News >
The Back Forty > Commentary
Recently in Commentary
Golden Green:
The American West has been organized around numbers, from Lewis and Clark to L.A. Freeways.
They Kept Ward Valley Nuclear-Free (Part 2)
February 7, 2013 10:00 AM
by Chris Clarke
The Hidden Desert:
An unprecedented coalition of Native people and other environmental activists fought the State of California to a standstill 15 years ago on a proposal to dump low-level nuclear waste in Ward Valley.
Will ObamaCorps Become the New Civilian Conservation Corps?
February 6, 2013 2:00 PM
by Char Miller
Golden Green:
The CCC built up the nation and the body politic -- can ObamaCorps do the same thing?
They Kept Ward Valley Nuclear-Free (Part 1)
February 5, 2013 10:00 AM
by Chris Clarke
The Hidden Desert:
It's one of those places in the California desert where you can find yourself 20 miles off the pavement without much problem. It's also where California almost put its final dump for low-level nuclear waste.
Divest Now? A Case for Our Immediate Emancipation from Fossil Fuels
January 28, 2013 2:00 PM
by Char Miller
Golden Green:
Divesting ourselves from fossil fuels will not be easy, but we must act now.
'To Act in Our Time': Will President Obama Green America?
January 23, 2013 2:00 PM
by Char Miller
Golden Green:
President Obama's inaugural address actually mentioned climate change. It's time to do something about it.
Golden Green:
How Pinnacles National Monument became a National Park -- and why Red Rock still waits its turn
Razed Expectations: Why It Matters that the Army Corps Bulldozed the Sepulveda Sanctuary
January 10, 2013 11:24 AM
by Char Miller
Golden Green:
When the Army Corps sent bulldozers crashing through Sepulveda Basin it damaged nature and the civic arena
Shifting Tide: Southern California Sea Otter Ban Lifted
January 2, 2013 2:00 PM
by Char Miller
Golden Green:
It is a great start to the new year that the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service's has decided to open Southern California's waters to the once-banned sea otters.
O, Tannenbaum! Christmas Trees and Climate Change
December 19, 2012 2:15 PM
by Char Miller
Golden Green:
Buying a real Christmas tree will help reduce your carbon footprint. Here's why.
Circuit Breaker: How Solar Power Came to San Dimas
December 12, 2012 3:33 PM
by Char Miller
Golden Green:
Solar Power is SoCal's future -- but we need need new policies to help it come online
Distress Signal: Hurricane Sandy's Take-Away Message
October 31, 2012 3:25 PM
by Char Miller
Golden Green:
I never meant to be so predictive. In a column I wrote this summer about the extraordinary vulnerability of the Jersey Shore to the erosive force of hurricanes, I suggested it was so vulnerable because of Nature (Mother) and nature (human). Two months later, Hurricane Sandy underscored that claim.
Urban Legend: Earl M. Lewis and the Struggle for Better Government
October 16, 2012 5:05 PM
by Char Miller
Golden Green:
Char Miller remembers the late Trinity University teacher that pushed the campus into a brave new world with his Urban Studies program.
The San Gabriels: A National Forest? A National Park? Does it Matter?
October 10, 2012 2:00 PM
by Char Miller
Golden Green:
In the Angeles National Forest. | Photo: puck90/Flickr/Creative Commons License The Angeles National Forest is poised to get the ax. There are a lot of hands gripping that particular handle, too. The National Park Service (NPS) is eager to swing...
The Last Green Republican? Russell E. Train, 1920-2012
September 26, 2012 2:00 PM
by Char Miller
Golden Green:
He was deeply engaged with some of the late 20th-century's most pivotal environmental issues, and did so as a Republican stalwart -- Richard Nixon, for example, appointed him as the EPA's second administrator.
Touring Yosemite: Why We See the Things We See There
September 12, 2012 2:00 PM
by Char Miller
Golden Green:
Since the mid-19th century, Yosemite has been lauded as America's wonderland, its playground -- beguiling, transformative, divine. It is also a tourist trap. A new exhibit probes the connection between these two sides of Yosemite.
Shuttle Endeavour Exhibit Can Also Hurt Science Education in L.A.
September 6, 2012 1:45 PM
by Chris Clarke
Commentary:
Street trees ARE science education.
Why the U.S. Forest Service's First Chief Deserves a Cool T-Shirt
August 29, 2012 2:00 PM
by Char Miller
Golden Green:
If during this super-heated summer you have traveled to any of the electoral battleground states, you'll know that the sun-baked temperatures outside are more than matched by the ultra-hot campaign ads saturating the airwaves. And you'll understand why Patricia...
Golden Green:
The Grand Canyon has the unnerving capacity to shut us up and a traveling exhibit has come to Southern California will help us understand why.
It Takes Minutes to Trash the Desert, but Centuries to Repair
August 7, 2012 10:55 AM
by Chris Clarke
Commentary:
You don't need a bunch of venture capital to trash the desert. All you need is a some wheels and a stunted set of ethics.
Support for KCET.org provided by:
The Back Forty is opinion and news about environmental, land use, rural, and wildlife issues in California.

'Plague' Depicts Fight Against HIV, Society
When AIDS was first discovered, those afflicted faced stigma, prejudice, and denial of medical treatment. Filmmaker David France captured the activists' struggle.
Watch

- Ballot Brief
The latest about elections in Southern California and across the state. - Rewire
Tracking renewable energy in California. - The Back Forty
News and views on land use, wildlife, and environmental issues in California. - Confluence
The latest in stories related to the revitalization of the Los Angeles River.

The Digital Download keeps you up to date each week with the most popular KCET.org stories and videos. View archives.
Support for KCET.org provided by:











