Selected features
“In this rapaciously dry year, a quiet question grows louder: What are we doing here? Drought, dread and family in the American Southwest.”essay in the Aug. 6, 2018 print edition of High Country News.
“An unfrozen North: The world’s permafrost holds vast stores of carbon. What happens when it thaws?” from the Feb. 19, 2018 print edition of High Country News.
“Inside the firestorm: New technology allows scientists to see the forces behind the flames.” from the April 3, 2017 print edition of High Country News. Winner of a 2017 Kavli Science Journalism Prize.
“Backpacking the blast zone: At Mount St. Helens, they never say ‘recovery.’ “ for the March 6, 2017 print edition of High Country News.
“Line of descent: How poor management left Mexican wolves dangerously inbred.” A cover story by from the Aug. 8, 2016 print edition of High Country News.
“Salmon power: A historic legal victory could give Alaska tribes more control over their fish, wildlife and homelands.” A cover story by from the July 25, 2016 print edition of High Country News.
“Trial by fire: Women in the male-dominated world of wildland firefighting still face harassment, abuse and sexism.” for the May 30, 2016 print edition of High Country News.
“Can a legal victory make Indian Country whole again? For over a century, federal law has split Native American land holdings into tiny pieces. A settlement unites some of the splinters, but at a steep cost.” A cover story by April 4, 2016 print edition of High Country News.
“The Forever War: A federal agency called Wildlife Services has been researching nonlethal means to protect livestock for decades. So why is it still killing so many predators?” Cover story by Ben Goldfarb in the January 25, 2016 issue of High Country News.
“The Desert that was an Ocean: An ancient Nevada bone bed holds clues to the West’s distant past — and Earth’s evolutionary puzzle.” Cover story by Hillary Rosner in the Dec. 21, 2015 issue of High Country News.
“The Endangered Species Act’s biggest experiment: Will an unprecedented collaborative effort and lots of tax dollars be enough to finally save sage grouse?” Cover story by Jodi Peterson in the August 17, 2015 issue of High Country News.
“Tree of Life: To save the greatest number of species, should we focus on the most common?” Cover story by Cally Carswell in the June 8, 2015 print edition of High Country News.
“Lost Frontier: As the Bakken oil boom closes in on North Dakota’s badlands, their most ardent defender wonders if it’s time to leave.” Cover story by Sierra Crane-Murdoch from the April 27, 2015 issue of High Country News.
“Unite and Conquer: The water czar that reshaped Colorado River politics.” Cover story by Matt Jenkins from the March 2, 2015 issue of High Country News.
“The dust detectives: Scientists are closer than ever to understanding how microscopic airborne particles shape the Earth, and the West.” Cover story by Douglas Fox from the Dec. 22, 2014 issue of High Country News. Winner of the 2015 Walter Sullivan award for outstanding science feature writing and reporting.
“The Great Salmon Compromise: The Columbia Basin Fish Accords have funded $1 billion worth of habitat restoration projects, but can they replace free-flowing rivers?” Cover story by Ben Goldfarb, from the Dec. 8, 2014 issue of High Country News.
“River of No Return: Seattle’s Duwamish has been straightened, dredged and heavily polluted. Can a Superfund cleanup bring it back to life?” Cover story by Daniel Person, from the June 23, 2014 issue of High Country News.
“New Hope for the Delta: During the worst drought in more than a century, the Colorado River may flow to the sea once more.” Cover story by Matt Jenkins, from the November 14, 2013 issue of High Country News.
“Heart-Shaped River: Craig Childs finds his center in Canyonlands.” Cover story from the Sept. 16 2013 special Books and Essays issue of High Country News.
“Sacrificial Land: Will renewable energy devour the Mojave?” Cover story from the April 22, 2013 issue of High Country News, part of a multi-year series on utility-scale renewable energy and infrastructure I worked on with writer Judith Lewis Mernit, which also included: “Walking on a Wire,” about big new transmission lines in June of 2008; “High Noon,” about divisions within the environmental movement over utility-scale solar in May of 2009; “Let’s get small,” about the potential and shortcomings of distributed generation in June of 2009; “The Gila Bend Photon Club,” about a community staking its future on utility generation in June 2012; and “Is Basic Solar Technology the Key to an Energy Revolution,” about the resurgence of PV panels as prices approach grid parity in January 2014.
“A Washington Tribe and a Timber Company Wrestle Over a Forest’s Future.” Cover story by Joshua Zaffos for the December 3, 2012 issue of High Country News.
“Nowhere to Run: Is there a way through the West’s bitter wild horse wars?” Cover story by Pulitzer Prize winner Dave Philipps for the November 19, 2012 issue of High Country News.
“The Other Bakken Boom: America’s biggest oil rush brings tribal conflict.” Cover story by Sierra Crane-Murdoch for the April 23, 2012 issue of High Country News.
“Growing a Revolution: Farm incubators help would-be farmers succeed on their own.” Cover story by Jennifer Langston for the November 28, 2011 issue of High Country News.
“Ganjanomics: Bringing Homboldt’s shadow economy into the light.” Cover story by Matt Jenkins for the August 15, 2011 issue of High Country News.
“Muddy Waters: Silt and the slow demise of Glen Canyon Dam.” Cover story by Craig Childs for the April 18, 2011 issue of High Country News.
“Nevada’s Golden Child: Hardrock mining’s outsized political power in Nevada may finally be eroding, thanks to state budget woes.” Cover story by Judith Lewis Mernit for the April 19, 2010 issue of High Country News.
“After the Floods: Unraveling the mystery behind the Northwest’s channeled scablands.” Cover story by Eric Wagner from the November 23, 2009 issue of High Country News.
“The Dark Side of Dairies: A broken system leaves immigrant workers invisible — and in danger.” Cover story that netted Rebecca Clarren a Sidney Hillman Prize, from the August 24, 2009 issue of High Country News.
Selected shorts
“Flash flood chaser: One man’s obsession improves forecasting in southeast Utah.” News by Tay Wiles for the Oct. 13, 2014 print edition of High Country News.
“Don’t drink the water: Portland’s fluoridation battle shows how tricky it is to integrate science into debates that have as much to do with values as policy.” News by Eric Wagner for hcn.org, appearing Oct 7, 2014.
“‘A pimp in the family’: After years of being preyed upon by payday lenders, tribes get into the game themselves.” News by Jonathan Thompson for the June 23, 2014 issue of High Country News.
“Cutting class: Alaskan villages struggle to keep schools open.” News by Krista Langlois for the November 4, 2013 issue of High Country News.
“Reviving Custer: Re-enactment and revision at the Little Bighorn.” A profile by Sierra Crane Murdoch for the January 23, 2013 issue of High Country News.
“The Expeditionary Artist: Seattle-based artist paints portraits of a melting world.” A profile by Eric Wagner for the Nov. 30 2012 issue of High Country News.
“Urban habitat: Building an inner city base hasn’t been easy for the Audubon Society.” News by Cally Carswell for the May 5, 2010 issue of High Country News.
Special projects
“Building a more sustainable West, one city at a time.” A special double issue of High Country News that hit news stands January 20, 2014. Includes stories of new and surprising sustainability initiatives in Los Angeles, Seattle, San Francisco, Phoenix, Las Vegas, and more.
A special double issue of High Country News on experiential natural resource education that ran January 21, 2013. Included pieces on education in the oil and gas fields, teaching students about public lands, the re-emergence of Outward Bound, teaching Los Angeles teenagers to water sample, and more.
“Let’s get small: Can ‘hamster power‘ — distributed generation and small-scale renewable energy projects — save the West, and the world?” A special issue of High Country News on alternative energy that ran June 15, 2009
Sarah M. Gilman 