How grazing fell from its Western pedestal — and fueled Sagebrush Rebellion.
Public lands
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The land transfer movement’s great public-lands hoax
Idaho has sold off 40 percent of its state lands. Why would it do any different with formerly federal lands?
Posted inMay 30, 2016: Trial by Fire
How the BLM is overhauling land-use planning
The agency is aiming to increase public involvement and collaboration.
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Mapping the large-scale loss of natural areas in the West
Urban sprawl, energy development, agriculture and forestry have an ever-larger footprint on the West.
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Grand Canyon superintendent retires after harassment investigation
Park Service says change in leadership will move agency forward in addressing sexual harassment.
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Note to politicians: Don’t mess with fishing access in Montana
A candidate for governor is drawing heat over revelations that he sued to close river access on the Gallatin River.
Posted inMay 16, 2016: Grizzly Face-Off
Who’s cutting illegal ski trails in the Santa Fe National Forest?
On the trail of a backcountry criminal with the Forest Service.
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Protests against drilling on public lands are escalating
In Colorado, another showdown at a government auction for oil and gas leases.
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How tribes led the fight over Badger-Two Medicine oil and gas leases
As a young girl, Blackfeet tribal member Helen Augare-Carlson remembers her grandfather anticipating his yearly hunting trip in the Badger-Two Medicine region of northern Montana. “It fulfilled him,” says Augare-Carlson. When she returned to the Blackfeet Reservation in Browning in the early 2000s, the Forest Service was beginning to establish a “traditional cultural district” within […]
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Privatize public lands? Start with grazing fees.
Advocates for federal-to-state land transfers have overlooked some of the implications, including higher grazing fees.
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Investigations show extensive harassment history in Park Service
The agency made a plan to protect female employees in 2000, but it appears no meaningful action was taken.
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In Utah, the fight for a Bears Ears monument heats up
In a place where history, culture and geography intermingle, ‘local’ can be hard to define.
Posted inMay 2, 2016: The Gold King Reckoning
National Park Service centennial shares limelight with scandals
Chief Jon Jarvis faces ethical challenges and questions about the agency’s approach to sexual harassment.
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New renewable energy projects may find opportunity in old transmission lines
A Montana wind energy project plans to make use of existing infrastructure built for coal.
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National Park Week fails to change the game
Last week’s celebration showed how close we are to natural beauty, yet so far from diversifying our national parks.
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In rare bipartisan decision, Senate approves Yakima water projects
Conservation, wilderness and water provisions long in the works were added to the massive energy bill.
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Remembering the Buffalo Soldiers
New highway designation will commemorate Yosemite’s first black rangers.
Posted inApril 4, 2016: A Land Divided
Ranger danger, a case of mistaken fish identity and tiny-house dating
Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.
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Grand Canyon abolishes river district in response to sexual harassment allegations
The abrupt decision leaves the future of NPS river management up in the air.
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No, Ted Cruz, Westerners should not follow in Texas’ footsteps
The state’s public lands boondoggle was a historical accident.