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When hiking is touted as a piece of cake

By Marjorie “Slim” Woodruff

Overconfidence can ruin a good hike. When I surf through outdoor sites on social media, here’s the essence of what…

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The Antiquities Act has served Utah and the nation well for 120 years

By Stephen Trimble

This June, the Antiquities Act turns 120 years old. Since Teddy Roosevelt signed the law on June 8, 1906, nearly…

Orderville Canyon, Zion National Park, Utah, Stephen Trimble photo

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Trump administration resurrects dangerous cyanide bombs

By Ted Williams

M-44s are spring-loaded devices stuck in the ground and scented with decomposed animal tissue. They blast cyanide into the mouth…

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For a dose of awe, visit Spiral Jetty

By Dennis Hinkamp

Whenever life becomes too turbulent, I like to visit Robert Smithson’s most famous work of art—Spiral Jetty. He completed it…

Spiral Jetty by Dennis Hinkamp

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Ted Turner leaves a legacy of protected land in the West

By Todd Wilkinson

Before he died at age 87 in early May, Ted Turner knew that stewardship of land would be his real…

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Congress is gunning for a national monument in Utah

By Scott Braden

In backcountry first aid, the rapid assessment of someone injured was for years summed up by the ABCs: check the…

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When snow runoff is low, so are our spirits

By Auden Schendler

At this time of year in Western Colorado, my friends and I watch rivers. We’re eagerly anticipating a bruising spring…

With fellow paddlers back in the day of heavy runoff, Auden Schendler, right, celebrates after running a river, courtesy Auden Schendler

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The West heads for wildfires unprepared

By David Calkin

The West is staring down a dangerous wildfire year. A dry winter and historically low snowpack have set the stage…

Calwood Fire outside Boulder Colorado, courtesy Malachi Brooks on Unsplash

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Planting one million trees to cool a desert city

By Karen Mockler

Tucson lies in the heart of the Sonoran Desert where summers are serious business. In 2024, a record-breaking 112 days…

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Dismantling the U.S. Forest Service harms public lands and communities

By Tracy Stone-Manning

When I led the Bureau of Land Management under President Biden, the hardest part of my job was reassembling the…

San Isabel National Forest, Nathrop, Colorado, Dave Marston photo

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Interior Secretary ramps up assault on public land

By Aaron Weiss

For the second consecutive year, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has proposed a budget that attempts to undermine the agencies that…

A young child waits to get through the line at Arches National Park, photo Dave Marston

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Jackson Hole novelist celebrated mountain-town eccentrics

By Angus M. Thuermer Jr.

Before Wyoming’s Jackson Hole valley became the province of the ultra-rich, it drew mountain athletes and outdoor enthusiasts enthralled by…

Teton Cyclery photo by Connie Wieneke

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What others are saying See More

Writers on the Range has been a godsend for the Las Vegas Sun, filling a critical need for columns on regional issues of importance to our community, to Southern Nevada and our entire state.

Although the Sun is well-served through contracts with the New York Times News Service and Tribune News Service, the columns we receive from those syndicates tend to focus mostly on national issues. That’s where Writers on the Range has been invaluable to us. The group’s focus on Western issues – water conservation, the drought and climate change, environmental protection for fragile desert areas and more – allow the Sun to provide its audience with content that illuminates and adds to the public dialogue
on policy.

The Sun strongly supports the group, and hope it continues to operate for years to come. 

Ric Anderson, Editorial Page Editor
Las Vegas Sun, Las Vegas, NV

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