Tag Archives: West Texas
Destruction of Lizard’s West Texas Habitat 10 Times Worse Than Previously Thought
About 2,700 acres of the lizard’s habitat have been disturbed by oil and gas development and sand mining since 2012.
In 2012, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) made the controversial decision not to list the dunes sagebrush lizard, a three-inch reptile native to the Wes...Read More
Introducing the Texas Observer’s Rural Reporting Project
Texas has the biggest rural population in the nation, yet many journalists treat much of the state as flyover country.
Trump’s election taught the nation many painful lessons. Among them: the traditional divide between town and country has become a chasm. People in blue, urban...Read More
Eye on Texas: Runners Take on 170-Mile Race in Big Bend
I traveled to Big Bend Ranch State Park in October for the second-annual Trans-Pecos Ultra. This rugged ultramarathon spans 170 miles and 15,000 feet of elevati...Read More
‘I Want Nobody to Fear our Border’: West Texans, Mexicans March in Solidarity
Attendees carried signs that read 'Build bridges, not walls,' 'Viva La Frontera' and 'Love is Unity.'
About four dozen people held hands as a symbol of camaraderie Saturday morning at the international bridge that divides Presidio, Texas, and Ojinaga, Mexico...Read More
‘The Presidential Campaign Makes No Difference Here’: Election Day in Presidio
Poll workers say the county with the lowest turnout in Texas can’t afford voter stickers.
Poll workers say the county with the lowest turnout in Texas can’t afford voter stickers....Read More
‘I Wish I Could Vote’: An Ex-Felon’s Election Day
A Presidio man with a criminal history finds out too late that he's eligible to vote.
A Presidio man with a criminal history finds out too late that he's eligible to vote following the completion of his parole....Read More
Feeling the Burn in Big Bend
An epic drought has scientists racing to predict the future of Big Bend's unique sky islands.
The 2011 drought that wiped out half the piñon pines in Big Bend’s sky island is a warning shot as the Southwest succumbs to climate change....Read More
A Sweltering Summer in Texas, Courtesy of Climate Change
A weakening El Niño, assisted by climate change, is driving scorching temperatures in Texas.
El Niño usually cools us down, but this year, climate change was stronger than the periodic weather phenomenon, scorching the west and heating up the coast....Read More
Dozens Caught in Land Rights Fight Over Trans-Pecos Pipeline
Nearly four dozen landowners in the pristine path of the Trans Pecos pipeline are facing eminent domain lawsuits from the energy company behind the project....Read More