Most importantly: The recent relisting doesn’t apply to the Rocky Mountains.
Arizona
Posted inArticles
Montana mice may hold the secret to how viruses spread
Researchers are studying how climate change and biodiversity affect viruses’ jump from animals to people.
Posted inMarch 1, 2022: The Cloning Conundrum
When the little owl vanishes
A writer reflects on parenthood and what to talk about when confronting extinction.
Posted inArticles
The dizzying scope of abandoned mine hazards on public lands
As many as 500,000 abandoned mine features litter federal land, many posing environmental or physical safety hazards that especially threaten Native communities.
Posted inArticles
Biden’s ‘herky-jerky’ first year on Western issues
The new president sacrificed bold executive action to try to win over Congress.
Posted inJanuary 1, 2022: Water Rights and Responsibilities
Bye Ye; Denali Uber; Heard transition
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
Posted inJanuary 1, 2022: Water Rights and Responsibilities
Religious gatekeeping in red-rock country
A resort capitalizes on a nearby Yavapai-Apache religious site despite having no meaningful relationship with the tribe.
Posted inJanuary 1, 2022: Water Rights and Responsibilities
Arizona’s utility commission slashed just transition assistance for tribes
The Navajo Nation and Hopi Tribe will receive significantly less funds to assist in economy after the end of coal.
Posted inArticles
How to cool one of the fastest-warming cities in the West
In Phoenix, a new heat office hopes to prevent more people from dying of extreme heat.
Posted inArticles
Books on the West we think you might like
Some brand new, some from the shelves, some for the kids and some for you.
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Ozone pollution is on the rise in the West
Wildfires, oil and gas drilling, vehicle emissions, and climate change all combine to create more days with unhealthy levels of the colorless, odorless gas.
Posted inArticles
Visualizing the aquifers that straddle the U.S.-Mexico border
For the first time, scientists have mapped out the groundwater the two countries share.
Posted inNovember 1, 2021: The Radioactive Waste Next Door
Wiggling ice worms; historical matchmaking; bizarre Utah politics
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
Posted inArticles
What’s going on with redistricting in the West?
Yurij Rudensky of the Brennan Center breaks down the politics — and potential issues — Western states face in this year’s redistricting process.
Posted inArticles
The public lands that kept us sane
In honor of National Public Lands Day, High Country News staff reflect on access to spaces across the West.
Posted inOctober 1, 2021: In The Graces of Grasses
In Arizona, a radical change in juvenile detention
How a rural town transformed a juvenile facility into a safe space for teens.
Posted inArticles
A monsoon summer in the Southwest
How residents across the region are engaging with the yearly weather phenomenon.
Posted inArticles
Searching for the lost: The people called to find missing migrants
Many Aguilas del Desierto volunteers once crossed the dangerous desert in the Borderlands themselves.
Posted inArticles
6 things you should know about the 2021 Native American Voting Rights Act
Indigenous communities face disproportionate barriers to voting, but the act would help protect this important right.