We asked readers what they liked and disliked about our work that year, the topics they cared about and the stories that were playing out in their corner of the region. Readers dutifully filled them out and mailed them back to us by the hundreds. And we read every one. It was like being swept up in an avalanche of mail from far-flung friends across the West and the country.
But printing and mailing surveys is time-consuming and expensive, and it uses a lot of paper. And besides, we want to hear from you more than once a year. So last summer, we revived the survey after years of dormancy, this time in a digital format. We ran ads, sent emails, had a banner on our website and solicited responses on social media, casting a wide net to get feedback on our work and learn more about you. Then we repeated it a few months later. And now, a third survey is live and waiting for your input: hcn.org/survey
Your responses to the past two surveys have shown me we share a lot of the same concerns. We’re seeing similar stories play out in our communities, assessing the same needs and clocking the same rising perils. That’s exactly why High Country News exists — to weave what might otherwise feel like isolated threads into a tapestry of the West’s shared present and future.
Join our open reader survey at hcn.org/survey and let us know how we’re doing and what you’re thinking about these days. Get in touch at dearfriends@hcn.org. And yes, we still love getting real mail as well: P.O. Box 1090, Paonia, CO 81428. —Greg Hanscom, executive director & publisher
Some questions that you’d like to see HCN explore in the future:
◉ How are normal ranching families getting along?
◉ From folks with a long view of water in the West, what should we be doing to prepare for the coming centuries?
◉ Where are jobs going to come for displaced coal miners?
◉ How do communities rebuild after fire?
We welcome reader letters. Email High Country News at editor@hcn.org or submit a letter to the editor. See our letters to the editor policy.
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline We’re getting better at staying in touch.
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