Detention facilities provide economic stability for many rural towns.
Arizona
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Monument designations aren’t land grabs. They’re protection against theft.
Today, some Westerners might call the 1908 presidential proclamation of a Grand Canyon National Monument a “surreptitious land grab.” But it all depends on who’s doing the grabbing, and for what purpose. Utah Republican Rep. Rob Bishop says that such proclamations allow presidents to “lock up” millions of acres of public land “like bandits in […]
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Endurance runners in the Grand Canyon are missing the point
When I was 18, back in the swinging ’60s, I ran with equally driven friends through the Grand Canyon, going from the North Rim to the South Rim in a single day. Our trek involved traversing the 14-mile North Kaibab trail, the 7-mile South Kaibab Trail and the Old Bright Angel Trail, 14 miles of […]
Posted inAugust 31, 2015: Unlocking the Methane Mystery
Unlocking the mystery of the Four Corners Methane Hot Spot
Scientists zero in on the culprits behind a giant plume of greenhouse gases.
Posted inAugust 17, 2015: Little Big Bird
The Latest: San Carlos Apache lobbies to protect lands threatened by copper mining
Resolution Copper company engineered a land swap with the feds, but locals oppose it.
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Military and enviros align in Arizona’s public lands debate
Demand for housing, recreation and energy development means military bases could lose essential buffer land.
Posted inAugust 3, 2015: Outflanked
Young men and fire
Review of “On the Burning Edge: A Fateful Fire and the Men Who Fought It” by Kyle Dickman.
Posted inArticles
KDNK Radio speaks with HCN reporter Sarah Tory
A battle over illegal bike trails in Sedona raises tough questions about soaring recreation use on public lands.
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Freeway closure by flash flood should teach us a lesson
Is it time to diversify the West’s transportation options?
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In the middle of nowhere, a Promised Land
A community with environmental sensitivities makes a home in Arizona’s desert.
Posted inJuly 20, 2015: Shredded
Illegal bike trails and a Forest Service crackdown divide a town
A biking boom in Sedona, Arizona, forces locals to ask: Is there room for all these people?
Posted inJuly 20, 2015: Shredded
On death’s doorstep in the Grand Canyon
A misstep in the backcountry alters an avid hiker’s perspective.
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How crowded are private prisons in the West?
A riot in Arizona puts the spotlight on for-profit incarceration.
Posted inJune 22, 2015: Dust to Dust
Underdog roboticists
Review of ‘Spare Parts: Four Undocumented Teenagers, One Ugly Robot, and the Battle for the American Dream’ by Joshua Davis.
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Lake Mead watch: six inches from the level that triggers cutbacks
If water curtailments go into effect, which states are most vulnerable, and why?
Posted inJune 8, 2015: Tree of Life
Genetic research lays foundation for bold conservation strategies
To save the greatest number of species, should we focus on the most common?
Posted inMay 25, 2015: Monument Man
On New Mexico’s Gila River, a contentious diversion gets the go-ahead
Questions remain of how much water it will yield and whether local farmers can afford to buy it.
Posted inMay 25, 2015: Monument Man
The Latest: Lake Mead hits a record low of 1,078 feet
Water cutbacks would start if the reservoir reaches 1,075.
Posted inMay 25, 2015: Monument Man
The Latest: A bill to open public land to Border Patrol
Sen. John McCain proposes more immediate access at the U.S.-Mexico border.
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Sightseeing at an open pit mine in Arizona copper country
The mines are still in business, yet towns that once flourished are now mostly gone.