Once again our subscription has come up for renewal and, as usual, it’s a difficult decision — not because of the writing, the photography or the wonderful back page. It’s because the news is so depressing, as it is where we live. We pass our copy of High Country News on to various friends and […]
High Country Blues?
Posted inJune 13, 2016: Water to Dust
Federal-lands ranching: A half-century of decline
How grazing fell from its Western pedestal — and fueled Sagebrush Rebellion.
Posted inJune 13, 2016: Water to Dust
Farewell to a valuable staff member
For the first time in several years, the blossoms on the apricot trees at the High Country News headquarters in Paonia survived the spring frosts, and bright green nascent fruit is already weighing down the branches. Throughout the valley, all the fruit seems to be thriving — from peaches and nectarines to apples and wine […]
Posted inJune 13, 2016: Water to Dust
El Niño adds fuel to Southwestern fires
In California, Arizona and New Mexico, an underperforming weather pattern increased wildfire risk.
Posted inJune 13, 2016: Water to Dust
Canadians’ bad behavior, a cat-lover’s nightmare and gun-toting steeds
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
Posted inJune 13, 2016: Water to Dust
Arizona fends off threats to water supplies
Republican Gov. Doug Ducey is sticking by regulations and negotiating deals.
Posted inJune 13, 2016: Water to Dust
A drying lake, and a conundrum
On the first truly warm morning this spring, I awoke to the songs of birds. From high in the cottonwood came the clear melodic whistles of a northern oriole, fresh in from the southland. Soon this migratory bird and its partner would find a suitable branch from which to hang their nest, intricately weaving it […]
Posted inArticles
Wildfire archaeology exposes treasures of the dead
Wyoming fires revealed long hidden historical artifacts.
Posted inArticles
Are Hillary Clinton’s clean energy goals achievable?
Before clinching the nomination, she outlined her ambitions for public lands and renewables.
Posted inArticles
How the West nurtured eco-minded agriculture
The ranchers of the Western Plains’ shortgrass prairie started a movement to find a less destructive way to farm.
Posted inArticles
Oregon oil train explosion fuels growing opposition movement
Some activists see the Pacific Northwest as a major new front in the climate fight.
Posted inArticles
Chemical safety law that gives EPA more power passes Congress
The bipartisan measure represents the most sweeping environmental law to pass in decades.
Posted inArticles
Native American women still have the highest rates of rape and assault
A flawed tribal court structure, little local law enforcement and a lack of funding fail to protect women from violence.
Posted inArticles
Tracing the West’s heroin highways
Illicit drugs move through this region at farther distances and greater speeds.
Posted inArticles
Keep ranchers on the land, and the land stays open
Want to keep those wide-open spaces? Pick ranching over development.
Posted inArticles
Rewilding the shortgrass prairie
A scientist with ranching roots is trying to restore balance to degraded grasslands.
Posted inArticles
Trump’s contradictory promise: Bring back coal and boost natural gas
Experts say low natural gas prices are the biggest cause of coal’s downturn.
Posted inArticles
Wyoming considers raising an already unique wind tax
Legislators say wind needs to pay its fair share, but critics fear a higher tax could drive energy—and revenue—away.
Posted inArticles
Why the EPA fails to enforce the Civil Rights Act
Despite a new environmental justice action plan, the EPA has a poor record of protecting communities of color from toxic environments.
Posted inArticles
Ranch Diaries: Traditional agriculture meets progressive ideals
Can producers come together to find common ground and work toward common goals?