The dark legacy of the atomic age is still playing out in New Mexico
‘We were a sacrifice zone.’
Wildfires are torching state budgets
Oregon allocated $10 million for the 2024 wildfire season. It cost more than $350 million.
As Roadless Rule rollback looms, grassroots hearings take root
In absence of federal meetings, nonprofits step up to hold public comment on Forest Service plan to lift protections from roadless areas.
Emergency plans for the Colorado River buy time, not solutions
The federal government ordered Flaming Gorge water released and cuts to Lake Powell releases, to prevent collapse.
The ramifications of record-shattering heat on the West’s ecosystems
‘It was the worst possible way to end the winter that was already worse than normal.’
‘Just noticing birds improves your health’
#iamthewest: Giving voice to the people that make up communities in the region.
How New Mexico is ‘building a forest’ by solving a seedling shortage
A Q&A with the New Mexico Reforestation Center director about what it takes to replant a burn scar post-wildfire.
Wildfires transform soil, turning a nutrient into poisonous chromium-6
New research shows how severe blazes create a carcinogen and how long it might persist.
War, climate change and AI are at stake at the 2026 UN Indigenous forum
Delegates are arriving in New York for the world’s largest gathering of Indigenous peoples, despite the U.S. presenting challenges for attendees to secure visas.
Why mycorrhizal fungi networks need more protection
Scientists say the West’s hidden biodiversity warrants more attention.
How I learned to stop worrying and love flies
These underdogs of the animal world have superhero-like powers. Why don’t we appreciate them more?
Interior Department crafted talking points for public lands sell-off agenda
The agency’s leadership distanced itself from the controversial proposal even though staff helped research public-land sales.
The West’s snow drought meant record dryness — but also record flooding
From the Cascades to the San Juans, the nearly snowless winter wasn’t the same everywhere.
‘Energy dominance’ agenda sidelines tribes
Changes to NEPA come at the expense of tribal consultation. The administration has changed or revoked rules and policies to prioritize extraction.
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High Country News Classifieds
- Western Colorado Alliance for Community Action seeks a full-time West Slope Youth Voice Regional Organizer to support and grow youth civic engagement across our region. The WSYV Regional Organizer's primary role is to engage students and coordinate campaigns across multiple […]
In This Issue
May 2026: Pinecone Cowboys
This May, we meet pinecone cowboys, toxic newts and New Mexico’s Trinity Site downwinders. With giant sequoias threatened by drought, wildfires and climate change, professional tree-climbers make a precarious living harvesting cones for planting and reforestation. In New Mexico, local residents still deal with the…
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Water
A new era of industrial logging looms
Public lands need less extraction and more rewilding
The BLM wants to ramp up logging. Oregonians aren’t so sure.
Wildlife
The Trump administration sent Greater Yellowstone into chaos. What’s next?
Utah’s new study aims to kill ‘as many cougars as possible’
Wildlife loves Wyoming’s ‘Golden Triangle.’ So do oil companies
Public Lands
Tribal leaders reflect on a year of uncertainty — and possibility
The public got one week to comment on Chaco Canyon drilling. It’s almost over
Forest Service overhaul sows confusion, concern
Indigenous Affairs
Bureau of Indian Affairs could face reorganization, deeper staff cuts
Congress contemplates sweeping investigation of Native boarding schools
Heavily contested pumped hydro-storage project gets federal go-ahead
Communities
Border wall blasting hits a treasured New Mexico mountain
New nuclear safety rules reduce protections for workers, the public
Black riders have always held the reins
Books
What can we learn from salt lakes?
Badger signs: An essay from Terry Tempest Williams’ new book ‘The Glorians’
Three books explore deep time and help us look forward
In the News
Why Colorado River negotiations are so difficult
Basin states have had 2 years to figure out how to share the shrinking river. Will they get there before the feds step in?