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After its dams came down, a river is reborn

Kate Schimel

September 04, 2017 |

High Country News |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Washington

Removing dams pays back dividends by restoring ecological diversity. In Washington State, the decommissioning of the Elwha and Glines Canyon Dams began a decades-long process of restoring the Elwha River’s floodplain. By studying the river and learning from their failures, researchers are learning the best ways to maintain salmon populations and foster an environment more resilient to climate change.

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Meet the woman behind Colorado's highest trails

Sarah Gilman

June 26, 2017 |

High Country News |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Colorado

Colorado is home to 54 fourteeners – mountains that rise to 14,000 feet high or higher and serve as popular routes for many avid hikers despite not having designed trails. To keep hikers safe while also preserving plant life on these mountains, the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative, which is made of a group of statewide outdoor nonprofits, has been rerouting and restoring the trail system.

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Public banking goes to pot

Jeremy Lybarger

April 19, 2017 |

High Country News |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Sebastopol, California

California looks to the Bank of North Dakota as a model to launch a public bank for the cannabis industry. While the Bank of North Dakota is the only public bank in the country thus far, California's cannabis industry hopes to mirror this public financing method to reduce marijuana-related violence and theft throughout the state.

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For fossil fuel-reliant towns, a solar alternative grows

Lyndsey Gilpin

November 15, 2016 |

High Country News |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Delta, Colorado

A local energy cooperative in Colorado, Delta Montrose Electric Association, is spurring economic development through renewable energy. The program has allowed Delta County to diversify energy sources, and has become a tool for economic revitalization.

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The fate of rural food and farms

Brian Calvert

November 15, 2016 |

High Country News |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Santa Fe, New Mexico

A number of problems continue to challenge rural agriculture in the western United States. These include connecting people who grow the food with the people that need to eat the food, food waste worsening greenhouse gas emissions, and decreasing numbers of new farmers that take up the practice of agriculture. Different initiatives, such as those presented by Reunity Resources and the National Young Farmers Coalition, encourage collaboration to make sustainable food sources for the poor and for the future of farming.

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In New Mexico, a way out of the boom-bust cycle?

Leah Todd Lin

November 15, 2016 |

High Country News |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Hobbs, New Mexico

Lea County, New Mexico felt the downfall of the oil industry deeply; now, towns like Hobbs rebuild their economic infrastructure by investing in alternative energy plants as well as affordable housing for its residents. The comprehensive approach builds the economic foundation of the community while ensuring that the people working in the town have access to affordable places to live.

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Rural economies get high on legal cannabis

Leah Todd Lin

November 15, 2016 |

High Country News |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Trinidad, Colorado

Many small towns in Colorado who have previously struggled economically are now benefitting from the legal marijuana industry. The marijuana sales tax is helping towns pay for infrastructure and development efforts. However, local officials are wary of becoming too reliant upon this industry, as it may not be sustainable. For the time being, towns are using their extra tax dollars to build up their communities.

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Digitally disconnected

Leah Todd Lin

October 10, 2016 |

High Country News |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Farmington, New Mexico

To address the lack of available WiFi outside of school settings, a local college in Farmington, New Mexico, offers students the ability to check out wireless hotspots for one week at a time, While the school's resources are limited and aren't able to provide for all students, the program has shed light on the need for Internet services in rural areas around the country.

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How one tiny high school hacked Advanced Placement classes

Kate Schimel

October 10, 2016 |

High Country News |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Paonia, Colorado

In 2011, the Colorado Education Initiative (CEI), an education advocacy and research organization, launched the Colorado Legacy Schools project. The program funded innovative ways to increase the number and diversity of students taking AP classes. Instead of applying for funds to train teachers and subsidize test fees, Paonia High teamed up with two nearby schools to more than triple their collective AP offerings. It’s a promising model for rural, resource-limited schools trying to bring more college-prep opportunities to their few students.

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A helping hand for migrant students

Lyndsey Gilpin

October 09, 2016 |

High Country News |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Center, Colorado

The Migrant Education Program, which offers educational and social services to migrant worker families in Colorado’s San Luis Valley, is growing in popularity among the valley’s migrant worker population, and has recently begun to focus on getting migrant students geared up for college .

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