Columns

Categories

Archives

Solar panels have more than proven themselves

By Andrew Carpenter

I’d never heard of “net metering” until my electric bill hit $600 last February. Desperate for a way to reduce…

More

Rural Colorado county gets ready for wildfire

By Dave Marston

When La Plata County in southwestern Colorado needed a director of emergency management in 2021, they found a winner in…

Shawna Legarza Kennebec Trail Race 2024

More

When reality weighs you down

By Richard Knight

A lot of us feel hopeless today. There’s the return of energy dominance as a federal goal, which places oil,…

More

Trump’s policies put us in economic danger

By Dave Marston

Donald Trump’s platform was clear when he was running for president. He promised to make bold improvements—quickly raising revenue by…

More

Los Angeles is a wake-up call for the West—especially Durango

By Dave Marston

After fierce winds whipped fire out of brush-covered hills on January 7, entire Los Angeles neighborhoods burned down. Within a…

More

What westerners cared about in 2024

By Betsy Marston

Writers on the Range, an independent opinion service based in western Colorado, sent out close to 50 weekly opinion columns…

More

Observations of a fire lookout

By Rick Freimuth

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…

More

Imagine a river more fascinating than football

By Patricia J. Rettig

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

More

Hunting is a valuable tool in managing lions

By Andrew Carpenter

Asking the public to decide if it’s a good idea to ban hunting mountain lions and bobcats is no way…

Mountain lion, courtesy Writers on the Range

More

Freed wolves move into their old niche

By Clint McKnight

What was it like for 10 captured Oregon wolves when Colorado Parks and Wildlife opened their crates on a December…

More

Live rough and know the real world

By Jacob Richards

Guides in the outdoor industry inevitably come up with collective nicknames for customers. On horseback they’re “dudes,” on the river…

More

The West has too many visiting hunters

By Andrew Carpenter

Hunting may be losing popularity nationally, but in the West the number of hunters is climbing. According to the U.S….

Dan Vigueria, Paonia, Colorado, Grizzly Longbows LLC

More

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Once a week you’ll receive an email with a link to our weekly column along with profiles of our writers, beside quirky photos submitted from folks like you. Don’t worry we won’t sell our list or bombard you with daily mail.