Trump’s BLM nominee waffles on public land sell-off stance
Steve Pearce, the White House’s second oil and gas-connected pick, is ”not so sure” he’s changed.
Karen Budd-Falen’s ethics documents spark renewed calls for an investigation
Interior’s new release of ethics disclosures shed new light on the official’s growing scandal.
The farther the walk, the fatter the deer, study finds
New research shows the importance of intact migration pathways for Wyoming deer.
How community organizers are amplifying Oregon’s Black music history
“The place just embraced me. Everybody was singing the same song.”
Skimo is hot, in hot times
The newest Olympic winter sport arrives just as snow droughts are becoming more likely.
The little-known photographer who documented a changing Okanogan, Washington
A century later, Frank Matsura’s images are still at the heart of families’ memories.
‘Rural areas are very powerful — and often underestimated’
#iamthewest: Giving voice to the people that make up communities in the region.
Trump’s EPA decided climate change doesn’t endanger public health. Evidence says otherwise.
Extreme heat, severe weather and air pollution are proven to cause negative health impacts.
LandBack advances across the West
More ancestral lands are being returned to tribes, while other important sites remain at risk.
Learning to two-step at a queer country bar
With a wedding months away, a writer takes a dance class to prepare.
New Mexico demands fix for federal nuclear waste management
The state will also fine the Department of Energy millions for violating groundwater standards.
The coming failure of Glen Canyon Dam
As Colorado River negotiations build toward a Feb. 14 deadline, few are talking about design flaws in the dam that holds back Lake Powell.
Cote
A poem by Vanessa Stauffer.
How Breckenridge reserved almost 75% of its full-time housing for workforce
The iconic ski town is aiming to keep locals local.
Most Popular Stories
High Country News Classifieds
- Bozeman or Missoula, MT Onsite/In-Office, Full-Time | $75,000 – $110,000 Tell the stories that expand economic opportunity. At MoFi, we believe access to capital changes lives. For nearly 40 years, we've helped small businesses grow, families build stability, and communities […]
In This Issue
February 2026: The Recording Artists
Our February issue swings from the rich musical and social history of Black people in Portland, Oregon, to the ongoing conflict between imperiled sage grouse and cattle grazing on the sagebrush steppe of the Western U.S. Colorado’s wolf reintroduction program is running into problems because…
Try HCN for free
Water
Trump’s call for deep-sea mining off Alaska raises Indigenous concerns
An EPA proposal would make it harder for tribes to protect their water
‘We’re basically slitting our own throat’: Montana rolls back water-quality standards
Wildlife
What’s needed to protect sage grouse?
Where giant kangaroo rats — and other critters — thrive
Would you pay 1% more for wildlife?
Public Lands
The nation’s trails are disappearing
Alaska’s public lands are a political battleground
Congress passes environmental funding without Trump’s deep cuts
Indigenous Affairs
What does ‘time immemorial’ really mean?
We need to talk about the pretendians in our midst
Colorado cannot heal until it confronts Sand Creek honestly
Communities
What tumbleweed can teach protesters
Wise-guy wolves, trekking in drag, talented tarantulas and Bigfoot takes a bow
‘My history is a blip’
Books
Three books explore deep time and help us look forward
National parks aren’t just for tourists. They’re an essential home for wildlife.
The fallout from Ruby Ridge
In the News
What the West was like before the EPA
The agency’s legacy isn’t perfect, but the region’s air and water are cleaner now than they once were.