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High Country News

High Country News

A nonprofit independent magazine of unblinking journalism that shines a light on all of the complexities of the West.

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HCN has covered the lands, wildlife and communities of the Western U.S. for more than 50 years. Get to know the West better by signing up to receive HCN’s on-the-ground reporting and investigations in your inbox.

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Wilderness

Posted inArticles

How a dwindling helium supply is impacting public land management

by Zoë Rom November 18, 2024November 18, 2024

A new BLM plan for western Colorado makes a priority of helium production, worrying environmentalists.

Posted inArticles

Repeal of the Chevron doctrine will have profound consequences for federal rulemaking

by Nick Bowlin, Joaqlin Estus, Natalia Mesa, Kylie Mohr and Erin X. Wong July 15, 2024August 8, 2024

Climate, public lands and tribal law regulations are now likely to face legal challenges.

Posted inJune 2024: The Idea of Wilderness

As the Gila Wilderness turns 100, the Wilderness Act is still a living law

by Marissa Ortega-Welch June 1, 2024June 2, 2024

Wilderness areas are changing in profound ways — and so are our ideas about them.

The Bruneau-Jarbidge-Owyhee Rivers Wilderness in the Owyhee Canyonlands.
Posted inArticles

What’s next for the Owyhee Canyonlands?

by Kylie Mohr April 29, 2024August 8, 2024

Supporters call it ’the largest conservation opportunity in the West.’

Posted inSeptember 1, 2023: Food Justice

Wildlife and the inescapable impact of road noise

by Ben Goldfarb September 1, 2023May 8, 2024

The ‘blab of the pave’ disrupts animals’ lives everywhere, even in national parks.

Posted inNovember 1, 2022: The Futures of Conservation

Do bedrock conservation laws need a makeover?

by Kylie Mohr November 1, 2022January 24, 2024

Experts suggest needed upgrades in the face of modern crises.

Posted inOctober 1, 2022: Making Refuge

A family works together to fill the freezer for another year

by Laureli Ivanoff October 1, 2022October 30, 2024

In Alaska, a fall moose hunt is a collective effort.

Posted inSeptember 1, 2022: Going Under

The EPA has more options to rein in climate change than you think

by Elizabeth Shogren July 14, 2022January 24, 2024

There are still many ways to shut down major polluters — including some options the agency isn’t using.

Posted inArticles

Oregonians of color are building relationships in the outdoors

by Jennifer Perrine July 8, 2022January 24, 2024

‘We’re actually here for each other.’

Posted inArticles

The funky politics of wildfire right now

by Jonathan Thompson July 7, 2022January 24, 2024

After New Mexico’s record-breaking fires, the politics of wildfire are morphing into weird configurations.

Posted inArticles

Wildfire and detours on the Pacific Crest Trail

by Michael “Pause” Meyer June 13, 2022January 24, 2024

A hiker is caught in smoke and decision-making when the Carr Fire broke out in 2018.

Posted inJune 1, 2022: A Legacy of Weapons and War

Seeing Mars on Earth

by Jon Christensen May 24, 2022January 24, 2024

Kim Stanley Robinson on how the High Sierra has influenced his science fiction.

Posted inArticles

Utah wants to build an oil railway through a wilderness area

by Stephanie Mencimer May 3, 2022January 24, 2024

Questions surround the fiscal viability of the project and how this aligns with Biden’s climate agenda.

Posted inMay 1, 2022: New Ways of Seeing the West

The lion king of Los Angeles

by Ruxandra Guidi May 1, 2022January 24, 2024

After Miguel Ordeñana discovered mountain lion P-22 in urban LA, he became a key advocate for habitat connectivity, which is essential for the species’ survival in Southern California.

Posted inArticles

The forgotten history of wilderness, and a possible future

by Priscilla Solis Ybarra March 15, 2022January 24, 2024

Mexican American lands were taken upon annexation into the U.S., part of a history that is too often ignored.

Posted inMay 1, 2022: New Ways of Seeing the West

There are millions of acres of ‘failing’ rangelands, data shows

by Kylie Mohr March 14, 2022January 24, 2024

54 million acres of federal land managed by the Bureau of Land Management aren’t meeting the agency’s own land-health standards.

Posted inMarch 1, 2022: The Cloning Conundrum

Odd twins; rescue by owl; dinosaur IPA

by Tiffany Midge February 22, 2022January 24, 2024

Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.

Posted inArticles

Harry Reid’s legacy will be remembered on the land

by Jon Christensen and Graham Chisholm December 31, 2021January 24, 2024

A reflection on what endures after the death of the longtime senator from Nevada.

Posted inOctober 1, 2021: In The Graces of Grasses

Behind the wire with a fence ecologist

by Michael Parks September 28, 2021January 24, 2024

How researchers are using science and data to help wildlife.

Posted inArticles

More national parks won’t solve overcrowding

by Jonathan Thompson September 9, 2021January 24, 2024

Increase park funding instead.

Posts pagination

1 2 3 … 12 Older posts

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