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Golden Green:
Rocks, frogs, and humans find refuge in Zion National Park.
Golden Green:
The late Norris Hundley, Jr. warned that California's "Great Thirst" would be its undoing -- a warning we must heed.
Golden Green:
Banning fracking in California will not save the planet. But it's a start.
At Fault: When Will California Regulate Fracking?
May 8, 2013 10:00 AM
by Char Miller
Golden Green:
With a governor who seems unwilling to step up, and a set of regulatory agencies that have not yet announced a clear-cut set of rules to control the impact of fracking on public health and the environment, the legislature must take the lead.
In Touch With Nature at Augustus F. Hawkins Natural Park
May 3, 2013 2:05 PM
Concrete and Chaparral :
A place that many deride as "The Hood" or "The Ghetto" can still yield the most pleasant surprises.
Air Apparent: L.A.'s Bright Skies Are Not As Clear As They Seem
May 1, 2013 2:00 PM
by Char Miller
Golden Green:
L.A. may have fewer ozone-alert days, but our air quality is still dangerous
'Seeking The Greatest Good' Documents a New Geography of Hope
April 24, 2013 2:00 PM
by Char Miller
Golden Green:
A new documentary, "Seeking the Greatest Good," identifies key steps we can take to restore the Earth -- and ourselves.
The Living Library: Bringing California Native Plants to the Branches
April 19, 2013 3:45 PM
Commentary:
Libraries are learning institutions. Albeit indirectly, I learned about California native plants through my local library, and the learning continues today.
Rat Poison Is the New DDT, and Marijuana Is the Problem
April 17, 2013 3:10 PM
by Char Miller
Golden Green:
Illegal marijuana growers' extreme use of rodenticides is wreaking havoc on California national forests. It's time for the legislature to ban these super toxins.
Forest Service Gets to Keep Pine Tree Logo, But Controversy Points to Larger Problem
April 10, 2013 11:20 AM
by Char Miller
Golden Green:
The Forest Service's pine tree logo is now safe from the USDA's rebranding effort. Its historic emblem should never have been attacked.
The Hidden Desert:
A memoir from September 2007 of butterflies, and night skies, and coming to terms with loss in the Mojave desert.
Where the Water Comes From: Owning -- And Owing -- the Owens Valley
April 5, 2013 1:32 PM
Concrete and Chaparral :
Do yourself a favor, and go to the Owens River Valley to see where your water actually originates.
Why Is USDA Stripping the Forest Service of its Pine Tree Logo?
April 3, 2013 10:11 AM
by Char Miller
Golden Green:
USDA is rebranding the entire department, forcing the Forest Service and other agencies to adopt its bland logo. This is a really bad idea..
Fires, Floods, and Human History -- The Value of a Single SoCal Creek
March 27, 2013 1:33 AM
by Char Miller
Commentary:
Thompson Creek is a symbol of how much a creek can matter, to SoCal civilizations past and to the very real wildfires and floods of the present.
Forest to Faucet: Why National Forests Are More Than Recreational Spaces
March 6, 2013 2:37 PM
by Char Miller
Golden Green:
Water made the west, and that's why Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell is promoting its protection.
Forest Service Chief Talks Climate Change -- in Washington and on the Ground
February 27, 2013 2:00 PM
by Char Miller
Golden Green:
How to manage the national forests amid climate disruption? Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell has some ideas.
Why Taxpayers Are Getting Burned by Climate Change
February 20, 2013 2:00 PM
by Char Miller
Golden Green:
The more we ignore climate change the greater the costs will be, says the Government Accounting Office. Its numbers add up.
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?
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The Back Forty is opinion and news about environmental, land use, rural, and wildlife issues in California.

'Slake' Video Project Puts Heat on LADWP Over Owens Valley
The story of the Owens Valley Water War is usually told in the past tense, but it still unfolds today, a century later. And a forthcoming video series intends to bring us all up to speed.
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