In the San Luis Valley, the communal and egalitarian resource offers a way of life.
Colorado
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The hunt for critical minerals in Colorado raises critical questions
When Earth MRI began surveying, residents grew concerned about the prospect of mining.
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Ozone pollution is on the rise in the West
Wildfires, oil and gas drilling, vehicle emissions, and climate change all combine to create more days with unhealthy levels of the colorless, odorless gas.
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‘A ticking time bomb for a mass die-off’
Recent grazing decisions continue to risk Southwest Colorado’s bighorns.
Posted inNovember 1, 2021: The Radioactive Waste Next Door
The winnowing of winter
As the climate crisis worsens, what will happen to snow?
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Coming out as trans in the rural West
A high schooler’s photo essay documents what it’s like to go through intense change in a place that never changes.
Posted inOctober 1, 2021: In The Graces of Grasses
Collecting seeds to restore prairie grasslands
‘These youth are going to be able to take ownership of healing the land at Fort Belknap.’
Posted inOctober 1, 2021: In The Graces of Grasses
Where do public lands factor into the homelessness crisis?
As the housing crisis in the West deepens, more unhoused people are making a home outside.
Posted inOctober 1, 2021: In The Graces of Grasses
A recovered sum; a bear with a job; a loss of goofy trees
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
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Indigenous women tackle college during a pandemic
How three Native American students took on the challenges of their first year away from home.
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The public lands that kept us sane
In honor of National Public Lands Day, High Country News staff reflect on access to spaces across the West.
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Indigenous college faculty and students lead the removal of racist panels in Colorado
A former Native boarding school turned liberal arts college in Durango reckons with its ugly history.
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9 numbers that explain the BLM’s headquarters boomerang back to D.C.
A look at what happened to the reorganization of the agency under the Trump administration.
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How Texas’ restrictive abortion law puts pressure on clinics in Western states
Patients are turning to places like New Mexico and Colorado for care.
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Climate change increases rare earth elements in Colorado’s Snake River
A new study suggests lower stream flows as a primary culprit.
Posted inOctober 1, 2021: In The Graces of Grasses
Reaching across Colorado’s racial frontiers
Jenny Shank’s new story collection ‘Mixed Company’ reveals racial fault lines in the Centennial State.
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National park managers search for answers to overcrowding
Timed-entry reservations and apps that point visitors to less-trafficked areas work to disperse the denizens.
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The lack of diversity in outdoor rec is systematic and disconcerting
I want people of color to feel called to reclaim natural spaces.
Posted inSeptember 1, 2021: Where Wolves May Tread
Why have gray wolves failed to gain a foothold in Colorado?
The Green River Corridor, a pathway from Wyoming to Colorado, highlights the political and physical barriers wolves face.
Posted inSeptember 1, 2021: Where Wolves May Tread
Record temps; hot dam; roadkill for dinner
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.