Jonathan Thompson’s graphic report on methane is excellent and should be widely shared (“What you can’t see can hurt,” November 2021). One subtext of his reporting is that cattle production produces more methane than the oil and gas industry — 36% (digestion plus manure) versus 30%. When you consider livestock industry methane pollution, along with […]
Letter: What you can’t see can hurt
Letter: The wealth abyss
Thank you for the amazing analysis of income disparity by Jonathan Thompson (“The wealth abyss,” December 2021). More unequal countries tend to have more teenage pregnancy, mental illness, drug use, obesity, prisoners, school dropouts, lower life expectancy and lower status for women. The more unequal a country is, the more likely the biodiversity of its […]
Letter: The Klamath River and the Yurok people
I was deeply moved by Brook Thompson’s article about the ongoing tragedy of the Klamath and her people (“The familial bond between the Klamath River and the Yurok people,” September 2021). I only wish that there could be a solution imminent, but I fear that the alienation of Western (European) “culture” from the natural world […]
Letter: Teton troubles
Nick Bowlin’s article (“Teton troubles,” December 2021) singles out one particular instance of mountain town development but fails to mention the even larger issue we face in Teton Valley. Short-term rentals are eliminating the long-term rental market. Second homeowners and part-time residents see dollar signs and largely don’t care about the stresses it creates for […]
Letter: Decolonizing Idaho’s road signs
I just finished your article on changing racist place names (“Decolonizing Idaho’s road signs,” November 2021) and wanted to thank you for writing on this topic. I am a California-born Chinese-American, and I always feel a bit better about the suffering my people have undergone when I see things improving for others who have suffered even […]
Letter: December issue
I’ve read HCN frequently since moving to Montana in 2014 and have been a subscriber for the past few years. The December 2021 issue stands out to me as one of the best in recent years. The depth and breadth of topics, the engaging infographics, and the photographs and illustration brought life to the excellent […]
Letter: Betting the Ranch
The December issue was the best I’ve seen in years of reading HCN. The topper was Lee van der Voo’s fabulous piece, “Betting the Ranch.” It was a complex and tremendously insightful story about the way big-shouldered meat distribution companies like Tyson Foods can outmuscle even giant ranchers and dominate the economics of the cattle-raising […]
Letter: All My Relations
“All my Relations” (December 2021) was an excellent story, full of facts and without “snarky” political overtones or condemnations of some sort. It was very thought-provoking, poignant and sad to read. Such governmental overlap and bureaucracy seem so frustrating. Jerry C. ReichCornelia, Georgia This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the […]
Indigenous feminism flows through the fight for water rights on the Rio Grande
An intergenerational group of Pueblo women lead the way on water policy along the Middle Rio Grande Valley.
Bye Ye; Denali Uber; Heard transition
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
Notes to self
Setting priorities for the year ahead.
A fierce defender of the Western word
Betsy Marston retires from High Country News after 39 years with the magazine.
How do you make a movie about a hyperobject?
The film ‘Don’t Look Up’ turns climate change into an allegorical comet.
Harry Reid’s legacy will be remembered on the land
A reflection on what endures after the death of the longtime senator from Nevada.
A new Northwest anthology finds both terror and magic in the darkness
‘Evergreen: Grim Tales & Verses from the Gloomy Northwest’ explores landscapes and life from the Inland Northwest to the Pacific.
Backroads backstrap
A law allowing Wyomingites to harvest roadkill goes into effect in 2022.
Stories we wish we’d written
A look at some of the journalism from 2021 that inspired us, made us feel seen, and, sometimes, even made us cry.
A shellfish company gets into the weeds
The Swinomish Indian Tribal Community shows how eelgrass and aquaculture can coexist in Puget Sound.
See HCN’s best illustrations from 2021
Artists helped us visualize the complex subjects our journalists explored.
2021’s climate was one of contrasts, contradictions and extremes
There was one constant: Heat.
