In this episode of West Obsessed, High Country News editors and writers discuss the work of wildfire researchers. New studies are uncovering how intense wildfires create their own weather and move across the land — knowledge that could save liv

West Obsessed: The fate of rural food and farms

Oct 13th, 2016 31m 40s

For something as important as food, many communities in the West struggle. That's because agricultural systems aren't really geared for the communities that harvest the food. In this episode of West Obsessed, the writers and editors of High Cou

#15: Traveling into uncomfortable Western corners

Apr 20th, 2017 31m 55s

In this episode of West Obsessed, High Country News Editor-in-chief Brian Calvert examines the uncomfortable Western corners featured in our annual Travel Issue. Anna V. Smith, editorial fellow, returns to the old-growth forest of her youth and

Listen to COVID-19 precautions in Mam language

Nov 24th, 2020 5m 52s

Listen to COVID-19 precautions in Mam language by High Country News

#35: A desert divided on the borderlands

Apr 5th, 2018 27m 27s

The borderlands are a long-misunderstood region of the country, wrapped up in rhetoric and myth. In this episode of West Obsessed, Tucson-based Associate Editor Maya Kapoor joins Editor-in-Chief Brian Calvert and Deputy Editor-Digital Kate Schi

#34: The growing Indigenous resistance to drilling in the Southwest

Mar 7th, 2018 29m 50s

In this episode of West Obsessed, contributing editor Jonathan Thompson joins High Country News editors Brian Calvert and Kate Schimel to explore the struggle of Navajo Nation residents, and others, to prevent more oil and gas exploration in hi

#33: Indian Country's dual housing crises

Feb 12th, 2018 28m

Writer Julian Brave Noisecat join High Country News editors on the latest episode of West Obsessed to talk about the original victims of gentrification. Inside this story is an emotional tale of one Indigenous family's experience with structura

#32: The State of Jefferson's undercurrent

Jan 30th, 2018 26m 12s

In the latest episode of West Obsessed, High Country News editors discuss a zealous political movement — a push for a 51st state — born from resentment of California’s liberal ‘resistance’ to Trump.

#31: 2017 in the West

Jan 18th, 2018 27m 50s

Since President Donald Trump was inaugurated in Jan. 2017, he and his administration have been steadily undoing Obama-era protections, including designations of national monuments and rules designed to fight climate change. In the latest episod

#30: The American alpine sublime

Dec 8th, 2017 27m 33s

The Rocky Mountains have long been a source of inspiration and art. This is apparent in the works of the poet Belle Turnbull, who wrote about the mining camps of Colorado, the beauty of the mountains, and her life in the Rockies. In this episod

#29: How to cover Indian Country

Nov 30th, 2017 31m 39s

Native American communities are an integral part of the nation’s history —and future. However, even today there aren’t enough publications that know how to accurately tell their stories. In this episode of West Obsessed, the writers and editors

#28: The tumultuous Bundy trials

Oct 19th, 2017 12m 1s

In April 2014, Cliven Bundy, along with hundreds of supporters, faced down federal agents over the removal of his cattle from public lands. They’d been illegally grazing for years and a court had ordered their impoundment. Three years later, Bu

#27: No hoax

Oct 5th, 2017 26m 19s

In this episode of West Obsessed, we confront the realities of climate change as its impacts on the West begin to unfold. With an administration at odds with recognizing climate change, it’s even more important to see what efforts are being mad

#26: People-powered solar

Sep 21st, 2017 28m 48s

This episode of West Obsessed delves into the forces that shape our energy system — from corporate profit motives, to the individuals with solar panels on their roofs. A surprising win by solar customers in Nevada portends a shift.

#25: A river is reborn

Sep 15th, 2017 25m 31s

In this episode of West Obsessed, High Country News examines the lessons learned on Washington’s Elwha River, whose dams came down six years ago, and Utah’s Bear River, where a diversion is still being planned.

#24: So what if we're doomed?

Aug 18th, 2017 29m 45s

High Country News Editor-in-Chief Brian Calvert delves into the choices we must make as we begin to face the consequences of the Anthropocene. Reckoning with the grinding anxiety of climate change and the grief of losing our most precious speci

#23: Alaska's thru-hike pipedream

Jul 6th, 2017 29m 25s

In this episode of West Obsessed, High Country News Correspondent Krista Langlois talks about her recent feature story on a burgeoning recreation industry in the West's northern-most terrain. Alaska looks to the Trans-Alaska Pipeline as a boon

#22: Forces behind the flip

Jun 14th, 2017 29m 46s

Why did the rural Colorado town of Walsenburg swing from voting blue to red in the 2016 presidential election of Donald Trump? High Country News editors Brian Calvert and Kate Schimel talk to writer Leah Todd about her recent feature story on t

#21: Strange animal killings and the people who investigate them

Jun 1st, 2017 28m 53s

In this episode of West Obsessed, the editors and writers of High Country News talk about a strange spate of animal killings across the West, the people who investigate those crimes and the implications those acts have on public-lands managemen

#20: A rural town's prison economy

May 18th, 2017 29m 20s

In this episode of West Obsessed, the editors and writers of High Country News reflect on the story of Adelanto, California, a prison town that reflects Western truths of reinvention and subjugation. We take you inside a detention facility desi

#19: Marching for science

Apr 25th, 2017 29m 10s

In this episode of West Obsessed, the staff of High Country News looks at Science Marches and how it hits home in the West.

#16: Busting the Tree Ring

Apr 20th, 2017 30m 44s

In this episode of West Obsessed, High Country News Editor-in-chief Brian Calvert and Publisher Paul Larmer bring HCN correspondent Ben Goldfarb into the studio to talk about his recent feature story an illegal timber poaching gang in Washingto

#14: A complicated rural drug environment

Apr 20th, 2017 30m 2s

For nearly a year, High Country News investigated how the tentacles of a national opioid and heroin epidemic have reached the rural West. Assistant Editor Paige Blankenbuehler reported in tiny Craig, Colorado, where she uncovered a private prac

#13: The power of nature on mental health

Apr 20th, 2017 33m 29s

In this episode of West Obsessed, High Country News Managing Editor Brian Calvert talks with Florence Williams on her new book, "The Nature Fix." Together they discuss the power of nature on mental health, and tell an incredible story about a g

#12: Obama's mark on land, energy and the environment

Apr 20th, 2017 30m 11s

Obama’s environmental and conservation record reflects an inclination toward the center in the West: He designated over two dozen national monuments, more than any other president. He oversaw surges in oil and gas production, but embraced clean