According to documents obtained by High Country News, the BLM bypassed normal processes to provide pandemic relief.
Nick Bowlin
Nick Bowlin is a contributing editor for High Country News. Email him at nickbowlin@hcn.org or submit a letter to the editor.
Posted inArticles
Hunting and fishing provide food security in the time of COVID-19
But virus fears and travel restrictions could impact big game season in the fall.
Posted inArticles
How Mormon history helps explain today’s public-land fights
Betsy Gaines Quammen’s new book looks at the Bundy family and religion’s connection to the Western landscape.
Posted inMay 1, 2020: Lives on Lockdown
‘We run towards problems, not away from them.’
As COVID-19 closes in, a rural doctor awaits the inevitable.
Posted inArticles
What are the Trump administration’s new plans for Utah monuments?
Tribal nations and conservation groups hope to dismantle the policies in court.
Posted inMarch 16, 2020: Wiring the Wild
The Backcountry Film Festival struggles to balance self-awareness and escapism
The 15th annual film series unevenly grapples with the paradox of the winter rec industry.
Posted inMarch 1, 2020: Predator (Mis)perceptions
Psychedelics on a trip to Western ballots
Decriminalization campaigns follow a Denver ballot initiative to regulate shrooms that passed last year.
Posted inFebruary 1, 2020: How One Woman Took a Stand Against Tribal Disenrollment and Paid For It
Plans for HCN’s 50th anniversary bash come together
From puppies to party planning to new fellowships, we remain busy.
Posted inMarch 1, 2020: Predator (Mis)perceptions
Mauna Kea telescope project halted after months of protests
Hawai‘i Gov. David Ige announced that law enforcement would vacate the area.
Posted inDecember 9, 2019: Crossing to Safety
In rural Colorado, the kids of coal miners learn to install solar panels
Where the mines once provided steady employment, solar energy now offers jobs for the next generation.
Posted inDecember 9, 2019: Crossing to Safety
Undocumented farmworkers could get citizenship from a new bill in Congress
A United Farm Worker organizer reveals the political strategy behind the scenes.
Posted inArticles
Is renewable energy’s future dammed?
A proposed hydroelectric project on the Little Colorado River shows the tricky trade-offs in transitioning from fossil fuels.
Posted inArticles
Gunnison sage grouse are vulnerable to climate chaos
The dancing birds are especially susceptible to changing weather patterns, which is bad news going forward.
Posted inOctober 14, 2019: Severed Ties
How BLM employees really feel about moving West
Leaked audio from a recent agency meeting is filled with fumbles by leadership, disapproving rumbles and derisive laughter from staff.
Posted inSeptember 16, 2019: "We can either wait on Mother Nature – or we can give it a shot ourselves."
A water ‘win-win’ in Colorado? Not so fast.
A plan to export water from the San Luis Valley to the Denver Metro area is met with defiance.
Posted inSeptember 16, 2019: "We can either wait on Mother Nature – or we can give it a shot ourselves."
Colorado farmers fight to save their water and their community’s future
‘We can either wait on Mother Nature — or we can give it a shot ourselves.’
Posted inNovember 25, 2019: Forever Mines
The feds tried to make an example of a small Washington coal mine. It didn’t work.
The John Henry Mine last produced coal in 1999 and has yet to be fully reclaimed.
Posted inSeptember 2, 2019: In Bad Faith
San Juan County ends legal fight against Voting Rights Act decision
The first-ever Navajo majority commission halted a legal challenge to the ruling that ended discriminatory voting boundaries.
Posted inAugust 5, 2019: From Prison to Fireline
Accolades and some new roles
New interns and a fellow arrive, and our editorial staff continues to morph.