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Requiem for the Joshua tree

By Pepper Trail

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

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John Fielder, the man who loved natural beauty

By Betsy Marston

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

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Wildland firefighters need our support

By Gregory Mcnamee

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

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Tips for a new Westerner

By Betsy Marston

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

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A dogged reporter covers our roiling world

By Dave Marston

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

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Coming soon, the Apocalypse, maybe

By Pepper Trail

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

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We need every tool to fight today’s fires

By Stephen Pyne

We know now that the largest recorded fire in New Mexico history was started by an escaped “prescribed burn,” or…

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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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Welcome to Yosemite, the new Pyrocene Park

By Stephen Pyne

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

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Our new age of fire

By Stephen Pyne

Fire in the West is expected, and not so long ago, it seemed something the West experienced more than anywhere…

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When wildfire keeps coming back

By Char Miller
Malachi Brooks via Unsplash

Since January 2021, more than 6,272 fires have burned 917,000 acres in California

Smoke plume from wildfire in Boulder County, CO

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What do we owe wildland firefighters?

By Jonathon Golden

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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