Can we learn from past mistakes? That’s the underlying question this issue, where we revisit the misery of last summer’s “heat dome” from inside a state prison in Walla Walla, Washington. The scars of Cold War nuclear testing endure, as shown by Emmet Gowin’s photos of the Nevada Test Site and a powerful essay by Terry Tempest Williams. With drought emptying Lake Powell, Glen Canyon Dam’s days as a power source may be numbered. Can rare-earth metals like tellurium help solve our energy problems and boost the economy of Grants Pass, Oregon? A “Wildlife Welfare Check” brings good as well as bad news, Western teens are fighting climate change in the courts, and the Yurok Tribe is returning giant condors to the California skies. We meet the Navajo Nation’s first economist, and science fiction writer Kim Stanley Robinson talks about the High Sierra. Laureli Ivanoff prepares her grandmother’s summer greens dessert, and a young writer searches for identity in rural Utah.
High Country News and Searchlight New Mexico confirmed that Dineh Benally, who set up illegal ventures on the Navajo Nation, attempts new operations in South Dakota.
In this issue, we focus on some of the ways the ongoing transition away from coal will be felt across the West. Our feature story profiles Diné activist Nicole Horseherder and her long quest for an equitable energy economy on the Navajo Nation. A half-century ago, what law professor and scholar Charles Wilkinson dubbed the “Big Buildup” transformed the West’s energy economy; now, it’s coming to an end in the “Big Breakdown.” We talk to some of the workers at the Boardman coal-fired plant in Oregon, as it shutters. Elsewhere, in Wyoming, we look at how communities are turning to wind power to make ends meet as they figure out how to get by in a future less dependent on fossil fuels. In other news, we look at how Western tribes are taking over land-management responsibilities at places like Montana’s National Bison Refuge. And we examine the disturbing links between the attempted coup in Washington, D.C., and the right-wing extremism rooted in the West. Activist Jackie Fielder discusses housing inequities in the time of COVID-19, while in rural Colorado, we meet a unique group of LGBTQ+, anti-fascist, pro-gun ranchers who have put together a community of their own. Finally, we reflect on the legacy of legendary Western author William Kittredge and reconsider Joan Didion's vision of the West.
In this issue, our feature story looks at a massive poaching ring in Washington and Oregon and the determined investigators who took it down by tracking it digitally. We also scrutinize the Gadsden flag, the Revolutionary War-era symbol that’s become popular with anti-government figures. We look at a small health-care clinic in rural Oregon that made a successful shift to telemedicine during the pandemic, and then visit the Navajo Nation, where the coronavirus is seriously straining the public health system. In Arizona, we meet a wave of younger, more ethnically diverse environmental activists, and we also learn how the pandemic is inspiring new forms of collective action against immigration detention in the Borderlands. In Alaska, we ponder the fate of sockeye salmon — and the communities that rely on these remarkable fish — in a rapidly warming climate. Elsewhere, we dig into a new report revealing the racism and disenfranchisement Indigenous voters face, and we review a new book that shows how the U.S. is essentially closing its doors to asylum seekers.
In this issue, we investigate how a Nooksack tribal leader in Washington took a stand against her tribe’s disenrollment efforts and became the target of a home invasion, cyber stalking and constant harassment. In Alaska, we look at a budget threat to ferries forming the marine highway system. We check out a University of California lawsuit against the federal government after the Trump administration shut down the DACA program. In Navajo Nation, we ask why LGBTQ+ people are barred from Diné ceremonies. In a photo essay, we bear witness to the funeral of a deported undocumented U.S. Army veteran whose body was returned to his family in New Mexico for burial. We also interview a wildlife biologist who changed careers to become an advocate for equity in the conservation movement.
In this issue we take a dive into pollution, first with an investigation by the Center for Public Integrity, produced in collaboration with High Country News and the Ohio Valley ReSource, as mining companies have taken advantage of loopholes to get out of environmental remediation by idling their operations. We also look at aerial spraying in Oregon and how locals are working to upend the practice. Another HCN investigation finds the EPA awarded a contract to do clean up on the Navajo Reservation to an outfit with a troubled past. We look into why California’s program to help low-income residents during PG&E blackouts has nearly zero applications. We travel to Idaho, where many refugees have found success in resettlement. We also provide a perspective on the BLM chief’s fixation with wild horses as a threat to public lands, and more.
This issue is bound by the idea that the ecological crises are inseparable from the problem of human domination. Our feature story describes a coastal town in Southern California that is asking whether it can, or should, retreat inland from rising seas. Also in this issue: The Navajo Nation's renewed police force, prisoner strikes, conspiracy theories in Arizona and a tribute to the life and work of Ed Marston, one of High Country News' longtime visionaries.
Conflict in the West constantly remakes itself. This issue looks at new iterations of those fights: A water battle over rural wells in Washington, Cliven Bundy’s victory rally for Freedom and Property, and the struggle of Navajo Nation residents to prevent more oil and gas exploration in historically important lands.
SOUTHWEST CONSERVATION ADVOCATE
WildEarth Guardians is seeking a full-time advocate in our Wild Places Program to advance a new paradigm of forest management and protection based on the...
WYOMING CONSERVATION COORDINATOR
The Wyoming Conservation Coordinator (WCC) is a senior-level position that provides strategic leadership for GYC's efforts to protect lands, waters, and wildlife within the Wyoming...
NEW AGRARIAN PROGRAM SOUTHWEST COORDINATOR
The New Agrarian Program Southwest Coordinator is responsible, in partnership with the NAP Director and Colorado Manager, for implementation of Quivira's apprenticeship program in New...
NEW AGRARIAN PROGRAM ALUMNI AND OUTREACH MANAGER
The New Agrarian Alumni & Outreach Manager is a passionate community builder who enjoys identifying opportunities to develop new programming, supporting beginning agrarians and land...
ANIMAS RIVERKEEPER
San Juan Citizens Alliance seeks a passionate, experienced, and motivated Animas Riverkeeper to lead campaigns to protect water quality and flows in the Animas River...
PATAGONIA SONOITA-CREEK PRESERVE MANAGER
The Patagonia Sonoita Creek Preserve Manager performs and participates in preserve operations including the maintenance, management, development and coordination of conservation programs. On-site housing provided...
VERDE RIVER PROJECTS TECHNICIAN
The Verde River Projects Technician (VRPT) provides technical assistance to Verde River Program staff in implementation of the Verde River Streamflow Monitoring Protocol. This consists...
HEALTHY CITIES PROGRAM MANAGER
The Healthy Cities Program Manager works directly with the business unit's Healthy Cities Program Director to advance the Healthy Cities Program's long-term vision and innovative,...
DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS AND ENGAGEMENT
Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers (RFOV) is a non-profit organization with a mission to promote stewardship of our public lands by engaging our community in education,...
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Sierra Forest Legacy (www.sierraforestlegacy.org) is seeking an executive director to lead our effort to conserve biodiversity and ecosystems in the Sierra Nevada. We seek a...
SOCIAL MEDIA SPECIALIST (PART-TIME, CONTRACT)
High Country News (HCN) is looking for a Social Media Specialist to manage our social media channels, encompassing Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, TikTok, Twitter, LinkedIn, and...
NATURE'S BEST IN ARAVAIPA CANYON
10 acre private oasis in one of Arizona's beautiful canyons. Fully furnished, 2123 sq ft architectural custom-built contemporary home with spectacular views and many extras....
SENIOR COMMUNICATIONS AND SPECIAL PROJECTS SPECIALIST
The Specialist reports to the Salazar Center Communications and Engagement Manager and oversees the Center's communications program, with a focus on implementing strategic multimedia communications...
SMALL FARM AT BASE OF MOUNT SHASTA, CALIF.
Fruit/berry/veggie/flower farm in the mountain town of Mount Shasta. Small home, 2 barns (one with apartment), and more. Famously pure air and water.