Gateway communities grow wary of out-of-town crowds.
Recreation
Posted inMarch 16, 2020: Wiring the Wild
Is shed hunting ethical?
A Utah conservationist weighs the hobby’s popularity with its moral stakes.
Posted inMarch 16, 2020: Wiring the Wild
Overcoming winter’s alienation
I long felt shut out of the season. Snowshoeing changed that.
Posted inMarch 16, 2020: Wiring the Wild
The last shovel racers
After four decades, a ski resort drops a beloved tradition.
Posted inMarch 16, 2020: Wiring the Wild
When the love of skiing endangers wildlife
A world-renowned athlete stopped skiing in sensitive areas. Can she convince others to do the same?
Posted inMarch 16, 2020: Wiring the Wild
The Park Service is selling out to telecom giants
With Trump’s blessing, cell towers are infiltrating protected public lands across the West.
Posted inMarch 16, 2020: Wiring the Wild
Searching for winter in Palm Springs
As the West warms, hunting for snow becomes part of the adventure.
Posted inMarch 16, 2020: Wiring the Wild
What’s threatening the elusive wolverine?
As snowmobilers fight to preserve their pastime, scientists worry about the future of the species.
Posted inMarch 16, 2020: Wiring the Wild
Will we ever know rec’s true impact on wildlife?
Scientists race to quantify winter recreation’s impact on Canada lynx, but technology outpaces them.
Posted inMarch 16, 2020: Wiring the Wild
The Backcountry Film Festival struggles to balance self-awareness and escapism
The 15th annual film series unevenly grapples with the paradox of the winter rec industry.
Posted inMarch 16, 2020: Wiring the Wild
The wildness is in me, too
People were excluded from the wild, historically, and in today’s rapidly digitizing West.
Posted inMarch 16, 2020: Wiring the Wild
For skiers, there’s a contaminant underfoot
Premium wax is affecting alpine food webs.
Posted inArticles
Meet the group redefining what it means to be a scout
The Baden-Powell Service Association offers families a more welcoming version of scouting.
Posted inArticles
Winter traditions are feeling the heat of climate change
Warm temperatures cancel local events like skijoring — resulting in economic and cultural impacts.
Posted inFebruary 1, 2020: How One Woman Took a Stand Against Tribal Disenrollment and Paid For It
Skiing and snowmobiling are as natural as the weather
With human impacts felt everywhere, we need a new environmental ethic.
Posted inNovember 11, 2019: Storied Landscapes
Is development a cancer on the West’s landscape?
When your mom is battling the illness, the metaphor gets complicated.
Posted inArticles
WiFi, Amazon and food trucks: Trump team’s vision for national parks
As they open parks for businesses, advisers propose cutting seniors 50% discounts during peak seasons.
Posted inOctober 28, 2019: Where Hunting Still Has Meaning
In Southeast Alaska, a hunter searches for kinship with the wild
A mountain goat’s death brings life into focus.
Posted inNovember 25, 2019: Forever Mines
How Big Rec chooses its public-lands battles
Outdoor industry giants stood up for Bears Ears. Why won’t they stand up for the Borderlands?
Posted inArticles
Allowing off-highway vehicles in Utah’s national parks is a mistake
More mechanized traffic in already crowded parks is another Trump administration gift to industry and Utah politicians.