I read with great interest the story in the Oct. 12 edition of HCN about Monsanto’s genetically engineered beets and other crops. I think that it is time to put the kibosh on Monsanto’s chemical activities when it comes to our food products. We need to get the U.S. Department of Agriculture to declare genetically […]
Put a (GMO) tiger in your tank
Posted inNovember 9, 2009: Roadless-less
Public lands, public gain
I agree with Ray Ring that Dayton Duncan and Ken Burns are on to something with the idea that public lands and “resources” ought to be reserved for the public and not allowed to be a source of enrichment for private individuals (HCN, 9/14 & 9/28/09). This theme recurs throughout the “Best Idea” episodes, along […]
Posted inNovember 9, 2009: Roadless-less
Poetry in Montana
HCN is a fine example of the modern writers’ ability to create mental images and to take the reader to places we have not been both in time and space. Jeremy Smith’s essay “A guide to the past — and the future” is a perfect example of prose that almost reaches to the level of […]
Posted inNovember 9, 2009: Roadless-less
“Mulroyed”?
Matt Jenkins’ article updating the Southern Nevada Water Authority’s (SNWA’s) pipeline project unfortunately promulgated some myths which SNWA has been pushing in Nevada and Utah (HCN, 10/12/09). Jenkins did hit the target when he linked the negotiations over the Nevada/Utah shared water agreement with the proposed Lake Powell pipeline to St. George. It was the […]
Posted inNovember 9, 2009: Roadless-less
How big should we be?
In late September, the board of directors of High Country News descended on HCN’s hometown of Paonia to pass a new budget, look over a new three-year strategic plan and enjoy western Colorado’s beautiful fall weather. At the meeting, a lively discussion broke out over how many subscribers our print magazine should gain in the […]
Posted inNovember 9, 2009: Roadless-less
For farmers, small is beautiful
Deeply Rooted: Unconventional Farmers in the Age of AgribusinessLisa M. Hamilton309 pages, hardcover: $25.Counterpoint, 2009. Few of the authors behind the recent glut of information on — and the impassioned opinions about — our modern food system have done the obvious: Spend time with farmers. But in her new book, Deeply Rooted: Unconventional Farmers in […]
Posted inNovember 9, 2009: Roadless-less
A beeting
Many of the most important points about the debate over genetically modified sugar beets were either glossed over or ignored in Matt Jenkins’ story “Biotech beet-down” (HCN, 10/12/09). For example, Jenkins states that Monsanto developed Roundup Ready beets a decade ago but they were put on hold due to public outrage, implying that it was […]
Posted inArticles
The roadless rule’s ground game
Earthjustice editor Tom Turner’s book provides more details
Posted inNovember 9, 2009: Roadless-less
Power politics, conservation style
The late David Brower, of Sierra Club fame, once said that no environmental victories are permanent. The warning behind his words –– that those who fight the relentless march of development are underdogs in an ultimately doomed war –– has shaped the tactics of generations of activists. That’s especially true in the West, where industry […]
Posted inHeard Around the West
Tree-age
Michelle Childers, 20, was driving along the Lochsa River near Kamiah, Idaho, with her husband, Daniel, 22, when a spruce tree crashed through the passenger-side window. When Daniel saw where the tree had gone, he started to panic, reports The Associated Press. “I asked him ‘What? Where is it?’ ” Childers said. Her husband answered, […]
Posted inNovember 9, 2009: Roadless-less
Metalpalooza ’09
Just a year ago, copper, molybdenum and platinum prices plummeted, taking mining jobs and production levels across the West down with them. Now, metal prices are climbing back, which could breathe new life into shuttered mines and shelved expansion plans. Copper behemoth Freeport-McMoRan plans to resume operations at its dormant mine in Miami, Ariz. Idaho-based […]
Posted inWotr
Confessions of an off-road outlaw
By God, it was my right. No one could tell me I couldn’t chop new roads through national forest land with my off-road vehicle and my chainsaw. I paid my taxes. This land belonged to me. If a few trees had to be cut and some makeshift roads had to be opened, well, too bad. […]
Posted inArticles
The Wicked Witch of the West
Harriet Hageman could be roadless proponents’ worst nightmare.
Posted inNovember 9, 2009: Roadless-less
Mesquite Pancake Recipe
Note: this article is a sidebar to another article in this issue, “Return of the pod man.” Tucson volunteer group Desert Harvesters holds an annual mesquite-harvest event every November, providing locals with a hammer mill to grind pods accompanied by a mesquite pancake breakfast. DRY MIX:2 c. mesquite flour2 c. whole-wheat pastry flour1 tbsp. baking […]
Posted inRange
Reader Photo: Ice on Hall Mountain
This week’s HCN Reader photo looks like a magical sunrise in a winter fairyland. Although much of the West remains cloaked in the fall-to-winter transition, bits of winter peek through here – we thought this image offered a nice preview of what’s to come. Add your photo to our reader pool on Flickr – we […]
Posted inGoat
Commitment issues
Today, for the first time in 15 years, leaders from the United States’ 564 federally recognized Indian tribes met with political leaders in DC to discuss the problems that blight their communities: lack of adequate health care, lack of adequate employment, lack of, well, a lot of things. The day-long summit began with opening remarks […]
Posted inHeard Around the West
Armed and drunk
It’s not a joke, though it sounds like one: A new law signed by Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, R, allows people to walk into a bar carrying concealed weapons, though once there, they can’t order a drink. The National Rifle Association’s Todd Rathner insists the law makes perfect sense: “Any time law-abiding gun owners can […]
Posted inWotr
On the road in lonely Wyoming
Here’s a typical Wyoming story: One night last week, I was heading down a lonely highway, driving the 100 miles from town to home. I had seen the dentist, bought cement so that we could repair our cattle-working pens, gone to the grocery store and checked on a friend who had just moved from her […]
Posted inGoat
Coming soon to MTV: The Oilfield Blowouts
Don’t ask me how I found this. Okay, go ahead and ask: I was actually hard at work researching a story and, during one of those long, winding, fruitless trips down Google lane, I stumbled upon this. It was at roughneckcity.com, which is such a cool site that I’m hesitant to share it with all […]
Posted inArticles
Audio: The joy of CX
The BLM’s categorical exclusions have allowed some questionable drilling permits.