Letter to the editor

There are conservative, religious, gun-toting, Trump-backing people throughout the American West who are generous, hardworking and kind, and in no way affiliated with violent militias or racism (“Extremists as opportunists,” August 2020). While I do not share their worldview, I count on these people every day. Their absence from the pages of HCN is conspicuous. […]

Loved “Am I an invasive species” by Jenny Liou (August 2020). My partner and I often refer to the homogenization of skin tones in our discussions of world events. At the same time, I love to learn about other cultures. The stories and experiences of my Northern European ancestry along with my remarkably white suburban […]

The saga of the disappearance and return of one of the Pueblo of Acoma’s six stolen shields was as intriguing as it was inspirational, but it also leaves troubling questions (“The Return,” August 2020). The article’s lack of any picture of this recovered shield struck me as particularly odd. The article also revealed that the […]

“The Return” was so well researched and written; it examined the issue from every angle. This may be the best story I’ve read in my years with High Country News. It is also an issue near and dear to my heart and soul. Wonderful! And a happy ending! Bill LundeenLee Vining, California This article appeared in the […]

“Am I an invasive species?” went beyond a discussion of the social power of words and language and implied that organisms which arrive by some means from one ecosystem to occupy another might be better thought of as “immigrants,” “refugees” or part of a “diaspora.” Opinions have been floating around for a while about whether […]

I want to commend High Country News — and author Maya Kapoor specifically — for the feature “Fish Out of Water” (July 2020). The story is a masterful look into so many of the touchstones that define life in the Southwest — the border, Indigenous rights, water scarcity — all connected by an unlikely and […]

Concerning Emily Benson’s interview with Sheridan Alford in “BlackBirdersWeek takes on racism”: This is how we show up as allies. We need to welcome everyone to enjoy the peace and nature of America’s great outdoors. #outdoorsforall #diversityoutdoors #access4all Poppy Davis, via Twitter This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline […]

In Jim Kenna’s “Perspective” piece in the July issue, “Bureau of Lost Management,” the phrase “have lost their way” implies that the same people who did the right thing before now have lost their way. It also implies that the entire designed and carefully executed strategy to replace federal employees with this administration’s shady debris […]

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the border wall construction in Arizona continues at a breakneck pace, using local #water to spray down dusty roads and mix concrete, with a devastating impact on #wildlife, too, including the Yaqui catfish.   Fred Page, via Twitter This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Local […]

The July feature story, “Fish Out of Water,” has everything: colonization’s long-term effects, the ridiculously destructive border wall, the environmental costs of human habitat, the imminent loss of a species that lasted millions of years, and so much more. Jennifer Taw, via Twitter This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the […]

“Armed and contagious” is an interesting article. The culling of human beings is what I am heartbroken about – our old, our houseless, our vulnerable. Natalie Hirtvia Twitter This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Heartbroken.

“Fish Out of Water” by Maya Kapoor, is a great (sad, beautiful, thoughtful) story. Vicky Stein, via Twitter This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline A great story.

To provide some historical framing for current socio-political happenings, look to Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz’s “Armed and contagious” in the June issue. When things don’t make sense, dig into history to find out why. Alan-Michael Weatherford, via Twitter This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline American violence.

For anyone in Seattle who is interested in City Councilmember Andrew Lewis’s proposal to create a mental health response unit similar to Eugene’s CAHOOTS program, Anna V. Smith did a very good, detailed report on this in the June issue of High Country News (“Experts in de-escalation”). Andrew Engelson, via Twitter This article appeared in […]

OMG: I love this (“#BlackBirdersWeek takes on racism,” June 2020). Bird nerds are my people. Come on in. Jason White, via Facebook This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline #BlackBirders.

My thanks to Jim Kenna for his a well-written explanation of the current situation at the Bureau of Land Management in “Bureau of Lost Management” (June 2020). I spent almost 35 years with the BLM.  As in the past, most employees work for the people and the land. Many of the public view the employees as adversaries. […]

Belatedly discovering Ethan Linck’s feature story, “Throwing Wolves to the Vote,” in the March 2020 issue leaves me with a sense of unease as his discussion of the pros and cons of scientific justification versus activist promotion of the forthcoming legislative initiative for deciding whether wolves should be reintroduced in Colorado. Although I generally agree with Linck’s […]

Author Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz offers an interesting point of view on the armed reopen “protests.” It’s a chilling analysis that sums up three centuries and their original sins: guns, profits and a culture of privilege. Maybe a tad bit radical, but it makes you think. Jürgen Kraus, via Twitter This article appeared in the print edition […]

I cannot help but comment in protest of the practice illustrated in the story, “Running hot” (June 2020) of apparently tossing (live?!) salmon up and over a stationary setnet onto the rocky shoreline. I’m sure I don’t understand the business of commercial fishing, but no animal deserves to be dispatched in such a degrading manner. […]

As a subscriber and contributor to High Country News for many years, I have to say I was shocked by the graphic descriptions of animal cruelty in the poaching article (“Digital Shadows,” June 2020). I happened to be browsing the print edition over lunch. Bad timing. The article describes admirable teamwork by the people who […]