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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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Climate

Posted inArticles

Urban wildfires shouldn’t surprise us

by Ruxandra Guidi February 14, 2025February 13, 2025

Southern California is jolted into a new reality.

Posted inArticles

Los incendios urbanos no deberían sorprendernos

by Ruxandra Guidi February 14, 2025February 13, 2025

El sur de California se ve sacudido a una nueva realidad.

Posted inArticles

The possibilities of climate grief

by Lauren Markham February 4, 2025February 3, 2025

A journey through the heart of despair to find what’s on the other side.

Posted inFebruary 2025: Immigrant Stories

A veteran transforms a legacy of violence into a campaign for restoration

by Alexander Lemons February 1, 2025January 31, 2025

How a former Marine found a road to repair.

California Proposition 4 will continue to help fund projects related to climate change, including beach restoration projects like this one in San Clemente.
Posted inFebruary 2025: Immigrant Stories

The climate fight endures

by Jonathan Thompson February 1, 2025January 31, 2025

Despite a hostile administration, local governments in the West recognize the need to
continue the energy transition, and they have plans.

Researchers from the University of California, Santa Cruz and NOAA Fisheries search for black abalone along the Dangermond Preserve coastline in central California in October.
Posted inFebruary 2025: Immigrant Stories

Bringing black abalone back from the brink

by Natalia Mesa February 1, 2025January 31, 2025

To save the species, researchers translocated the endangered California mollusk.

Posted inArticles

AI on public lands and Biden’s environmental legacy

by Jonathan Thompson January 30, 2025February 3, 2025

The 46th president finished his term in customary contradictory style.

Posted inArticles

With so many displaced by fires, Los Angeles County can’t accurately measure homelessness

by Erin Rode January 22, 2025January 30, 2025

The county was supposed to conduct an annual tally of people experiencing homelessness this month. Then disaster struck.

Two AmeriCorps NCCC Forest Corps members participate in field training in California last summer.
Posted inArticles

The American Climate Corps fades away

by Kate Yoder January 20, 2025January 21, 2025

After just 8 months, Biden’s green jobs program shut down before Trump took office. What did it do?

Posted inArticles

How to solve local opposition to green development

by Erin X. Wong January 16, 2025January 23, 2025

Bespoke community benefits agreements can offer residents tangible gains in return for the disturbance of development.

Posted inArticles

Wildfires are too much for municipal water systems. In Los Angeles, firefighters tried anyway.

by Kylie Mohr January 14, 2025January 16, 2025

Water systems aren’t designed for unlimited demands during wildland-urban interface fires.

Posted inArticles

Who’s against wind development in ‘The Crazies’?

by Ian Max Stevenson January 3, 2025January 2, 2025

Amy Gamerman’s new book examines attempts to block the energy transition in Montana’s Crazy Mountains.

Posted inArticles

Jimmy Carter’s mixed environmental record

by Jonathan Thompson January 3, 2025January 2, 2025

The former president emphasized conservation, protection — and coal mining.

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.

At Sequoia National Park in California, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employees cover trees in structure wrap to protect them from fires in late September, 2021.
Posted inJanuary 2025: The West's Most Wanted

Fire crews do more than fight fires

by Cameron Walker January 1, 2025December 31, 2024

Some protect habitats and cultural resources from smoke and flames.

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

The Supreme Court decisions that gutted environmental protections in 2024

by Natalia Mesa December 19, 2024December 18, 2024

Several major cases destroyed federal agencies’ ability to address climate change and pollution.

Posted inArticles

Wildfire … in winter?

by Kylie Mohr December 12, 2024January 9, 2025

Expect more fires like the fast-moving one in Malibu, scientists say.

Posted inArticles

How did Native people vote this election cycle?

by Anna V. Smith December 11, 2024December 12, 2024

Accurate data is hard to come by, but one poll suggests many supported progressive priorities and liberal candidates.

Posted inArticles

The Biden administration weighs in on Colorado River management

by Natalia Mesa December 3, 2024December 2, 2024

Amid mounting drought, changing federal leadership and stalled state negotiations, new federal proposals aim to chart a forward path.

Posts pagination

1 2 3 … 24 Older posts

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Most popular stories

  • Bringing black abalone back from the brink
  • The Forest Service is cutting its seasonal workforce and public lands will suffer
  • Urban wildfires shouldn’t surprise us
  • Orcas à la mode, totally tubular sea pickles and bloodthirsty squirrels
  • Land-grab universities

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

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