The toxic legacy of Cold War uranium mining and milling has shattered lives, destroyed homes and created a pollution problem for an entire region.
Communities
Posted inMarch 2025: The Berry Pickers
‘Rights of nature’ laws take root in the West
Thanks to voters in Everett, Washington, the Snohomish River watershed now has legal standing.
Posted inMarch 2025: The Berry Pickers
Filipinos that strike
An oral history archive gathers some of the voices behind the recent LA teacher strikes.
Posted inMarch 2025: The Berry Pickers
The true cost of the huckleberry industry
The Ḱamíłpa Band of the Yakama Nation has wanted an end to commercial picking of a critical cultural resource for years. Finally, the Forest Service is expected to make a decision.
Posted inArticles
ICE in your community? Here’s what to know.
Advocates say people who face less legal risk have an important role to play, from documenting raids to advocating for their neighbors.
Posted inIssues
A writer finds freedom in being unapologetically Indigenous
On strengthening roots in a new place.
Posted inArticles
Many renters are struggling after fleeing LA County wildfires
For many in the county, recovery requires a new lease, a new landlord, new schools and possibly a new state.
Posted inArticles
We must protect our sacred lands
To meet the crisis of our time and help address past wrongs, we need bold action from decision makers.
Posted inIssues
What happens after Utah’s coal-fired power plants close?
Department of Energy grants are helping eastern Utah plan for the energy transition.
Posted inArticles
With so many displaced by fires, Los Angeles County can’t accurately measure homelessness
The county was supposed to conduct an annual tally of people experiencing homelessness this month. Then disaster struck.
Posted inArticles
How communities, officials and developers can work together on renewable energy development
Researcher Katherine Hoff explains how negotiation and dialogue can smooth the energy transition.
Posted inArticles
The beautiful and awful Butte, Montana
The indelible history of mining poisons a town yet extracts something new.
Posted inArticles
EPA takes unprecedented step to remove uranium waste from the Navajo Nation
The decision opens the door for new ways to manage uranium pollution on tribal land.
Posted inArticles
How to solve local opposition to green development
Bespoke community benefits agreements can offer residents tangible gains in return for the disturbance of development.
Posted inArticles
How to understand the West’s ‘forever wildfire season’
Amid California’s deadly fires, here are 10 High Country News stories to help you bring context to wildland blazes.
Posted inArticles
Montana’s ag tax slashes bills for thousands of million-dollar homes
Properties classified ‘agricultural’ get a tax break despite no bona fide operations. Can lawmakers’ new proposals tighten qualifications?
Posted inJanuary 2025: The West's Most Wanted
Tribal objects returned to the Northern Arapaho Tribe
After years of negotiation with the Episcopal Church, over 200 cultural items finally come back home.
Posted inArticles
How Utah’s Christmas Festival has buoyed a changing coal community
Thirty-five years ago, Helper was nearly a ghost town. Now, art and tourism are providing new paths forward.
Posted inArticles
The radical act of sharing Native literature
NDN Girls Books Club is more than a big pink truck full of free books.
Posted inFebruary 2025: Immigrant Stories
Unhoused people pay a disproportionate price for the West’s deadly roads
People experiencing homelessness are more likely to die from transportation-related injuries than the general population.