While consensus supporting a designation grew, many Utah politicians argued that the president’s action is an abuse of power.
Public lands
Posted inDecember 26, 2016: Obama and the West
The ‘chickenization’ of beef
Obama’s efforts to help small-scale ranchers competing against Big Ag were blocked and ultimately fell short.
Posted inDecember 26, 2016: Obama and the West
Obama’s lasting legacies in the West
Under the 44th president, the West re-examined its relationship to energy and the climate.
Posted inArticles
Trump’s Interior pick confounds conservationists
Montana Rep. Ryan Zinke evokes Roosevelt, but his record has veered away from environmental protection.
Posted inArticles
Trump’s Cabinet choices reflect deep Koch influence
A rundown of the people with ties to ALEC, the Koch brothers and federal land transfer legislation.
Posted inArticles
Second round of Malheur defendants face conspiracy charges
Federal prosecutors are moving ahead, despite the first trial’s acquittal.
Posted inArticles
How we investigated the National Park Service’s history of sexual harassment
A methodology of our yearlong series about how the agency treats women.
Posted inDecember 12, 2016: How the Park Service is Failing Women
How the National Park Service is failing women
The agency tasked with safeguarding our greatest public lands has neglected to protect its workers.
Posted inArticles
It’s not the Wild West anymore. Look before you shoot.
Carrying a gun in the backcountry isn’t the issue—responsible use is.
Posted inArticles
The other land transfer effort
After more than a century, some Western states receive school trust lands.
Posted inArticles
Feds to send conciliators amid tensions over Dakota Access
In Bismarck, officials describe a chaotic mix of law enforcement and protesters.
Posted inArticles
West Obsessed: Trump’s cross-purposed energy policy
The staff of High Country News discuss the inherent paradoxes in the president-elect’s campaign promises.
Posted inArticles
Bears Ears: Correcting an off-base argument
In the debate over a national monument, don’t be swayed by myths.
Posted inArticles
Obama’s rush to the end
Keeping track of rulemaking, policy decisions and other last actions before the Trump administration’s inauguration.
Posted inNovember 28, 2016: A Weird and Perfect Wilderness
How to love a weird and perfect wilderness
A desolate Oregon landscape offers lessons on the modern wild.
Posted inNovember 28, 2016: A Weird and Perfect Wilderness
How Ammon Bundy got acquitted in Oregon
At the Malheur trial, Bundys were acquitted, but what will happen in Nevada?
Posted inArticles
More books essential to understanding the American West
Readers tell us their favorites from the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries.
Posted inArticles
Two lesser-known reasons to celebrate our public lands
It may be the Park Service’s 100th year, but these policies have done a lot for open space.
Posted inArticles
Election roundup: What happened in the West
A rundown of the West’s political shifts and ballot measures.
Posted inNovember 14, 2016: The Long View
15 books every well-versed Westerner should read
A reading list for understanding the region.