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High Country News

High Country News

A nonprofit independent magazine of unblinking journalism that shines a light on all of the complexities of the West.

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Growth & Sustainability

Posted inArticles

Alaska’s capital plans to limit cruise ship tourists

by James Brooks June 20, 2024August 8, 2024

‘Juneau is hitting pause on growth.’

Posted inArticles

Lake Mead’s illegal road network is growing

by Amy Alonzo May 21, 2024August 8, 2024

People have created hundreds of miles of unofficial roads trying to reach the water as levels decline. Federal officials want funds to address the issue.

Posted inArticles

Caminos ilegales alrededor del Lago Mead plantean nuevo peligro para el medio ambiente

by Amy Alonzo May 21, 2024August 8, 2024

La gente ha creado caminos no oficiales para llegar al agua a medida que los niveles disminuyen. Funcionarios quieren fondos para atender el problema.

Posted inArticles

Desert Subdivision: The paradox of naming a development after Edward Abbey

by Zoë Rom May 7, 2024August 8, 2024

A Moab housing development named for the author of ‘Desert Solitaire’ sparks debate over Abbey’s legacy and growth in a delicate ecosystem.

Posted inArticles

How Western ports anchor U.S. supply chains

by Erin X. Wong April 3, 2024April 3, 2024

The Baltimore bridge collapse highlights the nation’s dependence on the shipping industry.

Posted inArticles

A hot spot for avalanche deaths in Idaho reveals forecasting gaps

by Rachel Cohen March 28, 2024March 28, 2024

Without reliable information, snowmobilers are riding eastern Idaho’s enticing terrain — and dying.

The West Dock Causeway is part of the oil and gas infrastructure on Alaska’s North Slope. Gravel is a prized commodity for the oil and gas industry. [
Posted inArticles

Alaska is short on gravel and long on development projects

by Emily Schwing January 26, 2024February 1, 2024

The state’s North Slope communities need rocks, and they’re hard to come by.

Homes in California’s wildland urban interface face the threat of a neaby wildfire.
Posted inArticles

New research highlights how to handle our wildfire future

by Carl Segerstrom June 20, 2023January 24, 2024

‘Building houses in fire-prone places keeps us trapped on the wildfire treadmill.’

Posted inArticles

A dizzying look back from Phoenix’s future

by Jonathan Thompson June 15, 2023January 25, 2024

A sci-fi scenario from 2008 offers insight into present day news.

Bethel, the hub community for 56 Alaska Native villages in Southwest Alaska, has received more than $100 million in federal broadband internet expansion grants.
Posted inArticles

Bringing fast, reliable broadband to rural Alaska could cost $1.8 billion

by Victoria Petersen May 24, 2023January 24, 2024

During a visit to Bethel, Alaska, first lady Jill Biden highlighted hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding to improve internet access in Alaska Native communities.

Vail, Colorado, as seen from the gondola that services Vail Ski Resort.
Posted inArticles

Western resort towns risk being ‘loved to death’

by Nick Bowlin May 23, 2023January 24, 2024

A new report details the downsides of tourism and population booms – and what communities can do about it.

Traffic winds up Little Cottonwood Canyon on a Sunday in March. The notorious “red snake,” — locals’ not-so-affectionate name for the line of vehicle taillights —  extends for miles down Wasatch Boulevard towards Salt Lake City.
Posted inArticles

As Utah’s ski tourism grows, locals’ needs are neglected

by Hannah Singleton March 24, 2023January 24, 2024

The world’s longest gondola is proposed as a traffic solution in Little Cottonwood Canyon, but residents oppose this project.

Posted inArticles

Can net-zero homes really be affordable?

by Samuel Shaw March 3, 2023January 24, 2024

A Colorado nonprofit is constructing its second affordable housing complex with an eye toward mass production.

Posted inMarch 1, 2023: Moving Parts

Trains in the West then, now — and someday?

by Jonathan Thompson March 1, 2023January 31, 2024

Mapping the state of the rails across the region.

Posted inMarch 1, 2023: Moving Parts

For Black families, it isn’t simple creating roots in Phoenix

by Adam Mahoney February 6, 2023January 24, 2024

Many have moved to the nation’s fastest growing city seeking community as well as a better life. Few are finding it.

Posted inArticles

What happens when an affluent Arizona suburb’s main water supply is cut off?

by Sarah Tory February 3, 2023January 24, 2024

As the Colorado River crisis worsens, an unregulated housing development faces a reckoning.

Posted inJanuary 1, 2023: Ripple Effects

Can dam removal save the Snake River?

by Hayley Austin and Anna V. Smith January 1, 2023January 24, 2024

See the river as the climate changes, development continues and consequences grow with inaction.

Posted inArticles

The mountain lion that changed LA

by Beth Pratt December 20, 2022January 24, 2024

A eulogy to P-22 with hope that his legacy will ensure more wildlife crossings.

Posted inArticles

Should we worry about 8 billion people?

by Jonathan Thompson December 8, 2022January 24, 2024

Breaking down population’s role in the environmental impact equation.

Posted inArticles

How growing Western rec towns might hold onto their futures

by Heather Hansman June 28, 2022January 24, 2024

Researchers look to give small tourism communities the tools for a GNARly approach.

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