Letter to the editor

The article “Disenfranchised in Utah” in the June 13th issue was quite interesting. Finding an equitable way to partition regions into voting districts has been an interest of mine for many years. Gerrymandering is a serious problem and has been used to entrench the existing power structure, as it has been in this case. However, when you […]

In the June 27, 2016, edition, Paul Larmer wrote about the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge occupation: “Where were all the folks on the other side — the public-lands patriots — the people who say they cherish our country’s rare birthright of a vast landscape, accessible to all Americans, no matter where they live? So I emailed […]

The recent jaguar article (“Cats along the border,” HCN, 5/30/16) highlights the importance of cross-border migration and habitat required by jaguars, ocelots, coati, javelina, opossum, skunk, deer and Mexican wolves in order to sustain viable populations. Donald Trump’s 20-foot wall all along the border would preclude that possibility and cause enduring harm to that ecosystem […]

Thanks to Hillary Rosner and HCN for the June 13 article on the plight of south-central Oregon’s dying lakes and its adverse effects on migratory birds. Oregonians value water for food production, environmental services and the recreational opportunities it provides. However, existing water law, developed when horses were the main form of transport, has lagged […]

God bless High Country News for its fearless and productive investigative reporting, as in “Justice denied” (HCN, 5/16/16). Responsible investigative journalism, perhaps above all other genres, must be precise in distinguishing between claims and evidence.  But: “ ‘They just want your money.’ What a public defender told Sue M., when asked if he could do […]

Thanks to Nathan Martin for his May 30 essay, “It’s still dangerous to be gay in Wyoming,” and the related cover story, “Trial by Fire,” by Krista Langlois. Truth be told, it’s dangerous to be gay or female most anywhere on the planet. If racism doesn’t bring us down, then homophobia and sexism might well […]

The question I have yet to hear an answer to from anyone advocating for the removal of the O’Shaughnessy Dam is this: What is the plan for the Hetch Hetchy Valley after dam removal (“Under water,” HCN, 5/30/16)? My gut tells me that the Park Service and whatever corporation is running the park’s concessions would […]

Jonathan Thompson’s otherwise excellent article about Silverton, Colorado’s environmental and economic woes missed a key point about the town’s economic problems (“The Gold King Reckoning,” HCN, 5/02/16). All tourist economies are not created equal, and Silverton, for whatever reason, has failed to develop tourism that can sustain the town as an alternative to past mining. […]

At least some of the hurdles faced by women in the fire service are physiological (“Trial by Fire,” HCN, 5/30/16). The larger muscle fibers of men typically provide double the strength in the upper body and about 50 percent more in the lower body. In wildfire, the gatekeeper is the “arduous pack test,” which requires […]

On the back of the May 16 issue, you quote Wendy Beye’s recent Writers on the Range opinion piece about how the coal industry’s decline is challenging the Western communities that rely on it: “Too often, the human costs of doing what’s right for our Earth are not considered as part of the equation.”  To […]

The failure of Utah and Pennsylvania to provide state funding for criminal defendants who require the services of public defenders raises serious questions (“Justice denied,” HCN, 5/16/16).  The U.S. Constitution requires due process but does not require the kind of defense that the wealthy are able to engage, compared to the inadequacies of legal representation […]

If one looks at the broader story of hardrock mine impacts — worldwide and through history — the story is always the same (“The Gold King Reckoning,” HCN, 5/2/16). The public subsidizes the impacts, despite all the talk about “free markets.” Unfortunately, if one is expecting a solution now that Silverton has “allowed” the Environmental […]

Leath Tonino and his buddies express their joy in nature by shouting obscenities and seeing body parts in rock formations (“Cursing the Mountain,” HCN, 2/08/16). The same spirit inspires people to show their enthusiasm for nature by writing obscenities on national monuments.  A better way to appreciate nature is to shout “Thank you!” for the […]

It is premature to conclude that the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem population of grizzly bears is recovered “to the point at which the measures provided pursuant to this (Endangered Species) Act are no longer necessary” (“Grizzly Face-Off,” HCN, 5/16/16). Grizzlies have come a long way in four decades, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is […]

After reading the Editor’s Note in the May 2 issue, I’m compelled to write you a note. You noted that some HCN readers express concern that the publication is drifting away from its core with stories like the one on the Malheur occupation crowd. I am not one of those readers. To me, that story, […]

National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis and his book about American values are forever tainted as he knowingly bypassed the National Park Service rules, a huge ethical error (“National Park Service centennial shares limelight with scandals,” HCN, 5/2/16). The Inspector General’s report documents how he also tried to mislead investigators regarding how he negotiated the […]

Jonathan Thompson did a particularly comprehensive job of covering issues in Silverton (“The Gold King Reckoning,” HCN, 5/2/16). There is probably an additional point relative to Superfund opposition. Mining communities throughout Colorado witnessed the conflicts between local governments and the Environmental Protection Agency at Leadville’s Superfund site over several decades. As a consequence, many communities strongly prefer […]