High Country News

High Country News is the nation's leading source of reporting on the Western United States. Through in-depth reporting, High Country News covers the West’s social, political and ecological issues.

HIGH COUNTRY NEWS

Know the West.

Democracy on high

LETTERS

Is voting sacred? • Every election year, Indigenous people grapple with whether and how to engage in electoral politics.

The legacy of Bunkerville • Ten years after the historic standoff, the concept of white oppression popularized by the Bundys has become a mainstream political mindset.

Downballot • What issues are drawing Western voters to the polls in 2024?

Consider the source • How officials are preparing for wildfires that could devastate Butte’s water supply.

Adoption

Consider a legacy gift to High Country News and Leave a little behind • Estate planning — at any age — can help bring you peace of mind, knowing the loved ones and organizations you treasure will be cared for.

Honest talk about conservation

THE LATINO SWING VOTE • ON THE ROAD WITH ORGANIZERS IN ARIZONA AND NEVADA.

LATINO POWER • IN CENTRAL WASHINGTON, LATINO ORGANIZERS ARE GETTING OUT THE VOTE AND ELECTING THEIR OWN.

TRUST ISSUES • States own 2 million acres of trust lands within tribal reservations nationwide. To use them, tribes have to pay.

Colleen McElroy and the Black Northwesterners who loved her • Remembering the vital life and work of one of the most decorated poets of the past quarter century.

How do you describe a sacred site without describing it? • Western journalism puts Indigenous reporters in a tricky position where values don’t always align.

Origin stories • Explaining invasive species to a toddler.

Heard Around the West • Tips about Western oddities are appreciated and often shared in this column. Write heard@hcn.org.

#IAMTHEWEST