Requiem for the Joshua tree
Disheveled, gangly, the Joshua tree is surely one of the West’s strangest — and most recognizable — plants. Named by…
Conglomerate Mesa, Photo by Louis Medina, Friends of the Inyo
MoreJohn Fielder, the man who loved natural beauty
If you’ve ever bought a calendar or coffee table book featuring the grandeur of Colorado’s 14’ers, the stunning color photographs…
John Fielder, credit Gary Wockner/Save the Colorado
MoreWildland firefighters need our support
At any given moment during this smoky summer of 2023, hundreds of wildfires were blazing in the United States —…
Calwood fire, near Jamestown Colorado, by Malachi Brooks, via Unsplash
MoreTips for a new Westerner
Hurray, you’ve moved to the rural West from a crowded subdivision or city where the traffic has become an out-of-patience…
Reno Nevada Mutton bustin’ photo by Cornelius Photography
MoreA dogged reporter covers our roiling world
Usually seen with a camera slung around his neck, Allen Best edits a one-man online journalism shop he calls Big…
Allen Best at work
MoreComing soon, the Apocalypse, maybe
Just about every video game, young adult novel and buzz-worthy streaming series agree that we need to prepare for a…
Photo by Intricate Explorer, Via Unsplash
MoreWe need every tool to fight today’s fires
We know now that the largest recorded fire in New Mexico history was started by an escaped “prescribed burn,” or…
MoreA new predator stalks the West
The grizzly bear. The wolf. The cougar. These magnificent creatures, apex predators, how can we not admire them? People cross…
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Welcome to Yosemite, the new Pyrocene Park
The Pleistocene epoch that began 2.6 million years ago sent ice in waves through Yosemite. Glaciers gouged out great valleys…
Photo by Laurel Balyeat, Yosemite Park
MoreOur new age of fire
Fire in the West is expected, and not so long ago, it seemed something the West experienced more than anywhere…
MoreWhen wildfire keeps coming back
Since January 2021, more than 6,272 fires have burned 917,000 acres in California
Smoke plume from wildfire in Boulder County, CO
MoreWhat do we owe wildland firefighters?
Vacancies, of course, limit how much federal firefighters can do. If Western communities want to be protected, they need to ensure that their firefighters receive better pay and benefits.
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