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. Mon, 11 May 2026 23:30:37 +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 Colorado’s Arkansas Valley water confronts contamination, climate change and political drama https://www.hcn.org/issues/58-5/contamination-climate-change-and-political-drama-stall-clean-water-for-colorados-arkansas-valley/ Mon, 11 May 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://www.hcn.org/?p=343191 Unburied sections of the Arkansas Valley Conduit in Pueblo, Colorado.

‘If you don’t have clean water, you really don’t have anything.’

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]]> 343191 The resilience of the elusive vaquita https://www.hcn.org/issues/58-5/the-resilience-of-the-elusive-vaquita/ Fri, 08 May 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://www.hcn.org/?p=343271

Nature’s enduring mysteries buoy efforts to save the most endangered marine mammal on Earth.

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]]> 343271 The facade of the Red Wind commune https://www.hcn.org/issues/58-5/the-facade-of-the-red-wind-commune/ Thu, 07 May 2026 13:20:00 +0000 https://www.hcn.org/?p=343155

There’s ongoing harm from Indigenous identity fraud.

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]]> 343155 Emails show Interior delivered new drilling permits for Burgum’s billionaire ally https://www.hcn.org/articles/emails-show-interior-delivered-new-drilling-permits-for-burgums-billionaire-ally/ Thu, 07 May 2026 13:11:27 +0000 https://www.hcn.org/?p=343541

Oil and gas giant Continental Resources wanted the BLM to sign off on new wells in Wyoming, despite a court injunction there. The agency obliged.

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]]> 343541 Sam the Toucan, capybaras over coffee, Vellela vellela and a mechanical rhino  https://www.hcn.org/issues/58-5/sam-the-toucan-capybaras-over-coffee-vellela-vellela-and-a-mechanical-rhino/ Wed, 06 May 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://www.hcn.org/?p=343276

Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.

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]]> 343276 Controversial gas pipeline across Navajo Nation to begin https://www.hcn.org/articles/controversial-gas-pipeline-across-navajo-nation-to-begin/ Tue, 05 May 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://www.hcn.org/?p=343492

The pipeline would eventually cross 234 miles of tribal land. The hearing initiating the project caught community members off guard.

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]]> 343492 The plight of the pinecone cowboy https://www.hcn.org/issues/58-5/the-plight-of-the-pine-cone-cowboy/ Mon, 04 May 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://www.hcn.org/?p=343238 Kyle Merlic harvests red fir cones on Forest Service land leased by timber company Sierra Pacific Industries outside Dorrington, California.

The future of Western forests depends on professional pinecone collectors. They’re slowly being starved out of existence.

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]]> 343238 The dark legacy of the atomic age is still playing out in New Mexico https://www.hcn.org/issues/58-5/the-dark-legacy-of-the-atomic-age-is-still-playing-out-in-new-mexico/ Fri, 01 May 2026 08:00:00 +0000 https://www.hcn.org/?p=343209 Family photographs hang on the wall in Andrea Carrillo’s mother’s home in Tularosa, New Mexico. Carrillo’s sister died of cancer a few years ago, and many other relatives and local residents have cancer that they attribute to radiation from the Trinity atomic bomb test.

‘We were a sacrifice zone.’

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]]> 343209 The Earth loves in species https://www.hcn.org/issues/58-5/the-earth-loves-in-species/ Fri, 01 May 2026 07:50:00 +0000 https://www.hcn.org/?p=343150

With the Earth under attack, love will see us through.

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]]> 343150 What happens when we die? https://www.hcn.org/issues/58-5/what-happens-when-we-die/ Fri, 01 May 2026 07:45:00 +0000 https://www.hcn.org/?p=343205 Edith Forbes and her new novel, The Lawnmower Lady.

A new novel brings many longtime subscribers together to ponder an age-old question.

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