Magazine

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

Hal Herring Dec. 19, 2011 From the print edition

Editor's Note

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

Current

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

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?

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

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

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

Essays

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

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

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