The Department of Agriculture is funding new initiatives to streamline local food systems.
Can food hubs boost rural farming economies?
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Podcast: What’s with the Western pot boom?
Amid a patchwork of regulations, marijuana is becoming a legitimate industry.
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How the FLDS church consolidated power on the Utah-Arizona border
A recent lawsuit sheds new light on how the polygamist church and municipal leadership are deeply intertwined.
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Ranch Diaries: The risks of ranching on a wild landscape
How the threat of predators has fundamentally shaped my relationship with nature.
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This year’s weird Alaska winter should make us very, very nervous.
It’s time to think of winters like the past three as glimpses into the future.
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Pain pill addiction has helped precipitate a rise in heroin abuse West-wide
Near Sacramento, California, nearly a dozen people died from opioids in recent weeks.
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In Washington, the Nooksack 306 fight to stay in their tribe
An internecine battle rages over tribal membership and identity.
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No, national parks are not America’s ‘best idea’
There’s potential to alienate people who value ideas more pertinent to them than the parks.
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Will states find other revenue streams to weather the fossil fuel bust?
Powerhouses like Wyoming and Alaska are shrinking budgets, not looking for new sources of income.
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Inside a town where young people aren’t allowed
Last summer, my wife and I visited our friends, Randy and Abby, at their desert home outside Tucson. They live in a retirement community with age-restriction covenants. Eighty percent of the homeowners have to be over 55 years old and the remaining 20 percent at least 40. Anyone under 19 is out of luck. I […]
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New report: West Coast waters face double threat
Ocean acidification, driven by global fossil fuel emissions, is being exacerbated by local pollution.
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Federal wildlife refuges are not up for grabs
Alaska’s attempt to intrude on federal wildlife refuges has incensed the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, for good reason.
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Soundtable: The West and the White House
Experts discuss this year’s presidential race and what Western issues are coming to the fore.
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National Park Service chief expands sexual harassment probe
Upcoming survey to determine if misconduct at the Grand Canyon represents a widespread problem.
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Uncertain future for Wyoming’s laid off coal miners
There’s some state support available but many workers face tough choices.
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A new Klamath water deal emerges, but unease persists
Agreement picks up the pieces of the failed landmark accords.
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Who belongs in the natural world?
The lack of diversity in the outdoors often prompts people of color to ponder their sense of belonging in nature.
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Science trumps politics for wolverines
A court ruling may force wolverines onto the endangered species list, and open the door for other animals threatened by climate change.
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How much do Western state budgets rely on extractive industries?
Resource-reliant states feel pinch as fossil-fuel revenue dwindles.
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On becoming reacquainted with sandhill cranes
I’m on my way south to chase the first harbingers of spring in our High Plains desert home.