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Some hikers leave plenty of traces

By Marjorie “Slim” Woodruff

Part of my job as a Grand Canyon educator is picking up stuff a hiker drops or leaves behind next…

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The push is on to strip big trees from our national forests

By Mitch Friedman

It didn’t get much notice, but President Trump has turbocharged logging on public lands in ways that are likely to…

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The slippery slope of e-bike access

By Marjorie “Slim” Woodruff

When I visited Bryce Canyon National Park recently, the shared paths were crowded with electric motorcycles. They say they are…

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Public land goes back on the chopping block

By T. A. Barron

The radical notion of selling off public lands is back. And this time it seems that only the Congress can…

T. A. Barron

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Erasing history, one park at a time

By Ernie Atencio

As the philosopher George Santayana said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” It’s true that…

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Protect the firefighters who protect our homes and forests

By Riva Duncan

You probably don’t see wildland firefighters on the job because they usually work in remote areas. But with wildfires moving…

Federal firefighters digging a fire line, photo courtesy National Interagency Fire Center

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Beware the Trojan Horse targeting public land

By Ben Long

Sometimes when I drive past the little house my wife and I bought when we first married, 30 years ago,…

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What westerners cared about in 2024

By Betsy Marston

Writers on the Range, an independent opinion service based in western Colorado, sent out close to 50 weekly opinion columns…

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Observations of a fire lookout

By Rick Freimuth

The writers Edward Abbey, Gary Snyder and Norman McLean all staffed high-elevation fire lookouts in the West—their experiences rich fuel for their work. But Jack Kerouac’s reaction makes…

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Old fire lookout towers find renewed purpose

By Zeke Lloyd

There’s a small wooden cabin at the top of Northwest Peak, a few miles from Montana’s borders with Idaho and…

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Public land protectors are ready for a fight

By Jennifer Rokala

President Donald Trump’s first term was a disaster for America’s public lands. While the prospects for his second term are…

The Citadel, Bears Ears National Monument, Dave Marston photo

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How a controversial poison saved Utah Lake

By Ted Williams

Ninety-five-thousand-acre Utah Lake is a major water source for the Great Salt Lake. If it dries up or sickens, so…

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