• 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.

Sagebrush Rebellion

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.

Posted inArticles

In rural Washington, a ‘constitutional sheriff’ and his growing volunteer posse provoke controversy

by Paul Kiefer October 10, 2024October 10, 2024

Where some see a ‘rural neighborhood watch’ that saves money, others worry about liability and ties to extremism.

Eric Parker from central Idaho aims his weapon from a bridge as protesters gather by the Bureau of Land Management’s base camp near Bunkerville, Nevada, in April 2014.
Posted inOctober 2024: Latino Vote

What the Bundy Bunkerville standoff foreshadowed

by Leah Sottile October 1, 2024September 30, 2024

Ten years after the impasse between the Bundy family and the BLM, the doctrine of white oppression is widely embraced.

Posted inArticles

Utah wants your public land — for more roads

by Jonathan Thompson August 29, 2024August 28, 2024

The state wants to build a highway through tortoise habitat.

Posted inArticles

Why Utah is suing the U.S. for control of public land 

by Brooke Larsen August 23, 2024August 22, 2024

The state asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday to weigh in on the future of federal lands.

Posted inArticles

Grabbing public land in the name of housing

by Jonathan Thompson July 25, 2024August 8, 2024

Have politicians finally found a way to take public land out of the public’s hands?

Posted inArticles

Who is spouting violent rhetoric?

by Jonathan Thompson July 17, 2024August 8, 2024

Reflections on this fraught moment in history.

Geologic formation in the Red Desert, Wyoming.
Posted inArticles

Outrage, disinformation and threats rise up in Wyoming around a BLM land plan

by Jonathan Thompson October 26, 2023January 24, 2024

Is there a new Sagebrush Rebellion flaring in the Cowboy State?

A photo of Ted Kaczynski positioned in the window of a member of the Eugene, Oregon activist community. It reads “Be Like Ted.”
Posted inArticles

James Watt, Ted Kaczynski and power over lands

by Leah Sottile June 13, 2023January 24, 2024

The legacies of the two recently departed men are intertwined.

Posted inArticles

A ‘seismic shift’ for public lands?

by Jonathan Thompson April 13, 2023January 24, 2024

The new Public Lands Rule would put conservation on par with other uses.

Posted inNovember 1, 2022: The Futures of Conservation

How to prevent an anti-government revolution

by Sarah Trent October 26, 2022January 24, 2024

In eastern Oregon, one strategy has proven effective at inoculating communities against extremist ideology.

Posted inArticles

How yellowcake shaped the West

by Jonathan Thompson July 30, 2021January 24, 2024

The ghosts of the uranium boom continue to haunt the land, water and people.

Posted inApril 1, 2021: Holding Fast

Under Biden, the BLM backtracks on Hammond grazing permit

by Surya Milner March 16, 2021January 24, 2024

Days before their herd was set to return to public lands near Oregon’s Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, two fire-starting ranchers lose their grazing rights.

Posted inFebruary 1, 2021: End of the Line

The Washington, D.C., siege has Western roots and consequences

by Carl Segerstrom January 8, 2021January 24, 2024

History and the growing power of right-wing extremism point to a volatile future for the West during the Biden presidency.

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

Bureau of Land Management investigates a new Bundy ranch project

by Kalen Goodluck June 16, 2020January 24, 2024

Ryan Bundy is allegedly building irrigation structures in Gold Butte National Monument.

Posted inMarch 1, 2020: Predator (Mis)perceptions

The residual power of Ammon Bundy

by Leah Sottile February 21, 2020January 24, 2024

What’s it like when the West’s most notorious anti-government figure comes to your town?

Posted inArticles

Washington Rep. Matt Shea engaged in ‘domestic terrorism,’ helped plan Malheur standoff, investigation finds

by Melissa Santos December 20, 2019January 24, 2024

A report says the Spokane Valley Republican aided three armed conflicts against the U.S. government.

Posted inArticles

From the Bundys to cheap burgundy: How myths shape the West

by Jenny Shank November 8, 2019January 24, 2024

Novelist Frank Bergon meanders through a changing West and traces old stories refreshed.

Posted inOctober 14, 2019: Severed Ties

How BLM employees really feel about moving West

by Nick Bowlin September 20, 2019January 24, 2024

Leaked audio from a recent agency meeting is filled with fumbles by leadership, disapproving rumbles and derisive laughter from staff.

Posted inArticles

Land transfer advocate and longtime agency combatant now leads BLM

by Chris D’Angelo August 8, 2019August 30, 2024

William Perry Pendley has been tasked with overseeing 245 million acres of public lands he’s argued the federal government shouldn’t own.

Posts pagination

1 2 3 … 10 Older posts

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

  • People brace for impacts on land, water and wildlife after feds fire thousands over holiday weekend
  • Trump’s funding cuts leave the nation vulnerable to catastrophic wildfire
  • ICE in your community? Here’s what to know.
  • Bringing black abalone back from the brink
  • The Forest Service is cutting its seasonal workforce and public lands will suffer

Featured Stories

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

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

ICE in your community? Here’s what to know.

ICE in your community? Here’s what to know.

Trump’s funding cuts leave the nation vulnerable to catastrophic wildfire

Trump’s funding cuts leave the nation vulnerable to catastrophic wildfire

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