How Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn — and his colleague, Sen. Jim Inhofe — run roughshod over the West
Dr. No
Posted inRange
Colorado Democrats shouldn’t celebrate too much
Although Democrats held on to the Colorado governor’s office and a U.S. Senate seat in this year’s election , that may have been more of a fluke than a validation at the polls. The first fluke was the gubernatorial race . On the Republican side, early favorite Scott McInnis (former state legislator and six-term congressman) […]
Posted inGoat
Mer-cow-ski?
The Anchorage Daily News has been gamely reporting on the Great Alaska Senate Race Write-in Campaign Spelling Snafu with updates on challenges to poorly-penned appellations inscribed in the blank space on the state’s ballots, mostly in favor of write-in Senate candidate Lisa Murkowsi. Huffpo riffed on the many misspellings, and we thought we’d jump into […]
Posted inRange
Another Tesoro Flare-Up
By Eric De Place Earlier this week we learned that Tesoro — an oil refiner with nasty politics and a rap sheet a mile long — will be facing a criminal investigation for the April explosion at its Anacortes, Washington facility that killed seven workers and earned it the largest L&I fine in state history for “willful disregard of safety […]
Posted inGoat
Canyoneering, four ways
Ever wondered what it’s like to don harness and wetsuit and delve into one of southern Utah’s deep, cold, water-filled slot canyons? A new documentary called Gorging, due out next summer from DFS Films, follows notorious guidebook author Michael Kelsey and three other canyoneers (a photographer, a guru, and a weekend warrior) into the twisting, […]
Posted inGoat
Pop quiz: What national conservation land is nearest you?
The National Landscape Conservation System — America’s youngest permanently protected collection of public lands — celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, and grassroots organizers and BLM managers are meeting in Nevada to plan for the next 10 years in the “sportsman’s park service.” Before the upcoming meetings in Nevada, you might brush up on the […]
Posted inRange
HCN reader photo – fall colors
It’s almost winter — time for the obligatory shot of autumn leaves and impending clouds. Reader photo of Depuys Spring Creek in Livingston, Mont. from Flickr member Daryl Hunter. Add your photos to the HCN Flickr group!
Posted inRange
Wolverine: Chasing the phantom
Rebecca Watters researches wolverines (gulos) and other large carnivores for the Northern Rockies Conservation Cooperative. She recently lent her expertise and tracking skills to the new PBS documentary Wolverine, Chasing the Phantom. Here, she presents a review and overview of the film, which airs on PBS November 14, 2010. When PBS Nature called Gianna Savoie […]
Posted inBlog
When Shelton met Oprah
Yosemite National Park Ranger Shelton Johnson was as surprised as anyone. “I was more than surprised,” he said in a recent phone conversation. “I was shocked. When the EMTs resuscitated me I was pretty much flat-lined.” Standing outside the south entrance to Yosemite National Park, Johnson thought he was awaiting the arrival of six African-American […]
Posted inWotr
Our small town welcomes its newest neighbor
It was the first corporate grand opening this valley had ever seen. On Nov. 4, a Family Dollar store opened here in the isolated mountain town of Penasco, N.M., between Taos and Santa Fe. Since the recession hit, the retail chain has expanded rapidly across the West, targeting small, low-income communities with few downtown amenities. […]
Posted inRange
The water footprint scam
Editor’s note: David Zetland, a Western water economist, offers an insider’s perspective into water politics and economics. We will be cross-posting occasional posts and content from his blog, Aguanomics, here on the Range. Scam may be a harsh word, since well-meaning people seem to want to improve water management, but I wonder if they aren’t […]
Posted inRange
Counting Fish
Bruce Barcott’s essay last week in the online magazine Yale e360 reveals an interesting environmental paradox, one in which Pacific salmon might be both endangered and, simultaneously, too populous. As Barcott writes, “How can numerous Pacific salmon runs be on the verge of extinction while total salmon numbers are straining the limits of the ocean’s […]
Posted inBlog
A just transition to a clean energy future off coal can happen
In my first opportunity to join the blogosphere of High Country News, I wish to extend a big thanks to all those who have come before and are currently working towards achieving environmental justice (EJ) in the west. Many EJ struggles are a real challenge, rooted in a complex history with timelines and landscapes that cross vast […]
Posted inNovember 8, 2010: Dr. No
Draining the tub
On Oct. 17, history was quietly made: The surface elevation of Lake Mead, a huge reservoir on the Colorado River near Las Vegas, dropped below its record low and continued to fall about a tenth of an inch per day over the following days. Those fractions of inches might seem insignificant, but when projected across […]
Posted inGoat
Sharing the (reduced) bounty
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration hasn’t made a secret of its preference for catch shares as a management tool for the nation’s fisheries. And Friday, the agency, which is headed by marine biologist and fishing quota proponent Jane Lubchenco, released a formal policy that pushes catch shares as the primary management tool for America’s […]
Posted inHeard Around the West
Fascinating conundrums
THE SOUTHWEST That wistful Iowa farm boy in the ads for a language-learning software called Rosetta Stone — “He was a hardworking farm boy. She was an Italian supermodel. He knew he would have just one chance to impress her” — now has an opportunity to learn Navajo, too, reports the Daily Times of Farmington, […]
Posted inNovember 8, 2010: Dr. No
Oklahoma vs. the West
This dispute includes drilling, wilderness, guns and climate change
Posted inNovember 8, 2010: Dr. No
How outsiders shape the West
Note: This is the editor’s note for a package of stories about Oklahoma vs. the West (links at the end). — The biggest story happening now — the Nov. 2 elections and their results — is impossible to cover in this edition of High Country News. We go to press a few days before the […]