Chronicle of an abandoned oil and gas well — one of millions
Even from a distance it’s clear that an oil and gas well called “State Senate #2” in New Mexico has…
Abandoned well, Jonathan Thompson image
MoreColorado is conflicted about cutting its water use
In Colorado, farmers must enroll in a four-state program by March 1, if they want to get paid for fallowing…
Tom Kay in front of his John Deere tractor, image: Dave Marston
MoreIt’s do or die for the Great Salt Lake
Last November, the Great Salt Lake, iconic landmark of the Great Basin Desert, fell to its lowest surface elevation ever…
Antelope Island Looking Over Great Salt Lake, photo courtesy of Michael Shoemaker
MoreBackcountry adventurers know they’re taking chances
Six people have died in avalanches in the United States since the snow started to fly this fall. Every year,…
Five backcountry skiers cross a avalanche path while hiking outside of Jackson Hole Resort, Wyoming.
MoreThe West is an exploiter’s paradise
High on a mesa where everyone can see it, a trophy house is going up in the northern Colorado valley…
Outside Capitol Reef, photo courtesy of Michael Shoemaker
MoreThe 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
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