New research from dust experts, non-native goats in the La Sal Mountains, new drone laws, Navajo Nation presidential election and more.
Holiday publishing break
Welcome new employees, and farewell Martin Litton
Hunting for scorpions
Seeking one of Earth’s most ancient land invertebrates.
Non-native goats in Utah’s La Sal Mountains
How bad are these ungulates for the ecosystem?
Of time and wounds
Willows are pioneers of raw, moist habitats (“Have returning wolves really saved Yellowstone?” HCN, 12/8/14). Except for the few, but often common, species capable of vegetative reproduction, dense grasses are anathema to willow spread, and young plants grow fastest. The story of moisture-loving riparian species, such as willows and sedges, catching sediments is writ large…
Photographs of New Mexicans spanning 20 years
Review of “Taos Portraits: Photos by Paul O’Connor.”
Shards of hope in the Mojave
Review of “29” by Mary Sojourner.
Six decades of river exploration
Review of “Downstream Toward Home” by Oliver A. Houck.
The dust detectives
Scientists are closer than ever to understanding how microscopic airborne particles shape the Earth, and the West.
The Latest: EPA released final cleanup order for Duwamish River
A million cubic yards of toxic sludge will be dredged from Seattle’s only river.
A question of fluency on the Navajo Nation
A cultural debate leaves the presidency in limbo.
The Latest: Protective settlement reached for Roan Plateau
Industry and environmentalists compromised on the embattled Colorado mesa.
Aerial photos of drilling at Pawnee grassland
Oil and gas development has been ongoing for decades in northeastern Colorado.
Aquifer recharging can help stanch drought
Oregon is successfully capturing runoff to underground storage.
Descent into an ice-age bonebed in Wyoming
The giant pit may hold clues about the demise of the West’s ancient megafauna.
Dust to dust
That early spring afternoon looked like the opening shot for a bad doomsday flick. The sky west of Paonia, Colorado, brooded yellow at first, fading to sepia around its edges. Then, as the wind rose, it gusted to a hard orange-red. The mountain skyline to the southeast — just that morning, a white and blue…
Fish out of (wild) water
I read with great interest this week’s feature about the Indian perspective on salmon restoration in the Columbia Basin, a subject I have studied for many years (“The Great Salmon Compromise,” HCN, 12/8/14). The author covered one aspect of a complex subject rather well, but he left out several pertinent facts. Hatchery-bred fish do not…
Game of drones
Nevada looks to the boom in unmanned aerial vehicles for an economic boost.
Grinchosaurus in Utah, an exchange of letters with Wendell Berry and more.
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.