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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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Adam Mahoney

Adam Mahoney, the environmental reporter at Capital B News, is from Wilmington, California, where he grew up. He first wrote for HCN in 2020 about the oil refineries in his hometown. @AdamLMahoney

Jade Stevens rests near Lake Putt on land in California’s Tahoe National Forest that is owned and managed by the 40 Acre Conservation League.
Posted inDecember 2024: Land as Reparations

Can land repair the nation’s racist past?

by Adam Mahoney December 1, 2024November 26, 2024

California’s approach to Black reparations shifts toward land access, ownership and stewardship.

Posted inMarch 1, 2023: Moving Parts

For Black families, it isn’t simple creating roots in Phoenix

by Adam Mahoney February 6, 2023January 24, 2024

Many have moved to the nation’s fastest growing city seeking community as well as a better life. Few are finding it.

Posted inAugust 1, 2022: Our Fiery Future

A community poisoned by oil

by Adam Mahoney June 22, 2022January 24, 2024

People living in Wilmington, California, experience higher levels of illness and ailing mental health.

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

When home is next to an oil refinery

by Adam Mahoney September 11, 2020January 24, 2024

All I knew about Wilmington, California, was poverty, so I long hid my connection to it.

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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

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Magazine cover: January 11, 2024: The Creatures in Our Midst

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