In the desert Southwest in 2030, with “Big Daddy Drought” in full swing and California claiming all the water, a “water tick” named Lolo ekes out a rugged living removing tamarisk.
Also in this issue: With the Interior West’s national parks facing an increase in haze and air pollution, Rocky Mountain National Park is working with government agencies to improve air quality.
Climate-change clues — in tropical glaciers
To understand why nearly every climate expert on the planet believes our hundred-year binge on fossil fuels has set the stage for today’s wrenching weather disruptions, you have to take the long view, looking beyond a single hurricane or heat wave. If you do that, the news gets worse. And if you really wish to…
Nuestra America
In recent months, millions of Latinos have taken to the streets over immigration — more than 50,000 in Denver alone. Hector Tobar’s Translation Nation: Defining a New American Identity in the Spanish-Speaking United States is a thoughtful and wide-ranging examination of the people who have come from the Americas to a country that calls itself…
A season of love — and secrets
When an unexpected teaching vacancy arises in the town’s one-room schoolhouse, Morrie steps in. His pedagogy is unorthodox and his résumé dubious, but he ignites the minds of his pupils. Morrie’s finest teaching moment comes when he organizes the children to honor the arrival of Halley’s Comet with a harmonica concert for their astonished parents.…
One war that’s worth the fight
In Walking It Off, Doug Peacock covers a lot of ground. Having survived the Vietnam War as a Green Beret medic, Peacock writes of himself at age 27: “Wounded but dedicated, I was a committed whacko, a fanatic willing to go the distance at the drop of the hat, a warrior who didn’t believe in…
Waiting for the tide
In The Highest Tide, Jim Lynch’s debut novel, 13-year-old Miles O’Malley — Squid Boy to his friends — discovers freaks of marine biology while beach-combing near his home. He also encounters sex, death, divorce, and the bizarre world of media stardom along the way. A boy genius who’s abnormally short for his age, Miles gets…
The Latest Bounce
Republican Pete McCloskey made a valiant attempt to unseat Rep. Richard Pombo (HCN, 4/17/06: Pete McCloskey rides again). But California’s 11th Congressional District stood behind its native son. Despite questions about his ethics and attempts to weaken key environmental laws, Pombo received 62 percent of the votes in the June 6th primary. Moderate challenger McCloskey,…
Saints speak out against nuclear waste
Although Mormons call Utah their promised land, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has rarely taken a stand in defense of its environment. Recently, however, the highest echelon of the church threw a protective arm around the state by opposing a nuclear waste storage site near Salt Lake City. In a three-sentence statement…
Energy workers, union members protest drilling
In Wyoming, the outcry against oil and gas drilling is getting louder — and now it’s coming from some unlikely quarters. Since 2005, the Bureau of Land Management has been auctioning off parcels in the Wyoming Range of the Bridger-Teton National Forest for oil and gas development. The most recent lease sale on June 6…
War on (eco) terror extends to the West
The federal government continues to crack down on ecological saboteurs: In mid-May, four people in Colorado were indicted for the 1998 Vail ski resort fires. The accused belong to a group of 13 defendants named in an Oregon indictment, which lists 65 counts for crimes across the West, including conspiracy and arson (HCN, 4/17/06: Eco-terrorism…
The wild, wild weather
Blame it on climate change or the vagaries of nature, but whatever the cause, weather in the West has been extreme — and wacky. The Southwest has become a tinderbox, while Northwesterners are sopping wet. WASHINGTON Average yearly moisture: 37.02 in.* Moisture June ‘05-May ‘06: 41.53 in. Nine consecutive days of downpour hit western Washington…
Reader Feedback
Tell us what you REALLY think … In a recent online survey, we asked readers, “Is there anything you’d like to tell the staff that might help improve High Country News?” Here are some snippets from the more than 700 comments we received, in the order they came in. You guys rock. I use HCN…
HCN looks to the future
“WHAT in the HECK is that merry band of High Country News pranksters up to this time? I mean, science fiction on the cover?” Well, yes — and trust us, it’s not as much of a stretch as it seems. Each summer, we take a break from the hard news and send you an issue…
Heard around the West
CALIFORNIA A passenger on a flight from Los Angeles to Oakland apparently felt too important to obey repeated requests to hang up his cell phone so the plane could take off. Everyone else had acknowledged the usual announcement to turn off cell phones, except for this man, who was deep in conversation, according to the…
Dear friends
SUMMER BREAK HCN staff will be taking some much-needed time off during the last two weeks of June. We’ll be enjoying our families and praying for rainstorms. Look for the next issue of HCN to reach you around July 24. WELCOME, ABBIE AND JESSICA Two new faces have recently appeared in the HCN office. Abbie…
The Tamarisk Hunter
In the desert Southwest of 2030 Big Daddy Drought runs the show, California claims all the water, and a water tick named Lolo ekes out a rugged living removing tamarisk.
The hazy days of summer … and winter, spring and fall
Air pollution settles over the West’s national parks
How a tiny owl changed Tucson
As the pygmy owl nears local extinction, community leaders vow to continue desert conservation
Land deal, New Mexico style
Ancestral land turned corporation could be up for sale