People compete in everything from pumpkin racing to outhouse sledding.
Photos
Posted inJune 27, 2016: The New Advocates
See the vanishing rest stops of the American West
A review of “The Last Stop” and a look at iconic roadside waypoints.
Posted inArticles
See the members of this unofficial border patrol
The Arizona Border Recon aims to provide intel and back-up for federal officers at the U.S.-Mexican border.
Posted inJune 13, 2016: Water to Dust
Photos: Underwater wilderness in the Pacific Northwest
A review of David Hall’s “Beneath Cold Seas”
Posted inMay 30, 2016: Trial by Fire
Photos: Three years with New Mexico’s Hispanic communities
A photographer’s nostalgic look back at time spent with Nuevomexicanos.
Posted inArticles
Photos: The American town left behind in Canada
Point Roberts, Washington, is cut off from the rest of the U.S. by the Canadian border.
Posted inMay 16, 2016: Grizzly Face-Off
Photos: Inside the controversial sport of coyote coursing
This subset of coyote hunting involves trained dogs and is relatively uncommon in the West.
Posted inArticles
Photos: The costs of air pollution in Bakersfield, California
In the Central Valley, oil and agriculture both support and harm communities, making air pollution a complex problem.
Posted inMarch 21, 2016: Making Sense of Malheur
Meet the caribou hunter of Arctic Village, Alaska
Photos of this winter’s hunt and a community’s subsistence way of life.
Posted inMarch 7, 2016: The Parks You Don't Know
The beautiful wilds of national parks
Review of “The National Parks: An American Legacy,” by Ian Shive.
Posted inArticles
A rare ecological event: ‘super bloom’ in Death Valley
The arid park is covered in wildflowers for the first time in a decade.
Posted inFebruary 22, 2016: Fractured
The ‘poisoned landscapes’ we leave behind
Q&A with photographer David T. Hanson about his new book, ‘Wilderness to Wasteland,’ which shows a dystopian side of progress.
Posted inJanuary 25, 2016: The Forever War
Photos: A protest over imprisoned ranchers becomes an occupation of a wildlife refuge
In eastern Oregon, the latest iteration of the Sagebrush Rebellion.
Posted inJanuary 25, 2016: The Forever War
Rock art and the struggle for preservation
Review of Jonathan Bailey’s “Rock art: A Vision of a Vanishing Cultural Landscape.”
Posted inArticles
How smokejumpers prepare for wildfire season
Photos of the rigorous training this special type of firefighter endures.
Posted inArticles
Photos: Tracing poverty in the West
Over 11.5 million people live in poverty in Western states; here are intimate portraits of their communities.
Posted inOctober 26, 2015: Clean Energy's Dirty Secret
Agua Pura
Winners of the HCN reader photography contest
Posted inArticles
Hidden camera traps capture wildlife in Wyoming
An ecologist uses a scientific tool for artistic purposes.
Posted inArticles
Inside the transient world of mushroom pickers
People spend months scouring forest floors for money-making fungi in the Pacific Northwest.
Posted inArticles
Marijuana in Washington: The long road to legalization
Over a year later, officials are navigating thorny legal issues from taxes to licensure.