Issues

Obama and the West
Obama and the West
In our last issue of the year, we reflect on the presidency of Barack Obama and the stamp he's left on the West. Despite his inclination toward compromise and incremental progress, Obama may well be remembered as the first leader to seriously address the foremost environmental issue of our time: climate change.
Dec. 26, 2016
How the Park Service is Failing Women
How the Park Service is Failing Women
In this issue, the culmination of a year-long investigation into sexual harassment and gender discrimination at federal public lands agencies by Lyndsey Gilpin, the magazine’s editorial fellow. Also, the uncertain future of Obama's legacy under Trump, a new way forward for Western farming and an end to coal terminals?
Dec. 12, 2016
A Weird and Perfect Wilderness
A Weird and Perfect Wilderness
This issue examines the value of the West’s open spaces, its public lands, and its rich natural and cultural resources. In such places we find solace, as well as common values across cultural and political divides. In our cover story, Kate Schimel, the magazine’s digital editor, visits a “wilderness for weirdoes,” asking what it means to love such a place, Correspondent Sarah Tory takes us to the Bonneville Salt Flats, where a piece of Americana, 12,000 years in the making, is crumbling rapidly away and essayist Peter Friederici examines our complicity in the realities of climate change.
Nov. 28, 2016
The Long View
The Long View
Our special, once-a-year, Books and Authors issue focuses on coming to terms with legacies of the past — and looking forward to where the West is headed. Featuring new writing by Terry Tempest Williams and Aaron A. Abeyta, plus interviews with Kim Stanley Robinson and Stephen Graham Jones, this edition peers deeper into questions that shape Western identity.
Nov. 14, 2016
A Monumental Divide
A Monumental Divide
In the fight over a Bears Ears national monument, complicated questions arise about who has a claim on the land. Also in this issue, logging battles in Canada and Alaska and climate change's threat to a beloved berry.
Oct. 31, 2016
Purple Rain
Purple Rain
As Election Day looms, High Country News takes a look at Trump's disruptive effect. From mobilizing undocumented immigrants to unsettling Mormon Country, Trump's rhetoric is permanently recoloring Western politics.
Oct. 3, 2016
Frontera Incognita
Frontera Incognita
In our special issue Frontera Incognita, High Country News revisits the Borderlands. The Borderlands, as our collection of stories show, means different things to different people. We explore the many relationships people have with our country's perimeter.
Sept. 19, 2016
When the Doctor is Out
When the Doctor is Out
Why disappearing rural hospitals spell trouble for the Central Valley. In this special feature, High Country News looks at the troubled rural Western healthcare system. Plus, when to say yes to invasive plants, Alaska’s overtaxed firefighters and New Mexico’s oldest climate correspondent.
Sept. 5, 2016
100
100
The heat is rising on the National Park Service. In our special report: How climate change is altering the country's beloved parks and the agency's centennial has brought with it harsh scrutiny on issues of race and gender. Plus, nuclear power divides CA and a trip down the Grand.
Aug. 22, 2016
Line of Descent
Line of Descent
In New Mexico, a stalemate between federal and state wildlife officials leaves the state's wolves in peril. Plus, a review of Jim Harrison's last book and a seed bank that will help researchers trace the effects of climate change.
Aug. 8, 2016
Salmon Power
Salmon Power
How salmon has become a battleground over sovereignty for Alaska tribes. Plus, dampening Glen Canyon Dam's effects, the dangers of drones and the Northwest's new battle over logging.
July 25, 2016
The New Advocates
The New Advocates
Meet the new environmental advocates, a diverse generation of outdoor enthusiasts and activists forging their way in the conservation movement. In this special issue, eco-minded veterans, Latinos rising, and Hopi raft guides.
June 27, 2016
Water to Dust
Water to Dust
Oregon’s obscure terminal lakes feed millions of migrating birds, but now they need life support of their own. Plus, disenfranchised Native Americans in Utah and Arizona's tough water choices.
June 13, 2016
Trial by Fire
Trial by Fire
Trial by fire: Female firefighters still face harassment, abuse and sexism. Plus, cats on the border, shifts in the BLM and a roadtripping lawyer.
May 30, 2016
Grizzly Face-Off
Grizzly Face-Off
What the future holds for the Yellowstone grizzly. Plus, cities sue Monsanto, the secrets of Western trees, and coal lessons from Europe.
May 16, 2016
The Gold King Reckoning
The Gold King Reckoning
The long history behind the Animas River spill. Plus, a moss mystery in Portland and environmental upset at California agencies.
May 2, 2016
A Land Divided
A Land Divided
A landmark legal ruling is starting to put the splintered pieces of Indian Country back together. Plus, a look at the small herds that could be bison's big step forward and developers aim to make money on Grand Canyon's popularity.
April 4, 2016
Making Sense of Malheur
Making Sense of Malheur
The mess at the Malheur Wildlife Refuge requires a closer look to understand the larger forces at play. Plus, a silver lining on the California drought and a snapshot of the election season.
March 21, 2016
The Parks You Don't Know
The Parks You Don't Know
As the National Park Service's centennial looms, High Country News takes a trip through the West, to uncover some lesser-known parks, consider the stories they tell, and meet the people behind the scenes.
March 7, 2016
Fractured
Fractured
In the West's argument over fracking, it matters less what's said than who says it. Plus, a dry future for Central Valley farming and new research into the past comes from packrat middens.
Feb. 22, 2016
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