August is hot, and so are the stories in this issue, which examine the West’s fiery future from a variety of angles, discussing how communities can work together to reduce fire risk; climate change and our “forever” fire season; recovery after devastating wildfires; and the weird underground fires that ignite in coal seams and sometimes cause raging aboveground wildfires. Elsewhere, we see the impacts of climate injustice in industrialized Wilmington, California, where residents fight cancer and other serious illnesses. What’s the one weird trick oil companies use to dodge those annoying cleanup costs? Just don’t pay them. We interview longtime HCN contributor Leah Sottile, whose new book shows how extremist beliefs can destroy the lives of ordinary people. In the mood for fresh air? Take a hike with the “School of New Art Geographies,” which brings together artists and scientists to do creative fieldwork in the Sonoran Desert. And enjoy our preview of the Utah Museum of Fine Art’s groundbreaking multimedia exhibition, “Air,” which opens our eyes to something we often take for granted.
How to rebuild in a time of endless fire
Okanogan County, Washington, had hardly recovered from the last devastating wildfire when the next one struck.
The fires below
The world’s least understood ignition source is causing devastating wildfires across Montana’s Powder River Basin.
Collaborations with nature
A new ‘school’ of art and geography gathers artists for creative fieldwork in the Sonoran Desert.
What are you reading?
Tell us about your book selections.
We object
Our future is worth fighting for.
Fish at heart; man as island; port-a-potty convo
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
The West’s forever fire season
How climate change makes wildfire more likely to happen all year round.
Letters to the editor, August 2022
Comments from readers.
At My Daughter’s Riding Lesson
A poem by Keetje Kuipers.
Protecting neighborhoods from future flames
Equitable wildfire preparedness requires community-level fixes.
How oil companies endlessly avoid cleanup costs
In Colorado, a sale of 110 low-producing oil wells illustrates a hot potato effect, and how funding remediation eventually comes from the public.
Take a deep breath with this new Utah art exhibit
‘Air’ at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts wants to pull your head out of the clouds.
A community poisoned by oil
People living in Wilmington, California, experience higher levels of illness and ailing mental health.
When extremism hides in plain sight
Leah Sottile investigates how an Idaho couple’s embrace of fringe Mormon beliefs led to multiple murder charges in her debut book, ‘When the Moon Turns to Blood.’