Across the West, lawmakers are skipping over the will of voters and yanking fluoride.
Want fluoride in the water? Too bad.
Posted inArticles
Sen. Mike Lee’s new bill permits ‘tactical infrastructure’ in wilderness areas
The Border Lands Conservation Act gives the Department of Homeland Security the power to waive myriad federal laws, including the Wilderness Act, under the pretense of border security.
Posted inArticles
More than 2,000 jobs could be cut at Interior during shutdown
Research, wildlife and conservation are in the crosshairs.
Posted inOctober 2025: Limits to Growth
Ventura County is turning former farmland into affordable housing for farmworkers
This California county has some of the nation’s strictest protections for agricultural land, but developers are using a new exemption to house people who work the land.
Posted inOctober 2025: Limits to Growth
Watching the Oregon ash vanish
The emerald ash borer is killing the native tree. How do we make the most of the time while it’s still here?
Posted inArticles
Montana’s Chinese past isn’t past
A forgotten Chinese cemetery reveals how Missoula buries its past — and why the present is so familiar.
Posted inOctober 2025: Limits to Growth
Loopy lagomorphs, warning off wolves, the best of Buddys and diminutive dinosaurs
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
Posted inOctober 2025: Limits to Growth
A season of grizzlies and get-togethers
We’ve filled our time with gatherings and awards.
Posted inArticles
The rural West’s increasing health care costs haunt the shutdown
Health insurance costs are skyrocketing, and federal tax credits that make it more affordable are expiring.
Posted inOctober 2025: Limits to Growth
On not letting go of the past
How do we embrace the new and still hold on to the things that shaped us?
Posted inNovember 2025: Precious Metalheads
What inspires Indigenous ballet dancer Jock Soto
The dancer seeks to preserve his legacy while educating others about his time on the biggest ballet stage.
Posted inArticles
What we stand to lose if national monuments fall
Can one of the nation’s best conservation tools survive?
Posted inArticles
Tribal governments fend off the worst of the impacts of the shutdown
In the weeks leading up to the shutdown, tribal nations hefted their political and economic capital to protect services for their citizens.
Posted inOctober 2025: Limits to Growth
‘I was lucky when I came to this country’
#iamthewest: Giving voice to the people that make up communities in the region.
Posted inOctober 2025: Limits to Growth
What’s it like to be a cow?
A cattle rancher reflects on her occupation and the growing movement to understand how other animals see the world.
Posted in2025
HCN and Report for America launch environmental reporting partnership
High Country News and Report for America are seeking local and statewide newsrooms to build an environmental reporting network for the Western U.S.
Posted inDecember 2025: Wild Harvest
He makes bows — and bow makers
Joshua Hood is decolonizing traditional bow-making and archery education from his Portland backyard.
Posted inOctober 2025: Limits to Growth
The dried-out subdivisions of Phoenix
A groundwater crisis halted the construction of thousands of homes and pitted affordability against environmental concerns.
Posted inArticles
The strange loneliness of Charlie Kirk’s funeral
Photos and reflections from the memorial in the Phoenix suburbs.
Posted inArticles
Shutdown causes ‘confusion’ across the Forest Service
Prescribed burns are on hold during shutdown while logging continues.