• Your Dashboard
  • Features
  • Public Lands
  • Indigenous Affairs
  • Water
  • Climate Change
  • Arts & Culture
  • Subscribe
  • Newsletters
  • Donate Now
  • The Magazine
  • Jobs & Classifieds
    • Jobs & Classifieds
    • Place a Classified Ad
    • Display Ad Info
  • Your Dashboard
  • Features
  • Public Lands
  • Indigenous Affairs
  • Water
  • Climate Change
  • Arts & Culture
  • Subscribe
  • Newsletters
  • Donate Now
  • The Magazine
  • Jobs & Classifieds
    • Jobs & Classifieds
    • Place a Classified Ad
    • Display Ad Info
Skip to content
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.

Support

Read more Western reporting

Sign up to receive High Country News’ email newsletters and get on-the-ground reporting and investigations delivered to your inbox each week.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Welcome to High Country News

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.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Robert Lee

New Mexico State University, as seen in an aerial view, is a land-grant school founded in 1888.
Posted inArticles

Stolen Indigenous land is the foundation of the land-grant university system. Climate change is its legacy.

by Tristan Ahtone, Robert Lee, Amanda Tachine, An Garagiola, Audrianna Goodwin, Maria Parazo Rose and Clayton Aldern February 7, 2024February 7, 2024

Extractive industries are filling public university coffers on stolen land.

Posted inArticles

The land-grant universities still profiting off Indigenous homelands

by Kalen Goodluck, Tristan Ahtone and Robert Lee August 18, 2020January 24, 2024

There are at least 16 land-grant universities making money from the expropriated Indigenous lands they retained from the Morrill Act.

Posted inArticles

Land-grant universities should acknowledge their debt to Indigenous people

by Tristan Ahtone and Robert Lee May 8, 2020January 24, 2024

Many of the nation’s universities were created with stolen wealth.

Posted inApril 1, 2020: Land-Grab Universities

Land-grab universities

by Robert Lee and Tristan Ahtone March 30, 2020January 24, 2024

Expropriated Indigenous land is the foundation of the land-grant university system.

Posted inArticles

How we investigated the land-grant university system

by Robert Lee March 30, 2020January 24, 2024

A methodology of our two-year inquiry into the origin of wealth that undergirds the nation’s system of higher education.

Posted inArticles

Further reading on HCN’s land-grants university investigation

by Robert Lee March 30, 2020January 24, 2024

Dive deep into our bibliography.

Support nonprofit news

High Country News relies on donations as well as subscription fees to produce independent reporting on the West. Help continue the legacy of reader-supported journalism by making a tax-deductible contribution today.

Make a contribution

Find out more about how we use your contributions in our annual reports and filings.

Subscribe to High Country News

Get access to on-the-ground reporting from across the West and support continued coverage of our region.

Read more Western reporting

Subscribe to weekly email newsletters from High Country News for the best on-the-ground reporting from across the region.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Most popular stories

  • Days before Trump took office, Interior approved oil and gas leases for land bought during 2019 public auction
  • The power of prescribed fire
  • Land-grab universities
  • Bringing black abalone back from the brink
  • A writer finds freedom in being unapologetically Indigenous

Featured Stories

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 Indian education of Charles Sams

The Indian education of Charles Sams

The possibilities of climate grief

The possibilities of climate grief

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

About High Country News

  • Our history
  • How to support HCN
  • Submissions

Know the West.

Get 2 free issues ↓

119 Grand Avenue
PO Box 1090
Paonia, CO 81428
(970) 527-4898

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • TikTok
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS Feed
  • Contact Us
  • About us
  • Careers
  • Pitch us a story
  • Fellowships
  • Education
  • Get email newsletters
  • Support our work
  • Advertise
  • Syndication
  • Subscriber services
Get 2 free issues ↓
Magazine cover: January 11, 2024: The Creatures in Our Midst

Sign up for a free trial of High Country News. Learn what’s happening across the West today and see if becoming a subscriber is for you.

Privacy Policy | Terms of Use

© 2025 High Country News. All rights reserved Powered by Newspack