As ski resorts push for a mega-connection, backcountry skiers try to save some wild.
Economy
Posted inArticles
Locavores aren’t loved by everybody
In the last 20 years, the amount of locally grown foods consumed in the American diet has tripled, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and it now comprises 2 percent of the food consumed in the country. As with anything that’s popular, some have seen fit to attack this trend. Why do they do […]
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Big Ag stands on shifting ground
Between 2006 and 2011, farmers on the western edge of the Midwest’s farm belt in Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota and the Dakotas converted more than 1.3 million acres of grasslands to corn and soybean fields. Some people were seriously alarmed. Wildlife habitat was destroyed, and water, soil and the air itself suffered. But that conversion of […]
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Millions in debt, a community wonders if its water source will provide
This master-planned community must keep building to survive, despite the drought.
Posted inDecember 7, 2015: Good Neighbors
Coal comfort, secretive powerbrokers and dastardly Ducks Unlimited
Hcn.org news in brief.
Posted inArticles
Will GMO salmon harm Alaska’s fishing industry?
Fishermen fear AquaBounty’s creation will collapse salmon prices, but history tells a more complex tale.
Posted inNovember 23, 2015: Water Hustle
How a plan to save southeastern Colorado went off the rails
Heritage tourism offered a way out of economic doldrums. Why did it go wrong?
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Hillary Clinton woos coal communities
Coal companies say government programs won’t replace their high-paying jobs.
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Photos: Tracing poverty in the West
Over 11.5 million people live in poverty in Western states; here are intimate portraits of their communities.
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Bankruptcy expected for Arch Coal, a reflection of industry woes
Climate policies make a rebound for coal unlikely.
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Two oil-boom soap operas, then and now
How ‘Blood & Oil’ in today’s Bakken and ‘Dynasty’ in a 1980s Colorado match up.
Posted inOctober 12, 2015: The Rise of Lisa Murkowski
The Colorado River’s desalination plant is on its last legs
The obscure Paradox Valley Unit keeps the Colorado River’s salinity levels in check for farmers, but causes quakes upstream.
Posted inArticles
In Colorado, a ‘rental crisis’ forces workers into the woods
Tent cities, waste and overcrowding have created something foul in Crested Butte.
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Can Eugene, Oregon become a haven for startups?
This May, 30 game developers were laid off at the Zynga videogame company office in Eugene, Oregon. But soon after, Joe Maruschak spoke at the Barn Light coffee shop on how to launch a startup business. Game developers crowded around the tables. Maruschak, chief startup officer at Eugene’s Regional Accelerator and Innovation Network, encouraged the […]
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Iran deal adds to pain for US oil producers
Experts disagree about how much incremental damage US drillers will suffer.
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A crude oil export ban primer
All you need to know, and then some, about selling U.S. oil overseas.
Posted inArticles
Are nonprofit models an answer for small ski areas?
As climate and economic challenges mount, some community ski hills find a new path.
Posted inAugust 31, 2015: Unlocking the Methane Mystery
Where FEMA fails
Better preparation can save money and lives, but pre-disaster funds are in short supply.
Posted inArticles
Wyoming town wants low royalties for coal companies
In Interior Department listening session, Gillette miners air fears of new regulations.
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Nevada’s gold mining industry is hanging on — for now
Gold producers in Elko see job growth, despite an international price drop.