Brooke Larsen, Author at 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. Wed, 13 Mar 2024 20:58:52 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://www.hcn.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/cropped-HCN_Logo-Monogram_White_Sq-2-32x32.png Brooke Larsen, Author at High Country News https://www.hcn.org 32 32 229054741 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 The Northwestern Shoshone are restoring the Bear River Massacre site https://www.hcn.org/issues/56-2/social-justice-the-northwestern-shoshone-are-restoring-the-bear-river-massacre-site/ Mon, 29 Jan 2024 09:00:00 +0000 https://www.hcn.org/articles/social-justice-the-northwestern-shoshone-are-restoring-the-bear-river-massacre-site/

The tribe is reclaiming their gathering place and returning water to the Great Salt Lake.

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]]> 321839 Labor unions and environmentalists are working together on the energy transition https://www.hcn.org/issues/56-1/climate-change-labor-unions-and-environmentalists-are-working-together-on-the-energy-transition/ Mon, 01 Jan 2024 09:00:00 +0000 https://www.hcn.org/articles/climate-change-labor-unions-and-environmentalists-are-working-together-on-the-energy-transition/

In 2023, groups found solidarity on the climate, but work lies ahead.

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]]> 321359 Take a toxic tour of the Great Salt Lake https://www.hcn.org/issues/55-12/energy-industry-take-a-toxic-tour-of-the-great-salt-lake/ Fri, 01 Dec 2023 09:00:00 +0000 https://www.hcn.org/articles/energy-industry-take-a-toxic-tour-of-the-great-salt-lake/

Utah grapples with its future of industry around its dying inland sea.

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]]> 321615 What the fed’s new proposal for management of Colorado River reservoirs means https://www.hcn.org/articles/colorado-river-what-the-feds-new-proposal-for-management-of-colorado-river-reservoirs-means/ Tue, 31 Oct 2023 08:00:00 +0000 https://www.hcn.org/colorado-river-what-the-feds-new-proposal-for-management-of-colorado-river-reservoirs-means/ A home with a swimming pool abuts the desert on the edge of the Las Vegas valley on July 20, 2022, in Henderson, Nevada.

Lake Powell and Lake Mead remain historically low, but modeling shows risk of crisis levels has lessened over the next three years.

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]]> 192691 How Green River celebrates its melon farmers https://www.hcn.org/issues/55-11/agriculture-how-green-river-celebrates-its-melon-farmers/ Fri, 27 Oct 2023 08:00:00 +0000 https://www.hcn.org/agriculture-how-green-river-celebrates-its-melon-farmers/

Thousands turn out for Melon Days, but the future looks uncertain.

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]]> 225754 Public-land recreation management near Moab gets an overhaul https://www.hcn.org/articles/public-lands-public-land-recreation-management-near-moab-gets-an-overhaul/ Fri, 29 Sep 2023 15:32:45 +0000 https://www.hcn.org/public-lands-public-land-recreation-management-near-moab-gets-an-overhaul/ A view of the expansive Labyrinth Rims and Gemini Bridges area, which is managed by the Bureau of Land Management for a variety of uses.

BLM releases new high-profile travel plan for Labyrinth Canyon area.

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]]> 202353 Environmental groups sue Utah over crisis at the Great Salt Lake https://www.hcn.org/articles/water-environmental-groups-sue-utah-over-crisis-at-the-great-salt-lake/ Mon, 11 Sep 2023 08:00:00 +0000 https://www.hcn.org/water-environmental-groups-sue-utah-over-crisis-at-the-great-salt-lake/ A view of Compass Minerals evaporation ponds looking toward the Promontory Mountains where the Bear River feeds into the Great Salt Lake. Due to a record snowpack this year, there is water passing through this area. In 2022, the Bear River dried up before reaching the Great Salt Lake.

Plaintiffs invoke the public trust doctrine to restore the lake to a healthy level.

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]]> 207913 Tribal nations celebrate new monument near the Grand Canyon https://www.hcn.org/articles/tribal-nations-celebrate-their-new-monument-in-the-grand-canyon/ Fri, 11 Aug 2023 08:00:00 +0000 https://www.hcn.org/tribal-nations-celebrate-their-new-monument-in-the-grand-canyon/ A view of Marble Canyon and the Vermillion Cliffs from above the Kaibab Plateau shows the northeastern parcel of the newly designated monument.

How decades of Indigenous advocacy led to the Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni-Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument.

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]]> 207241 Extreme heat hits the rural Southwest https://www.hcn.org/articles/extreme-heat-hits-the-rural-southwest/ Thu, 10 Aug 2023 08:00:00 +0000 https://www.hcn.org/extreme-heat-hits-the-rural-southwest/ Tara Benally’s parents sit in their chaha’oh. They use buckets and barrels to haul water to their garden almost every day.

How community members keep one another safe.

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