High Country News https://www.hcn.org/ A nonprofit independent magazine of unblinking journalism that shines a light on all of the complexities of the West. Fri, 15 Mar 2024 16:25:05 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://www.hcn.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/cropped-HCN_Logo-Monogram_White_Sq-2-32x32.png High Country News https://www.hcn.org/ 32 32 229054741 Audio: Listen to the Earth breathing https://www.hcn.org/articles/listen-to-the-earth-breathing/ Mon, 18 Mar 2024 08:00:00 +0000 https://www.hcn.org/?p=323355 Wupatki Pueblo in Northern Arizona.

Blowholes are more common than you think.

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]]> 323355 What rural homelessness looks like https://www.hcn.org/articles/what-rural-homelessness-looks-like/ Wed, 13 Mar 2024 08:00:00 +0000 https://www.hcn.org/?p=323310

The lessons learned after spending months embedded with unhoused communities in Oregon.

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]]> 323310 Could building on public land address the housing crisis? https://www.hcn.org/articles/could-building-on-public-land-address-the-housing-crisis/ Thu, 07 Mar 2024 09:00:00 +0000 https://www.hcn.org/?p=323230

The West has a plethora of land and a shortage of houses. Some are wondering if a solution lies within.

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]]> 323230 A new law seeks to tame mineral extraction at the Great Salt Lake https://www.hcn.org/articles/a-new-law-seeks-to-tame-mineral-extraction-at-the-great-salt-lake/ Mon, 04 Mar 2024 09:00:00 +0000 https://www.hcn.org/?p=323181

The new limits may represent a shift in Utah’s cozy relationship with industry.

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]]> 323181 Disaster disparities in the West https://www.hcn.org/articles/disaster-disparities-in-the-west/ Mon, 04 Mar 2024 09:00:00 +0000 https://www.hcn.org/?p=323150

The risk of climate catastrophe is complex, but people of color often face ‘unnatural hazards.’

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]]> 323150 Underground seed banks hold promise for ecological restoration https://www.hcn.org/issues/56-3/underground-seed-banks-hold-promise-for-ecological-restoration/ Fri, 01 Mar 2024 09:10:00 +0000 https://www.hcn.org/?p=322925

Indigenous science is using natural regeneration to restore Western
ecosystems.

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]]> 322925 An ode to lesbians who showed the way https://www.hcn.org/issues/56-3/an-ode-to-model-women/ Fri, 01 Mar 2024 09:05:00 +0000 https://www.hcn.org/?p=322893

The photography series ‘Hidden Once, Hidden Twice’ highlights women who serve as a model for others.

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]]> 322893 The West’s hazardous highways https://www.hcn.org/issues/56-3/the-wests-hazardous-highways/ Fri, 01 Mar 2024 09:00:00 +0000 https://www.hcn.org/?p=322877

America’s car culture kills people
and wrecks communities.

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]]> 322877 The dangers of PFAS — and of downplaying their ubiquity https://www.hcn.org/issues/56-3/the-dangers-of-pfas-and-of-downplaying-their-ubiquity/ Fri, 01 Mar 2024 09:00:00 +0000 https://www.hcn.org/?p=322782 Sarah Ferris holds a flyer she received last year from the city of Vancouver informing residents that PFAS had been found in the city’s wells.

Even well-meaning officials often provide inadequate or misleading information, putting communities at higher risk.

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]]> 322782 Saving the Pacific lamprey https://www.hcn.org/issues/56-3/saving-the-pacific-lamprey/ Fri, 01 Mar 2024 09:00:00 +0000 https://www.hcn.org/?p=322762 Monica Blanchard, a fish biologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, uses electrofishing equipment to track down Pacific lamprey at Boardman Creek near Granite Falls, Washington, last October.

Documenting populations of
the ancient fish is a step toward ensuring their survival.

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