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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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Climate Change

Posted inArticles

How carbon removal can help curb wildfires and build houses

by Erin X. Wong August 30, 2024August 29, 2024

Local governments in the Four Corners back homegrown carbon-removal projects.

Posted inArticles

Alaska’s permafrost is thawing, releasing a concerning amount of mercury

by Anita Hofshneider August 28, 2024September 3, 2024

“It has that sense of a bomb that’s going to go off.”

Posted inArticles

Trying to escape sea-level rise, Northwest coastal tribes are drowning in paperwork

by B. ‘Toastie’ Oaster August 27, 2024September 3, 2024

A new study shows how federal grant funding has actually become an obstacle to climate adaptation.

Posted inArticles

Wolverines may return to Colorado

by Christine Peterson August 9, 2024August 12, 2024

But can they survive in the warming southern Rockies?

Posted inArticles

How an unexpected storm reshaped Alaska’s west coast

by Emily Schwing August 7, 2024August 8, 2024

Disaster recovery is a long game and the boats and driftwood that pepper Western Alaska’s tundra are the perfect reminder.

Picoso Farm in Gilroy, California, is still trying to recover from a series of devastating floods.
Posted inAugust 2024: In the Wake of the Floods

After historic floods, the safety net failed small farmers

by Sarah Trent August 1, 2024July 31, 2024

Climate disasters are killing the largest subset of California farms. Government programs are too.

Dusk in Phoenix during July 2023, when the city saw 20 straight days of extreme heat.
Posted inAugust 2024: In the Wake of the Floods

The inequity of heat

by Jonathan Thompson August 1, 2024August 1, 2024

Extreme heat doesn’t discriminate; the ability to escape it does.

Stargazing party at the Mt. Lemmon SkyCenter Observatory.
Posted inIssues

Can words help us out of climate despair and toward repair?

by Ruxandra Guidi August 1, 2024July 31, 2024

How naming the climate struggle matters.

Posted inArticles

California’s Park Fire rekindles trauma from previous blazes

by Dani Anguiano July 30, 2024August 8, 2024

‘The PTSD is horrible.’

Posted inArticles

Audio: What’s so funny about climate change?

by Ruxandra Guidi July 26, 2024August 8, 2024

Resorting to absurdity can make people care.

Posted inArticles

What a Kamala Harris presidency could mean for the West

by Anna V. Smith and Erin X. Wong July 22, 2024August 8, 2024

Harris has prioritized protecting public lands and pursued accountability for polluters, but her track record on tribal affairs is mixed.

Posted inArticles

Will the Northwest Forest Plan finally respect tribal rights?

by Natalia Mesa July 19, 2024September 20, 2024

Tribal representatives are pushing the U.S. Forest Service to respect treaty rights and bring cultural fire back to the region’s forests.

Posted inArticles

Repeal of the Chevron doctrine will have profound consequences for federal rulemaking

by Nick Bowlin, Joaqlin Estus, Natalia Mesa, Kylie Mohr and Erin X. Wong July 15, 2024August 8, 2024

Climate, public lands and tribal law regulations are now likely to face legal challenges.

Posted inArticles

In an era of dam removal, California is building more

by Theo Whitcomb July 12, 2024August 8, 2024

Proponents say a new reservoir off the Sacramento River is environmentally friendly.

Posted inArticles

When grasshoppers attack

by Christine Peterson July 10, 2024August 8, 2024

Is the cure for grasshopper outbreaks worse than the disease?

Posted inArticles

Fireworks trigger wildfires. Climate change may increase the risk.

by Kiley Price July 4, 2024August 8, 2024

Research found that twice as many wildfires were recorded on July 4 as almost any other day in the West. 

Swallows perch on utility wires over the Umpqua River near Elkton, Oregon, in 2020 as numerous wildfires burn across the state.
Posted inArticles

What happens to birds when it’s smoky outside?

by Kylie Mohr July 3, 2024August 8, 2024

A community science initiative along the West Coast is using volunteer observations to study the effect of wildfire smoke on birds.

Wilson’s phalaropes eating brine flies at the Great Salt Lake.
Posted inJuly 2024

Wilson’s phalarope to the rescue

by Caroline Tracey July 1, 2024July 5, 2024

A new Endangered Species Act petition could trigger major conservation actions to save the West’s saline lakes.

The Bessemer ditch near Pueblo, Colorado.
Posted inJuly 2024

A new documentary confronts water scarcity in the West

by Natalia Mesa July 1, 2024July 1, 2024

In Mirasol: Looking at the Sun, Colorado farmers fight to save their communities.

Posted inArticles

When a landslide blocks your commute

by Christine Peterson June 24, 2024August 8, 2024

The Teton Pass collapse highlights the importance — and growing vulnerability — of mountain roads.

Posts pagination

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Most popular stories

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

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The West in Perspective

AI on public lands and Biden’s environmental legacy

by Jonathan Thompson

We must protect our sacred lands

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Pay wildland firefighters a living wage

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