Hey, 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…
MoreOld fire lookout towers find renewed purpose
There’s a small wooden cabin at the top of Northwest Peak, a few miles from Montana’s borders with Idaho and…
MoreImagine a river more fascinating than football
Imagine a best-selling, 900-page novel using “a sad, bewildered nothing of a river” as its centerpiece, connecting the earth’s geologic…
South Platte at 52 bridge image by Laura Perry, courtesy USGS
MoreLet’s scrap the stigma of mental illness
Even though one in five Americans is estimated to suffer from mental health illness, talk about mental health in the…
MorePublic land protectors are ready for a fight
President Donald Trump’s first term was a disaster for America’s public lands. While the prospects for his second term are…
The Citadel, Bears Ears National Monument, Dave Marston photo
MoreNature is becoming unreliable
Twice a year, I hike a favorite trail in Oregon’s Cascade Range. I have done this for over 20 years,…
MoreThe Trump triumph portends an economic fallout
As I watched Donald Trump arrive at an astounding victory election night, I was struck by his strong turnout in…
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