Infographic
Posted inOctober 29, 2012: Red State Rising
2012 Western ballot initiatives
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline 2012 Western ballot initiatives.
Posted inOctober 29, 2012: Red State Rising
Westerners’ presidential proclivities
The Democratic Party has taken a shine to the West of late, seeing the region as its best shot to grow the base. Indeed, changing demographics — rising populations of minorities and educated whites, and a declining white working class — have put a few formerly solid red states into play for Democrats in presidential […]
Posted inAugust 6, 2012: Of Birds and Men
The Continental Divide Trail gains new protectors
At 3,100 miles, the Continental Divide Trail is the most rugged and least used of the country’s three major long-distance hiking trails. In January, when financial troubles forced the Continental Divide Trail Alliance to close its doors, it also became the only long-distance trail without a formal advocacy group. Since then, nonprofits throughout the Rockies […]
Posted inJuly 23, 2012: The Hardest Climb
Conservation Alliance Grants, 2011-2012
In 1989, four outdoor companies – REI, Patagonia, The North Face and Kelty – founded the Conservation Alliance to increase industry support for efforts to protect wildlands used by recreationists. Since then the alliance has grown to include more than 180 member companies and has disbursed more than $10 million in membership dues to conservation groups. […]
Posted inJuly 23, 2012: The Hardest Climb
Smokey Bear: From cute to buff, and in between
The icon’s many images changed over the years alongside the Forest Service’s changing attitudes toward wildfire.
Posted inJune 25, 2012: Special travel issue
Land art of the West: An interactive map
Land art is not by any means a purely Western phenomenon. Big, monumental sculptures, along with smaller, more ephemeral works, can be found throughout the world. But the big land art movement really was born in the late 1960s and early 1970s in the West, when Michael Heizer, Robert Smithson, Walter DeMaria and others came […]
Posted inJune 25, 2012: Special travel issue
The Atlas of the Industrial West
Ever wanted to tour a wind farm, a giant dam or an oil and gas field? This map will help. Click on the icon of the industrial site nearest you for a bit about the site and tours, if offered, along with a link to more information. Purple = oil & gas; Aqua = dams […]
Posted inJune 25, 2012: Special travel issue
Neil LaRubbio’s Montana route
The travel route the author took in Montana
Posted inJune 25, 2012: Special travel issue
Cally Carswell’s New Mexico route
The travel route the author took when visiting New Mexico
Posted inJune 25, 2012: Special travel issue
Ray Ring’s Nevada route
The travel route the author took when touring around Reno, Nevada.
Posted inJune 11, 2012: The Darkest Shade of Polygamy
Helping hikers before they get hurt
“Search and rescue” conjures up adrenaline-pumping images: rescuers rappelling down cliffs, stretchers dangling from helicopters. But it rarely evokes rangers simply offering advice, e.g., “That 12-ounce water bottle may not get you through an 18-mile hike in 110-degree heat. But there’s another great trail. …” About 20 national parks however, have added such preventative search […]