Sarah Gilman

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Sarah has covered the West's natural resources, politics and people since 2006. She writes and draws from Portland, Oregon. Her work has appeared in The Atlantic, Hakai Magazine, BioGraphic, Adventure Journal Quarterly and others. She was a staff and contributing editor at High Country News for 11 years. She grew up in Boulder, Colorado and has spent most of her adult life in small towns in the Rockies, studying white-crowned sparrows, reporting for newspapers and magazines and working on a trail crew. Her favorite tool — from her days building steps and retaining walls on the slopes of Mount Massive outside Leadville — is the double jack. These days, she's also especially partial to her 8-lb. maul. 

Studying seabirds, the sentinels of the ocean
Studying seabirds, the sentinels of the ocean
Perspective from one of the longest, largest and most comprehensive seabird monitoring efforts in the world.
Sarah Gilman Essay Jan. 8, 2021
Inhospitable, remote and compelling: The island swallowed by nowhere
Inhospitable, remote and compelling: The island swallowed by nowhere
Alaska’s St. Matthew Island has had its share of human visitors, but none can remain long.
Sarah Gilman Essay Oct. 14, 2020
Gift and theft in the far North
Gift and theft in the far North
‘Floating Coast,’ the first comprehensive history of the Bering Strait, offers a lesson in ecological economics.
Sarah Gilman March 24, 2020
The mystery of mountain lions
The mystery of mountain lions
Despite decades of research, myth and fear still surround the animals.
Sarah Gilman Essay March 1, 2020 From the print edition
Scientists decode environmental impacts from Bering Sea bird feathers
Scientists decode environmental impacts from Bering Sea bird feathers
To understand the evolving marine environment, scientists look to the seabirds.
Sarah Gilman Dec. 3, 2019
The land and a myth of mountain masculinity
The land and a myth of mountain masculinity
Joe Wilkins’ debut novel looks at male relationships, public lands, rural class and political divisions.
Sarah Gilman Sept. 2, 2019 From the print edition
What trees can teach us
What trees can teach us
Community and relationships are an integral part of arbor life.
Sarah Gilman April 29, 2019 From the print edition
In Oregon, a mysterious tree grove conjures a colder time
In Oregon, a mysterious tree grove conjures a colder time
Yellow cedars are suited to damp coastal Alaska. So what are they doing in the desert?
Sarah Gilman Nov. 28, 2018 From the print edition
The pioneer of ruin
The pioneer of ruin
Amid a desolate mess in Cisco, Utah, a young woman resurrects a home.
Sarah Gilman Essay Sept. 17, 2018 From the print edition
What we have forgotten about the vilified gray wolf
What we have forgotten about the vilified gray wolf
The saga of O-Six lays bare the intricacies of a familiar, parallel society in wolves.
Sarah Gilman April 16, 2018 From the print edition
How to learn to love a new landscape
How to learn to love a new landscape
A writer trades in the ‘crack-me-open ache of space’ in Colorado for the lushness of western Oregon.
Sarah Gilman Essay Feb. 9, 2018
The fight to save vaquitas from extinction
The fight to save vaquitas from extinction
Through a tangle of corruption and overfishing, a marine species hangs in the balance.
Sarah Gilman/Hakai Magazine Sept. 23, 2017
Lessons in the moon’s shadow
Lessons in the moon’s shadow
How the eclipse makes you understand space, and why we should pay attention to lesser wonders.
Sarah Gilman Essay Aug. 23, 2017
Meet the woman behind Colorado’s highest trails
Meet the woman behind Colorado’s highest trails
How trail designer Loretta McEllhiney protects mountains from people.
Sarah Gilman June 26, 2017 From the print edition
At home with the ‘unsettlers’
At home with the ‘unsettlers’
A new book features characters who have gone far beyond what most of us consider ‘good enough.’
Sarah Gilman April 3, 2017 From the print edition
Go North, young woman
Go North, young woman
In a place no one can see you, you can see yourself more clearly.
Sarah Gilman March 6, 2017 From the print edition
BLM moves away from landmark Northwest Forest Plan
BLM moves away from landmark Northwest Forest Plan
Court showdown may force the agency to reconsider its Pacific Northwest logging goals.
Sarah Gilman July 25, 2016 From the print edition
Meet the group that’s turning artists into nature’s advocates
Meet the group that’s turning artists into nature’s advocates
In the backcountry, an experiment in using art to elevate environmental issues.
Sarah Gilman June 27, 2016 From the print edition
Oregon oil train explosion fuels growing opposition movement
Oregon oil train explosion fuels growing opposition movement
Some activists see the Pacific Northwest as a major new front in the climate fight.
Sarah Gilman June 8, 2016
West Coast cities sue Monsanto to pay for chemical cleanup
West Coast cities sue Monsanto to pay for chemical cleanup
Cities take a new tack to fight pollutants: targeting companies who make them.
Sarah Gilman May 16, 2016 From the print edition
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