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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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Bureau of Land Management

Posted inArticles

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

by Christine Peterson February 17, 2025February 17, 2025

Career employees told HCN they were unsettled by the termination email sent by HR, which cited ‘performance issues.’

Anti-fracking graffiti on an abandoned house near Bloomfield, New Mexico, near Navajo Nation, expresses opposition to the oil and gas in the area.
Posted inArticles

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

by Chad Bradley February 11, 2025February 11, 2025

Company can begin to issue plans for drilling near Chaco Canyon buffer zone on Navajo Nation allotment.

Posted inArticles

We must protect our sacred lands

by Clark Tenakhongva January 29, 2025January 29, 2025

To meet the crisis of our time and help address past wrongs, we need bold action from decision makers.

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum speaks at the Republican National Convention in July 2024.
Posted inArticles

Trump’s nominee for leading Interior attempted to rip up rules governing public lands

by Mark Olalde and Mary Steurer January 27, 2025January 24, 2025

North Dakota sued the Interior Department at least five times under Gov. Doug Burgum. Now he’s set to run the agency.

Posted inArticles

The EXPLORE Act is a blueprint for bipartisan conservation legislation

by Zoë Rom January 13, 2025January 10, 2025

Bipartisan support for the act highlights the outdoor industry’s growing political clout, but questions remain about its cultural and environmental impact.

Posted inArticles

Outgoing Bureau of Land Management director optimistic about public lands

by Kylie Mohr January 10, 2025January 10, 2025

Tracy Stone-Manning discusses the BLM’s achievements and talks about the future as we enter a new political era.

Prairie dogs emerge from their burrow in a colony on American Prairie in Montana. Prairie dogs, once one of the most abundant animals on the prairie, now occupy 2% of their historic range.
Posted inJanuary 2025: The West's Most Wanted

Why the West needs prairie dogs

by Christine Peterson January 1, 2025January 6, 2025

They’re among the region’s most despised species, but some tribes, researchers and landowners are racing to save them.

Posted inArticles

2024’s biggest conservation wins for the West

by Kylie Mohr December 25, 2024December 23, 2024

There were glimmers of good news across the region, from restored habitats to growing wildlife populations.

Posted inArticles

Utah’s coal mines can’t find enough workers

by Brooke Larsen December 23, 2024February 17, 2025

A mine just reopened in eastern Utah, but the industry has changed.

Posted inArticles

Western monarch butterflies favor private land. Now what?

by Kylie Mohr November 25, 2024December 5, 2024

A new analysis of the butterflies’ migration routes shows the need for collaborative conservation.

Posted inArticles

Where horses roam, sage grouse struggle

by Christine Peterson November 19, 2024November 18, 2024

A new study shows the imperiled bird declines as free-roaming horses exceed the land’s capacity.

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 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

How another Donald Trump term could dismantle federal agencies

by Mark Olalde October 23, 2024October 22, 2024

Trump moved the BLM’s headquarters from the capital to Colorado in 2020, causing disruption and an exodus of leadership. If elected, he plans to use the same tactic elsewhere.

Posted inArticles

Will exploratory lithium mining continue near a sacred hot spring?

by Maya L. Kapoor October 2, 2024November 7, 2024

A judge will decide the fate of Ha’Kamwe’ as the Hualapai Nation fights the drilling in court.

Eric Parker from central Idaho aims his weapon from a bridge as protesters gather by the Bureau of Land Management’s base camp near Bunkerville, Nevada, in April 2014.
Posted inOctober 2024: Latino Vote

What the Bundy Bunkerville standoff foreshadowed

by Leah Sottile October 1, 2024September 30, 2024

Ten years after the impasse between the Bundy family and the BLM, the doctrine of white oppression is widely embraced.

Posted inArticles

Utah wants your public land — for more roads

by Jonathan Thompson August 29, 2024August 28, 2024

The state wants to build a highway through tortoise habitat.

Posted inArticles

Why Utah is suing the U.S. for control of public land 

by Brooke Larsen August 23, 2024August 22, 2024

The state asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday to weigh in on the future of federal lands.

Posted inArticles

Is your community ready for a wildfire?

by Erin X. Wong August 5, 2024August 12, 2024

Local governments throughout the West are investing in wildfire defense. Here’s how to know if yours is one of them.

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?

Posts pagination

1 2 3 … 24 Older posts

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Most popular stories

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

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