It’s not clear what will happen with seasonal hires such as wildland firefighters.
Anna V. Smith
Anna V. Smith is an associate editor of High Country News. She writes and edits stories on tribal sovereignty and environmental justice for the Indigenous Affairs desk from Oregon.
Posted inArticles
Meet Trump’s Interior, EPA and Energy picks
What we know from the confirmation hearings for Ryan Zinke, Scott Pruitt and Rick Perry.
Posted inJanuary 23, 2017: For Which it Stands
The story behind New Mexico’s lowriders
A new collection examines the elaborate cars and their place in Mexican-American culture.
Posted inJanuary 23, 2017: For Which it Stands
The Forest Service relaxes restrictions on recreation
The permitting change could give guided groups more access.
Posted inArticles
Colorado’s controversial plan to kill predators
A study plans to remove mountain lions and black bears to boost mule deer.
Posted inDecember 26, 2016: Obama and the West
Obama’s mixed impact on endangered species
The administration delisted more species, but ultimately weakened the act itself.
Posted inDecember 26, 2016: Obama and the West
Latest: Invasive zebra mussels have reached Montana
Their arrival could have drastic economic effects.
Posted inArticles
Second round of Malheur defendants face conspiracy charges
Federal prosecutors are moving ahead, despite the first trial’s acquittal.
Posted inArticles
Obama’s rush to the end
Keeping track of rulemaking, policy decisions and other last actions before the Trump administration’s inauguration.
Posted inArticles
In California caves, a millipede mystery
A new species in Sequoia National Park reminds scientists of what is yet to be discovered.
Posted inNovember 28, 2016: A Weird and Perfect Wilderness
See photos of a journey down the Old Rio Grande
Through the lens of the people who lived near and were shaped by the river.
Posted inNovember 14, 2016: The Long View
See photos of otherworldly owls
The North American owls and their landscapes.
Posted inArticles
Endangered, with climate change to blame
Climate projections are reason enough for Endangered Species Act protection, court rules.
Posted inOctober 31, 2016: A Monumental Divide
Famous Western landscapes, recreated with processed food
A pair of artists take on our consumption habits, with Froot Loop hills.
Posted inOctober 31, 2016: A Monumental Divide
Latest: Wildlife Services to revisit predator removal effects
A court order requires that the agency toss out its 22-year-old environmental impact assessment.
Posted inArticles
What is a chub, really?
In Arizona, three native chub species were reclassified as one, raising concerns about the management of the species.
Posted inArticles
Sea otters on the rise, but shark bites stall range growth
Can sea otters survive the recovery of great white sharks?
Posted inOctober 3, 2016: Purple Rain
Lies and damn lies: What to believe on the campaign trail
HCN sorts truth from fiction on the campaign trail.
Posted inOctober 3, 2016: Purple Rain
See these photos of ‘the new settlers’
In the 1960s, a counterculture revolution brought a new wave of migration Westward.
Posted inOctober 3, 2016: Purple Rain
The Western races to watch
Democrats hope to nab vulnerable Republican seats.