Bravo to Tay Wiles for her insightful profile of the Bundy family and their sympathizers (“Celebrity scofflaw,” HCN, 4/30/18). It is disturbing that there are actually people and politicians who believe that Cliven Bundy and his family are martyrs or folk heroes who have “legitimate grievances” in their battle with the U.S. government. They don’t. […]
Self-righteous charlatans
Posted inJune 25, 2018: Little Weed, Big Problem
Sagebrush birdsong
What a lovely piece (“The benediction of a bird,” HCN, 5/28/18). I feel the same about the song of the horned lark — a weightless, upward jumble of notes that never fails to remind me of my home among the sagebrush of the high desert. Thank goodness for birds to fill the air with song […]
Posted inJune 25, 2018: Little Weed, Big Problem
Millennials, of course
“Death in the Alpine” (HCN, 5/14/18) reads like yet another article bemoaning millennials and their obsession with social media. However, given the increase in popularity of outdoor recreation reported on this same issue (i.e., on page 9, “Recreation is redefining the value of the West’s public lands,”) it seems a much more straightforward explanation simply […]
Posted inJune 25, 2018: Little Weed, Big Problem
A tailings-pile childhood
Ah, fond memories of growing up playing in the Animas (“The River of Lost Souls,” HCN, 5/28/18). I, too, well remember the dust from the tailings pile swirling through the valley and dusting the town. My brother, Woody, used to sneak over and ski the tailings pile. I’ve always wondered: Did the rare cancer that […]
Posted inJune 25, 2018: Little Weed, Big Problem
Aridity heads east; a geyser wakes up; activists young and old
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
Posted inJune 25, 2018: Little Weed, Big Problem
Trump’s coal and nuclear bailout helps execs and hurts the grid
In a heavy-handed directive, the Department of Energy caters to industry barons.
Posted inJune 25, 2018: Little Weed, Big Problem
Rural Oregon has a weedy mess on its hands
On GMO and seed misdeeds, has the punishment fit the crime?
Posted inJune 25, 2018: Little Weed, Big Problem
A publishing pause and river flotsam
A reader finds an HCN artifact on a rafting trip.
Posted inArticles
On the border, colonial violence goes unpunished
Tribal members positioned to help Border Patrol are getting run down by its agents.
Posted inArticles
Colorado follows California’s lead for cleaner cars
Fourteen states have now bucked the EPA to adopt stricter emissions standards.
Posted inArticles
A hops harvest that grows bigger each year
Washington’s Yakima Valley supports many of the craft breweries in the U.S.
Posted inAugust 6, 2018: What Are We Doing Here?
In the Southwest, ‘drought’ doesn’t tell the whole story
Why ‘aridification’ is a better term for our new, more parched reality.
Posted inArticles
Indigenous immigrants face unique challenges at the border
Language barriers mean Indigenous families may be more likely to be split up.
Posted inArticles
In a desert, I learned to fish
Dams, invasive species and roadways. All this, so I could go fishing.
Posted inArticles
Should a hike be a social event or an encounter with the wild?
A crowded South Korean national park offers a glimpse of the West’s possible future.
Posted inArticles
The immigrants contributing to rural towns and economies
Decades after their arrival, a family is woven into the fabric of Colorado’s San Luis Valley.
Posted inArticles
Extreme heat is killing people who lack shelter
Climate change is worsening the threats that homeless populations face.
Posted inArticles
Don’t let politicians kill conservation’s bank account
If Congress doesn’t act, the Land and Water Conservation Fund will end on Sept. 30.
Posted inArticles
Solar energy deserves a place on public lands
Prioritizing oil and gas over renewables ignores market forces and climate concerns.
Posted inArticles
Aspen may stockpile water under its golf course
As climate change looms, towns look to store water without dams.