Magazine
Western voices

August 19, 1996

A collection of essays explores the quirky, the mundane and the surreal of our unique West, from coffee-hauling llamas to Navajo tacos and more.

Feature

A new breed of artists depicts Montana - cyanide leach fields and all
Contemporary Montana artists create protest art as they try to depict the real Montana.
Carol Bradley Aug. 19, 1996 From the print edition
Of muskrats and mortality
A writer watches muskrats in Utah's Logan Canyon as she tries to come to terms with her father's approaching death.
Ona Siporin Aug. 19, 1996 From the print edition
Searching for grass in a magic valley
A hot summer spent inspecting the dry range in an Idaho valley brings a close encounter with a coyote.
Peter Stekel Aug. 19, 1996 From the print edition
While the vultures circle
The writer describes a summer as a "human mule" surveying the Arizona desert, where only the vultures move in the heat.
Gary Every Aug. 19, 1996 From the print edition
Sowing the red suns of August
Even when the tomatoes freeze and the deer trespass, gardening serves its own high purpose.
Sean Gillihan Aug. 19, 1996 From the print edition
What is a Navajo taco?
Curiosity leads a writer to research the origins of Taco Time's "Navajo Taco."
Stephen J. Lyons Aug. 19, 1996 From the print edition
Why Juan Valdez doesn't haul coffee beans on a llama
A pack-burro outfitter humorously lambastes the trendy llama.
Hal Walter Aug. 19, 1996 From the print edition
Wallowing the flies away
The writer and his brother try to cope with a plague of flies in the Wyoming outdoors.
C. L. Rawlins Aug. 19, 1996 From the print edition
Advice for visitors to Rock Springs
Chris Ransick Aug. 19, 1996 From the print edition
Junkyard Rancher: Automotive wrangler scraps for a living
At his Carbondale, Colo., "Cadillac ranch," Alan Morris recycles automotive junk.
Auden Schendler Aug. 19, 1996 From the print edition

Sidebar

The artist
Montana artist Dana Boussard in her own words on the duty of artists to grapple with the changing West.
Betsy Marston Aug. 19, 1996 From the print edition
Recyclers challenge Big Steel
"Minimills" that recycle steel help the environment - and make money.
Auden Schendler Aug. 19, 1996 From the print edition

Heard Around the West

Heard around the West
Geology lessons in Grand Teton National Park, 13-year-old Buddhist lama in Wyoming, camouflage lingerie, California theme parks, Moab's sarcastic police blotter, abduction by aliens in Arizona, close encounters with bears and porcupines.
Betsy Marston Aug. 19, 1996 From the print edition

Dear Friends

Dear Friends
Celebration of essayists; visitors; deaths of Seth Diamond and Paul Shepard; corrections.
Betsy Marston Aug. 19, 1996 From the print edition

News

Yellowstone mine a goner
The Crown Butte Mine Co. agrees to give up its mine project near Yellowstone in exchange for unspecified land elsewhere.
Paul Larmer Aug. 19, 1996 From the print edition
Marvel wins a round
The Idaho Supreme Court rules that the State Land Board erred in granting a grazing lease to a Challis rancher who had been outbid by anti-grazing activist Jon Marvel.
Steve Stuebner Aug. 19, 1996 From the print edition
Crane hunt is contested
Idaho approves a sandhill crane hunt to appease farmers who are losing crops to the birds.
Greg Hanscom Aug. 19, 1996 From the print edition
New rules seek to cap canyon flights
The Clinton administration's attempt to increase flight-free zones in Grand Canyon upsets air-tour operators and conservationists who say the new rules aren't tough enough.
James Bishop Jr. Aug. 19, 1996 From the print edition
Dead salmon do more than stink
Studies by fish biologist Bob Bilby highlight the important role that dead salmon play in Northwestern river ecosystems.
Matt Rasmussen Aug. 19, 1996 From the print edition
A green Republican makes a run
Environmentalist Robin Silver of Phoenix makes a bid for the Republican slot for Arizona's 4th Congressional District.
Heather Abel Aug. 19, 1996 From the print edition
Strapped parks look for money
National parks feeling the budget squeeze look for corporate financial help.
Greg Hanscom Aug. 19, 1996 From the print edition
Yellowstone cutbacks bring out the politicians
Yellowstone Park Superintendent Mike Finley's closure of campgrounds and museums because of budget problems leads to irate responses from Wyoming politicians.
Greg Hanscom Aug. 19, 1996 From the print edition
Doomed park bill just a tool of politicos
The strange history of a controversial parks bill demonstrates that Washington politics often have little to do with actual legislation.
Jon Margolis Aug. 19, 1996 From the print edition
Endangered salmon leave rafters dry
Idaho rafting companies challenge a Forest Service plan to keep boats off the upper Salmon River while salmon are spawning.
Greg Hanscom Aug. 19, 1996 From the print edition
A tree did it
Two summer power blackouts in the West are caused by wayward trees.
Betsy Marston Aug. 19, 1996 From the print edition
Park Service preys on lake trout
Yellowstone Park begins an open season on the proliferating lake trout, in an attempt to aid threatened cutthroat trout.
Jared Farmer Aug. 19, 1996 From the print edition
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