The Magazine

Our special, once-a-year, Books and Authors issue focuses on coming to terms with legacies of the past — and looking forward to where the West is headed. Featuring new writing by Terry Tempest Williams and Aaron A. Abeyta, plus interviews with Kim Stanley Robinson and Stephen Graham Jones, this edition peers deeper into questions that shape Western identity.

In the fight over a Bears Ears national monument, complicated questions arise about who has a claim on the land. Also in this issue, logging battles in Canada and Alaska and climate change’s threat to a beloved berry.

As Election Day looms, High Country News takes a look at Trump’s disruptive effect. From mobilizing undocumented immigrants to unsettling Mormon Country, Trump’s rhetoric is permanently recoloring Western politics.

In our special issue Frontera Incognita, High Country News revisits the Borderlands. The Borderlands, as our collection of stories show, means different things to different people. We explore the many relationships people have with our country’s perimeter.

Why disappearing rural hospitals spell trouble for the Central Valley. In this special feature, High Country News looks at the troubled rural Western healthcare system. Plus, when to say yes to invasive plants, Alaska’s overtaxed firefighters and New Mexico’s oldest climate correspondent.

The heat is rising on the National Park Service. In our special report: How climate change is altering the country’s beloved parks and the agency’s centennial has brought with it harsh scrutiny on issues of race and gender. Plus, nuclear power divides CA and a trip down the Grand.

In New Mexico, a stalemate between federal and state wildlife officials leaves the state’s wolves in peril. Plus, a review of Jim Harrison’s last book and a seed bank that will help researchers trace the effects of climate change.

How salmon has become a battleground over sovereignty for Alaska tribes. Plus, dampening Glen Canyon Dam’s effects, the dangers of drones and the Northwest’s new battle over logging.

Meet the new environmental advocates, a diverse generation of outdoor enthusiasts and activists forging their way in the conservation movement. In this special issue, eco-minded veterans, Latinos rising, and Hopi raft guides.

Oregon’s obscure terminal lakes feed millions of migrating birds, but now they need life support of their own. Plus, disenfranchised Native Americans in Utah and Arizona’s tough water choices.

Trial by fire: Female firefighters still face harassment, abuse and sexism. Plus, cats on the border, shifts in the BLM and a roadtripping lawyer.

What the future holds for the Yellowstone grizzly. Plus, cities sue Monsanto, the secrets of Western trees, and coal lessons from Europe.

The long history behind the Animas River spill. Plus, a moss mystery in Portland and environmental upset at California agencies.

A landmark legal ruling is starting to put the splintered pieces of Indian Country back together. Plus, a look at the small herds that could be bison’s big step forward and developers aim to make money on Grand Canyon’s popularity.

The mess at the Malheur Wildlife Refuge requires a closer look to understand the larger forces at play. Plus, a silver lining on the California drought and a snapshot of the election season.

As the National Park Service’s centennial looms, High Country News takes a trip through the West, to uncover some lesser-known parks, consider the stories they tell, and meet the people behind the scenes.

In the West’s argument over fracking, it matters less what’s said than who says it. Plus, a dry future for Central Valley farming and new research into the past comes from packrat middens.

Meet the new Sagebrush insurgents, a well-connected and well-armed network of malcontents bent on delegitimizing the federal government. Plus, how a landmark water agreement fell apart, and the legal case for climate action.

Why Wildlife Services continues to kill predators, despite decades of research on nonlethal methods. Plus, how the public could pay for coal cleanup and a look at Malheur’s quieter moments.

The researchers digging up mysteries of the ocean in Nevada’s desert, plus death by cop and gun control in the West.
Cover illustration: Shonisaurus popularis and Californosaurus perrini, depicted by Boise illustrator Todd Marshall.