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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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Volunteers power the Colorado Trail

By Dave Marston

The Colorado Trail, an iconic 567-mile high-elevation trail that crosses the Rockies, owes its existence largely to Gudy Gaskill, a…

Below The Three Apostles, Colorado Trail Jeff Miller and Dave Marston, Matt Smith Photo

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Coal continues its precipitous decline

By Peter Gartrell

The coal mining industry reacted with outrage when the Bureau of Land Management recently announced plans to stop issuing new…

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Mountain bikers push to ride through wilderness

By Kevin Proescholdt

“Something will have gone out of us as a people if we ever let the remaining wilderness be destroyed…” —…

Denali Wilderness, Alaska, courtesy Wilderness Watch

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Building a huge park is anything but easy

By Dave Marston

Marc Katz is a retired entrepreneur who lives part-time in Durango, Colorado, a town of 19,000 people who all seem…

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