True energy independence comes from weaning ourselves from fossil fuels.

Tribal leaders say previous cuts have already impacted the government’s ability to carry out programs in Indian Country.

And when spiritually we are parched like the air in fire season, laden with the things of this world caught flame and heaved up into the atmosphere... A poem by D.A. Powell. buff.ly/XBefDLe

Critics say the state's attempt to boost ungulate populations lacks scientific grounding and transparency.

In the age of extinction, we need a new model for these landscapes and the communities that rely on them.

After reporting highlighting Interior’s Karen Budd-Falen continuing to work on grazing matters, the agency issued a waiver of her ethics recusal, despite her family’s vast personal holdings in the public lands grazing industry. Update from our partners at Public Domain.

Climate researchers found the region’s extreme weather is caused primarily by the burning of fossil fuels.

Meet the volunteers shuttling northern red-legged frogs across a 4-lane highway in Oregon to lay eggs.

Keep sending public comments, because our future hangs in the balance buff.ly/wjmaefd

As the Colorado River shrinks, three farming communities face vastly different realities. As negotiations over managing the river's future remain deadlocked, the basin’s farmers are navigating impacts of climate change.

A former U.S. Geological Survey research scientist reflects on the Trump administration’s sweeping changes in the agency, shares Biographic. buff.ly/BLwt6MR

Imagine the worst landlord you ever had. Then, make it worse. The landlord sells off the wood floor in your dining room, turns a herd of cattle loose on your front lawn and digs up your back yard looking for oil. Now, say hello to Trump’s Bureau of Land Management.

What the Truth and Healing Commission Bill would — and would not — do.

Karen Budd-Falen, the agency’s associate deputy secretary, is actively working on grazing matters despite her last-known ethics documents, which disqualified her from doing so.

What ‘High Horse’ gets right about Black cowboys and the West.

Communities are grappling with the BLM's notice that signals a significant increase in timber harvesting across 2.5 million acres.

If the problem persists, call a professional: “A large rat may not flush back down. Keep the lid closed and call a pest control company. If the rat escapes, close the door and set a trap.” #HeardAroundTheWest

#iamthewest: Giving voice to the people that make up communities in the region.

Caroline Tracey’s debut essay collection documents the decline of salt lakes, and what their strange ecosystems can teach us about confronting the losses of climate change.

The project in the Columbia Gorge would involve tunneling through a Ḱamíłpa sacred mountain. buff.ly/QBm9p2U

Wyoming’s Golden Triangle is an ecological wonder, but the management plan protecting it from oil and gas development faces unprecedented attacks.

A community music archive preserves the history of Black arts and culture in Portland—and fortifies its future.

Steve Pearce, the White House’s second oil and gas-connected pick, is “not so sure” he’s changed.

Thoughts on an elusive animal and the afterlife.

States’ stalemate persists as Lake Powell races toward de facto deadpool. buff.ly/AMyLAwW

The agency’s new plan for ecologically significant areas of western Oregon is not responsible forest management.

The West becomes more honest, and more durable, when Black cowboys are understood not as symbols or exceptions, but as foundational.

An Inuit woman explores living in direct relationship with the land, water and plant and animal relatives in Alaska.

The Colorado River water crisis isn't hitting everyone equally—century-old water laws mean that some communities face existential threats while others remain secure: these tensions are the heart of deadlocked negotiations about who should bear the burden of a shrinking river.

State laws and product standards could make or break the nascent portable solar market.

A former U.S. Geological Survey research scientist reflects on the Trump administration’s sweeping changes in the agency.

The flooding in King County last December prompted King County Public Health to issue a safety tip guide — in comic-book form — educating residents about what to do should you find rats in your toilet. #HeardAroundTheWest

A pumped hydro-energy storage facility proposed outside of Goldendale in south-central Washington has taken a major step forward, even though, if

The agency’s new plan for ecologically significant areas of western Oregon is not responsible forest management.

These folks graciously serve our nonprofit to ensure the organization stays sound.

The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribe’s approach to water management is helping to integrate sovereignty and conservation into water policy in Montana.

And when spiritually we are parched like the air in fire season, laden with the things of this world caught flame and heaved up into the atmosphere... ✍️ A poem by D.A. Powell.

Bart Koehler helped Westerners protect the places they love.

The newest Olympic winter sport arrives just as snow droughts are becoming more likely, shares Vox.

Meet the volunteers shuttling northern red-legged frogs across a 4-lane highway in Oregon to lay eggs.

Keep sending public comments, because our future hangs in the balance.

As the 2026 sled dog race kicks off, the lessons of Susan Butcher still resonate.

The Burns Paiute and Shoshone-Bannock tribes are proving that reducing grazing may be the key to saving the iconic bird.

High Country News has been nominated for a 2026 National Magazine Award from the American Society of Magazine Editors! Two of our covers — “Immigrant Stories” and “The Art of the Cruise” — were named finalists for Best Independent Magazine Covers.

President Trump has replaced Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem with Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin from Oklahoma. Revisit Graham Brewer's 2019 profile of the controversial Indigenous lawmaker.

Deer and elk are already using the new wildlife overpass in Osburn, safely crossing Interstate 90 instead of risking deadly traffic. Last year, Kylie Mohr wrote about this “bridge to nowhere.” Now, it’s a bridge to safety for wildlife and drivers alike.

Badgers embody one of my mantras, “As above, so below,” so it is fitting that I have chosen as my final resting place a plot in Castle Valley cemetery that is already inhabited by badgers.

When the Yukon tinkered with the time change, it stretched the Mountain Time Zone to its breaking point.

Mishaps and mayhem from around the region.

Two former, high-ranking Interior Department employees, from opposing political parties, call for an overhaul of public-land management. buff.ly/wdK3nVs