Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
Public lands
Posted inArticles
Grand Canyon abolishes river district in response to sexual harassment allegations
The abrupt decision leaves the future of NPS river management up in the air.
Posted inArticles
No, Ted Cruz, Westerners should not follow in Texas’ footsteps
The state’s public lands boondoggle was a historical accident.
Posted inMarch 21, 2016: Making Sense of Malheur
The darkness at the heart of Malheur
A Westerner traces the roots – and meaning – of the Oregon occupation.
Posted inArticles
In southern Utah, a ranger is jailed under questionable circumstances
The region has a history of sheriffs butting heads with federal land agencies.
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How progressives are taking a page from ALEC’s playbook
Conservatives push agendas through a centralized state network; progressives are building one of their own.
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Forest Service rejects Grand Canyon luxury village
The setback is just the latest in a 30-year push to develop the rim.
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The Bundy bust-up
Charges rain down on militant leaders of Bundy family standoffs in Nevada and Oregon.
Posted inMarch 7, 2016: The Parks You Don't Know
At Valles Caldera, a new national park unit takes shape
A preserve was added to the park system, after an experiment in managing federal lands outside the traditional agencies.
Posted inMarch 7, 2016: The Parks You Don't Know
Finding the big quiet in Great Basin National Park
A writer revisits the acoustical landscape of the National Park system.
Posted inMarch 7, 2016: The Parks You Don't Know
National parks: Where we go and where we don’t
Much of the Park Service’s land in the West is poorly visited and little-known.
Posted inArticles
Interactive timeline: Livestock grazing in the West
Whether grazing on public land is a ‘right’ or a ‘privilege’ is one of the region’s most contentious issues. Here’s why.
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How an East Coast think tank is fueling the land transfer movement
ALEC is becoming increasingly involved in the public lands debate by providing model bills for Western states.
Posted inArticles
Online editor Tay Wiles talks Oregon militia standoffs with KDNK Radio
The latest episode of Sounds of the High Country.
Posted inArticles
West Obsessed: What the heck is a Sagebrush Sheriff?
Behind a lot of anti-fed sentiment, you’ll find ‘constitutional’ peace officers. Here’s why that’s worrying.
Posted inFebruary 22, 2016: Fractured
Bishop’s ‘Grand Bargain’ in Utah is no deal, say enviros
The much-anticipated land-use plan has ramped up the tensions it promised to defuse.
Posted inFebruary 22, 2016: Fractured
How the wild Northern Rockies were saved — and who led the way
A new book looks at the ordinary citizens who fought for wilderness designations.
Posted inFebruary 22, 2016: Fractured
Latest: New Mexico land deal opens wilderness access
The Sabinoso Wilderness Area was impossible to access for years, thanks to private landowners.
Posted inArticles
In Wyoming, a road block for public access
A tangled web of lawsuits and land sales mean people trying to access a Lincoln County wilderness area could face trespass charges.
Posted inArticles
Nonviolent protest: A lesson for the occupiers at Malheur
On a cold Tuesday in January, when the Malheur occupation was in full swing, I marched alongside demonstrators in Portland to support the ousting of the Bundys and their armed militia. We were pretty much a hodgepodge group of birders, conservationists and nature-loving pacifists. There were no guns in sight; instead, demonstrators held signs high, […]