Advocates for federal-to-state land transfers have overlooked some of the implications, including higher grazing fees.
Public lands
Posted inArticles
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.
Posted inMarch 21, 2016: Making Sense of Malheur
The darkness at the heart of Malheur
A Westerner traces the roots – and meaning – of the Oregon occupation.
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In southern Utah, a ranger is jailed under questionable circumstances
The region has a history of sheriffs butting heads with federal land agencies.
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How progressives are taking a page from ALEC’s playbook
Conservatives push agendas through a centralized state network; progressives are building one of their own.
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Forest Service rejects Grand Canyon luxury village
The setback is just the latest in a 30-year push to develop the rim.
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The Bundy bust-up
Charges rain down on militant leaders of Bundy family standoffs in Nevada and Oregon.
Posted inMarch 7, 2016: The Parks You Don't Know
At Valles Caldera, a new national park unit takes shape
A preserve was added to the park system, after an experiment in managing federal lands outside the traditional agencies.
Posted inMarch 7, 2016: The Parks You Don't Know
Finding the big quiet in Great Basin National Park
A writer revisits the acoustical landscape of the National Park system.
Posted inMarch 7, 2016: The Parks You Don't Know
National parks: Where we go and where we don’t
Much of the Park Service’s land in the West is poorly visited and little-known.
Posted inArticles
Interactive timeline: Livestock grazing in the West
Whether grazing on public land is a ‘right’ or a ‘privilege’ is one of the region’s most contentious issues. Here’s why.