• Your Dashboard
  • Features
  • Public Lands
  • Indigenous Affairs
  • Water
  • Climate Change
  • Arts & Culture
  • Subscribe
  • Newsletters
  • Donate Now
  • The Magazine
  • Jobs & Classifieds
    • Jobs & Classifieds
    • Place a Classified Ad
    • Display Ad Info
  • Your Dashboard
  • Features
  • Public Lands
  • Indigenous Affairs
  • Water
  • Climate Change
  • Arts & Culture
  • Subscribe
  • Newsletters
  • Donate Now
  • The Magazine
  • Jobs & Classifieds
    • Jobs & Classifieds
    • Place a Classified Ad
    • Display Ad Info
Skip to content
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.

Support

Read more Western reporting

Sign up to receive High Country News’ email newsletters and get on-the-ground reporting and investigations delivered to your inbox each week.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Welcome to High Country News

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.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Analysis

Posted inJanuary 2025: The West's Most Wanted

What Project 2025 has to say about Native communities

by Anna V. Smith October 29, 2024December 20, 2024

The initiative focuses heavily on resource extraction of tribal lands but lacks detail on other key issues.

Posted inArticles

Kamala Harris tries to navigate the convoluted politics of oil and gas

by Jonathan Thompson September 26, 2024September 30, 2024

Drill, Democrats, drill?

Posted inArticles

Grabbing public land in the name of housing

by Jonathan Thompson July 25, 2024August 8, 2024

Have politicians finally found a way to take public land out of the public’s hands?

Posted inArticles

Data centers could set back climate progress

by Jonathan Thompson June 27, 2024August 8, 2024

AI, cryptocurrency “mining” and our digital lifestyles imperil the energy transition — and the planet.

Posted inArticles

The theft of the commons

by Antonia Malchik June 25, 2024August 8, 2024

It’s time to turn away from land ownership and back to land relationship.

Posted inArticles

Trump vs. Biden on the climate

by Jonathan Thompson May 31, 2024August 8, 2024

The next presidential election will have huge ramifications for the planet.

Posted inMay 2024: A River Returns

The West remains cattle country

by Jonathan Thompson May 1, 2024June 14, 2024

Livestock has indelibly altered the region’s land, water and air.

Comb Ridge in the Shash Jáa unit of Bears Ears National Monument, Utah.
Posted inArticles

As national monuments multiply, Bears Ears forges forward

by Anna V. Smith April 30, 2024August 8, 2024

Tribal co-management takes shape on the ground.

Posted inArticles

Is Biden a public-lands protector? 

by Jonathan Thompson April 25, 2024August 8, 2024

The administration makes the biggest land-management moves in a half century.

Posted inArticles

Cattle are drinking the Colorado River dry

by Jonathan Thompson March 28, 2024March 28, 2024

Balancing Western water demand and supply will alter the region’s landscape.

Posted inArticles

Disaster disparities in the West

by Natalia Mesa March 4, 2024March 1, 2024

The risk of climate catastrophe is complex, but people of color often face ‘unnatural hazards.’

Large pipes frame the entrance of Tony M. Uranium Mine. Consolidated Uranium claims it is beginning the process of reopening the long-idle mine.
Posted inArticles

Is uranium poised for a renaissance?

by Jonathan Thompson January 25, 2024February 1, 2024

As prices climb, mining proposals proliferate. But it might just be hype.

Posted inArticles

Will the Supreme Court allow agencies to continue interpreting ambiguity in laws?

by Robin Kundis Craig January 22, 2024February 1, 2024

If the ‘Chevron deference’ is overturned, federal enforcement of key environmental and health care regulations will be sharply curbed.

Fajada Butte in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico. The Biden Administration Banned new oil and gas leasing within a 10-mile radius of Chaco Culture National Historical Park for the next 20 years.
Posted inArticles

Is Biden waging a war on energy? Or on the climate?

by Jonathan Thompson December 29, 2023February 5, 2024

A year-end review of the administration’s policy on fossil fuels and public lands.

Posted inArticles

Paws on the ground: How Colorado got its wolves back

by Ben Goldfarb December 19, 2023May 8, 2024

Five wolves were released in remote western Colorado yesterday, marking the beginning of an ambitious reintroduction program.

Deseret milkvetch, a flowering plant found only in central Utah, grows only between 5,400 and 5,600 feet elevation.
Posted inArticles

A Westerner’s guide to the Endangered Species Act

by Michelle Nijhuis December 18, 2023May 8, 2024

What you need to know about the law that’s shaped our region.

Posted inDecember 1, 2023: December 2023

The Endangered Species Act’s complicated legacy in Indian Country

by Anna V. Smith December 1, 2023May 8, 2024

The landmark law has served as both sword and shield.

A solar panel covered parking lot on the Arizona State University campus in Tempe, Arizona.
Posted inArticles

Pondering public lands and the energy transition conundrum

by Jonathan Thompson November 30, 2023February 1, 2024

Fighting the climate crisis will require difficult choices.

Geologic formation in the Red Desert, Wyoming.
Posted inArticles

Outrage, disinformation and threats rise up in Wyoming around a BLM land plan

by Jonathan Thompson October 26, 2023January 24, 2024

Is there a new Sagebrush Rebellion flaring in the Cowboy State?

Posted inArticles

Could the 151-year-old mining law finally be reformed?

by Jonathan Thompson September 28, 2023January 24, 2024

A working group calls for reforms in advance of a green metals boom.

Posts pagination

1 2 3 … 15 Older posts

Support nonprofit news

High Country News relies on donations as well as subscription fees to produce independent reporting on the West. Help continue the legacy of reader-supported journalism by making a tax-deductible contribution today.

Make a contribution

Find out more about how we use your contributions in our annual reports and filings.

Subscribe to High Country News

Get access to on-the-ground reporting from across the West and support continued coverage of our region.

Read more Western reporting

Subscribe to weekly email newsletters from High Country News for the best on-the-ground reporting from across the region.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Most popular stories

  • Days before Trump took office, Interior approved oil and gas leases for land bought during 2019 public auction
  • The power of prescribed fire
  • Land-grab universities
  • The Forest Service is cutting its seasonal workforce and public lands will suffer
  • Bringing black abalone back from the brink

Featured Stories

Urban wildfires shouldn’t surprise us

Urban wildfires shouldn’t surprise us

Los incendios urbanos no deberían sorprendernos

Los incendios urbanos no deberían sorprendernos

Days before Trump took office, Interior approved oil and gas leases for land bought during 2019 public auction

Days before Trump took office, Interior approved oil and gas leases for land bought during 2019 public auction

The West in Perspective

AI on public lands and Biden’s environmental legacy

by Jonathan Thompson

We must protect our sacred lands

by Clark Tenakhongva

Pay wildland firefighters a living wage

by Riley Yuan

About High Country News

  • Our history
  • How to support HCN
  • Submissions

Know the West.

Get 2 free issues ↓

119 Grand Avenue
PO Box 1090
Paonia, CO 81428
(970) 527-4898

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • TikTok
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS Feed
  • Contact Us
  • About us
  • Careers
  • Pitch us a story
  • Fellowships
  • Education
  • Get email newsletters
  • Support our work
  • Advertise
  • Syndication
  • Subscriber services
Get 2 free issues ↓
Magazine cover: January 11, 2024: The Creatures in Our Midst

Sign up for a free trial of High Country News. Learn what’s happening across the West today and see if becoming a subscriber is for you.

Privacy Policy | Terms of Use

© 2025 High Country News. All rights reserved Powered by Newspack