Westerners have always been deeply in love with their firearms, and gun-shop owners like Ryan Horsley are determined to make sure that nothing comes between them
Guns R Us
Is it time to re-examine the West’s extraordinary fascination with firearms?
Two weeks in the West
White-tailed prairie dogs are short, stout rodents that burrow in the plains of Wyoming, Colorado, Utah and Montana. Their numbers have declined – some estimates say by as much as 90 percent – over the years, thanks to habitat loss, oil and gas development, grazing, bubonic plague and wholesale eradication efforts that include shooting and…
Pony up
When it comes to fund raising, Mitt Romney is the West’s presidential candidate
Turning the other cheek – to animals
I received my first copy of High Country News a few days ago and it is every bit as good as you said it would be, only better. I must declare that I was not too happy with the cover, however (HCN, 6/25/07). Too bad I did not meet your lion hunter in ‘Nam. I…
A call to greatness
Residents of Great Falls, be GREAT! For a small city with so much going for it, you apparently don’t know yet what you want to be when you grow up (HCN, 6/25/07). You deserve more than becoming the armpit of the beautiful state of Montana under the guise of economic development. In fact, economic development…
Piscatorial baloney
I had to cool off for a couple of days after reading Irle White’s sanctimonious diatribe praising his father’s attitude toward fly-fishing and condemning anybody who fishes for sport or with new and improved equipment (HCN, 6/11/07). How and when did he get the rights to dictate the moral ethics for fly-fishing? I’m 76 years…
Ask Dr. Science
As an emeritus professor of metallurgy, I was disturbed to see the promotion of bamboo bike frames relative to steel frames in the “Snapshot” section of the June 11 issue (HCN, 6/11/07). Steel is referred to as “carbon-intensive” in that note, but steel is not carbon-intensive. Steel is mostly iron, an abundant element, that contains…
Not so uncommon
In regards to your recent “Uncommon Westerners” article, I find little uncommon about Mike Noel, Utah state representative, other than that his favorite food is sushi (HCN, 5/28/07). Mike exemplifies many Westerners that are gung ho on keeping all public lands open to off-road vehicles, mining, logging and ranching. He also shows that a lot…
The return of the native
Thank you for the timely and informative article on the role of native bees in pollination (HCN, 6/11/07). It is important for farmers, gardeners and the general public to learn about how the 4,000 species of bees native to North America play a crucial part in the pollination of food crops. It was interesting to…
A forest in flux
Perched 25 stories high in a construction crane – above the crowns of the Douglas firs – environmental writer Jon Luoma surveyed the forest canopy, searching for a humble lichen, Lobaria oregana. The lichen forges an intimate relationship with the trees, swapping nutrients for a home and helping the firs grow taller. These sorts of…
On the road, and on a date with history
The road trip is a classic American narrative of escape: Huck Finn lighting out for the territory, Jack Kerouac chasing his dreams down the blacktop. In Uncertain Pilgrims, Lenore Carroll gives us a different kind of journey, narrated by Carla Brancato, a young woman from Kansas City who is struggling to get over the death…
Ready, aim, compromise
“I want to say those fighting words, to hear and to heed, and especially to you, Mr. Gore: From my cold, dead hands.” -Charlton Heston in May 2000, waving a rifle above his head at an NRA annual meeting. “The NRA is opposed to common-sense gun reform, and they have George Bush in their hip…
The owl and I
“I rejoice that there are owls,” Henry David Thoreau once wrote. For 30 years, I had no idea what he meant. I grew up in Los Angeles, and if owls soared the smoggy skies, I never saw them. Only after moving to Oregon did I learn the word “raptor.” Intrigued by these magnificent, carnivorous birds,…
Heard around the West
NEW MEXICO Once arranged in a ring just like England’s ancient Stonehenge, 100 refrigerators are no longer standing in Santa Fe. Strong winds toppled much of the 80-foot-high, graffiti-covered structure, reports the Associated Press, and the rest was dismantled on May 30. “Fridgehenge,” or “Stonefridge,” as it was dubbed, morphed into a cult phenomenon that…
Of politics and the river
An Arizona congressman and a military base threaten the last free-flowing river in the desert Southwest
Changing the world, one car at a time
NAME Greg Rock VOCATION Inventor, owner and co-founder of the Green Car Company FAVORITE BEER Red Hook HE SAYS “If we go the green route, I think the world will follow us. If we don’t, hopefully the world won’t!” WHAT HE’S READING NOW The International Energy Agency’s World Energy Outlook When he speaks about…
An alphabetical speed-load of state-by-state gun facts
(Note: This article is a sidebar to the feature Guns R Us) ARIZONA Generally, by state law, you’re not allowed to carry a gun into a nuclear plant or hydroelectric dam area, or into a polling place on Election Day, or into any other “public establishment” where the host specifically bans guns, or into any…
Video Interview: Ryan Horsley
Note: the videos linked below accompany the feature story of this issue, “Guns R Us.” Ryan Horsley on the history of Red’s Trading Post: The Growth of Red’s Trading Post Ryan Horsley on the growth of Red’s Trading Post, and why it doesn’t sell machine guns. Ryan Horsley on dealing with the ATF The Bureau…
Dear friends
PARTY WITH HCN AND REP. MARK UDALL If you happen to be in western Colorado Thursday, Aug. 23, please join us for an HCN summer celebration. Our special guest will be Colorado Democratic Congressman and U.S. Senate candidate Mark Udall, who will discuss the key issues facing the region and Congress’ role in addressing them.…