NORTH FORK, Calif. – Hidden away in California’s Sierra Nevada foothills, this town of 3,500 lies 16 miles from the nearest major road. Occupying, as the sign on the roadside says, “the exact center of California,” it’s a nice place to live: The air is crisp, everyone knows everyone else and the oak- and fir-covered […]
Chris Smith
Posted inApril 14, 1997: Beauty and the Beast
Burning for a buck
It sounds like an easy way to make a few dollars: Gather up coils of old industrial-gauge wire, pile it in the desert, douse it with diesel and burn off the rubber and lead insulation. The raw copper left behind brings 80 cents to a dollar per pound. The trouble is, it’s illegal and a […]
Posted inMarch 31, 1997: Big Sky, big mess in Montana
BLM braces for Mormon pioneers
A million people – more than double Wyoming’s population – are expected to visit the state’s portion of the 150-year-old Mormon Pioneer Trail this spring and summer. The impending stampede has the Bureau of Land Management planning temporary closure of some trail sections. “At this point nobody knows the size of the elephant,” says BLM […]
Posted inFebruary 17, 1997: No home on the range
Utahns fight over flights
A recent decision by a Utah county to permit backcountry helicopter skiing on a private ranch above Salt Lake City has mobilized opposition. Heli-skiing opponents, including nearby residents and backcountry skiers, worry that the decision will open the door to more helicopter ski lifts along the Wasatch Front. The company awarded the permit is already […]
Posted inDecember 23, 1996: El Nuevo West
Parks want “drug-free’ river guides
The job description for a professional river guide might read like this: Must possess John Wesley Powell’s fearlessness, Julia Child’s culinary skills and the patience of Job. Now, add another requirement: Must pass a drug test. Periodic drug testing began this past season for outfitters licensed in Grand Canyon National Park and may soon be […]
Posted inMarch 4, 1996: Who owns these bones?
Leaving room for cows and horses
Welcome to our small town, stranger, but don’t try to change our rural way of life. Now, sign on the dotted line. Thanks to a “right to farm provision,” adopted as part of a Utah town’s development code last March, officials can now make new property owners sign such agreements. “It’s a stipulation that this […]