The housing crisis is harming my town

In Girdwood, Alaska, we’ll long remember the snowstorm of Dec. 6, just three months ago. But it won’t be for…
Girdwood Valley courtesy of Nathan Searles
MoreAtmospheric rivers endanger the West

Moab, Utah, gets just eight inches of rain per year, yet rainwater flooded John Weisheit’s basement last summer. Extremes are…
Glen Canyon Dam under construction 1960-63, courtesy USBR
MoreWhat also counts is where the snow falls

This week Writers on the Range explores the possibility of dangerous flooding in the Colorado River Basin. But there’s something…
A girl and her dog sledding at Durango’s off-leash dog park Jan. 20, photo courtesy Dave Marston
MoreBanning books is for bullies

By Crista V. Worthy Some people have become so alarmed by what children might read in school or in libraries…
Image courtesy of Rediscovered Books, Caldwell, Idaho
MoreWhat a long strange trip to kill four dams

Finally, after a 50-year effort, four massive dams on the Klamath River in northern California and Oregon will start coming…
Copco No. 1 dam Photo Credit Michael Wier
MoreThe “energy gap” nobody wants to tussle with

Many Western states have declared they will achieve all-renewable electrical goals in just two decades. Call me naïve, but haven’t…
Clouds over a windmill farm near Oakley, Kansas
MoreWildlife watching has been getting a free ride

There’s a new initiative in Wyoming that’s changing the face of wildlife conservation funding, and it’s already seen huge success…
Elk in pine forests on South Rim of Grand Canyon/courtesy NPS
MoreRed Flag laws work, but they have to be used

When Colorado passed its Red Flag law, called “Extreme Risk Protection Orders,” in 2019, El Paso County Sheriff Bill Elder…
Arnav Singhal via Unsplash
MoreLiving with grizzlies as neighbors

When I was working with a Kenyan outdoor instructor in Wyoming’s Wind River Range a couple of decades ago, he…
Grizzly bear seen near B Bar Ranch outside Gardiner, Montana, photo credit: Hank Perry www.naturalrealmpictures.com
MorePublic land — a true blessing

At every Thanksgiving dinner, my family asks everyone around the table to say what they’re grateful for. It puts new…
Green River from White-Rim in Canyonlands National Park near Moab UT Oct.-2022 credit Dave-Marston
MoreIt’s never too late to save a river

An old river-running motto says, “Old boaters never die, they just get a little dinghy.” And some never lose their…
Zachary CollierFollow New Melones Lake This section of the Stanislaus River is normally impounded by New Melones Lake. The California drought in 2014 allowed us the opportunity to kayak this famous section of river.
MoreThe fading miracle of migration

For the past few weeks, dozens of turkey vultures have been circling on thermals over my house in Oregon, preparing…
Snow Geese take flight in Oregon, photo by Pepper Trail
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