The rural West may have helped elect Trump, but his vision leaves them behind.
The rural programs threatened by Trump’s budget
Posted inArticles
California’s desert wildflowers burst into bright ‘super bloom’
Following the ideal combination of rain, sun and wind, blossoms abound.
Posted inArticles
It’s OK to be cautious in the wild
Where to draw the line between acceptable and unacceptable risks.
Posted inArticles
Oregon may sell a state forest that’s no longer profitable
Elliott State Forest shows the difficult balance between profit and conservation.
Posted inArticles
West Obsessed: Travel stories, far and wide
The staff of High Country News discuss the places that make us feel small.
Posted inApril 3, 2017: Firestorm
Latest: At Hanford, allegations of worker intimidation
The Superfund site has been in clean-up since 1989.
Posted inArticles
Oil expected in Dakota Access Pipeline this week
What ongoing legal battles tell us about protections for religious freedoms and government consultation with tribes.
Posted inArticles
The dog turds lurking on our trails
A poop awareness campaign unleashed a lot of anger — some of it unexpected.
Posted inArticles
California wants to give dispirited federal workers a job
Why the state’s utility commission is recruiting EPA, Energy employees.
Posted inArticles
The battle over Montana’s vacant House seat
A banjo-playing Democrat and a tech-industry Republican are fighting to fill Ryan Zinke’s spot.
Posted inArticles
See the landscapes that a border wall would bisect
Terrain along the Mexico border ignores the man-made divide.
Posted inApril 3, 2017: Firestorm
Latest: Gray wolves delisted in Wyoming
The state will take over management of the species.
Posted inArticles
Invade, steal water: The plant spreading in Utah’s wetlands
Battling a nonnative reed to protect Great Salt Lake bird habitat.
Posted inMarch 20, 2017: The Tree Ring
What the Navajo Generating Station will leave behind
Cleaner air, wounded economies.
Posted inMarch 20, 2017: The Tree Ring
Veterans on the land
Regarding the article “River of Healing” in the Feb. 6 issue, as a Forest Service smokejumper and wildland firefighter who runs a veterans’ hiring program, I can attest to the fact that many veterans thrive in pursuits that bring them close to nature and replicate aspects of their military careers, such as teamwork, shared goals […]
Posted inMarch 20, 2017: The Tree Ring
Urban ecosystems are diminished ecosystems
Being trained in plant ecology, I enjoy HCN’s well-balanced reporting of issues relating to that subject. The inclusion of Emma Marris’ review of Nathanael Johnson’s Unseen City in the Feb. 20 issue is an example. I agree that urban wildlife systems are ecosystems in their own right, and they contain many beautiful wonders, if we […]
Posted inMarch 20, 2017: The Tree Ring
Untethered existences; Tacos in traffic; movin’ on up in Seattle
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
Posted inMarch 20, 2017: The Tree Ring
Scott Pruitt isn’t the first administrator hostile to the EPA’s mission
How Reagan’s EPA chief left a roadmap for taking down the agency.
Posted inMarch 20, 2017: The Tree Ring
Remember, we’ve seen this before
Whenever I feel a bit down about the fact that, after electing a billionaire president who campaigned on promises to help the working class, we are now fighting a breathtakingly brazen attempt to enact the agenda of corporate America, I find it helpful to remember that we’ve seen all of this — or at least […]
Posted inMarch 20, 2017: The Tree Ring
Rehab for profit
Your article “Overdosed” in the Feb. 20 issue was accurate and well-researched, and it is a story that has played out across the nation. As a recently retired general practitioner in Palmer, Alaska, I had 41 years of practice to witness the formation of our addicted, chronic-pain and disability culture. More and more patients require […]