Magazine
Reemergence
  • Digital Editions are available for our paid subscribers. Please login here.

  • If you wish to subscribe, click here.

May 1, 2023

In this issue, our feature highlights a Makah artist who preserves the stories of his ancestors and their reciprocal relationship to whales. We also follow two female botanists as they raft down the Grand Canyon in an attempt to make the first recorded, botanical survey of the region. Elsewhere, a FEMA contractor’s incompetence in translating Alaska Native languages shows systemic problems. In a Colorado coal town, the discovery of a 74 million-year-old fossil brings a new kind of tourism. A team of epidemiologists in Washington prepares for climate change. In Wyoming, off-rez hunting is under scrutiny. Is the Behren’s silverspot butterfly valuable enough to save? Climate change refugia can shelter wildlife if the planet doesn’t warm too much. And finally, we check in with Debra Magpie Earling on her new novel, learn about the importance of good ice for hunting in coastal Alaska and think on the meaning of ‘new animism.’

Feature

The artist and the harpooner
The artist and the harpooner
In Micah McCarty’s art, the past and future are one, and the whales never left.
Tenacious specimens of the Grand Canyon
Tenacious specimens of the Grand Canyon
In the 1930s, two women risked their lives to record a scientific survey of the region’s plants.

Reportage

Climate change is changing public health
Climate change is changing public health
In Washington, a new team of epidemiologists is preparing for a hotter, smokier future.
Alaska Natives are underserved by emergency translation services
Alaska Natives are underserved by emergency translation services
A FEMA contractor’s incompetence in Alaska Native languages highlights a systemic problem.
Who gets a say in tribal treaty hunting?
Who gets a say in tribal treaty hunting?
In Wyoming, everybody wants influence over off-rez hunting — and nobody’s happy.
How a dinosaur is redefining a rural coal town
How a dinosaur is redefining a rural coal town
The 74 million-year-old fossil of Walter the hadrosaur brings paleo-tourism to Craig, Colorado.
Inside the fight to save a beleaguered butterfly
Inside the fight to save a beleaguered butterfly
In 2020, the population count of the Behren’s silverspot was zero. That didn’t stop Clint Pogue.

Editor's Note

The illusion of discovery
The illusion of discovery
How understanding our past can strengthen our future.

Facts & Figures

Seeking sanctuary on a warming planet
Seeking sanctuary on a warming planet
Scientists look to identify, map and preserve climate change refugia.

Essays

Where the first spring harvest relies on a still-frozen ocean
Where the first spring harvest relies on a still-frozen ocean
In coastal Western Alaska, wildlife and humans alike rely on good, thick ice.
The spirit of  the Rillito
The spirit of the Rillito
‘New animism’ seeks a connection to nature’s pulse.

Poetry

Scarlet Paintbrush
Scarlet Paintbrush
A poem by Garrett Hongo.

Review

The many ways to see a story
The many ways to see a story
Acclaimed Indigenous author Debra Magpie Earling returns with a new novel.

Heard Around the West

Good drones, coyote living and a cow-chip lottery
Good drones, coyote living and a cow-chip lottery
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.

#iamthewest

‘We need to touch the earth’
‘We need to touch the earth’
#iamthewest: Giving voice to the people that make up communities in the region.

Dear Friends

Meet up with the HCN community
Meet up with the HCN community
And send us your bumper sticker ideas!

Letters

Letters to the editor, May 2023
Comments from readers.
High Country News Classifieds
  • INDIGENOUS AFFAIRS EDITOR - HIGH COUNTRY NEWS
    High Country News is hiring an Indigenous Affairs Editor to help guide the magazine's journalism and produce stories that are important to Indigenous communities and...
  • STAFF ATTORNEY
    Staff Attorney The role of the Staff Attorney is to bring litigation on behalf of Western Watersheds Project, and at times our allies, in the...
  • ASSISTANT VICE PRESIDENT FOR DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION
    Northern Michigan University seeks an outstanding leader to serve as its next Assistant Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion. With new NMU President Dr. Brock...
  • EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
    The Clark Fork Coalition seeks an exceptional leader to serve as its Executive Director. This position provides strategic vision and operational management while leading a...
  • GOOD NEIGHBOR AGREEMENT MANAGER
    Help uphold a groundbreaking legal agreement between a powerful mining corporation and the local communities impacted by the platinum and palladium mine in their backyard....
  • EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
    The Feather River Land Trust (FRLT) is seeking a strategic and dynamic leader to advance our mission to "conserve the lands and waters of the...
  • COLORADO DIRECTOR
    COLORADO DIRECTOR Western Watersheds Project seeks a Colorado Director to continue and expand WWP's campaign to protect and restore public lands and wildlife in Colorado,...
  • DIGITAL MEDIA SPECIALIST, THE NATURE CONSERVANCY: WYOMING, MONTANA AND UTAH
    Digital Media Specialist - WY, MT, UT OFFICE LOCATION Remote and hybrid options available. Preferred locations are MT, WY or UT, but applicants from anywhere...
  • GRANT WRITER (PART-TIME, FREELANCE CONTRACT) HIGH COUNTRY NEWS
    High Country News seeks an energetic, articulate and highly organized grant writer to support a growing foundations program. This position works closely with our Executive...
  • EXPERT COMPUTER & TECH HELP, PROVIDED REMOTELY
    From California, I provide expert tech help remotely to rural and urban clients. I charge only when I succeed. Available 7 days. Call for a...
  • ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF HISTORY - INDIGENOUS HISTORIES OF THE NORTH AMERICAN WEST
    Whitman College seeks applicants for a tenure-track position in Indigenous Histories of the North American West, beginning August 2024, at the rank of Assistant Professor....
  • DAVE AND ME
    Dave and Me, by international racontuer and children's books author Rusty Austin, is a funny, profane and intense collection of short stories, essays, and poems...
  • CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
    Rural Community Assistance Corporation is looking to hire a CFO. For more more information visit: https://www.rcac.org/careers/
  • EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
    The Absaroka Beartooth Wilderness Foundation (ABWF) seeks a new Executive Director. Founded in 2008, the ABWF is a respected nonprofit whose mission is to support...
  • CANYONLANDS FIELD INSTITUTE
    Field seminars for adults in natural and human history of the northern Colorado Plateau, with lodge and base camp options. Small groups, guest experts.
  • COMING TO TUCSON?
    Popular vacation house, everything furnished. Two bedroom, one bath, large enclosed yards. Dog-friendly. Contact Lee at [email protected] or 520-791-9246.
  • ENVIRONMENTAL AND CONSTRUCTION GEOPHYSICS
    We characterize contaminated sites, identify buried drums, tanks, debris and also locate groundwater.
  • LUNATEC HYDRATION SPRAY BOTTLE
    A must for campers and outdoor enthusiasts. Cools, cleans and hydrates with mist, stream and shower patterns. Hundreds of uses.
  • LUNATEC ODOR-FREE DISHCLOTHS
    are a must try. They stay odor-free, dry fast, are durable and don't require machine washing. Try today.
  • WESTERN NATIVE SEED
    Native plant seeds for the Western US. Trees, shrubs, grasses, wildflowers and regional mixes. Call or email for free price list. 719-942-3935. [email protected] or visit...