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December 12, 2011

As whitebark pines in the Northern Rockies succumb to pine beetles and blister rust, hardworking climbers defy gravity to collect pine cones from canopies to supply efforts to breed more resilient and resistant trees.

Feature

A tree-climber's tale of harvesting cones to save whitebark pines
A tree-climber's tale of harvesting cones to save whitebark pines
As whitebark pines in the Northern Rockies succumb to pine beetles and blister rust, hardworking climbers defy gravity to collect pine cones from canopies to supply efforts to breed more resilient and resistant trees.
Hal Herring Dec. 19, 2011 From the print edition

Current

Land trusts thrive despite, and because of, the Great Recession
Land trusts thrive despite, and because of, the Great Recession
The recession has afforded a unique opportunity for land trusts to protect more of the West’s private open land through direct acquisitions and, increasingly, conservation easements.
Jon Christensen, Jenny Rempel and Judee Burr Dec. 14, 2011 From the print edition
Water-quality standards unfairly burden rural communities
Water-quality standards unfairly burden rural communities
The plight of a small water and sewer association in rural Mora, N.M -- caught in a tangle of federal and state clean water rules it can’t afford to meet -- echoes experienced by other rural communities around the West.
Judith Lewis Mernit Dec. 21, 2011 From the print edition
Did the Park Service bow to pressure from Coca Cola on its bottle ban?
Did the Park Service bow to pressure from Coca Cola on its bottle ban?
A former Grand Canyon National Park superintendent believes that corporate pressure may have undermined a proposed ban on disposable water bottles in the park.
Nathan Rice Dec. 12, 2011 From the print edition
Tribes try selective fishing to boost catch without harming wild salmon
Tribes try selective fishing to boost catch without harming wild salmon
Washington's Colville Tribes experiment with selective fishing techniques and bring home more salmon than before.
Dawn Stover Dec. 16, 2011 From the print edition
The man beneath the hat: Ken Salazar’s search for middle ground
The man beneath the hat: Ken Salazar’s search for middle ground
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, a twelfth-generation Latino-American, works politely and quietly but stubbornly to protect the West’s environment in polarized times.
Kate Sheppard Dec. 12, 2011 From the print edition

Editor's Note

Environmentalists may have to take what they can get
Environmentalists may have to take what they can get
Obama isn't the fierce environmental leader many hoped for, but some good things are happening despite right-wing opposition and the ongoing recession.
Paul Larmer Opinion Dec. 12, 2011 From the print edition

Essays

What is that dead deer thinking about, and why is he hanging there?
What is that dead deer thinking about, and why is he hanging there?
A close encounter with a deer head on the wall of an inn leads to musings on death, immortality, ancient Egypt, Lenin and Trigger the Wonder Horse.
Andy Seiple Essay Dec. 23, 2011 From the print edition

Book Reviews

California chronicles: A review of New California Writing: 2011
California chronicles: A review of New California Writing: 2011
Editor Gayle Wattawa has assembled an anthology of essays in New California Writing: 2011 that should intrigue even people outside the Golden State.
Tara Rae Miner Dec. 12, 2011 From the print edition
A celebration of Cascadia: A review of Open Spaces: Voices from the Northwest
A celebration of Cascadia: A review of Open Spaces: Voices from the Northwest
Open Spaces: Voices from the Northwest doesn't quite work as an anthology, but it features some intimate and thoughtful writing about the Pacific Northwest.
Gretchen Legler Dec. 12, 2011 From the print edition

Dear Friends

Vagabond visitors
Vagabond visitors
Western wanderers pop into High Country News; a new book on Wyoming, On Sacred Ground, features HCN founder Tom Bell.
Jodi Peterson Dec. 12, 2011 From the print edition

Letters

Bearly hanging on in the North Cascades
George Winters, Joe Scott Dec. 12, 2011 From the print edition
Mountain bikes are vehicles, too
Brian L. Horejsi Dec. 12, 2011 From the print edition
In appreciation of simplicity
Linda Paul Dec. 12, 2011 From the print edition
The trouble with transmission
Dan Olsen Dec. 12, 2011 From the print edition
Polluted air, coming soon to Glacier National Park
Lowell Chandler Dec. 12, 2011 From the print edition
High Country News Classifieds