An energy boom of unprecedented proportions is
transforming western Colorado towns like Rifle, which just recently
recovered from the last big energy boom – and a catastrophic
bust.
Magazine
May 12, 2008
An energy boom of unprecedented proportions is transforming western Colorado towns like Rifle, which just recently recovered from the last big energy boom – and a catastrophic bust.
Feature
Editor's Note
Just as western Colorado towns like Rifle have begun a new
life as thriving “amenity” economies, an energy boom of
unprecedented proportions has taken over the landscape.
Essays
Ernest Atencio ponders an exceptionally muddy Mud Season
in New Mexico, and notes how readily most Westerners forget that we
live in an arid landscape.
Shane Bondi seeks to understand the connection between a
lump of coal, a power plant and that first cup of coffee in the
morning.
Conversation
Law professor Mary C. Wood wants to use “atmospheric
trust litigation” to tackle global warming in the
courts.
Book Reviews
In Contact: Mountain Climbing and Environmental Thinking,
Jeffrey Mathes McCarthy has assembled 23 essays from a wide range
of authors.
In his first book, The Enders Hotel, Brandon R. Schrand
describes a childhood spent growing up in a funky hotel in the
small town of Soda Springs, Idaho.
News
Ron Gillett brings his anti-wolf crusade to the small
farming town of Ashton, Idaho.
The West’s weather is full of surprises this spring,
with snowstorms, windstorms, rain and wildfires all happening at
the same time.
Heard Around the West
John Slemp takes the ride of his life, into a volcano;
Douglas Bruce strikes again; cow-pie tossing and other delights;
imposter dog?; “jingle mail”; and “virtual”
border fence is a botched-up bust.
Dear Friends
Ray Ring wins Hillman journalism award; Sopris Surfers
gives free Internet to intern house; hcn.org; welcome, Mandela Lou
Hoffman; Camas literary magazine; corrections.
Letters
Two Weeks in the West
Wind and solar energy projects ramp up across the West;
Conservation Reserve Program ramps down; the West’s volcanic
history; potatoes are good for you.
Featured stories
-
CONSERVATION FIELD ORGANIZER 
Title: Conservation Field Organizer Reports to: Advocacy and Stewardship Director Location: Southwest Colorado Compensation: $45,000 - $50,000 DOE FLSA: Non-Exempt, salaried, termed 24-month Wyss Fellow...
-
UTAH STATE DIRECTOR
Who We Are: The Nature Conservancy's mission is to protect the lands and waters upon which all life depends. As a science-based organization, we create...
-
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Apply by Oct 18. Seeking collaborative, hands-on ED to advance our work building community through fresh produce.
-
INDIGENOUS AFFAIRS EDITOR - HIGH COUNTRY NEWS High Country News is hiring an Indigenous Affairs Editor to help guide the magazine's journalism and produce stories that are important to Indigenous communities and...
-
STAFF ATTORNEY Staff Attorney The role of the Staff Attorney is to bring litigation on behalf of Western Watersheds Project, and at times our allies, in the...
-
ASSISTANT VICE PRESIDENT FOR DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION Northern Michigan University seeks an outstanding leader to serve as its next Assistant Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion. With new NMU President Dr. Brock...
-
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR The Clark Fork Coalition seeks an exceptional leader to serve as its Executive Director. This position provides strategic vision and operational management while leading a...
-
GOOD NEIGHBOR AGREEMENT MANAGER Help uphold a groundbreaking legal agreement between a powerful mining corporation and the local communities impacted by the platinum and palladium mine in their backyard....
-
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR The Feather River Land Trust (FRLT) is seeking a strategic and dynamic leader to advance our mission to "conserve the lands and waters of the...
-
COLORADO DIRECTOR COLORADO DIRECTOR Western Watersheds Project seeks a Colorado Director to continue and expand WWP's campaign to protect and restore public lands and wildlife in Colorado,...
-
DIGITAL MEDIA SPECIALIST, THE NATURE CONSERVANCY: WYOMING, MONTANA AND UTAH Digital Media Specialist - WY, MT, UT OFFICE LOCATION Remote and hybrid options available. Preferred locations are MT, WY or UT, but applicants from anywhere...
-
GRANT WRITER (PART-TIME, FREELANCE CONTRACT) HIGH COUNTRY NEWS
High Country News seeks an energetic, articulate and highly organized grant writer to support a growing foundations program. This position works closely with our Executive...
-
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF HISTORY - INDIGENOUS HISTORIES OF THE NORTH AMERICAN WEST Whitman College seeks applicants for a tenure-track position in Indigenous Histories of the North American West, beginning August 2024, at the rank of Assistant Professor....
-
DAVE AND ME Dave and Me, by international racontuer and children's books author Rusty Austin, is a funny, profane and intense collection of short stories, essays, and poems...
-
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Rural Community Assistance Corporation is looking to hire a CFO. For more more information visit: https://www.rcac.org/careers/
-
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR The Absaroka Beartooth Wilderness Foundation (ABWF) seeks a new Executive Director. Founded in 2008, the ABWF is a respected nonprofit whose mission is to support...
-
CANYONLANDS FIELD INSTITUTE Field seminars for adults in natural and human history of the northern Colorado Plateau, with lodge and base camp options. Small groups, guest experts.
-
COMING TO TUCSON? Popular vacation house, everything furnished. Two bedroom, one bath, large enclosed yards. Dog-friendly. Contact Lee at [email protected] or 520-791-9246.
-
ENVIRONMENTAL AND CONSTRUCTION GEOPHYSICS We characterize contaminated sites, identify buried drums, tanks, debris and also locate groundwater.
-
LUNATEC HYDRATION SPRAY BOTTLE A must for campers and outdoor enthusiasts. Cools, cleans and hydrates with mist, stream and shower patterns. Hundreds of uses.
