In the new film adaptation of Denis Johnson’s novella, I saw my own Forest Service career reflected back at me.
Recreation
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The nation’s trails are disappearing
Government-issued maps offer a promise for safely exploring our public lands, but they no longer reflect the reality of what’s actually on the ground.
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Alaska’s public lands are a political battleground
The first year of the second Trump administration saw a bewildering array of federal actions in the 49th state. Here’s your guide to where things now stand.
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Skimpy snow makes life worse for skiers — and everyone else
The sport may seem selfish, but it reminds us why good snowpack matters.
Posted inDecember 2025: Wild Harvest
How the gaming economy helps tribes navigate shifting policies
Tribal sovereignty and prosperity are tied to gaming’s sovereign source of income.
Posted inDecember 2025: Wild Harvest
Reno’s Gay Rodeo is back
Nearly 40 years after an armed sheriff, anti-LGBTQ activists and a judge’s order shut down the Gay Rodeo Finals, this year the riders came home.
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What we stand to lose if national monuments fall
Can one of the nation’s best conservation tools survive?
Posted inDecember 2025: Wild Harvest
He makes bows — and bow makers
Joshua Hood is decolonizing traditional bow-making and archery education from his Portland backyard.
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Visiting public lands during the shutdown? Be polite and prepared
Public land advocates say the shutdown threatens resources but offer advice on how to help.
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Will the public-lands coalition hold?
Americans came together to keep public lands in public hands this summer. Will they do it again?
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Access to public land? There’s an app for that
Tech is facilitating land access in new, and sometimes fraught, ways.
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The Trump administration’s repeal of the roadless rule could threaten wildlife
A 2001 policy restricts road construction on Forest Service land. What happens to at-risk species if it’s removed?
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Inside Colorado’s famous resort for Black Americans
Colorado was once a beacon for members of the Harlem Renaissance and Black families from all over the country.
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The national parks are not OK
A former national park supervisor explains how toilets may be clean this summer, but the parks themselves are actually ‘hollowed out.’
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Trump administration budget cuts wreak havoc on trail maintenance
As tourism season begins, trail crews are facing disruptions in key trail maintenance projects.
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Trump asks Congress to cut at the heart of the West
The White House wants to alter life for U.S. hunters, anglers, RVers, off-road-vehicle drivers, backpackers, birdwatchers and hikers.
Posted inMay 2025: The Art of the Cruise
Is sustainable tourism possible?
As Western mountain towns struggle with overtourism, Jackson Hole tries out a new plan to mitigate visitors’ impacts.
Posted inMay 2025: The Art of the Cruise
I wish I was ice fishing
On city life and a longing for the richness of the sun and the seasons.
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Hunting for dark nights and wishing on stars
A bike ride into the desert and an author in search of darkness.
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The horses and mules that moved mountains and hearts
Forest Service stock animals are indispensable to trail work on public lands in the West. Trump’s radical upheaval is accelerating the death of a dying art.