From massive wildfires to melting ice, the calamities that affected the West this year.
Colorado
Posted inDecember 25, 2017: Bear Essentials
A visit to Pie Town; Mermaids on maternity leave; Airplane pit-stop
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
Posted inArticles
The 26,000 tons of radioactive waste under Lake Powell
The West’s uranium boom brought dozens of mills to the banks of the Colorado River — where toxic waste was dumped irresponsibly.
Posted inArticles
Does a river have a right to life?
No law gives a river a right to exist; at best, laws protect a river from harm caused by new development.
Posted inDecember 25, 2017: Bear Essentials
Latest: The EPA drops mine cleanup proposal
Obama-era plan required mining companies to prove they can pay for remediation.
Posted inArticles
West Obsessed: The American alpine sublime
A new collection by a turn-of-the century poet raises questions about wildness.
Posted inDecember 11, 2017: Scorched Earth
Car-eating marmots; poacher ring bust-up; a Tofurky surprise
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
Posted inDecember 11, 2017: Scorched Earth
It’s not only trees — wildfires imperil water too
Sediment-choked watersheds and erosion could become more frequent as wildfire activity grows.
Posted inDecember 25, 2017: Bear Essentials
What Trump’s Supreme Court pick holds for Indian Country
Neil Gorsuch’s background in Indian law and Western issues could be useful to tribal litigants.
Posted inArticles
Interior Department’s Climate Science Centers persevere
As other initiatives get cut, these centers could ride out the Trump administration.
Posted inArticles
After Oroville, officials across the West review dam safety
The California dam’s spillways are ready for rain as safety officials prepare for future catastrophes.
Posted inArticles
In rural Colorado, can art provide an economic engine?
A small town invests in affordable housing for the creative sector.
Posted inNovember 27, 2017: Profit and Politics
Macho moose; thousand-dollar bobcat; lost in Dark Canyon
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
Posted inNovember 27, 2017: Profit and Politics
In Utah, public access to state lands comes at a cost
Public access to trust lands varies widely from state to state.
Posted inNovember 13, 2017: Solace and Perspective
A nearly forgotten poet’s view from above timberline
Belle Turnbull found transcendence in the Colorado Rockies.
Posted inArticles
As sediment builds, one dam faces its comeuppance
Officials at a Colorado reservoir are reckoning with decades of accumulation.
Posted inArticles
In the West, fishing is more regulated than buying a gun
We stop large-caliper hooks but do nothing about large-caliber weapons.
Posted inArticles
One in 30 wells in the West failed in recent years
New research shows just how many wells ran dry between 2013 and 2015.
Posted inArticles
A hard look at history’s bitter truths and selective memory
Statues should offer more comprehensive interpretations of past events.
Posted inArticles
Interpreting Trump’s pardon of former Sheriff Joe Arpaio
Arpaio traumatized vulnerable Americans by abusing his power over them.