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A new predator stalks the West

By Pepper Trail

The grizzly bear. The wolf. The cougar. These magnificent creatures, apex predators, how can we not admire them? People cross…

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Wind-driven fire ran until gusts died

By Dave Marston

The Marshall Fire that demolished more than 1,000 homes along the front range of Colorado two weeks ago was not…

Nasa recorded image of MM117 fire via Wildfire Today

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Alternatives to bigger jails aren’t a partisan issue

By Matt Witt

If you know someone is a Republican or Democrat, then you might assume you know exactly where they stand on…

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Responsible gun owners need to be heard

By Ben Long

I own a closet full of guns. But nowhere in that closet is ammunition. That is locked up elsewhere, reflecting…

Young men selling guns, Getty Images

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Is the American Dream fading in the West?

By Benjamin Waddell
Guanajuato Photo credit Waddell

I recently spent two days with a Mexican national named Alfredo because his experience and many of his surprising opinions…

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A backroad journey through time

By Dennis Hinkamp

Moab on a mid-fall weeknight was full. All the motels, RV parks and tents sites had “no vacancy” notices. Every…

Car Forest is 30 miles outside of Tonopah, NV, photo credit, Dennis Hinkamp

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A grassroots effort can defy the odds

By Louisa Wilcox

This year marks the 25th anniversary of one of the most spectacular conservation victories in recent history: the defeat of…

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Telling the truth about the way we live now

By Laura Pritchett

Evonne lives in a fire lookout in Oregon, and since I meet with these graduate students on Zoom, we’ve all…

Lookout tower

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A community of river guides copes with loss

By Rebecca Lawton

The Grand Canyon boating community — devoted to each other and to the Colorado River — was shocked to learn…

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A Japanese-American internment camp has much to teach us

By Paul Zaenger

“While other children were sent to daycare, when I was 3 years old I was sent to a Japanese-American prison,”…

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This rancher has radical ideas about water

By Dave Marston

If Jim Howell, a fourth-generation rancher in Western Colorado, has a guru, he’s Allan Savory, the champion of intensive cattle…

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Sometimes, the simplest things can help wildlife

By Richard Knight Heather Dannahower

“Oh, give me a home where the buffalo roamWhere the deer and the antelope playWhere seldom is heard a discouraging…

Ranch manager Zach Thode, works beside professors and students to help wildlife

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What others are saying See More

The Daily Sentinel of Grand Junction, Colorado places a premium on content that examines management of public lands and natural resources. We’re big fans of Writers on the Range. The contributors come from all walks of life, but their column always hit home with our readers, for whom access to public lands is an important part of the lifestyle in western Colorado. Cutbacks to the newsroom have seriously hampered our coverage of the environment. Most often these stories are best told by people who have first-hand experience dealing with a particular challenges — from loving favorite trails to death to rebuilding coal communities or threats to the sagebrush sea. Writers on the Range consistently identifies problems and solutions in a thorough and engaging way. We need more of this kind of advocacy journalism on our opinion pages because it fosters understanding and dialogue about the unique living conditions in the American West.

Andy Smith, Opinion Page Editor
Grand Junction Sentinel, Grand Junction, CO

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