As the first boss of the newly created national monument in southern Utah, the Bureau of Land Management’s Jerry Meredith won’t have to worry about filling anyone else’s shoes. But he’ll have plenty of other headaches. President Clinton’s recent designation of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument sparked anger among locals and a flurry of controversial […]
Elizabeth Manning
Posted inNovember 11, 1996: Cease-fire called on the Animas-La Plata front
Newspaper sues Forest Service
When Forest Service agents broke up a logging blockade several months ago at Oregon’s Warner Creek, they arrested five protesters plus two journalists from the Eugene Register Guard who were caught in the fray. Although no charges were ever filed against the journalists, the newspaper has now sued the Forest Service, citing violations of constitutional […]
Posted inOctober 28, 1996: Has big money doomed direct democracy?
Environmental laws fenced out
One sentence tucked inside the foot-thick omnibus spending bill could spell trouble for wildlife along the nation’s borders. Signed into law Oct. 1, the provision allows the U.S. attorney general to waive both the Endangered Species Act and the National Environmental Policy Act for border projects such as fences or roads. The provision was crafted […]
Posted inOctober 28, 1996: Has big money doomed direct democracy?
Will Idaho voters derail nuclear trains?
It’s easy to see how the politically powerful of Idaho stand on storing nuclear waste in the state: Gov. Phil Batt signed an agreement a year ago allowing more than a thousand such shipments to enter the state in exchange for a pledge that existing waste leave the state by 2035 (HCN, 9/2/96). Republican Sen. […]
Posted inOctober 14, 1996: Greens prune their message to win the West's voters
Skunked Democrats hope to turn the tide
Note: This article is a sidebar to a feature story. What happens in Washington state will reveal a lot about the difference two years can make. Democratic leaders hope to shake up the state Legislature the same way they want to win back the House of Representatives. The current state House has the worst known […]
Posted inOctober 14, 1996: Greens prune their message to win the West's voters
A green state could return to its roots
Note: This article is a sidebar to a feature story. With the possibility of winning another U.S. Senate seat and four out of five House seats, no other state in the West holds greater promise for Democrats than Oregon. Democrats won an early victory in the state last January, when Ron Wyden defeated Republican Gordon […]
Posted inSeptember 30, 1996: Can this man break the right's grip on Idaho?
If they build it, will more come?
What’s better for controlling and educating crowds of hikers in Utah’s Grand Gulch – a brand-new visitors’ center visible from the highway or more rangers on the trail? The Bureau of Land Management has removed an old mice-infested trailer and wants to build a 1,600-square-foot center to teach people how not to disturb sensitive archaeological […]
Posted inSeptember 30, 1996: Can this man break the right's grip on Idaho?
Colorado resort shelves ski expansion
After spending two and a half years and some $400,000, the Crested Butte ski resort in Colorado suddenly dropped plans to build new ski runs on a mountain adjacent to the existing resort. “It appears their attitude has changed and we look forward to working with them,” said a relieved Vicki Shaw of the local […]
Posted inSeptember 16, 1996: The filthy West: Toxics pour into our air, water, land
What goes around, comes around
It’s been a bad legal year for the county movement. First came the March ruling in Nevada that struck down a Nye County ordinance claiming the county owned federal lands. Now, two public employees in New Mexico seem to have prevailed in their case against county-movement leader Dick Manning. “(Due to a court-imposed gag order) […]
Posted inSeptember 2, 1996: Last line of defense: Civil disobedience and protest slow down 'lawless logging'
Forests worth fighting for
Note: This article is a sidebar to a feature story. While acts of civil disobedience have captured much of the media spotlight, environmentalists throughout the West have also waged countless smaller battles – by letter, lawsuit and protest – since the passage of the salvage rider. Here are some of the region’s most contentious sales […]
Posted inAugust 5, 1996: Disappearing railroad blues
Drought has Navajos discussing a taboo subject – range reform
DILKON, Ariz. – “Do you know anywhere where livestock sells for more?” asks Navajo rancher Jane Yazzie. As her friend translates my negative response, Yazzie fidgets with a check on the table. It’s clear the amount pains her. For one 450-pound heifer, an Arizona auction house paid $186.10. Two years ago, she probably would have […]
Posted inAugust 5, 1996: Disappearing railroad blues
Prayers generate hope and bring showers
Note: in the print edition of this issue, this article appears as a sidebar to another news article, “Drought has Navajos discussing a taboo subject – range reform.” HESPERUS, Colo. – While Navajo politicians and bureaucrats back in Window Rock are arguing over how to limit cows or where to find money for drought relief, […]
Posted inJune 24, 1996: Catron County's politics heat up as its land goes bankrupt
No pay for pooches
Will Defenders of Wildlife, the nonprofit group that compensates ranchers for livestock killed by wolves, also pay for pets that become prey? Several private citizens and government employees have raised that question since a hunting dog was killed by a pack of wolves near Fishtail, Mont., last December. The answer is no, says Hank Fischer, […]
Posted inJune 24, 1996: Catron County's politics heat up as its land goes bankrupt
Fire sweeps through the Southwest
The fire season started with a vengeance this year in the parched Southwest. As of June 16, firefighters had extinguished more than 2,400 fires in Arizona and New Mexico that charred some 230,000 acres. Fire crews from all over the West are camped on the airport lawn in Albuquerque, poised for assignments. “This has been […]
Posted inJune 10, 1996: Outdoor Education
Spreading the gospel
Outdoor education teaches people to know and care about the West
Posted inJune 10, 1996: Outdoor Education
Acting for the environment
Note: This article is a sidebar to one of this issue’s feature stories, in a special issue about outdoor education: Spreading the gospel A man in an old-fashioned tuxedo knocks on the door of a first-grade Seattle classroom. The teacher ushers him in and he totters across the room and groans as he settles in a […]
Posted inJune 10, 1996: Outdoor Education
The big dogs: Outward Bound and NOLS hit their thirties
Note: This article is a sidebar to one of this issue’s feature stories, in a special issue about outdoor education: Spreading the gospel Instructors from the National Outdoor Leadership Schools (NOLS) and Outward Bound have a running joke: “NOLS is the place where you learn to stuff everything – even your feelings – in a backpack […]
Posted inMay 27, 1996: Utah ushers its frogs toward oblivion
Wildflowers made easy
WILDFLOWERS MADE EASY If you’ve ever struggled to differentiate between pinnate and palmate vennation or corymb and cyme inflorescence, you’ll be happy to hear there’s a new wildflower guide for botanical novices. Written by G.K. Guennel, a spore and pollen expert, the two-volume Guide to Colorado Wildflowers is remarkably easy to use and includes some […]
Posted inMay 13, 1996: Howdy, neighbor!
Heard Around the West
It’s not unusual to find strange items along road shoulders, but David Shiffler’s discovery along a New Mexico road last October deserves special mention. While taking a pee break, the 3-year-old toddler decided to do a little excavation with his yellow Tonka backhoe. According to The Denver Post, he came back to the car with […]
Posted inApril 29, 1996: A park boss goes to bat for the land
Santa Fe residents win ski area fight
The Big Tesuque, a mountain basin above Santa Fe, N.M., may yet be saved from ski area development. Expansion of the Santa Fe Ski Area into the basin had seemed like a sure bet. Despite vocal opposition from Santa Fe locals, Santa Fe Forest Supervisor Al Defler approved the plan last December (HCN, 2/19/96). But […]