This month’s feature story looks into how Western farmworkers bear the brunt of the impacts of climate change, doing back-breaking labor in triple-digit temperatures. In response, activists in Washington are charting a new path to climate justice. This story is accompanied by the powerful artwork by farmworkers and their allies. Elsewhere, we meet Iniko, the baby condor that became a celebrity, and we learn to love the Pacific lamprey, a species that outlived the dinosaurs but needs human help today. In Oregon, a non-Native developer is attempting to open a gaming operation that threatens tribal sovereignty. Hydrologist Phoebe Suino talks about the Rio Grande and Indigenous water rights, and the “green metals” that power our electric vehicles spark a not-very-green mining boom. Ben Goldfarb ponders the deeper meaning of the film “Don’t Look Up,” and a writer wonders whether the only thing standing between Butte, Montana, and gentrification is the fascinating but deadly Berkeley Pit. Laureli Ivanoff’s column, “The Seasons of Uŋalaqłiq,” makes its debut, and Tiffany Midge takes charge of “Heard around the West.”
Letter: Concise and convincing
Congratulations on this informative piece, particularly the excellent infographics by Luna Anna Archey — remarkably concise and convincing. Dale E. BusseGoldendale, Washington This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Dale E. Busse.
Letter: Manchin’s mining law
I am so pleased with the story you published about the latest attempt to update the mining law of 1872 (“Two Democrats kill chances of reforming outdated hardrock mining law,” hcn.org, 11/18/21). I wasn’t liking Joe Manchin much before I read it; now I’m ready to donate money to get rid of him! Sally NewellUnderwood,…
Letter: N-15 isotopes
Your graphic about the Klamath was very informative (“What would a healthy Klamath River look like?” December 2021). I would like to point out a misconception regarding the N-15 isotope. The different isotopes of nitrogen do not have any impact on healthy forest growth; all isotopes of nitrogen can be used for growth. The N-15…
Letter: Remember the past
Citizens of the West would be well advised to remember the Hanford, Washington, nuclear waste products disaster (“No Easy Fix for our Nuclear Past,” December 2018). Wind power and the rapid improvement in battery technology seem a far better match for the future electrical needs of Wyoming and the West (“New nuclear,” December 2021). One could employ…
Letter: Rural broadband vs. satellite
It’s clear that large telecoms are using huge federal dollars every year for a fiber solution that is barely moving the needle on rural needs (“How to solve the rural-urban digital divide,” hcn.org, 12/6/21). Starlink, on the other hand, offers a low-cost solution that appears to be a game changer for those in very rural…
Letter: Tech who?
I enjoyed the detailed map and article highlighting inequity by county across the West (“The wealth abyss,” December 2021). However, the use of the moniker “tech bro” is unnecessarily inflammatory. Does employing this negative connotation serve any useful purpose? Do women not also work at tech companies? Good empirical research on inequality in the West…
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Letter: Who did what to get here
Thanks for reporting on the massive transfer of wealth from working people to the 1%. As shown, this has been happening in earnest for the last 40 years. Unfortunately, the author attributes this using very passive language. Incredibly, no discussion of any agency in making these changes. I recommend reading the Powell memorandum as a…
Our intersectional future
How to preserve what we love about the West in a way that is fair to all cultures and stakeholders, and that doesn’t leave anyone behind.
Letter: Wind’s challenges
Your story on the proposed wind farm in Idaho provides an excellent case study on the environmental challenges of replacing much of our nation’s energy infrastructure with renewables (“The fight over a windswept landscape,” December 2021). While renewables are great at reducing emissions of greenhouse gases and other pollutants, they are not immune from numerous…
Free bird; lost-and-found bear; cowboy pride
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
The beauty and complexity of farm work in Washington
Artwork created by farmworkers and their communities paints an authentic picture of farm labor in Washington.
A just transition for farmworkers
As agricultural laborers continue to bear the brunt of climate change, activists in Washington chart a new path for climate justice.
Letter: An important distinction
In “What you can’t see can hurt you” (November 2021), your story claims that “natural gas is far more climate-friendly than coal.” This is poorly worded as there is nothing climate-friendly about burning fossil fuels. Natural gas is simply less climate-destructive, an important distinction. Ryan Vanzo Homer, Alaska This article appeared in the print edition…
Letter: Beautiful and informative
I just had to reach out with my compliments for the exceptionally interesting and presented article, “The nuance and beauty of the West in 2021,” (hcn.org, 1/5/22). I really did enjoy the prompt to pause this Sunday morning and journey with you through the highlights of HCN’s 2021 reportage. Each month was presented beautifully and…
Tribal nations are locked inside the U.S. water regime
Phoebe Suina on the Rio Grande River, Pueblo inclusion and the need for holistic solutions to our man-made disaster.
Humble suckers: Pacific lamprey have survived 5 mass extinctions but are now under threat
Cooperative efforts between tribes and non-Native institutions are helping conserve the under-researched Devonian darlings.
Rekindling connections in the small flame of a qulliq
An Inupiaq writer welcomes the nourishing glow of a seal oil lamp into her home.
Electric vehicles drive up demand for ‘green metals’
The need for energy-transition metals breathes life into new mines in the West.
Tribes call out Oregon’s reckless gaming regulation
Using horse-racing laws, a shadowy state agency and a billionaire push for a private casino that threatens tribes’ self-sufficiency.
Cultural extraction at the edge of the abyss
Butte, Montana, doesn’t have a major art museum. Instead, it has a gigantic toxic pit.
EPA prohibits White Mesa Mill from receiving Superfund waste
Energy Fuels Resources was found in violation for improper handling of radioactive waste storage.
Meet the influencer of the California condor world
During the pandemic, a chick named Iniko became an ambassador for conservation from her redwood nest.
How do you make a movie about a hyperobject?
The film ‘Don’t Look Up’ turns climate change into an allegorical comet.