Ride for Roadkill
Montana cyclists are helping make the state’s roads safer for wildlife and people
By Birch Malotky
Crowell Herrick, 63, rides his gravel bike down Montana Highway 1, wearing a high-vis vest.
Hikers and Wildlife Cross Paths
Researchers investigate non-motorized recreation’s ecological impacts
By Meghan Kent
Following his GPS, University of Wyoming field technician Michael Gjellum descends into a canyon between the folded foothills of Pilot Hill, keeping a careful eye out for mountain lion activity.
Reclaimed Wildness
Riding Coal Basin’s closed mining roads
By Manasseh Franklin
While quietly pedaling a narrow, paved road near Redstone, Colorado, I rounded a corner and came face-to-face with a small black bear.
Colonel Mustard, by the Dock, with the Bucket
A fish detective, the effort to stop illegal invasive species introductions, and a long history of a fish management culture clash
One summer day in 1992, two teenage boys fishing Lake Mary Ronan watched a man dump a cooler
The Four-Footed Watercraft Inspector
Can specially trained dogs keep invasive mussels out of western waterways?
A mile outside of Browning, Montana, a watercraft inspector sits on the side of the highway next to her kennel.
Cancer to the Rescue?
A potential solution to invasive mussels
One hundred thousand quagga mussels can live in a single square meter, and 450 trillion of them infest Lake Michigan alone.
To Kill or Not to Kill?
Managing charismatic ungulates in the Tetons
The first time Michael Whitfield saw bighorn sheep in the high country he stood on a ridgeline in the shadow of the Teton Range and watched a group grazing along a plateau.
Banking on Trails
Laramie could be the next western town to cash in on public lands recreation
On a Thursday evening last March, a crowd of eager residents packed into the gymnasium of the Lincoln Community Center in West Laramie to learn more about the Pilot Hill Project
Consuming Experiences Instead of Stuff
What quiet recreationists bring to the outdoor economy and how to reach them
With BLM maps in hand and fragments of descriptions from locals, Eric Krszjzaniek searches for an old Indian village in Wyoming’s Shirley Basin. As he walks across the landscape, he pauses often to reference his Rockhounding in Wyoming guide and note the types of rocks in the area.
Rockefeller in Patagonia
Outside wealth, local values, and creating national parks
Ken Burns’ documentary The National Parks: America’s Best Idea tells a story from the early years of Grand Teton National Park.
The True Value of Flood Irrigation
What’s seen as wasteful water use has hidden benefits
Ranchers today in the Upper Green River Basin say they are modern-day beavers.
National Parks Respond to Climate Change
As ecosystems transform, the Park Service adapts
Strapping on crampons and readying their ice axes, the Jenny Lake Climbing Rangers
Horsing Around
Big time equine fun in little western towns
Horse and human stories have been intertwined in the West for centuries, and while only a few people work with horses today,
Some Like it Cold
How does a local ski hill prepare for an uncertain future?
I’m a third-generation Bridger Bowl skier. My grandparents taught my dad to ski here
A New Conservation Model
How do we get outdoor enthusiasts to protect the places they play?
Several years ago, Sonoran Institute founder and long time conservationist Luther Propst was mountain biking on the Lunch Loops in Grand Junction
Evolving Wyoming Tourism
Can a tourist-driven economy fill the gap as energy revenue falters?
Tucked between Ladies Golf Night and Bible Camp on the July 2015 events calendar for Hulett, Wyoming, is an event called Ham N Jam.
Camper Culture
Small, hand-built, and rugged RVs bring a new demographic into the fold
Mike Resch never expected to own a camper. He prided himself on his ability to live out of a backpack
Boat-Shaped Bugseed
Sand Hills off-roaders co-exist with rare plant
The North Sand Hills rise out of Northern Colorado’s high plains like a scene from a science fiction movie.
Stories Told in Paint
Discovering fine art in Jackson
On a hazy evening the streets of Jackson blur with summer tourists. Laughter and chitchat rises from outdoor patios like bubbles in a fizzy drink.
The Bone People
The booming business of antler hunting on public lands
Andy Hart thinks of antler hunting as a process of manufacturing luck.