A writer reflects on our instinct to save nature.
Ruxandra Guidi
Ruxandra Guidi is a correspondent for High Country News. She writes from Tucson, Arizona. Follow her on Instagram: @ruxguidi
Posted inMay 1, 2022: New Ways of Seeing the West
The lion king of Los Angeles
After Miguel Ordeñana discovered mountain lion P-22 in urban LA, he became a key advocate for habitat connectivity, which is essential for the species’ survival in Southern California.
Posted inMarch 1, 2022: The Cloning Conundrum
When the little owl vanishes
A writer reflects on parenthood and what to talk about when confronting extinction.
Posted inOctober 1, 2021: In The Graces of Grasses
In Arizona, a radical change in juvenile detention
How a rural town transformed a juvenile facility into a safe space for teens.
Posted inArticles
Pro-Trump riots won’t stop the winds of political change blowing in the West
What the D.C. insurgency meant for our regional conscience.
Posted inArticles, En español
El Oeste tiene un papel en la reinvención de los Estados Unidos
Nuestra noción del ‘excepcionalismo Americano’ ha colapsado. ¿Qué lo reemplazará?
Posted inArticles
The West has a role in reimagining the U.S.
Our notion of ‘American exceptionalism’ has collapsed. What will replace it?
Posted inArticles, En español
La nueva ola de activismo en Arizona
Un pequeño pueblo construye resiliencia ecológica
Posted inJune 1, 2020: Dissent at a Distance
How a small Arizona town is building ecological resilience
A younger generation of activists are being trained in conservation.
Posted inApril 1, 2020: Land-Grab Universities
How the U.S. immigration system has grown increasingly cruel
The nation’s migration deterrence policy shapes the way immigrants are seen and treated.
Posted inSeptember 2, 2019: In Bad Faith
Letters from Miguel: ‘I felt I had no option but to leave’
How my correspondence with an immigrant detainee has given me hope.
Posted inMarch 18, 2019: Arizona's Wild Horse Paradox
Police-state tactics at the U.S.-Mexico border
The real crisis at the border is of Trump’s own making.
Posted inArticles
On-the-ground pollution data spurred stricter zoning in Los Angeles
Locals’ efforts prompted buffers for auto shops and air filter rules for new buildings.
Posted inArticles
El sindicato gana al final
Los Angeles Times y su transformación de entidad antisindicalista a modelo para los trabajadores de los medios.
Posted inDecember 24, 2018: Good news, bad news
How the Los Angeles Times went from union-busting to media role model
Resistance to deep cutbacks have brought about change to the 137-year-old paper.
Posted inArticles
Migrants’ endless walk north
Despite punitive policies, the myth of the American dream leads people to caravan to the U.S.
Posted inArticles
La eterna caminata de los migrantes hacia el norte
El mito del sueño americano lleva a muchos en caravana hacia EE. UU. a pesar de sus políticas punitivas.
Posted inOctober 15, 2018: Nature Retreat
Can a California town move back from the sea?
Imperial Beach considers the unthinkable: a retreat from nature.
Posted inOctober 15, 2018: Nature Retreat
¿Puede una ciudad de California replegarse para cederle paso al mar?
Imperial Beach considera lo impensable: emprender retirada a causa de la naturaleza.
Posted inArticles
Students explore nature in densely built Los Angeles
Educators hope this elementary school will foster a commitment to science and conservation.