Independent journalism dedicated to shining a light on all the complexities of the Western U.S since 1970. https://bit.ly/HCNLinkshttps://bsky.app/profile/highcountrynews.orghttps://bsky.app/profile/highcountrynews.org/post/3mlbctcu4km2tThere’s ongoing harm from Indigenous identity fraud. https://www.hcn.org/issues/58-5/the-facade-of-the-red-wind-commune07 May 2026 13:24 +0000at://did:plc:2mjiozysq2ofvxhodz23y24k/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlbctcu4km2thttps://bsky.app/profile/highcountrynews.org/post/3mlbc5auuhx2tOil and gas giant Continental Resources wanted the BLM to sign off on new wells in Wyoming, despite a court injunction there. The agency obliged. https://www.hcn.org/articles/emails-show-interior-delivered-new-drilling-permits-for-burgums-billionaire-ally07 May 2026 13:11 +0000at://did:plc:2mjiozysq2ofvxhodz23y24k/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlbc5auuhx2thttps://bsky.app/profile/highcountrynews.org/post/3mlaqqyvbj22dThere’s ongoing harm from Indigenous identity fraud. https://www.hcn.org/issues/58-5/the-facade-of-the-red-wind-commune07 May 2026 08:00 +0000at://did:plc:2mjiozysq2ofvxhodz23y24k/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlaqqyvbj22dhttps://bsky.app/profile/highcountrynews.org/post/3ml7bz6hck22nTed Turner was known for building a media empire, but part of his legacy was owning almost 1.1 million acres in New Mexico, or nearly 3% of the state’s private land. buff.ly/ycFB8An https://www.hcn.org/issues/55-9/politics-who-owns-the-west/06 May 2026 18:04 +0000at://did:plc:2mjiozysq2ofvxhodz23y24k/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml7bz6hck22nhttps://bsky.app/profile/highcountrynews.org/post/3ml6abpicr723Mishaps and mayhem from around the region. https://www.hcn.org/issues/58-5/sam-the-toucan-capybaras-over-coffee-vellela-vellela-and-a-mechanical-rhino06 May 2026 08:00 +0000at://did:plc:2mjiozysq2ofvxhodz23y24k/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml6abpicr723https://bsky.app/profile/highcountrynews.org/post/3ml56qqcnue2u‘We were a sacrifice zone.’ https://buff.ly/9isolMF05 May 2026 22:00 +0000at://did:plc:2mjiozysq2ofvxhodz23y24k/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml56qqcnue2uhttps://bsky.app/profile/highcountrynews.org/post/3ml3ptowzbr23The pipeline would eventually cross 234 miles of tribal land. The hearing initiating the project caught community members off guard. https://buff.ly/7aIr5X505 May 2026 08:01 +0000at://did:plc:2mjiozysq2ofvxhodz23y24k/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml3ptowzbr23https://bsky.app/profile/highcountrynews.org/post/3ml2kxae3vv2uDuring my recent travels, I had the opportunity to meet with High Country News contributors, readers and supporters, and I was reminded again how much this magazine means to people who rely on it not just for information, but to be inspired and feel connected. https://buff.ly/qga8ZLw04 May 2026 21:01 +0000at://did:plc:2mjiozysq2ofvxhodz23y24k/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml2kxae3vv2uhttps://bsky.app/profile/highcountrynews.org/post/3mkz7em547j23As specialized forestry staff at the USFS vanish and pinecone cowboys—the highly skilled contractors sent out in the field to collect cones—face a collapsing industry, entire ecosystems are transforming in the West. https://www.hcn.org/issues/58-5/the-plight-of-the-pine-cone-cowboy04 May 2026 08:01 +0000at://did:plc:2mjiozysq2ofvxhodz23y24k/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkz7em547j23https://bsky.app/profile/highcountrynews.org/post/3mkyeit7spb2tOregon allocated $10 million for the 2024 wildfire season. It cost more than $350 million. https://buff.ly/dSjz57A04 May 2026 00:00 +0000at://did:plc:2mjiozysq2ofvxhodz23y24k/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkyeit7spb2thttps://bsky.app/profile/highcountrynews.org/post/3mkxeutwpka2vIn absence of federal meetings, nonprofits step up to hold public comment on Forest Service plan to lift protections from roadless areas. buff.ly/yluHJqb https://www.hcn.org/articles/as-roadless-rule-rollback-looms-grassroots-hearings-take-root/03 May 2026 14:34 +0000at://did:plc:2mjiozysq2ofvxhodz23y24k/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkxeutwpka2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/highcountrynews.org/post/3mkw2qhh5ln26When you notice birds, you might also notice the kind of developments that could pollute the area around you & you might advocate against them. When enough people advocate and stop them from happening, it improves not only the health of the birder, but the health of their community. https://buff.ly/GaLGRQa03 May 2026 02:00 +0000at://did:plc:2mjiozysq2ofvxhodz23y24k/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkw2qhh5ln26https://bsky.app/profile/highcountrynews.org/post/3mkusz5ts4t2mThe federal government ordered Flaming Gorge water released and cuts to Lake Powell releases, to prevent collapse. buff.ly/WI6vVt9 https://www.hcn.org/articles/emergency-plans-for-the-colorado-river-buy-time-not-solutions/02 May 2026 14:09 +0000at://did:plc:2mjiozysq2ofvxhodz23y24k/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkusz5ts4t2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/highcountrynews.org/post/3mksphy7z772tPinecone cowboys. Toxic newts. Trinity Site downwinders. Our May issue explores the people, wildlife and legacies shaping the West — from sequoia climbers to the fight for clean water and the survival of the vaquita. Read more ➡️ buff.ly/fhUOuCS01 May 2026 18:00 +0000at://did:plc:2mjiozysq2ofvxhodz23y24k/app.bsky.feed.post/3mksphy7z772thttps://bsky.app/profile/highcountrynews.org/post/3mkrnxql2ye2t‘We were a sacrifice zone.’ https://www.hcn.org/issues/58-5/the-dark-legacy-of-the-atomic-age-is-still-playing-out-in-new-mexico01 May 2026 08:00 +0000at://did:plc:2mjiozysq2ofvxhodz23y24k/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkrnxql2ye2thttps://bsky.app/profile/highcountrynews.org/post/3mkrneqgth42tWith the Earth under attack, love will see us through. https://www.hcn.org/issues/58-5/the-earth-loves-in-species01 May 2026 07:50 +0000at://did:plc:2mjiozysq2ofvxhodz23y24k/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkrneqgth42thttps://bsky.app/profile/highcountrynews.org/post/3mkrn3qqskc2mA new novel brings many longtime subscribers together to ponder an age-old question. https://www.hcn.org/issues/58-5/what-happens-when-we-die01 May 2026 07:45 +0000at://did:plc:2mjiozysq2ofvxhodz23y24k/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkrn3qqskc2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/highcountrynews.org/post/3mkrmtbcn4623Comments from readers. https://www.hcn.org/issues/58-5/letters-to-the-editor-may-202601 May 2026 07:40 +0000at://did:plc:2mjiozysq2ofvxhodz23y24k/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkrmtbcn4623https://bsky.app/profile/highcountrynews.org/post/3mkqpqxqx7a2dIn March, a heat wave settled across the West, shattering temperature records from Tucson, Arizona, to Casper, Wyoming. https://buff.ly/zFxKBz830 Apr 2026 23:00 +0000at://did:plc:2mjiozysq2ofvxhodz23y24k/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkqpqxqx7a2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/highcountrynews.org/post/3mkp5ivlunx2dLos Alamos National Laboratory plans to use over a million gallons of water per day for A.I. and nuclear weapons research and production. https://buff.ly/XOaqGoF30 Apr 2026 08:01 +0000at://did:plc:2mjiozysq2ofvxhodz23y24k/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkp5ivlunx2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/highcountrynews.org/post/3mkoco2jb3z2dLeo, a 3-year-old female sulcata tortoise, became an overnight TikTok sensation after her owner posted a surveillance video of the reptile trundling herself away from her burning home in Fullerton, California, abc7.com reported. buff.ly/fCJkHwj https://www.hcn.org/issues/trotting-tortoises-juggling-unicyclists-ancient-clothing-and-beer-poop-beer/30 Apr 2026 00:00 +0000at://did:plc:2mjiozysq2ofvxhodz23y24k/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkoco2jb3z2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/highcountrynews.org/post/3mknajsqbl42dHow a bison inspired me to set boundaries and just say no. https://www.hcn.org/issues/58-4/opting-out-could-be-the-thing-that-sets-you-free/29 Apr 2026 13:49 +0000at://did:plc:2mjiozysq2ofvxhodz23y24k/app.bsky.feed.post/3mknajsqbl42dhttps://bsky.app/profile/highcountrynews.org/post/3mkli675ngr2dThe federal government ordered Flaming Gorge water released and cuts to Lake Powell releases, to prevent collapse. https://buff.ly/HOtaXRi28 Apr 2026 21:01 +0000at://did:plc:2mjiozysq2ofvxhodz23y24k/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkli675ngr2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/highcountrynews.org/post/3mkk4kgtr6y2mFrom nicotine taxes to tourist fees and new disaster accounts, states are looking for new funding sources. https://www.hcn.org/articles/wildfires-are-torching-state-budgets28 Apr 2026 08:00 +0000at://did:plc:2mjiozysq2ofvxhodz23y24k/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkk4kgtr6y2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/highcountrynews.org/post/3mkj6fscx7a26A Q&A with the New Mexico Reforestation Center director about what it takes to replant a burn scar post-wildfire. https://buff.ly/jhJDQW627 Apr 2026 23:01 +0000at://did:plc:2mjiozysq2ofvxhodz23y24k/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkj6fscx7a26https://bsky.app/profile/highcountrynews.org/post/3mkhm4ke4fc2dIn absence of federal meetings, nonprofits step up to hold public comment on Forest Service plan to lift protections from roadless areas. https://buff.ly/S0vJCPA27 Apr 2026 08:01 +0000at://did:plc:2mjiozysq2ofvxhodz23y24k/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkhm4ke4fc2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/highcountrynews.org/post/3mkgkjpgo6j2mNew research shows how severe blazes create a carcinogen and how long it might persist. https://buff.ly/Si1GogZ26 Apr 2026 22:00 +0000at://did:plc:2mjiozysq2ofvxhodz23y24k/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkgkjpgo6j2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/highcountrynews.org/post/3mkfos7bval2dFrom the Cascades to the San Juans, the nearly snowless winter wasn’t the same everywhere. buff.ly/nzX1lR1 https://www.hcn.org/issues/58-5/the-wests-snow-drought-meant-record-dryness-but-also-record-flooding/26 Apr 2026 13:43 +0000at://did:plc:2mjiozysq2ofvxhodz23y24k/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkfos7bval2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/highcountrynews.org/post/3mkee4kxiht2tThese underdogs of the animal world have superhero-like powers. Why don’t we appreciate them more? https://buff.ly/3l3OiG726 Apr 2026 01:00 +0000at://did:plc:2mjiozysq2ofvxhodz23y24k/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkee4kxiht2thttps://bsky.app/profile/highcountrynews.org/post/3mkd4b3nuv32vDelegates are arriving in New York for the world’s largest gathering of Indigenous peoples, despite the U.S. presenting challenges for attendees to secure visas, shares Indigenous News Alliance. buff.ly/leTeYIk https://www.hcn.org/articles/war-climate-change-and-ai-are-at-stake-at-the-2026-un-indigenous-forum/25 Apr 2026 13:06 +0000at://did:plc:2mjiozysq2ofvxhodz23y24k/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkd4b3nuv32v