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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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Military

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.

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.

Posted inArticles

EPA takes unprecedented step to remove uranium waste from the Navajo Nation

by Natalia Mesa January 17, 2025January 23, 2025

The decision opens the door for new ways to manage uranium pollution on tribal land.

A filtration system designed to filter out PFAS from the water supply in Horsham, Pennsylvania. The latest EPA proposal sets enforceable standards that are achievable using filtration technology that some East Coast utilities have used for years.
Posted inArticles

Most drinking water in the U.S. is contaminated by PFAS; here’s what you can do about it

by Sarah Trent March 28, 2023January 24, 2024

The EPA just proposed new rules on toxic ‘forever chemicals.’

Posted inMarch 1, 2023: Moving Parts

A little pickle, a fireball and an Indigenous astronaut

by Tiffany Midge March 1, 2023January 24, 2024

Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.

Posted inArticles

The untold story of the Pacific Northwest’s nuclear past

by Marianne Dhenin October 14, 2022January 24, 2024

‘Atomic Days’ offers a compelling, fact-packed introduction to the most toxic place in the nation.

Posted inArticles

Following 14,000-gallon fuel spill, Pacific representatives call for U.N. investigation

by Tristan Ahtone April 29, 2022January 24, 2024

Indigenous youth caucus calls for demilitarization of Hawai‘i.

Posted inMarch 1, 2022: The Cloning Conundrum

Hate speech on the Bitterroot

by Peter W. Fong February 21, 2022January 24, 2024

How a day on the river made me question my relationship to a place I call home.

Posted inJune 1, 2021: Once and Future Fires

The everyday violence of Indian Country’s ‘bordertowns’

by Kalen Goodluck May 12, 2021January 24, 2024

In ‘Red Nation Rising,’ violence in the communities abutting reservations illuminates colonialism’s continued presence.

Posted inArticles

Biden halted border wall construction. Now what?

by Jessica Kutz February 5, 2021January 24, 2024

Environmental and human rights advocates hope to steer the administration toward a new vision at the border.

Posted inArticles

Border wall scars: ‘It feels like if someone got a knife and dragged it across my heart.’

by Alisa Reznick February 4, 2021January 24, 2024

Tribal leaders and Borderlands communities reflect on their fruitless struggle to stop the wall.

Posted inJanuary 1, 2021: No Place Like Home

A high school football team’s wartime resistance

by Reid Singer December 4, 2020January 24, 2024

In ‘The Eagles of Heart Mountain,’ Bradford Pearson renders the lives of incarcerated Japanese Americans during World War II in three dimensions.

Posted inArticles

Bullock, Daines and Montana’s growing pains

by Abe Streep October 27, 2020January 24, 2024

In a critical Senate race, the two Steves lay claim to the “Montana way of life.”

Posted inArticles

Inhospitable, remote and compelling: The island swallowed by nowhere

by Sarah Gilman October 14, 2020January 24, 2024

Alaska’s St. Matthew Island has had its share of human visitors, but none can remain long.

Posted inOctober 1, 2020: Democracy's Frayed Western Front

Federal boots on city streets

by Carl Segerstrom August 26, 2020January 24, 2024

With Congress gridlocked and courts restrained, public opinion confronts authoritarian tactics.

Posted inSeptember 1, 2020: The Next West

A wildlife refuge under siege at the border

by Jessica Kutz August 11, 2020January 24, 2024

New emails detail drained ponds, salvaged fish and a tense relationship with the Department of Homeland Security.

Posted inJuly 1, 2020: 'I am here fighting for my life and future children'

Western police are geared up for war

by Jonathan Thompson June 26, 2020January 24, 2024

But who’s the enemy?

Posted inJune 1, 2020: Dissent at a Distance

When the ‘war on terror’ comes home

by Alex Trimble Young June 1, 2020January 24, 2024

‘Acceleration Hours’ is an honest, rare look at American militarism.

Posted inJune 1, 2020: Dissent at a Distance

The Gadsden flag is a symbol. But whose?

by Leah Sottile May 18, 2020January 24, 2024

How a Revolutionary War-era flag evolved into an anti-government symbol.

Posted inApril 1, 2020: Land-Grab Universities

Air Force pushed to find alternative to ‘forever chemicals’ for firefighting

by Kalen Goodluck April 1, 2020January 24, 2024

Can air bases come up with a less toxic foam and work with local communities affected by contamination?

Posts pagination

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

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The West in Perspective

AI on public lands and Biden’s environmental legacy

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