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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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Posted inArticles

When the dams come down, what happens to barge traffic?

by Kim Cross July 29, 2024August 8, 2024

Farmers and transportation experts are figuring out how to transport goods if the lower Snake River dams are removed.

Posted inArticles

Will the Northwest Forest Plan finally respect tribal rights?

by Natalia Mesa July 19, 2024August 8, 2024

Tribal representatives are pushing the U.S. Forest Service to respect treaty rights and bring cultural fire back to the region’s forests.

Posted inArticles

A wildflower is teaching the non-Native public about food sovereignty

by B. ‘Toastie’ Oaster May 24, 2024August 8, 2024

Oregon’s third Camas Festival highlights the joys and responsibilities of tending the iconic northwestern plant.

Posted inArticles

The West’s wetlands are struggling. Some have been overlooked altogether.

by Natalia Mesa May 22, 2024August 8, 2024

Wetlands are carbon-storage powerhouses — and many are unmapped.

Posted inArticles

Killing one owl to save another

by Michelle Nijhuis May 10, 2024August 8, 2024

Is it ever the right thing to do? Two ethicists weigh in.

Posted inMarch 2024: Fertile Ground

Underground seed banks hold promise for ecological restoration

by Josephine Woolington March 1, 2024March 4, 2024

Indigenous science is using natural regeneration to restore Western
ecosystems.

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.
Posted inMarch 2024: Fertile Ground

Saving the Pacific lamprey

by Natalia Mesa March 1, 2024March 12, 2024

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

Posted inJanuary 11, 2024: The Creatures in Our Midst

Reviving the Samish Tribe’s kelp

by Natalia Mesa February 1, 2024February 6, 2024

Researchers are documenting the decline of once-plentiful kelp beds in an effort to reverse the trend.

A juvenile salmon capture and transport structure at Lower Granite Dam, one of the four Lower Snake River dams. Despite such efforts, multiple salmon runs on the river are veering toward extinction.
Posted inArticles

Lower Snake River dams closer to coming down with new agreement

by Anna V. Smith December 15, 2023January 31, 2024

After decades of litigation, the historic initiative among states, tribes and the federal government signals a dramatic change for the region.

A Christmas tree farm in central Oregon.
Posted inArticles

What’s on your Christmas tree? Hint: Not just ornaments

by Ruby McConnell December 8, 2023January 31, 2024

A lack of data obscures the possible polluted legacy of a holiday tradition.

Posted inDecember 1, 2023: December 2023

Horrible holly: A festive plant runs amok

by Steven Hsieh December 1, 2023January 31, 2024

Meet the scientists and conservationists fighting to save the Northwest’s forests from an invasive plant.

Fantasy A as himself.
Posted inArticles

A new film asks: how do you make art in a city you can’t afford?

by Natalia Mesa October 18, 2023January 24, 2024

‘Fantasy A Gets a Mattress’ is a dark, surreal, fun adventure that deals with themes of eviction, homelessness and disability.

Posted inOctober 2, 2023: The Dark Side of the Sheepherding Industry

The dangerous consequences of wildland fire dispatcher burnout

by Kylie Mohr October 2, 2023January 24, 2024

An internal Forest Service survey shows a critical link in the wildfire fighting apparatus is struggling.

Posted inOctober 2, 2023: The Dark Side of the Sheepherding Industry

To protect wild bumblebees, people have to find them first

by Sarah Trent September 25, 2023May 8, 2024

For six years, hundreds of volunteers have counted bumblebees across the Northwest. Their data is shaping pollinator conservation nationwide.

Posted inArticles

The West’s overlooked rainforests can address climate change

by Ian Morse September 19, 2023January 24, 2024

A new book advances the idea that protecting old-growth forests is better for the climate than planting new trees.

Two labor advocates wave United Farm Workers flags at the rally in Seattle on August 31.
Posted inArticles

Farmworkers fight for higher pay, better hours and fair treatment

by Natalia Mesa September 18, 2023January 24, 2024

Labor advocates rallied in Seattle to demand a union contract from Windmill farms amid allegations of poor treatment and retaliation.

Japanese beetle in the grass in Grandview, Washington.
Posted inArticles

Meet the beetle threatening Washington’s cherries, hops and other crops

by Natalia Mesa August 15, 2023January 24, 2024

Invasive Japanese beetles are drawn to flowers and fruit. Washington officials are trying to eradicate them from the state.

The glow of the Golden Fire burning on Bly Mountain, Oregon. The fire destroyed over 43 homes.
Posted inArticles

People are starting a lot of fires in the Pacific Northwest

by Kylie Mohr August 8, 2023January 24, 2024

The Forest Service reports 197 human-caused or undetermined starts since the beginning of June.

Posted inArticles

It’s summer. But in the Northwest, spring never showed

by Sarah Trent June 22, 2023January 24, 2024

As spring gets weirder, warmer and less stable, water supplies, ecosystems and agriculture are getting out of whack.

Posted inJune 1, 2023: Seen and Unseen

Sugaring the Pacific Northwest

by Nhatt Nichols June 1, 2023January 24, 2024

How climate and cost cramp bigleaf maple syrup production.

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