We’re excited to report that Seattle-based journalist Glenn Nelson is joining High Country News as our newest contributing editor. Glenn’s work has broken down barriers for diversity and inclusion in discussions about public lands. He’ll be joining fellow contributing editors Cally Carswell, Sarah Gilman and Michelle Nijhuis to bring even more great stories to the […]
Welcome, Glenn Nelson
Posted inMarch 21, 2016: Making Sense of Malheur
The darkness at the heart of Malheur
A Westerner traces the roots – and meaning – of the Oregon occupation.
Posted inMarch 21, 2016: Making Sense of Malheur
Taxing water
The article from Feb. 22, “Growing Heavy” by Sena Christian, does an excellent job of presenting the issue of California’s agricultural water usage. Unfortunately, the article misses the essence of what is exacerbating the effects of California’s drought: bad economics. The market has incorrectly priced water for agriculture, which is subsequently destroying California’s economy and […]
Posted inMarch 21, 2016: Making Sense of Malheur
Snapshot of a sad moment
When a band of militants took over the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon this winter, we at High Country News worked hard to understand not only what was happening day by day, but also why it was happening. What did Ammon Bundy and his supporters actually want? We’re still trying to figure it out. […]
Posted inMarch 21, 2016: Making Sense of Malheur
Sharing food … and history
Thank you for Patricia Limerick’s essay on the complex sociology of the current conflict over oil and gas development (“Fractured,” HCN, 2/22/16). Learning from the past has not been one of the West’s strengths. Many Westerners seem as passionately devoted to ignoring or denying history as Ms. Limerick is to bringing history to bear on […]
Posted inMarch 21, 2016: Making Sense of Malheur
Seeds in a sandstorm
A writer contemplates love and disaster in a city of transients.
Posted inMarch 21, 2016: Making Sense of Malheur
Save water, skip the burgers
Sena Christian, in “Growing Heavy,” explains that many of California’s farmers, in order to cope with the ever-decreasing water supply, are putting their resources into their most valuable food crops, which also happen to be the most water-intensive. But many of the state’s most water-intensive field crops are not even destined for human consumption, but […]
Posted inMarch 21, 2016: Making Sense of Malheur
Missoula’s rape problem
Jon Krakauer’s latest book explores a flawed justice system that fails victims.
Posted inMarch 21, 2016: Making Sense of Malheur
Latest: WIPP nuclear waste spill investigation concludes
Workers incorrectly packaged waste shipped to the facility, whose future remains unclear.
Posted inMarch 21, 2016: Making Sense of Malheur
Latest: Courts backs domestic sheep reduction near Idaho’s Hells Canyon
An Idaho court upheld a 2007 plan intended to protect bighorn sheep.
Posted inMarch 21, 2016: Making Sense of Malheur
How Nevada became the first Western caucus (and why it matters)
The early caucus drew attention to Western issues. In November, the state will play an even bigger role.
Posted inMarch 21, 2016: Making Sense of Malheur
Getting beyond yes or no
The Feb. 22 article “Fractured” corresponded in several ways with my own experience in dealing with management issues at the Carrizo Plain National Monument in Southern California. In the course of an oral history project, I interviewed a great many ranchers who were often unhappy about the restrictions placed upon grazing. On a number of […]
Posted inMarch 21, 2016: Making Sense of Malheur
Drugged up fishes, Bundy’s feral cattle, and a how-to for cannibalism
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
Posted inMarch 21, 2016: Making Sense of Malheur
Drought brings unexpected water relief to California communities
State and federal funds are paying for desperately needed infrastructure in the Central Valley.
Posted inMarch 21, 2016: Making Sense of Malheur
Does conserving species actually curb development?
A new study suggests ESA doesn’t stop economic growth, but the devil’s in the details.
Posted inMarch 21, 2016: Making Sense of Malheur
Crime and grit: A retrospective collection from the don of Chicano noir
An uneven but often rewarding collection from one of the West’s masterful storytellers.
Posted inMarch 21, 2016: Making Sense of Malheur
Clean Power jolt, East Coast meddling and shrinking wetlands
HCN.org news in brief.
Posted inArticles
Five sea level rise studies that could help cities plan for climate change
A slew of research points to rapidly rising oceans. How will the West Coast adapt?
Posted inArticles
In southern Utah, a ranger is jailed under questionable circumstances
The region has a history of sheriffs butting heads with federal land agencies.
Posted inArticles
West Obsessed: What’s the deal with Wildlife Services?
For an agency that researches non-lethal predator control, they sure kill a lot of critters. HCN writers discuss an agency trying to rethink its role.