North of San Francisco, a well-heeled community has its privilege tested.
Wayne Hare
Posted inArticles
A post-Civil War town founded by former slaves perseveres
Discover the improbable and inspiring Nicodemus, Kansas.
Posted inMay 28, 2018: The River of Lost Souls
Portland’s gentrification has its roots in racism
Black Americans aren’t defined by poor schools, menial jobs, high crime and incarceration. They endure them.
Posted inJanuary 22, 2018: A Separatist State of Mind
A Civil Conversation: The lessons of Nicodemus, Kansas
One of the few black settlements of the West remains — barely.
Posted inArticles
Dispatch from a medic on the North Star Fire in Washington
What base camp and wildfire look like from one firefighter’s perspective.
Posted inAugust 4, 2014: Idaho's Sewer System
The Tea Party loses one in Colorado
John Pennington lost his primary election bid for sheriff of Mesa County, here in western Colorado, last month. I don’t know why he lost to Steve King, a former Republican state legislator who then canceled his own campaign due to a scandal, leaving the general election race wide-open for several new candidates. But I do […]
Posted inWotr
I admit it: I’m an environmental hypocrite
Yup, I hang my clothes to dry – right after I burn fossil fuels to get them clean.
Posted inWotr
Pro: Colorado National Monument should become a national park
There’s been a lot of hoopla and public meetings here in Grand Junction, Colo., about turning the nearby Colorado National Monument into a national park. My opinion is simply: Why not? I know this is not a passionate position, but this isn’t a passionate subject. As a former national park ranger, I know that the […]
Posted inMarch 15, 2010: Mobile Nation
Untold tales of the American frontier
Images of the black experience in the West
Posted inWotr
You don’t need a gun to enjoy a national park
When I was 11 years old, I papered the walls of my bedroom with pages from gun catalogs. It was an attempt to convince my father that I really wanted a gun. He eventually gave in when I was 12 or 13, and I’ve owned guns ever since, even carrying one or more in the […]
Posted inWotr
The myth of minority favoritism
A myth is circulating around the West, and it goes like this: Regardless of your level of competence, if you’re black, you’ll beat out everybody else when it comes to getting a job with a federal land-management agency such as the Forest Service or Bureau of Land Management. A hint of this myth appeared in […]
Posted inWotr
Here’s a new way to think about Black History
Every February, the contributions of black Americans are recognized during Black History Month. Since I’m black and work for the Bureau of Land Management, a mostly white federal agency, I appreciate that. But I also have a complaint: Why has its observance become so predictable? By now, I am sure that everybody knows that black […]
Posted inJanuary 21, 2008: An energy oasis in the political desert
Playing cowboy at the wolf’s expense
Let me see if I have this straight: In Catron County, N.M., a place notorious for its anti-federal government and anti-environmental stance, we’re shooting and trapping wolves that have been fraudulently set up to violate the “three strikes” rule by the lackey of a wealthy foreigner who ranches for pleasure and not need (HCN, 12/24/07). […]
Posted inJuly 23, 2007: Hydrogen Highway Revisited
Natural diversity
As a black park ranger, I’m often asked why more minorities don’t visit national parks or participate more in outdoor activities. That’s a short question with a long answer, and one part of it involves the perpetuation of historical inaccuracy, since the victors get to write what passes for history as portrayed in movies and […]
Posted inWotr
Our public lands should reflect white, black and brown
As a black park ranger, I’m often asked why more minorities don’t visit national parks or participate more in outdoor activities. That’s a short question with a long answer, and one part of it involves the perpetuation of historical inaccuracy, since the victors get to write what passes for history as portrayed in movies and […]