As many as 500,000 abandoned mine features litter federal land, many posing environmental or physical safety hazards that especially threaten Native communities.
Idaho
Posted inDecember 1, 2021: Visions of Wildness
An owl army, a tire-less elk and a minor coup attempt
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
Posted inDecember 1, 2021: Visions of Wildness
Wind turbines proposed near a Japanese American incarceration camp prompt outrage
The Lava Ridge Wind Farm in Idaho would more than double the state’s wind energy output, but at what cost?
Posted inDecember 1, 2021: Visions of Wildness
Vacation resort replaces affordable housing in Teton Valley
Once-affordable towns near Jackson Hole have become real estate magnets since the pandemic.
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.
Posted inNovember 1, 2021: The Radioactive Waste Next Door
Decolonizing Idaho’s road signs
A new effort will add Indigenous history to historical markers across the state.
Posted inNovember 1, 2021: The Radioactive Waste Next Door
Afghan refugees find a home in the West
A resettlement agency in Twin Falls, Idaho, prepares for newcomers.
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
Idaho denies proposed land exchange
The state found that the timber tracts offered in a proposed trade are worth much less than the land around Payette Lake.
Posted inArticles
For dairy cows, where there’s smoke, there’s less milk
Scientists in Idaho are finding that wildfire smoke dampens milk production and coincides with increased risk of disease and even death in dairy cows.
Posted inJuly 1, 2021: An Urban Greenspace Revolution
Crowds swarm the public lands
Land managers and gateway communities struggle to keep up.
Posted inArticles
A parched West heads into fire season
Several types of drought are converging, and all are at or near record levels.
Posted inArticles
Solving the West’s housing crisis
We need to care for the priced-out average worker or something is bound to break.
Posted inMay 1, 2021: Beauty and Biodiversity in the Borderlands
A rescue mule, bizarre humans and alarming politicians
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
Posted inArticles
The essential — and dangerous — work prisoners do
Incarcerated people respond to pandemics, wildfires, avian flu outbreaks, mudslides and more.
Posted inApril 1, 2021: Holding Fast
Idaho state lands could end up in private hands
How a developer’s proposed large land swap ignited a fight in small but growing McCall.
Posted inArticles
Idaho Congressman proposes bold dam removal project on Snake River
The $33.5 billion plan seeks to restore salmon while funding new energy projects and compensating farmers.
Posted inMarch 1, 2021: The Rough Road Ahead
Why Utah’s wild mink COVID-19 case matters
‘Vet-virologist’ Anna Fagre discusses the first positive case detected in the wild — and how ‘spillover’ could impact the West.
Posted inArticles
Pikas are adapting to climate change
The resilient species is altering its behaviors in response to changing conditions.
Posted inArticles
Pro-Trump riots won’t stop the winds of political change blowing in the West
What the D.C. insurgency meant for our regional conscience.