• 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.

Climate Change

Scene through end of a pipe.
Posted inArticles

Fixing culverts can save migratory fish

by Ben Goldfarb March 27, 2024March 27, 2024

A billion-dollar program is unblocking millions of killer culverts across the nation to help fish get to spawning grounds.

Posted inArticles

Climate change is happening too fast for migrating birds

by Natalia Mesa March 25, 2024March 22, 2024

The early bird would get the worm, but migration timing isn’t matching green-up.

Posted inArticles

Fighting climate change by fighting racism

by Susan Shain March 21, 2024May 8, 2024

Hop Hopkins, the new executive director of WildEarth Guardians, explains how the two movements are connected.

A white-lined sphinx moth flies amongst some honeysuckle.
Posted inArticles

Pollution and pollinators: Why stopping to smell the flowers has become difficult

by Jackie Flynn Mogensen March 19, 2024March 19, 2024

A new study shows that car emissions make it hard for pollinators to find flowers.

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.’

Posted inArticles

The good, the bad and the ugly of the state legislative season

by Jonathan Thompson February 29, 2024February 28, 2024

While Congress does nothing, Western state lawmakers pass a flurry of consequential and/or crazy — bills.

The “It’s the Climate” sign was first hung on July 20, 1920, to promote the temperate weather of Grants Pass.
Posted inArticles

How a small town with limited resources is planning for climate change

by Claire Carlson February 22, 2024February 21, 2024

Oregon’s Grants Pass is known for its climate, and its sustainability plan aims to keep it that way.

Posted inArticles

How the Colville Tribes are restoring traditional lands and wildlife

by Rico Moore February 20, 2024February 16, 2024

The tribes are re-establishing native species wiped out by systematic colonization.

Posted inArticles

See how bad your community’s air will be in 30 years

by Susan Shain February 19, 2024February 16, 2024

New data forecasts the nation’s future air quality, all the way down to individual addresses.

Posted inArticles

During climate chaos, a witness and champion of the West

by Jenny Shank February 14, 2024March 6, 2024

A Q&A with author and educator Laura Pritchett.

Posted inArticles

What this winter’s snowfall says about the future of skiing

by Susan Shain February 12, 2024February 13, 2024

A snow-obsessed meteorologist dishes on this year’s precipitation — and what it means for winters to come.

Posted inJanuary 11, 2024: The Creatures in Our Midst

How solar geoengineering is clouding issues of tribal consent

by Hilary Beaumont February 1, 2024February 20, 2024

‘Move fast, break things’ approach runs into issues of tribal authority.

Central Valley Chinook salmon are released at Nimbus Hatchery in Gold River, California.
Posted inArticles

Gov. Newsom releases new plan to save California salmon

by Sharon Levy January 31, 2024February 2, 2024

A wave of dam removals is planned, but salmon strategy relies on voluntary water cuts.

Posted inJanuary 11, 2024: The Creatures in Our Midst

The Northwestern Shoshone are restoring the Bear River Massacre site

by Brooke Larsen January 29, 2024May 8, 2024

The tribe is reclaiming their gathering place and returning water to the Great Salt Lake.

The West Dock Causeway is part of the oil and gas infrastructure on Alaska’s North Slope. Gravel is a prized commodity for the oil and gas industry. [
Posted inArticles

Alaska is short on gravel and long on development projects

by Emily Schwing January 26, 2024February 1, 2024

The state’s North Slope communities need rocks, and they’re hard to come by.

Posted inJanuary 11, 2024: The Creatures in Our Midst

As glaciers melt, potential salmon habitat collides with outdated mining laws

by Maya L. Kapoor January 23, 2024February 1, 2024

In Alaska and British Columbia, climate change may open new rivers to fish – and to gold mines.

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.

The sun sets over the Togiak National Wildlife Refuge.
Posted inArticles

The culling of Alaska’s bears and wolves

by Lois Parshley January 18, 2024February 6, 2024

As the state’s wildlife numbers decline, predators are getting the blame. The true threat is much more complex.

Posted inArticles

Climate litigation to watch in 2024

by Natalia Mesa January 2, 2024January 31, 2024

These court cases could move the needle on the climate crisis.

Posted inJanuary 1, 2024: January 2024

How kung-fu heroes can grow our climate consciousness

by Jenny Liou January 1, 2024January 31, 2024

‘It’s an intentional alignment with a certain kind of underground resistance.’

Posts pagination

Newer posts 1 … 3 4 5 6 7 … 82 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

  • People brace for impacts on land, water and wildlife after feds fire thousands over holiday weekend
  • Trump’s funding cuts leave the nation vulnerable to catastrophic wildfire
  • ICE in your community? Here’s what to know.
  • Bringing black abalone back from the brink
  • The Forest Service is cutting its seasonal workforce and public lands will suffer

Featured Stories

People brace for impacts on land, water and wildlife after feds fire thousands over holiday weekend

People brace for impacts on land, water and wildlife after feds fire thousands over holiday weekend

ICE in your community? Here’s what to know.

ICE in your community? Here’s what to know.

Trump’s funding cuts leave the nation vulnerable to catastrophic wildfire

Trump’s funding cuts leave the nation vulnerable to catastrophic wildfire

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