A new Air Force base expands, without the input of locals.
In military matters, neighbors should get a say
Posted inDecember 25, 2017: Bear Essentials
The price of a national park fee hike
The proposed increase in entrance fees reignites old questions about who should fund the West’s open spaces.
Posted inArticles
Does a river have a right to life?
No law gives a river a right to exist; at best, laws protect a river from harm caused by new development.
Posted inArticles
Trump’s message for tribes: Let them eat yellowcake
The president’s Bears Ears decision has toxic implications.
Posted inDecember 25, 2017: Bear Essentials
Latest: The EPA drops mine cleanup proposal
Obama-era plan required mining companies to prove they can pay for remediation.
Posted inArticles
West Obsessed: The American alpine sublime
A new collection by a turn-of-the century poet raises questions about wildness.
Posted inDecember 25, 2017: Bear Essentials
What Trump’s Supreme Court pick holds for Indian Country
Neil Gorsuch’s background in Indian law and Western issues could be useful to tribal litigants.
Posted inDecember 11, 2017: Scorched Earth
What fire researchers learned from California’s blazes
In California, land managers use fire as a tool.
Posted inDecember 11, 2017: Scorched Earth
Proper fire funding continues to elude Congress
Nearly everyone agrees it’s important. So what’s the hold-up?
Posted inDecember 11, 2017: Scorched Earth
Oregonians experiment with a new model to prevent megafire
A collaborative community-based project tackles overgrown forests.
Posted inDecember 11, 2017: Scorched Earth
In a burning West, wildfire smoke threatens public health
Montana hospitals handled an increase of respiratory-related problems this year.
Posted inDecember 11, 2017: Scorched Earth
Ancestral Pueblo logging practices could save New Mexico pinelands
Researchers look to the past to better fight fire.
Posted inDecember 11, 2017: Scorched Earth
It’s not only trees — wildfires imperil water too
Sediment-choked watersheds and erosion could become more frequent as wildfire activity grows.
Posted inDecember 11, 2017: Scorched Earth
The lens of time
The “books in the wild” theme brings back lovely memories (“Wild reading,” HCN, 11/13/17). What better companion than a book when weather locks you into a tent for hours by yourself? Books don’t take up much space, don’t smell or snore. I lean towards the classics: Plutarch, Livy, Thucydides, et al. Not only are they […]
Posted inDecember 11, 2017: Scorched Earth
Serving — and earning — on public lands
In the recent article “The Changing Face of Woods Work” (HCN, 10/30/17), the author describes the challenge of putting young Americans to work in the woods. Though the article was well-written, the author did not mention that there is indeed a new generation of Americans hungry to work outside, to rebuild and care for our […]
Posted inDecember 11, 2017: Scorched Earth
Why Western wildfires are getting more expensive
This year’s fire season was the costliest on record, burning more than 9 million acres.
Posted inDecember 11, 2017: Scorched Earth
Car-eating marmots; poacher ring bust-up; a Tofurky surprise
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
Posted inDecember 11, 2017: Scorched Earth
‘Will my tears cool the ash?’
A firefighter contemplates the fire season.
Posted inDecember 11, 2017: Scorched Earth
A ‘selfish’ decision
As neighbors evacuated, one family stayed behind.
Posted inDecember 11, 2017: Scorched Earth
We need a better social contract with wildfire
The 2017 fire season has made it clear our current policies don’t work.