Review of ‘The Water Museum’ by Luis Alberto Urrea.
The lonesome, crowded West
The Animas spill, Nevada gold mines and a shrinking Salt Lake.
Hcn.org news in brief.
Renewal through exploration in Greater Yellowstone
Review of ‘The Wild Excellence: Notes from Untamed America’ by Leslie Patten.
Our sly climate
It was bound to happen. Regardless of the cynical denialism of some politicians, climate change is now entering our lives in very real ways. This is especially true in the West, a region clearly defined by its environment and natural resources. In this issue, almost without our knowing it, the climate crept into nearly every […]
Latest: Salmon, coast recovers after Elwha dams come down
Despite recovery, warm temperatures still threaten salmon spawning.
Latest: Environmentalists regroup after Washington’s carbon plan fails
Green groups spent big in the last election in the Northwest.
Tracking energy’s ‘fugitive emissions,’ from above
Scientists are trying to understand what’s released from the nation’s biggest energy producing regions.
Unlocking the mystery of the Four Corners Methane Hot Spot
Scientists zero in on the culprits behind a giant plume of greenhouse gases.
Hunting the Arctic’s disappearing treasures
Ancient artifacts in the thawing North vanish before archaeologists can document them.
How movies have changed our expectations of the wild
Decades of Disney have prepared us for a tamed, cleaned-up version of nature.
Finding humor where two worlds intersect
Review of ‘Indian Country: The Art of David Bradley.’
Bounty hunters swarm Phoenix police chief, gradeschoolers make imposter sage grouse and watchers await the ‘corpse flower.’
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
A slew of summer visitors
Plus, filling in a missing word from our last issue.
Is Yucca Mountain back on the table?
Obama mothballed the nuclear waste storage project. Now some Republicans seem determined to bring it back out.
An interview with the first African-American president of the Sierra Club
Aaron Mair hopes to shift the club’s mission toward policies that better include the needs and values of minorities.
Many still living in FEMA’s toxic trailers, investigation finds
From oil fields to reservations, post-Katrina trailers have spread far and wide.
Gold King Mine water was headed for the Animas, anyway
The nuts and bolts of acid mine drainage.
Montana farmers start talking climate change
The Montana Farmers Union is fighting political polarization with pragmatic discussions about how to adapt and what to expect.
Dispatch from a medic on the North Star Fire in Washington
What base camp and wildfire look like from one firefighter’s perspective.
A Western lesson from Cecil the lion: trophy seekers aren’t hunters
Various news reports described Walter Palmer, the dentist who killed the legendary Zimbabwean lion called “Cecil,” as a “hunter.” But this man, who was only interested in capturing Cecil’s giant head for a wall mount, was no hunter, and it insults real hunters to call him one. Calling him a “sportsman” is more accurate. Edward […]
