Note: This article is a sidebar to one of this issue’s feature stories, A toolbox to shape the future. Even the most gung-ho planners admit that government can only do so much to protect native plants, animals that need hundreds of miles of habitat, and human communities. Some critics are more blunt. “I left planning disgusted […]
Paul Larmer
Posted inSeptember 5, 1994: Can planning rein in a stampede?
Boulder’s ingenuity has a few drawbacks
Note: this feature article is one of several in a special issue about growth and planning in the West. Few communities in the United States – let alone the West – have tried to control growth the way Boulder, Colo., has. Using imagination and innovative planning, a progressive citizenry and equally progressive elected officials have […]
Posted inSeptember 5, 1994: Can planning rein in a stampede?
When planning plays catch-up
Note: this feature article is one of several in a special issue about growth and planning in the West. MONTROSE, Colo. – For decades this town with the stunning views of the jagged San Juan Mountains aggressively courted growth and collectively admitted no downside. When county commissioners tried to adopt a wimpy land-use plan 21 […]
Posted inSeptember 5, 1994: Can planning rein in a stampede?
Some state governments try planning from top down
Note: this feature article is one of several in a special issue about growth and planning in the West. The governor of Oregon may have been a little ahead of his time, speaking out against growth and for planning: “Sagebrush subdivision, coastal ‘condomania’ and the ravenous rampage of suburbia in the Willamette Valley all threaten […]
Posted inSeptember 5, 1994: Can planning rein in a stampede?
To learn more: a list of sources
Note: This article is a sidebar to one of this issue’s feature stories, How to get involved and push the process. Wading into the world of planning is much like walking into quicksand: The more you struggle with it, the more bogged down you get. Fortunately, there are some useful starting points. General information The state […]
Posted inSeptember 5, 1994: Can planning rein in a stampede?
A toolbox to shape the future
Note: this feature article is one of several in a special issue about growth and planning in the West. The planning tools being used in the West vary as widely as the character of local communities. Factors such as terrain, population profile and economics determine which tool is wielded where. Some of the tools have […]
Posted inMay 2, 1994: A struggle for the last grass
Regional wilderness bill gets a hearing
Advocates of a wilderness bill covering 20 million acres in five states finally got a chance to make their case before a congressional subcommittee. The contentious dialogue April 12 at the first public hearing of the Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act (NREPA) pitted Western lawmakers against the bill’s sponsor, New York Rep. Carolyn Mulroney, D. […]
Posted inApril 18, 1994: The salmon win one
New plan will protect salmon habitat
Note: This article is a sidebar to this issue’s feature story, The salmon win one. After months of delay, the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management have proposed temporary regulations to protect rivers and streams on public lands in the Pacific Northwest. Known as “Pacfish,” the new plan establishes buffer zones along […]
Posted inApril 4, 1994: Who speaks for the Colorado Plateau?
Fly-by tourism may be throttled at Grand Canyon
Note: This article is a sidebar to this issue’s feature story, Who speaks for the Colorado Plateau? Although Congress passed legislation in 1987 limiting where tourist-toting planes and helicopters could go over Grand Canyon National Park, the number of flights has nearly doubled. The National Park Service says noise pervades almost every nook and cranny […]
Posted inMarch 7, 1994: Pay as you waste, says EPA
Miners hope to become subdividers
The bankrupt owners of a coal mine in central Colorado want the state to drop a lawsuit against them in exchange for cash and equipment. But there’s a catch. Mine owners want to subdivide 6,000 acres to generate some of the money for the mine’s reclamation. Mid-Continent Resources’ latest plan to pay off its debts […]
Posted inFebruary 21, 1994: Draining the budget to desalt the Colorado
Wise-use ordinances suffer legal setback
In a decision that environmentalists hope will reverberate throughout the West, an Idaho district judge ruled that a county wise-use law is unconstitutional. Judge James Michaud said Jan. 28 that Boundary County’s land-use plan asserting local control over all decisions affecting federal and state lands in the county violates both the Idaho and U.S. constitutions […]
Posted inFebruary 21, 1994: Draining the budget to desalt the Colorado
State land lease in Idaho goes to the low bidder
In an abrupt turnaround, the Idaho Land Board took away a lease for state grazing land won by an environmentalist, then gave it back to the rancher who has used it for 20 years. At a Jan. 28 auction, Jon Marvel, founder of Idaho Watersheds Project, outbid Challis ranchers Will and Vangie Ingram for rights […]
Posted inDecember 27, 1993: Yellowstone
Sierra Club to back big wildlands bill
The Sierra Club joins the Alliance for the Wild Rockies in backing the Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act. To read this article, download this HCN issue in PDF format. This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Sierra Club to back big wildlands bill.
Posted inNovember 1, 1993: Sunbelt confrontation
Arizona BLM punishes ‘bad bureaucrat’
BLM hydrologist is censured after charging that groundwater pumping could harm the nation’s first national conservation area along the San Pedro River. To read this article, download this HCN issue in PDF format. This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Arizona BLM punishes ‘bad bureaucrat’.
Posted inNovember 1, 1993: Sunbelt confrontation
Battle for Montana wilderness enters its 16th round
Rep. Pat Williams introduces the Montana Wilderness Act for the 16th time, amidst disagreements between The Alliance for the Wild Rockies, The Sierra Club and other members of the environmentalist community. To read this article, download this HCN issue in PDF format. This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline […]
Posted inOctober 4, 1993: Mining reform: Searching for common ground
Does Aspen need thousands more skiers?
The Forest Service struggles over approval of an Aspen Skiing Co. expansion plan to develop Burnt Mountain, near the Maroon Bells Wilderness. To read this article, download this HCN issue in PDF format. This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Does Aspen need thousands more skiers?.
Posted inSeptember 20, 1993: Triumph, Idaho, to EPA: Get out
Rural Colorado county says it is being dumped on
An advocacy group charges that a Waste Management landfill is contaminating their water supply. To read this article, download this HCN issue in PDF format. This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Rural Colorado county says it is being dumped on.
Posted inJune 14, 1993: Oregon's Trojan horse
Colorado passes mining reforms
The Colorado legislature passes mining reforms after the Summitville gold mine disaster. To read this article, download this HCN issue in PDF format. This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Colorado passes mining reforms.
Posted inJune 14, 1993: Oregon's Trojan horse
More Clinton appointees are confirmed
Clinton appoints officials to the BLM, Bureau of Reclamation, NPS, US Fish and Wildlife and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. To read this article, download this HCN issue in PDF format. This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline More Clinton appointees are confirmed.