middle.
Feature
Editor's Note
As enjoyable as mountain biking is, bikes simply
don’t belong in the wilderness, partly because the faster you
travel through a place, the smaller – and tamer – that
place begins to seem.
Uncommon Westerners
Albuquerque photojournalist Jaelyn deMaria has devoted the
last few years to documenting the pilgrims who come to the shrine
of Monte Cristo Rey on the United States-Mexico border near El
Paso.
Essays
The author remembers a long-ago hike up Pikes Pike with
her mother, who later died having no memory of that hike, or of her
daughter.
Book Reviews
In Postcards from Ed: Dispatches and Salvos from an
American Iconoclast, David Petersen assembles some of the
correspondence of Western writer Edward Abbey into an eminently
readable but ultimately unenlightening collection.
Writers on the Range
Two trends are almost as dangerous as the idea of directly
selling off the public lands: land transfers done in the name of
economic development, and the outsourcing of jobs in the federal
land-management agencies.
California’s decision to tackle global warming is a
sign that the West is finally growing up enough to realize that it
is not an "exceptional" place, entirely detached from the rest of
the modern world.
Heard Around the West
Pretending to be an illegal immigrant; Olympia’s
gangsta raccoons; advice on selling Bibles door-to-door; peculiar
– and pricey – ads in Colorado; Snakes on the Ground
are scaring folks in Arizona.
Dear Friends
New fall interns Fletcher Jacobs and Evan Tea; remembering
Sierra Club’s Larry Mehlhaff; visitors.
News
National pundits say the nation’s political parties
are moving toward the extremes, but in the West, Republicans
– unhappy with some far-right politicians – seem to be
heading back to the middle.
Even Montanans critical of Sen. Conrad Burns admit
he’s a genius at bringing home the pork – a fact that
may make it harder for his Democratic challenger, Jon Tester, in
the November election.
Even as Oregon tries to deal with the chaos of Measure 37,
which overturned the state’s old land-use regulations, "The
Big Look," an attempt to revive and re-create planning laws, is
quietly under way.
The nation may be intrigued by the contest between
incumbent Republican Rep. Heather Wilson and New Mexico Attorney
General Patricia Madrid, but the New Mexicans who will actually
vote in the election seem fairly disinterested.
A new breed of land trusts seeks not merely to preserve
undeveloped landscape, but to keep it in agricultural use –
particularly in organic farming.
Although many rural Nevadans are unhappy with Las
Vegas’ plans for a giant groundwater project, the six other
states that rely on water from the Colorado River are hoping the
Nevada project goes ahead.
Two Weeks in the West
Bush cuts EPA library budget; BLM admits failure to
protect air quality and wildlife around Pinedale, Wyo., gas fields;
California announces perchlorate limits for drinking water; Grand
Junction, Colo., passes ordinance against drilling
Percentage of federally owned land and wilderness in
Western states
Acres leased for drilling in the West
Letters
Featured stories
-
GUIDE TO WESTERN NATIONAL MONUMENTS NEW BOOK showcases 70 national monuments across the western United States. Use "Guide10" for 10% off at cmcpress.org
-
CARBON RANCH PLANNER The Quivira Coalition (www.quiviracoaltion.org) is a Santa Fe-based nonprofit that builds resilience on arid working lands. We foster ecological, economic, and social health through education,...
-
EDUCATION AND OUTREACH DIRECTOR Education and Outreach Program Director The Quivira Coalition (www.quiviracoaltion.org) is a Santa Fe-based nonprofit that builds resilience on arid working lands. We foster ecological, economic,...
-
WESTERN DIVISION DIRECTOR OF FIELD PROGRAMS DEADLINE TO APPLY: October 29, 2021 LOCATION FLEXIBLE (WESTERN HUB CITY PREFERRED) Overview The Land Trust Alliance is the voice of the land trust community....
-
COMMUNICATIONS AND OUTREACH ASSOCIATE Communications and Outreach Associate Position Opening: www.westernlaw.org/communications-outreach-associate ************************************************* Location: Western U.S., ideally in one of WELC's existing office locations (Santa Fe or Taos, NM, Helena,...
-
FREELANCE GRAPHIC DESIGNER & PROJECT COORDINATOR (REMOTE) High Country News (HCN) is seeking a contract Graphic Designer & Project Coordinator to design promotional, marketing and fund-raising assets and campaigns, and project-manage them...
-
FILM AND DIGITAL MEDIA: ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF INDIGENOUS MEDIA, CULTURAL SOVEREIGNTY AND DECOLONIZATION (INITIAL REVIEW 12.1.21) Film and Digital Media: Assistant Professor of Indigenous Media, Cultural Sovereignty and Decolonization (Initial Review 12.1.21) Position overview Position title: Assistant Professor - tenure-track Salary...
-
REAL ESTATE SPECIALIST 
To learn more about this position and to apply please go to the following URL.
-
ENVIRONMENTAL GEOPHYSICS "More Data, Less Digging" Find groundwater and reduce excavation costs!
-
RARE CHIRICAHUA RIPARIAN LAND FOR SALE 40 acres: 110 miles from Tucson: native trees, grasses: birder's heaven::dark sky/ borders state lease & National forest/5100 ft/13-16 per annum rain
-
CENTRAL PARK CULTURAL RESOURCE SPECIALIST Agency: Oregon Parks and Recreation Department Salary Range: $5,203 - $7,996 Position Title: Central Park Cultural Resource Specialist Do you have a background in Archaeology...
-
STAFF ATTORNEY Come live and work in one of the most beautiful places in the world! As our Staff Attorney you will play a key role in...
-
ARIZONA GRAZING CLEARINGHOUSE
Dedicated to preventing the ecological degradation caused by livestock grazing on Arizona's public lands, and exposing the government subsidies that support it.
-
OPERATIONS MANAGER Position Summary: Friends of the Inyo (friendsoftheinyo.org) is seeking a new Operations Manager. The Operations Manager position is a full-time permanent position that reports directly...
-
WATER RIGHTS BUREAU CHIEF
Water Rights Bureau Chief, State of Montana, DNRC, Water Resources Division, Helena, MT Working to support and implement the Department's mission to help ensure that...
-
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR The Amargosa Conservancy (AC), a conservation nonprofit dedicated to standing up for water and biodiversity in the Death Valley region, seeks an executive director to...
-
DEVELOPMENT & OUTREACH ASSOCIATE 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,...
-
DESERT LANDS ORGANIZER Position Summary: Friends of the Inyo seeks a Desert Lands Organizer to assist with existing campaigns that will defend lands in the California desert, with...
-
IDAHO CONSERVATION LEAGUE Want to help preserve Idaho's land, water, and air for future generations? Idaho Conservation League currently has 3 open positions. We are looking for a...
-
LUNATEC ODOR-FREE DISHCLOTHS are a must try. They stay odor-free, dry fast, are durable and don't require machine washing. Try today.
