When a private prison company came to Evanston, Wyoming, local officials believed an economic revival was at hand. Instead, it unleashed a bitter debate.
Magazine
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December 1, 2020
In this issue, High Country News checks out election results from across the Western U.S., with a special focus on issues involving climate, justice and power at both the local and national levels. Our feature story visits Evanston, Wyoming, where a grassroots movement called WyoSayNo fought to block private companies from building an immigrant detention center in the economically struggling town. In California’s Coachella Valley, we meet families who have been waiting for years to get clean and safe drinking water. We consider the lasting impacts of William Perry Pendley’s illegal stint as head of the Bureau of Land Management, noting how his efforts to undermine new backcountry conservation areas in Montana also undermined trust in land management. In Denver, we look at how legacy environmental organizations are working to move past their racist beginnings and rebuild relationships with neglected communities of color. We meet a group of Black cowboys, who are enthusiastically training for the annual Arizona Black Rodeo in Phoenix, and hear from environmental lawyer Dinah Bear about what the Trump administration’s changes to the National Environmental Protection Agency mean for the West. Finally, some of our favorite Western writers recommend good books for winter reading, and we experience how joy and sorrow come together in Olivia Durif’s reflection on the intimacy of natural burials at a quiet Washington preserve.
Feature
Reportage
In California, archaeologists unearthed Indigenous burials 11 years ago, but the remains have yet to be repatriated.
William Perry Pendley’s illegal stint as agency head undoes a first-of-its-kind land designation in Montana.
But President-elect Biden could reinstate them once in office.
Justice, power and environment: The 2020 elections were defined by grassroots organizing and deep partisanship.
Why one community has struggled with arsenic in its water for so long, despite the state’s Human Right to Water law.
For communities who speak Indigenous Mayan languages like Mam, the Oregon program is a vital resource.
At an annual rodeo in Phoenix, the contributions of African Americans are finally recognized.
In order to attract a broader constituency, organizations must first address a history of missteps and exclusion.
As glaciers retreat and permafrost thaws, massive landslides threaten coastal communities.
Editor's Note
The West saw many challenges this year, but there were also joys to be found.
Facts & Figures
From Alaska to Wyoming, evidence shows the climate is off-kilter in the West.
Essays
In burying a stranger, a writer learns that dying can be as small and personal as life.
Conversation
An environmental lawyer discusses the future of the country’s bedrock environmental law.
Perspective
Tohono O’odham Chairman Ned Norris Jr. urges Congress to take action and stop Trump’s border wall.
Review
Here are some books from 2020 you don’t want to miss this winter.
Heard Around the West
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
Dear Friends
Our internship provides real-world skills, and a community, for a lifetime.
Letters
- The White Sands discovery only confirms what Indigenous people have said all along
- Wildfire smoke pushes migrating birds hundreds of miles out of their way
- How tribal leaders want Chuck Sams to lead the Park Service
- Hmong Americans in Northern California fight wildfire — and distrust
- The Gadsden flag is a symbol. But whose?
Featured stories
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DEVELOPMENT AND OPERATIONS COORDINATOR Development & Operations Coordinator Terms: 1.0 FTE (full-time), Salary DOE ($45,000 - $55,000) Benefits: Paid Time Off (12-24 days/year depending on tenure), Paid Holidays (10/year),...
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GUIDE TO WESTERN NATIONAL MONUMENTS NEW BOOK showcases 70 national monuments across the western United States. Use "Guide10" for 10% off at cmcpress.org
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CARBON RANCH PLANNER The Quivira Coalition (www.quiviracoaltion.org) is a Santa Fe-based nonprofit that builds resilience on arid working lands. We foster ecological, economic, and social health through education,...
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EDUCATION AND OUTREACH DIRECTOR Education and Outreach Program Director The Quivira Coalition (www.quiviracoaltion.org) is a Santa Fe-based nonprofit that builds resilience on arid working lands. We foster ecological, economic,...
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COMMUNICATIONS AND OUTREACH ASSOCIATE Communications and Outreach Associate Position Opening: www.westernlaw.org/communications-outreach-associate ************************************************* Location: Western U.S., ideally in one of WELC's existing office locations (Santa Fe or Taos, NM, Helena,...
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FREELANCE GRAPHIC DESIGNER & PROJECT COORDINATOR (REMOTE) High Country News (HCN) is seeking a contract Graphic Designer & Project Coordinator to design promotional, marketing and fund-raising assets and campaigns, and project-manage them...
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FILM AND DIGITAL MEDIA: ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF INDIGENOUS MEDIA, CULTURAL SOVEREIGNTY AND DECOLONIZATION (INITIAL REVIEW 12.1.21) Film and Digital Media: Assistant Professor of Indigenous Media, Cultural Sovereignty and Decolonization (Initial Review 12.1.21) Position overview Position title: Assistant Professor - tenure-track Salary...
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WATER RIGHTS BUREAU CHIEF
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DESERT LANDS ORGANIZER Position Summary: Friends of the Inyo seeks a Desert Lands Organizer to assist with existing campaigns that will defend lands in the California desert, with...
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IDAHO CONSERVATION LEAGUE Want to help preserve Idaho's land, water, and air for future generations? Idaho Conservation League currently has 3 open positions. We are looking for a...
