The gutting of our national park system
Imagine a million-acre wilderness: Mountain peaks. Rushing rivers. Bears and wolves. Now imagine a city the size of, say, Chicago….
Glacier Park Logan Creek, by Ben Long
MoreWhy do we blame lions?
Mule deer herds are declining across the West for many reasons. But three states, Utah, Wyoming and Nevada, want to…
Lion double set trap, Photo NDOW
MoreMass firings cut the muscle not the fat
The stories are heartbreaking. US Forest Service, National Park Service and other federal workers — some of them within weeks…
MoreTrump’s policies put us in economic danger
Donald Trump’s platform was clear when he was running for president. He promised to make bold improvements—quickly raising revenue by…
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,…
MoreThe Salton Sea’s weirdness is what’s appealing
Fascinating and fetid, the Salton Sea in southern California lures me back, every year. Driving south from Utah, I take…
Bales of straw along the banks of the Salton Sea, Hinkamp photo
MoreHey, Utah, Americans love our public lands
If the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over while hoping in vain for different results,…
Natural arch, the terminus of Grandstaff Canyon Trail, near Moab Utah, Dave Marston photo
MoreTime to get real about plastic recycling
I’m a dedicated recycler. I fret when I see people throwing garbage in with soda cans and empty water bottles….
Plastic garbage in the Himalayas, Sylwia Bartyzel via Unsplash
MoreLos Angeles is a wake-up call for the West—especially Durango
After fierce winds whipped fire out of brush-covered hills on January 7, entire Los Angeles neighborhoods burned down. Within a…
MoreSavoring the darkness in Alaska
In my part of Alaska, not far from Anchorage, winter solstice is always a dark day, but not because of…
Northern lights Alaska, Image Tim Lydon
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…
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