Westerners, in general, live longer than other Americans, according to a recent study by the Harvard University Initiative for Global Health. Northern Plains residents live longest, but 29 of the 50 counties with the highest life expectancy are in the West — 16 in Colorado. Native Americans, however, aren’t as fortunate: Nationally, they have a […]
Staff
Posted inOctober 2, 2006: From the ground up
Give us your poor, your uninsured…
Many Westerners live in poverty, but even more lack health insurance. U.S. Percentage below poverty level: 12.6 Percentage without health coverage: 15.7 New Mexico Percentage below poverty level: 17.9 Percentage without health coverage: 21.1 Arizona Percentage below poverty level: 15.2 Percentage without health coverage: 8.1 Montana Percentage below poverty level: 13.8 Percentage without health coverage: […]
Posted inOctober 2, 2006: From the ground up
‘They both do not exist’
“They both do not exist.” — Wyoming Attorney General Patrick Crank, equating the federally protected Preble’s meadow jumping mouse with the mythical jackalope. Crank made the comparison at a congressional hearing on the mouse in Greeley, Colo., in September. U.S. Rep. Richard Pombo, R-Calif., led the hearing. This article appeared in the print edition of […]
Posted inOctober 2, 2006: From the ground up
More Radio Waves
Note: This article is a sidebar to one of this issue’s feature stories, “Radio: Spice for the ears,” in a special issue about community media in the West. Connecting Communities Five Northern California stations used satellite technology to string together a temporary network in mid-July. The Seven Rivers Radio Network hosted a two-hour, live call-in […]
Posted inSeptember 18, 2006: Going Big
Two weeks in the West
“The farmers respect the law. (But in Sun Valley) people get mad and call their lawyers. This is typical America, the land of greed, where people just take, take, take.” —David Murphy, an Idaho water-rights cop, who is ticked off at wealthy owners of vacation homes for illegally taking water from rivers and streams to […]
Posted inSeptember 4, 2006: Blast from the Past
Two weeks in the West
“They’ve had so many C’s I can’t keep track anymore.” — John Kostyack of the National Wildlife Federation, commenting to Greenwire on the Interior Department’s announcement that it will add “community” to the “Four C’s” touted by former Interior Secretary Gale Norton. Environmentalists have widely criticized Norton for making a mockery of the original four: […]
Posted inSeptember 4, 2006: Blast from the Past
The Hot West
Note: This article is a sidebar to one of this issue’s feature stories, “The Fourth Wave,” in a special issue about the West’s resurgent uranium economy. THE NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE MINING AND MILLING In 1983, mining ceased at Kennecott Energy’s Sweetwater open-pit uranium mine (at right) near Rawlins, Wyo. Uranium ore from traditional open-pit or […]
Posted inAugust 21, 2006: The Lure of the Lawn
Two weeks in the West
“No one will look upon her tenure as the golden age of the Park Service.” — Jeff Ruch of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, on the recent resignation of Park Service Chief Fran Mainella. Mainella’s tenure was contentious — the agency was widely criticized for a 2005 management policy that emphasized recreation over conservation, and […]
Posted inAugust 7, 2006: Is It or Isn't It (Just Another Mouse)?
Two Weeks in the West
Autumn in the West may be more brown than gold this year. Aspen trees are dying in large numbers throughout the region, especially in Colorado, home to half the West’s quakies. Researchers are baffled; there’s no discernible pattern to the die-off, and the rate seems to be increasing. In southwestern Colorado, up to 60 percent […]
Posted inJune 26, 2006: The Tamarisk Hunter
Reader Feedback
Tell us what you REALLY think … In a recent online survey, we asked readers, “Is there anything you’d like to tell the staff that might help improve High Country News?” Here are some snippets from the more than 700 comments we received, in the order they came in. You guys rock. I use HCN […]
Posted inApril 17, 2006: The War on Wildfire
Legend of the Eagleman
Legend of the Eagleman Wayne Parrish 364 pages, softcover: $18.95. Morro Press, 2006. Based on an Indian legend warning against gambling and greed, this suspenseful and engaging novel blends tribal history, water disputes, illegal land swaps, and political corruption. Matt Dillon, Indian sculptor and special agent for the Arizona Gaming Commission, goes undercover to investigate […]
Posted inApril 17, 2006: The War on Wildfire
Communities and Forests: Where People Meet theLand
Communities and Forests: Where People Meet the Land ed. Robert G. Lee and Donald R. Field 320 pages, softcover: $29.95. Oregon State University Press, 2005. This collection of essays suggests that traditional forest management is shifting, from being solely science-based to accounting for societal and cultural values. Lee and Field present four major types of […]
Posted inApril 3, 2006: Land of Disenchantment
High Country Zoo Special Edition – Apr. 1
HOOTLINES MONTOMING Rep. Rambo proposes more corporate sponsorship Last fall, Rep. Richard Rambo, R-Calif., proposed that to help balance the federal budget, the National Park Circus should sell corporate naming rights for its visitor centers and trails (HCN, 9/31/05). Now, Rambo has expanded his plan to allow corporations to purchase naming rights for natural features, […]
Posted inMarch 20, 2006: Town Shopping
Skinny Streets and Green Neighborhoods
Skinny Streets and Green Neighborhoods Cynthia Girling and Ronald Kellett 176 pages, softcover: $35. Island Press, 2006. Urban sprawl and congestion: We all know it’s a massive problem. But proven, practical solutions often elude planners and developers. Authors Cynthia Girling and Ronald Kellett, who teach architecture and landscape architecture, examine several case studies of ecologically […]
Posted inMarch 20, 2006: Town Shopping
National Parks and the Woman’s Voice
National Parks and the Woman’s Voice Polly Welts Kaufman 344 pages, softcover: $22.95. University of New Mexico Press, 2006. This updated edition of a decade-old book examines the role of women in the National Park Service, from Yellowstone explorers of the late 1800s to present-day park founders and advocates. Women now fill one-quarter of park […]
Posted inMarch 20, 2006: Town Shopping
Blowing bubbles
Around the region, real estate offers the latest incarnation of the old boom-and-bust
Posted inMarch 6, 2006: Save Our Snow
Got Sun? Go Solar
Got Sun? Go Solar Rex A. Ewing and Doug Pratt 160 pages, softcover: $18.95, PixyJack Press, 2005. Tired of waiting for Washington, D.C., to make a serious commitment to solar power? Then pick up this information-packed but very readable book and get started on your own. Authors Rex Ewing and Doug Pratt explain home renewable […]
Posted inMarch 6, 2006: Save Our Snow
Exploring High Mountain Lakes in the Rockies
Exploring High Mountain Lakes in the Rockies Fred W. Rabe 146 pages, softcover: $29.95 Aquatic Ecosystems, 2006. Exploring High Mountain Lakes in the Rockies features dozens of color photographs, maps and sketches. But it’s not a travel guide to the approximately 8,000 high-elevation lakes speckling the region; instead of trails, biologist Fred Rabe describes geology, […]
Posted inFebruary 20, 2006: High Noon for Habitat
Under Ground: How Creatures of Mud and Dirt Shape Our World
Under Ground: How Creatures of Mud and Dirt Shape Our World Yvonne Baskin 237 pages, hardcover: $26.95 Island Press, 2005. Yvonne Baskin, a science writer, takes us on an intriguing tour of the planet’s soils and sediments. Did you know, for example, that because earthworms aren’t native to much of North America, fishermen should dump […]
Posted inFebruary 20, 2006: High Noon for Habitat
Coyote Warrior: One Man, Three Tribes and the Trial that Forged a Nation
Coyote Warrior: One Man, Three Tribes and the Trial that Forged a Nation Paul VanDevelder 324 pages, softcover: $19.95 University of Nebraska Press, 2005. “Coyote warriors” are the new generation of American Indian leaders who leave the reservation to train as attorneys, scientists or other professionals, then return home to help their tribes. Tribal governments, […]