FULL HEART, FAITHFUL READER
Ruben Martinez painted a heartfelt tribute to his mentor and friend, Gary Paul Nabhan, with prose that carried me into the very heart of the troubled landscape of the Arizona Borderlands (“Desert Sage,” September 2026). He described Nabhan as vividly as he presented the San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge, with its great interloper, the misguided wall. It is writing of this caliber that keeps me renewing my subscription.
Linda Paul
Boise, Idaho
A PLAGUE OF PROPAGANDA
It was a matter of time before it was exposed (“Inside Standing Rock’s propaganda war,” August 2026), but this tactic has been used over and over again. I’m not sure if other Natives were waiting for any fallout, but it does not bode well for anyone — not even the bad actors.
Cheryl Frost
Via social
It’s already happening again. They’re infiltrating our communities, going to town halls and singing the praises of AI and data centers. It’s just like what the oil and gas companies did regarding fracking to get local people to buy into it.
Gail Dee
Via social
Ten years later, we’re still learning more about the terrifying counterinsurgency tactics that Energy Transfer’s contractors used to win the public opinion war against Dakota Access Pipeline protesters. An important investigation.
Sammy Roth
Via social
MAKING HAY WHILE A LAKE DIES
In the op-ed “Utah is Killing the Great Salt Lake” (August 11, 2026), Wade Graham’s writing is eloquent, and the issues he raises are real, but the article fundamentally fails to inform people of the most pressing issue regarding the lake: alfalfa and other hay farming.
The article rightly criticized Gov. Spencer Cox, R, for his inaction. The governor owns a farm in Fairview, Utah, that produces alfalfa. Not only is alfalfa the main cause of the Great Salt Lake’s issues, the governor is directly involved. This op-ed failed to mention that.
As a lifelong Utah resident who wants this state to continue being a good place for me, my family and my friends to live, I believe it’s important to be honest about how we got here and how we can get out of it. That process doesn’t end with alfalfa farming, but it certainly starts with it.
Jack Setzer
Midvale, Utah
Another example of elected politicians turning a blind and greedy eye to their constituents. Many people have been fighting for years to preserve the lake. Responsible development is not a pipe dream, but it does take the right kind of leadership to rise up and put the Great Salt Lake first before power and money.
Michelle Breinholt
Via social
GENUINELY GRASSROOTS
Articles like “On the corn pollen trail with Deb Haaland” (August 2026) are why I love HCN! To read about such a visionary/changemaker, written by a Laguna and Jemez Pueblo relative of hers, is so beautiful and personal. Staying grounded in these times is not easy, but I get so renewed when I read of another human being with real Earth values, living their vision.
Richard Baruc
Orange, Massachusetts
EVERYTHING IS GLOBAL
I’m often impressed with how thoughtful HCN is when reporting on issues, especially more niche topics as in “First the glacier retreated, then came the landslide and tsunami” (July 2026) — issues that are less well-known but still have the potential to be so impactful and devastating. When news broke of the tragic flooding in Nepal, I immediately thought of this article — how timely it was and how the stories that play out in the Western U.S. have parallels across the world. I’m grateful that HCN helps us make sense of global events in this way.
Elliot Baglini
Durango, Colorado
RECYCLED BEAUTY
I love HCN and look forward to Jennifer Sahn’s lovely framing editor’s notes.
I’ve been a subscriber since the mid-1990s. Because it’s my only surviving print subscription, I try to work hard, after Reading them, to Recirculate the issues to friends, or Recycle them in free libraries.
On a blustery day at the table of a vacation rental, my beloved, poet Jami Macarty, found the best “R” thus far. See the following blend of erasure and collage from a recent editor’s note.
John Welch
Tucson, Arizona
“Proof Beyond the Bloom”
The foothill trail
I pound to see
Fist-sized flowers blooming
A frolicking is a Humboldt lily
You, a Humboldt lily
Fill me with awe
Awe
8-foot wonder
Give me a foothold in a rugged love
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