Writers on the Range

Writers on the Range was a project of High Country News from 1998 to 2018. It is now an independent nonprofit organization.


Have you hugged your tarantula lately?
Tarantulas take refuge in the author's desert house, much to the displeasure of his wife.
A little sarcasm, a lot of love
The writer takes a fond, tongue-in-cheek look at tourists in Moab, Utah.
Prison payrolls come with big hooks
The writer ponders the kinds of communities new prisons create, and offers suggestions to ease the impacts.
A 22,000-square-foot castle is not a home
The writer muses about monster homes compared with log cabins.
Endless opportunities for solitude
The writer offers a loving tribute to the lonely roads of the Great Basin.
Desert skin
An essay by Edward Abbey, praising the austere beauty of the Colorado Plateau, is illustrated by Thomas R. Miller's aerial photographs.
Will an illegal BLM study seal southern Utah's fate?
The deep flaws in the BLM's inventory of Utah wild lands may doom many irreplaceable landscapes that were eliminated from wilderness consideration.
The university aimed for the stars and hit Mount Graham
The saga of Mount Graham demonstrates that the University of Arizona's shortcuts, questionable tactics and attempts to get around the law are ultimately responsible for creating an impossible situation.
Montana's Rocky Mountain Front: Sell It or Save It?
The writer makes an impassioned plea to save Montana's Rocky Mountain Front from oil and gas leasing.
This budget cut is destructive
Republican plans to cut the budget for the Land and Water Conservation Fund will wreak havoc in the West.
Armed, crazy and lost in the Wild West
The mixture of guns, anti-environmentalism and conspiracy theories in the Northwest makes a frightening, fascist brew.
A war of ideologies, with endangered species as weapons
A writer thoughtfully considers the philosophical and religious ramifications of the struggle to save endangered species.
A tough law meets tough foes
The Endangered Species Act, enormously popular at its inception in 1973, now faces serious challenges as it comes up for revision.
It's deja vu yet again, says Bruce Babbitt
Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt is philosophical about his problems, saying that the current Western uprising "isn't a revolution, it's a repetition."
Montana State University to local environmentalists: Get lost!
Author describes how Montana State University blacklisted him for being the "Ralph Nader of the West."
If rain doesn't fall, the money will
Drought relief subsidies encourage ranchers to overstock and overgraze.
Back to the past: House resets pollution laws
Anti-environmental bills are hurriedly passed through the House of Representatives as part of the Republicans' Contract With America.
Unlikely reformer: Can sinful Las Vegas help change the West?
Despite its "sinful past," Las Vegas is becoming progressive in the areas of wages and water.
After the gold rush
Mining companies begin to change their ways to survive.
Slash and burn
Getting rid of federal agencies such as the Energy Department, Bonneville Power Administration, Animal Damage Control and others will save money and protect the West, writer believes. Opinion.
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