On Sept. 22, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service made a landmark decision, declaring that the greater sage grouse, that icon of the Western High Plains, does not warrant federal protection. The chicken-sized bird’s numbers have dwindled from a historic high of perhaps 16 million to about 400,000, as its sagebrush range has been transformed […]
Sage grouse decision demonstrates clout of the Endangered Species Act
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Ranch Diaries: Is ranching a form of conservation?
Our cattle can help restore wildlife habitat, reduce fire fuels and sequester carbon, when used creatively.
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Feds find Santa Barbara pipeline operator violated safety requirements
A look at the Refugio spill and what goes into to preventing and cleaning up oil pipeline spills.
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A dog comes face to face with the Wild West
This June, I attended my first snake class. It was not a tutorial on snake charming, but rather a training session designed to teach dogs to avoid rattlesnakes. Classes like this take place in many Western states where rattlesnakes slither – from California to Idaho to the Front Range of Colorado, where I live. My […]
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Advanced Placement history nixes ‘racial superiority’ from Manifest Destiny
Q&A: Historian Amy Greenberg says curriculum revisions miss a major part of the story.
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Hopes high for a ‘Super’ El Niño
The weather phenomenon could bring rain but also mudslides and drought to the different regions of the West.
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Mexican wolf restoration hits (another) snag
The feds want to release captive animals to increase genetic diversity in the wild, but New Mexico isn’t having it.
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Iran deal adds to pain for US oil producers
Experts disagree about how much incremental damage US drillers will suffer.
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Extinction is taking its course underwater
As children, most of us learned about the passenger pigeons, whose huge flocks darkened America’s skies before they became extinct a century ago. Another lesson came from the buffalo that we did our best to eradicate from the Great Plains. Less understood is what goes on underwater in our lakes, rivers and streams. Now, a new report by Trout Unlimited shows disturbing parallels with […]
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Dispatch from Valley Fire evacuation camp in California
State officials are calling the Lake County blaze one of the fastest-moving fires in memory.
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A crude oil export ban primer
All you need to know, and then some, about selling U.S. oil overseas.
Posted inSeptember 14, 2015: Close Ties in Big Landscapes
Writing beyond the reservation stereotype
A Native author creates characters who are making a life in the urban West.
Posted inSeptember 14, 2015: Close Ties in Big Landscapes
Where agriculture and aesthetics go hand-in-glove
Former Seattleite and author Bryce Andrews writes and ranches in Montana.
Posted inSeptember 14, 2015: Close Ties in Big Landscapes
The real work
On a hot, dusty August Saturday a few years ago, people from all over the North Fork Valley convened at a country veterinarian’s office just outside Paonia, Colorado (HCN’s hometown). We came with paintbrushes and paint, wheelbarrows, buckets, rakes and shovels, food and drink. About a dozen of us, ranging in age from 8 to […]
Posted inSeptember 14, 2015: Close Ties in Big Landscapes
The myriad ways the natural world disappoints, delights and destroys.
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
Posted inSeptember 14, 2015: Close Ties in Big Landscapes
The human cost of Westward expansion
A review of ‘American Copper’ by Shann Ray.
Posted inSeptember 14, 2015: Close Ties in Big Landscapes
The fall reading list
Book recommendations for the cold months ahead.
Posted inSeptember 14, 2015: Close Ties in Big Landscapes
Sketching water chemistry on the Animas, hunting mushrooms in the Northwest.
Hcn.org news in brief.
Posted inSeptember 14, 2015: Close Ties in Big Landscapes
Self-published books: What to read
Some favorite under-the-radar writers and their recent releases.
Posted inSeptember 14, 2015: Close Ties in Big Landscapes
Overlooked author Lucia Berlin gets brought back to the light
‘A Manual for Cleaning Women,’ her posthumous book of stories, reveals a formidable talent.