Why Western states are pushing for plug-in solar
State laws and product standards could make or break the nascent portable solar market.
Coyotes and cougars and rats, oh my!
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
The essentials of democracy
Keep sending public comments, because our future hangs in the balance.
FROM THE GRIMOIRE
A poem by D.A. Powell.
How people are helping breeding frogs dodge cars
Meet the volunteers shuttling northern red-legged frogs across a 4-lane highway in Oregon to lay eggs.
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.
An ode to Johnny Sagebrush
Bart Koehler helped Westerners protect the places they love.
New board members join the team
These folks graciously serve our nonprofit to ensure the organization stays sound.
It’s time to rethink how we care for our public lands and waters
Two former, high-ranking Interior Department employees, from opposing political parties, call for an overhaul of public-land management.
Snowmaking could be the future of skiing. But at what cost?
As the climate changes, ski resorts have begun relying more on energy and water-intensive machine-made snow.
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.
Most Popular Stories
High Country News Classifieds
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In This Issue
March 2026: The Uncertainty of Farming in the Colorado River Basin
HCN looks at several Western ecosystems and the various species that depend on them — including the human beings who rely on the drought-stricken Colorado River. How are farmers in the Colorado River Basin adapting to climate change, given the contentious politics around water use?…
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Water
The coming failure of Glen Canyon Dam
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
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
LandBack advances across the West
What does ‘time immemorial’ really mean?
We need to talk about the pretendians in our midst
Communities
The little-known photographer who documented a changing Okanogan, Washington
‘Rural areas are very powerful — and often underestimated’
Learning to two-step at a queer country bar
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
Welcome to Daylight Nonsense Time
When the Yukon tinkered with the time change, it stretched the Mountain Time Zone to its breaking point.