Pioneering mountaineer Peter Metcalf built Black Diamond into a successful climbing-gear business when nobody thought it could be done. But his dream of turning the outdoor industry into a force for nature remains tantalizingly elusive.
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July 23, 2012
Black Diamond CEO Peter Metcalf built a climbing-gear business when nobody thought it could be done. But his dream of turning the outdoor industry into a conservation champion remains tantalizingly elusive. Also, exporting coal to Asia incites a motley opposition, saving chimneys and swifts, Utah tar sands, Oregon logging pollution, and more.
Feature
Current
Ambitious schemes to build railroads and ports to ship Powder River Basin coal abroad will bring pollution and traffic to communities along the transport path, who are rising up in protest.
A last-minute provision in July’s transportation bill overrules Park Service recommendations for quieting the cacophony of sightseeing air traffic over the Grand Canyon.
Smokey Bear’s many image changes over the years reflect the Forest Service’s changing attitudes toward wildfire.
Oregon has long refused to regulate sediment runoff from logging roads as pollution under the Clean Water Act. Now, the U.S. Supreme Court will decide what the state should do.
Calgary-based U.S. Oil Sands says it's ready to take its exploratory effort in eastern Utah’s Tavaputs Plateau commercial.
Editor's Note
The outdoor-gear industry makes its living off a landscape it claims to love. But when it comes to spending cash for conservation, it hasn’t done much.
Uncommon Westerners
As their natural roosts disappeared, Vaux's swifts turned to old, brick chimneys for refuge during long migrations. Those safe havens are disappearing, too. Luckily, the swifts -- and the chimneys -- have found a champion in Larry Schwitters
Essays
Snoqualmie, Wash., is scattered with giant stumps that tell the area's history -- except in a brand-new development, where such signs of "real" Western life have been removed.
Book Reviews
In this art book, Adam Duncan Harris assembles the work of one of the West’s premier wildlife artists, pairing his finished acrylic paintings with the conté crayon sketches that inspired them
In Robert Garner McBrearty’s fresh and funny new story collection, ordinary guys occasionally experience an instant of greatness – and have to deal with the unexpected consequences.
Matt Pavelich takes what appears to be an ordinary tale about traveling the rural West and turns into something much darker and stranger in his new novel.
Dear Friends
HCN's visitors brave the early summer heat; former intern Lisa Song and reporter Elizabeth McGowan write an e-book called The Dilbit Disaster: Inside the Biggest Oil Spill You've Never Heard Of.
Letters
Today's Featured Stories
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GRANTS FOR THE ENVIRONMENT Elizabeth Venable, MA, MPA, grant writer, is an ecologist with experience writing for environmental, social justice, and arts organizations. She has raised $850,000 in grants... -
WESTERN LEADERS NETWORK INDIAN COUNTRY ORGANIZER WLN is hiring a full-time organizer to lead our work in Indian Country.
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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR-FRIENDS OF GOLD BUTTE Reporting to the Board of Directors (Board), the Executive Director (ED) has overall operational responsibility for FoGB staff, programs, expansion, and execution of the mission....
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CALIFORNIA DESERT LANDS PROTECTION FELLOW Friends of the Inyo seeks a California Desert Lands Protection Fellow to assist with an effective campaign to defend lands in the California desert, including...
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WESTERN LEADERS NETWORK WYOMING ORGANIZER Part-time, 6-month contractor to promote the benefits of cutting methane waste and reducing ozone.
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WESTERN LEADERS NETWORK NEW MEXICO ORGANIZER Part-time, 6-month contractor to promote the benefits of cutting methane waste and reducing ozone.
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DO YOU HAVE A COMPLEX CONSERVATION CHALLENGE? Join the Center for Conservation Peacebuilding for a workshop to build your capacity to transform conflicts and create lasting solutions for people and wildlife. April...
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OWN YOUR OWN CANYON - 1400 SF STRAW-BALE ECO-HOME ON 80 ACRES - 3 HOURS FROM L.A. 1400 sf of habitable space in a custom-designed eco-home created and completed by a published L.A. architect in 1997-99. Nestled within its own 80-acre mountain...
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NEW MEXCIO PUBLIC LANDS COORDINATOR/WYSS FELLOW Trout Unlimited in New Mexico is seeking a coordinator to work on campaigns and projects that conserve quality fish and wildlife habitats. This position is...
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CALIFORNIA CONSERVATION MANAGER The American Forest Foundation (AFF) seeks a smart and highly motivated candidate to join their Western conservation team. The California Conservation Manager supports the Director,... -
UPPER COLORADO RIVER BASIN WATER FORUM: BRIDGING SCIENCE, POLICY & PRACTICE Nov 7-8 in Grand Junction, CO Keynote: Brad Udall on Climate Change Other Topics: Threats to Food Energy Water Security From Forecasting to Decision-Making Science...
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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR - VISIONARY LEADER For more information on RE Sources and a full job description: visit our website:
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RIO GRANDE CAMPAIGNER The Rio Grande is one of the Wests most vital rivers and it is in dire need of a passionate, steadfast, and persistent advocate. We...
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FORGE & FAB SHOP FOR SALE - with home on one acre in Pocatello, ID. For information and photos visit www.blackrockforgeproperty.com.
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BEAUTIFUL HOME ON EAST RIVER, CRESTED BUTTE, CO Skiing, biking, hiking, fishing, 3 bd/2 bth, deck. 1.38 acres, no covenants. Call Reggie Masters, Associate Broker Coldwell Banker Bighorn Realty, 970-596-3568.
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SALMON RIVER IDAHO WILDERNESS RETREAT HOME Here is an opportunity to have a piece of self-sufficient paradise on Idaho's Main Salmon River adjacent to the largest Forest Service wilderness area in...
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FIELD ORGANIZER Help protect Montanas water quality, family farms and ranches, & unique quality of life. Work hard, meet good people, make the world a better place!...
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SAN JUAN BASIN ENERGY CAMPAIGN ORGANIZER San Juan Citizens Alliance is seeking a full-time San Juan Energy Campaign Organizer located in Farmington, New Mexico. The San Juan Energy Campaign Organizer focuses...
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40 ACRE ORGANIC FARM potential fruit/hay with house, Hotchkiss, CO, Scott Ellis, 970-420-0472, [email protected] -
DIRECTOR, ENERGY AND LANDSCAPE CONSERVATION The National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) seeks a director to lead a nationwide program focused on the protection of U.S. national parks from energy development...
