Holiday publishing break

The holidays are approaching, and we’re taking a break from our 22-issues-per-year schedule. Look for High Country News again around Jan. 25. But new stories will be published online at hcn.org nearly every day. And don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter for even more news.

With the cold weather and short days, our Paonia office hasn’t seen many visitors lately, but Henry Kroll and Carmen Vigil dropped by on their way from Boulder, Colorado, to a nearby hot springs. Henry is currently at work on a documentary about the late Richard Moore, founder of the country’s first listener-supported radio station back in 1945, in Berkeley, California.

Some news came in recently from good friends far afield. Former intern Pete McBride, who now photographs for National Geographic, recently walked all 600 miles of the Grand Canyon and has helped make a film about the late, renowned river guide Martin Litton. Look for Litton’s Boat at the Wild and Scenic Film Festival. And Reno-based board member Bob Fulkerson alerted us to a significant event in Nevada state government: Marta Adams, chief deputy attorney general, retired last summer after fighting successfully for more than two decades to keep Yucca Mountain from becoming the nation’s primary nuclear waste dump. Marta credits HCN founder Tom Bell with getting her started, by hiring her in 1973 as a proofreader. “That was really the beginning of my environmental/natural resource career,” Adams says.

We were saddened to hear of the passing of Don Mabey, a longtime reader and HCN supporter from Salt Lake City. Don served in the Navy during World War II before launching a career as a geophysicist in the West. He worked for the United States Geological Survey and the state of Utah and, in 1979, earned the Interior Department’s Distinguished Service Award. He also authored two books — The Bend of Bear River, on southeastern Idaho’s geology and history, and The Canyon, a personal tribute to his family. He will be missed.

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