High Country News https://www.newsdeeply.com/water/contributor/elizabeth-shogren/rss en American West Climate & Weather Environment & Wildlife Law & Policy Fri, 06 Oct 2017 05:00:12 +0000 Elizabeth Shogren https://www.newsdeeply.com/water/articles/2017/10/06/zinkes-fire-memo-calls-for-aggressive-forest-thinning https://www.newsdeeply.com/water/articles/2017/10/06/zinkes-fire-memo-calls-for-aggressive-forest-thinning Experts say a recent memo from interior secretary Ryan Zinke on how to stop and prevent forest fires perpetuates misconceptions about how fires can be avoided or controlled and ignores major drivers of Western fire: weather and climate change.