Issues

A landscape of surprises
A landscape of surprises
A paralyzed athlete pushes the limits of adventure sports, a prime grizzly-watching spot, monster mosquitoes, travel horror stories and more from our third-annual Travel Issue.
April 14, 2014
When California Kicks Coal
When California Kicks Coal
As California kicks its coal habit, economies across the West feel ripple effects. The Navajo Nation digs into its coal economy, geoduck fishermen in the Pacific Northwest take a new tack, and more.
March 17, 2014
Fallon’s deadly legacy
Fallon’s deadly legacy
A small Nevada town struggles with a legacy of cancer, a Californian works to protect ancient petroglyphs in the face of solar development, the newly unendangered minnow, and more.
March 3, 2014
The Gila $olution
The Gila $olution
A grazing buyout program to ease tensions between ranchers and wolf advocates in New Mexico, Native American super heroes, a bacteria that could save bats and frogs from deadly disease, and more.
Feb. 17, 2014
The Hanford Whistleblowers
The Hanford Whistleblowers
An extensive look at nuclear waste whistleblowers of ages past, what it means that rural communities get the short end of the stick with internet access, changes in the wilderness therapy industry, and more.
Feb. 3, 2014
Building a More Sustainable West, One City at a Time
Building a More Sustainable West, One City at a Time
In HCN’s second annual issue dedicated to the future of the West, we take a special look at urban sustainability. Packed with facts, figures, and uncommon narratives, this issue includes stories of new and surprising sustainability initiatives in Los Angeles, Seattle, San Francisco, Phoenix, Las Vegas, and more.
Jan. 20, 2014
Beauty or Beast
Beauty or Beast
Eucalyptus trees continue to push out California natives and stir controversy over where exotic species belong. Plus, Utahans respond to EPA vehicle emissions restrictions, a New Mexican’s love of figs, and more.
Dec. 23, 2013
The Tree Coroners
The Tree Coroners
To save the West’s forests, scientists must first learn how trees die.
Dec. 9, 2013
Ecosystems 101
Ecosystems 101
Research reveals the complexity of the Bristol Bay ecosystem and of Alaska’s mighty salmon runs. Plus, Montana tribes will be the first to own a hydroelectric dam, an Oklahoma senator offers a financial fix for our national treasures, and more.
Nov. 25, 2013
Cosmic Prospecting
Cosmic Prospecting
An old South Dakota mining town transforms itself by investing in an underground neutrino research facility, upstart kayakers try to get rivers opened to boaters in Yellowstone, mountain goats get paintballed in Idaho, and Southwesterners continue to be utterly fascinated with the possibilities of outer space.
Nov. 11, 2013
Lifeblood of the Delta
Lifeblood of the Delta
Taking an in-depth look at whether the Colorado River could flow to the sea again, despite one of the worst droughts of the millennium. Plus how dozens of Alaskan schools are closing in small villages, how a fire could help Gila trout make a comeback, zombie survival strategies and more.
Oct. 28, 2013
The New Geronimo?
The New Geronimo?
An Apache from Oklahoma fights his kin to build a casino and bring his people home to New Mexico. Plus how we can learn to live with flooding, New Mexico’s attempt to roll back groundwater protections, the mysterious reappearance of a special bumblebee species, and more.
Oct. 14, 2013
Intimate Geographies
Intimate Geographies
With some of the West's most insightful authors as our guides, each fall we briefly set aside the news to create a special books/essays issue and take a more reflective look at our region. This year's books/essays issue explores ways of looking at a landscape and locating ourselves within it.
Sept. 16, 2013
Of Sparrows and Sodbusters
Of Sparrows and Sodbusters
Western and Mexican conservationists race to save grasslands -- and the species that depend on them. Plus, Idaho's power struggle, community-driven efforts to regulate fracking, and more.
Sept. 2, 2013
Dinosaur Wars
Dinosaur Wars
A stunning fossil site is found in Montana, but will it ever be studied by scientists? Plus Navajo activist Klee Benally, edible invasives, environmental lawsuits, photographs from a Hotshot on the line, debate over grizzly numbers in Greater Yellowstone and more.
Aug. 19, 2013
Mojave Squeeze
Mojave Squeeze
Development and an unproven conservation strategy put the desert tortoise in a tight spot, life in the Bakken for its few female workers, water pollution in the eyes of the EPA and a Utah community, and more.
Aug. 5, 2013
Red Rock Resolution?
Red Rock Resolution?
One of the West's most conservative, pro-industry lawmakers could put an end to Utah's wilderness stalemate. Plus, the Yarnell Hill wildfire, Obama's natural gas pitch, the EPA looks at Alaska's proposed Pebble Mine, and more.
July 22, 2013
Water Rights
Water Rights
Latino communities in California's Central Valley struggle with water pollution, plus the West's rising importance as a helium producer, Hal Herring's take on oil and gas exploitation along Montana's Rocky Mountain Front, and more.
June 24, 2013
Paradise at a Price
Paradise at a Price
Can environmentalists and affordable housing activists in Jackson, Wyoming settle their differences? Plus, using nautical records from centuries past to model climate modeling technology, the economic gains of wildfire, Latino radio incorporates public service, and more.
June 10, 2013
Haywired
Haywired
Can the enormous, intricate and fragile electric grid play nice with increased renewable energy production? Plus, Alaska's bald eagles, selling a Utah ghost town, hummingbird-inspired drones, and more.
May 27, 2013
High Country News Classifieds