Both of September’s feature stories take us deep into the desert. The Border Patrol has an inherent conflict of interest: chasing and deporting undocumented migrants while rescuing those who get lost or injured trying to elude its agents. Artist Michael Heizer sees Nevada’s rugged desert as an empty canvas for his massive projects rather than a natural landscape and the home of Indigenous people. Portland, Oregon’s industrial hub is at serious risk from earthquakes. Venezuelan immigrants turn to social media to combat vicious stereotypes. HCN interviews Indigenous leaders about the Interior Department’s overdue acknowledgement of the damage caused by the Columbia River’s dams. How can California’s cities protect themselves from climate change-caused flooding? Scientists are studying how wildlife adapted when a landslide closed the road through Alaska’s Denali National Park. We take a close-up, colorful look at the essential but imperiled western bumblebee. Butterflies have lessons to teach about queer survival, and an iconic Western chain store goes out of business.

The early morning sun shines through the Sonoran Desert landscape near the U.S.-Mexico border in southern Arizona. According to the International Organization for Migration, the U.S.-Mexico border is the deadliest land route for migrants in the world.
The early morning sun shines through the Sonoran Desert landscape near the U.S.-Mexico border in southern Arizona. According to the International Organization for Migration, the U.S.-Mexico border is the deadliest land route for migrants in the world. Credit: Roberto (Bear) Guerra/High Country News

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