High Country News https://www.hcn.org/ A nonprofit independent magazine of unblinking journalism that shines a light on all of the complexities of the West. Tue, 30 Jun 2026 23:32:53 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://www.hcn.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/cropped-HCN_Logo-Monogram_White_Sq-2-32x32.png High Country News https://www.hcn.org/ 32 32 229054741 ‘It’s OK to learn from your mistakes’ https://www.hcn.org/issues/58-7/its-ok-to-learn-from-your-mistakes/ Wed, 01 Jul 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://www.hcn.org/?p=344636

#iamthewest: Giving voice to the people that make up communities in the region.

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]]> 344636 Love letter to a blooming giant https://www.hcn.org/issues/love-letter-to-a-blooming-giant/ Wed, 01 Jul 2026 07:50:57 +0000 https://www.hcn.org/?p=344555

What a single plant can tell us about humanity.

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]]> 344555 Meet the West’s new environmental reporters https://www.hcn.org/issues/meet-the-wests-new-environmental-reporters/ Wed, 01 Jul 2026 07:47:00 +0000 https://www.hcn.org/?p=344594

The Western Environmental Reporting Collaborative launches this month.

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]]> 344594 Letters to the Editor, July 2026 https://www.hcn.org/issues/58-7/letters-to-the-editor-july-2026/ Wed, 01 Jul 2026 07:45:00 +0000 https://www.hcn.org/?p=344559

Comments from readers.

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]]> 344559 Meet the students graduating from Montana’s smallest classes https://www.hcn.org/articles/meet-the-students-graduating-from-montanas-smallest-classes/ Tue, 30 Jun 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://www.hcn.org/?p=345150

The people graduating from classes of 3, 2 and 1 have big ambitions.

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]]> 345150 Will betting on wildfires lead to arson? https://www.hcn.org/articles/people-are-betting-on-wildfires-should-they/ Mon, 29 Jun 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://www.hcn.org/?p=344734

Fire survivors say using prediction markets to gamble on wildfire is “morally reprehensible.”

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]]> 344734 The Deschutes River goes to the water-rich few during drought. Farmers are paying the price https://www.hcn.org/articles/the-deschutes-river-goes-to-the-water-rich-few-during-drought-farmers-are-paying-the-price/ Fri, 26 Jun 2026 08:55:00 +0000 https://www.hcn.org/?p=345032

A century-old Oregon water law lets one wealthy region turn the desert green while water-starved ag fallows commercial crops.

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]]> 345032 What if the mountains are the medicine? https://www.hcn.org/issues/58-7/what-if-the-mountains-are-the-medicine/ Fri, 26 Jun 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://www.hcn.org/?p=344623

Why people stay in the rural West despite the health-care crisis.

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]]> 344623 Sen. Mike Lee targets the Roadless Rule https://www.hcn.org/articles/sen-mike-lee-targets-the-roadless-rule/ Thu, 25 Jun 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://www.hcn.org/?p=344967

The Utah senator launched another unpopular assault on public lands.

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]]> 344967 ‘What we have to do is come together and stick together’ https://www.hcn.org/issues/58-6/what-we-have-to-do-is-come-together-and-stick-together/ Wed, 24 Jun 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://www.hcn.org/?p=344103

#iamthewest: Giving voice to the people that make up communities in the region.

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