Dispatch from the nation’s northernmost town, a community divided.
Arctic off-shore drilling hits home in Barrow, Alaska
Posted inArticles
An Alaska wildlife refuge deserves our protection
I grew up in Oakland, California, and was blessed to live close to wide-open spaces and enjoy acres of land on my parent’s woodland ranch. It’s these experiences that inspired my desire to help people, especially fellow African-Americans, discover the outdoors. It’s also why I treasure the American concept of “wilderness,” a word that signifies […]
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Ranch Diaries: Wildlife encounters in a life on the range
When herding cattle means meeting black bears, angry turkeys and tame elk.
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Dam bill for Green River revives industrialist dream
Boosters want Fontenelle Dam to divert more water in southwest Wyoming.
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New data released on violent threats to federal employees
Documents show 15 incidents in 2014, but don’t account for the Cliven Bundy standoff.
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Methane leaks from oil and gas production on federal lands
New proposals from EPA and BLM to curtail leaks are due out this summer.
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In Arizona, the people move ahead of the politicians
Arizona, once dubbed “the meth lab of democracy” by political comedian Jon Stewart, continues its sad ways. To wit, when unveiling his first “no-new-taxes” budget, ex-ice-cream salesman and new Republican Gov. Doug Ducey tried to sneak through a provision that would have taken money away from veterans’ programs for the living in order to pay […]
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Grouseonomics: The imperiled greater sage grouse, by the numbers
Economic and ecological impacts of the bird in Western states.
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Lake Mead watch: As levels fall, hydropower dips
Why Southwest utilities are starting to sweat.
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The pain thief of Spokane
Spokane, Washington, the little city that has a knack for weirdness, is back in the limelight again. Not so long ago it was all about the outing of our anti-gay mayor, who’d been discovered trolling for young men. This time it’s all about Rachel Dolezal. Everyone knew her as the dynamic black president of the […]
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Wild Science: Netting mule deer in western Colorado
Go behind the scenes with scientists investigating declining populations.
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A door squeaks open for rural energy independence
A Colorado co-op just won some freedom from its giant power supplier. Now what?
Posted inJune 22, 2015: Dust to Dust
Where industry makes earthquakes
Fracking has caused quakes in several states, but more research is needed.
Posted inJune 22, 2015: Dust to Dust
We’re letting another predator go down
In New Mexico, some wildlife outranks others, with mountain lions landing near the bottom of the pack. It’s not much of an exaggeration to say that the solitary Puma concolor enjoys the status of rats or “trash fish” — which is how New Mexico’s wildlife department characterizes carp. Late last month, the New Mexico Game and […]
Posted inJune 22, 2015: Dust to Dust
Underdog roboticists
Review of ‘Spare Parts: Four Undocumented Teenagers, One Ugly Robot, and the Battle for the American Dream’ by Joshua Davis.
Posted inJune 22, 2015: Dust to Dust
The scrappy effort to revive a former mining town
In Butte, Montana, optimism is booming.
Posted inJune 22, 2015: Dust to Dust
The sage grouse two-step
Massive federal sage grouse conservation plans strike a delicate balance.
Posted inJune 22, 2015: Dust to Dust
See you in July
A skipped issue, a former editor publishes a book and visitors galore
Posted inJune 22, 2015: Dust to Dust
Reflections on the atomic blast test in Nevada
How the “typical American family” fared in “Doom Town,” 1953.
Posted inJune 22, 2015: Dust to Dust
Photographs of open-air cremation in Colorado
As eco-minded baby boomers age, they’re seeking alternatives to modern funerals.