Article — Writings — John N. Maclean

John N. Maclean

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Opinion: This Montana river is threatened by one senator and a bitter clash over use of public lands

By John N. Maclean
The Washington Post, November 16, 2021

When after many years I finally found a way back to the Blackfoot River in western Montana, it was a dream come true. I returned at a lucky time, after an extraordinary restoration effort had brought the river back to health from a sorry state, caused by pollution and overfishing.

But today, thanks to one U.S. senator and the increasingly bitter clash over use of public lands in the West, the cold, clear waters of the Blackfoot are endangered once again.

Article, OpinionGuest UserNovember 22, 2021Montana

20 Years Later, Legacy of a Deadly Colorado Wildfire Endures

By John N. Maclean
National Geographic, July 3, 2014

The South Canyon Fire killed 14 firefighters and changed how wildfires are fought. Then last year in Arizona, tragedy struck again.

ArticleGuest UserMarch 25, 2021wildfires

Stand down from Western wildfires

By John Maclean
Originally published by High Country News in July 2013

Tough questions are being raised about the deaths of 19 Granite Mountain Hotshots in Arizona's Yarnell Hill Fire on June 30. They were physically fit, highly trained young men, and they deployed emergency shelters in hellish temperatures that likely topped 1,200 degrees Farenheit. The burns and suffocation killed them, but were mistakes and bad policy also at fault?

Article, EssayGuest UserMarch 4, 2021wildfires