We have no idea how it happened, but March is already behind us. Our staff is still hoping for a little more snowfall before we put the skis away and break out the camping and hiking gear — though we’ve also begun shaking the dust from our packs, smearing on sunscreen and venturing onto the […]
HCN founder Tom Bell to receive honorary degree
Posted inApril 4, 2016: A Land Divided
Developers look to cash in on the Grand Canyon’s popularity
The landmark stands at a crossroads, as tourism booms and more development seems inevitable.
Posted inApril 4, 2016: A Land Divided
Crime’s punishment out West and BLM patrol cuts
HCN.org news in brief.
Posted inApril 4, 2016: A Land Divided
A quiet revolution
Forty-five years ago, John Echohawk, a Pawnee who grew up in New Mexico among Navajos, Hopis, Utes, Apaches, Latinos and Anglos, got in on the ground floor of a revolution. While attending the University of New Mexico, he was encouraged to enter a new program focused on training Indian lawyers. It was a novel idea […]
Posted inApril 4, 2016: A Land Divided
A photographer turns his lens on small-town bliss
A new exhibit in Denver, Colorado, looks at happiness in the rural West, focusing on Bliss, Idaho.
Posted inApril 4, 2016: A Land Divided
Can a legal victory make Indian Country whole again?
For over a century, federal law has split Native American land holdings into tiny pieces. A settlement unites some of the splinters, but at a steep cost.
Posted inArticles
Rants from the Hill: After many years of essay writing, a wave goodbye
All good Rants must come to an end and this marks the final missive from the Ranting Hill.
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White-nose syndrome comes to the West
Researchers race to find solutions for deadly bat disease.
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Grand Canyon abolishes river district in response to sexual harassment allegations
The abrupt decision leaves the future of NPS river management up in the air.
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Desert tortoise militia occupies Bundy Ranch
Endangered reptiles stage heavily armored takeover of cattleman’s property.
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County by county, the West braces for rise in mosquito-borne diseases
As the climate warms, mosquitoes thrive, and communities try to figure out how to prevent disease outbreak.
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How Colorado is trying to get beyond zero-sum water wars
The new water plan represents an evolving moral algebra that transcends more primitive water law.
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Fracking linked to groundwater contamination in Pavillion, Wyoming
Contaminants that likely came from fracking were found in an aquifer that supplies drinking water.
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No, Ted Cruz, Westerners should not follow in Texas’ footsteps
The state’s public lands boondoggle was a historical accident.
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It’s inevitable. There will be bikes in wilderness.
It hasn’t happened yet, but one day, bicycles and baby strollers will be welcome in wilderness. That’s the goal of the nonprofit Sustainable Trails Coalition, which seeks to permit other forms of human-powered trail travel in wilderness areas, besides just walking. Congress never prohibited biking or pushing a baby carriage. Both are banned by outmoded […]
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Photos: The costs of air pollution in Bakersfield, California
In the Central Valley, oil and agriculture both support and harm communities, making air pollution a complex problem.
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The growing influence of Hispanic voters in the West
Latinos make up 21 percent of the region’s electorate, and election-day turn-out is on the rise.
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Oregon’s energy plan offers a glimmer of hope for biomass energy
Advocates hope the timber-rich state’s decision to ditch coal could help revive the struggling industry.
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It’s time to stop development and save the Rio Grande
The rattling trumpet call of sandhill cranes echoed throughout the Rio Grande Valley in central New Mexico this February. The flocks began to make their ascent into the sky, circling to gain altitude and then heading north. The cranes’ early departure — driven by climate change — reveals one of the many challenges of adapting […]
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This is what an oil bust looks like
Low prices have energy companies and communities reeling as rig counts plummet and unemployment climbs.