Erasing history, one park at a time
As the philosopher George Santayana said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” It’s true that…
MoreProtect the firefighters who protect our homes and forests
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
MoreBeware the Trojan Horse targeting public land
Sometimes when I drive past the little house my wife and I bought when we first married, 30 years ago,…
MoreWhat westerners cared about in 2024
Writers on the Range, an independent opinion service based in western Colorado, sent out close to 50 weekly opinion columns…
MoreObservations of a fire lookout
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…
MoreOld fire lookout towers find renewed purpose
There’s a small wooden cabin at the top of Northwest Peak, a few miles from Montana’s borders with Idaho and…
MorePublic land protectors are ready for a fight
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
MoreHow a controversial poison saved Utah Lake
Ninety-five-thousand-acre Utah Lake is a major water source for the Great Salt Lake. If it dries up or sickens, so…
MoreVolunteers power the Colorado Trail
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
MoreCoal continues its precipitous decline
The coal mining industry reacted with outrage when the Bureau of Land Management recently announced plans to stop issuing new…
MoreMountain bikers push to ride through wilderness
“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
MoreBuilding a huge park is anything but easy
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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