Alaska is at the forefront of controversy over heli-tourism right now, but the issue may soon be coming to a national forest near you. by Todd Wilkinson

It takes time and patience to find a previously unknown species, but each discovery helps complete the picture. by Richard S. Nauman

It’s 2005, and the gold rush is going strong again. by Orna Izaakson

The National Grasslands are home to a surprising array of flora and fauna. by Candace Savage

• Inner Voice. Minimizing management indicator species. Cutting spotted owl habitat.

• Out There: The Fight for Alaska's Wilderness. After twenty-five years of wilderness protection, Alaska faces new challenges. by Daniel Nelson

• From the Publisher: Wildness and Silence Disappearing. Do we really need to invade every corner of the country? by Andy Stahl

• Point of View: The Land the Wilderness Act Forgot. The Yaak Valley illustrates the beauty of forgotten wilderness. by Rick Bass

• Pulp: Self-Congratulatory Century. The U.S. Forest Service celebrates a century of land management with a two-hour documentary. by Andy Stahl

National Forests are the single largest source of potable water in the United States. Can the U.S. Forest Service handle the pressure from increased population and unwise use?

• Liquid Assets.
  The U.S. Forest Service has a historical mandate to protect water. But who could have predicted that demand would increase so rapidly? by Char Miller

• Just Add Water.
  Migration to arid regions continues unchecked, despite the fact that water supplies are dwindling. by Allen Best

• Managing for Scarcity.
  Facing in impending crisis, water managers look to the source: the U.S. Forest Service. by Michele Taylor

• From Forest to Faucet.
  Former Forest Service Chief Mike Dombeck advocates for policies that make secure water supplies a priority. Interview by Patricia Marshall

The U.S. Forest Service mastered the media message a long time ago, and the spin today is as strong as ever. by Mark Blaine

The often-overlooked national grasslands offer an education in ecological resilience, quiet beauty and the importance of wide open spaces. by Candace Savage

• From the Publisher: Reading Water. On the farm, a drought magnifies the need to manage water. by Andy Stahl

• Inner Voice. Fire provides critical habitat for the black-backed woodpecker. Rule changes on a road to nowhere. Victory at Big Bear Lake.

• Out There: In the Footsteps of History. Follow in the footsteps of Lewis and Clark in the Clearwater National Forest. by Randy Beacham

• Profile: People-First Forestry. Missoula District Ranger Maggie Pittman manages with an open door. by Jennifer Savage

U.S. Forest Service botanists are often villified and ignored in their struggle to defend plants. By Rebecca Clarren

Researchers are using DNA techniques to save the Port Orford Cedar from extinction. by Gabe Dour

Geocaching combines love of the outdoors with high-tech tracking, but can public land survive the likes of “Evil Jim” and “Seal Rock George”? by Jeff Frawley

Early settlers saw justification for conquering the West in a cross-shaped crevice. by Allen Best

• From the Publisher: Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust. Mourning the demise of the national management act. by Andy Stahl

• Inner Voice. The approach to invasive weeds resembles the approach to fire. Judge rules trees not dead yet on the Malheur.

• Out There: Bird by Bird. On the Sam Houston National Forest, U.S. Forest Service workers labor to save the red-cockaded woodpecker. by Tom Behrens

• Pulp. Stephen Pyne’s Tending Fire inspires a smokejumper. by Lori Messenger

• Leader of the Pack: Gifford Pinchot, Agency Watchdog
  by Char Miller
• Change Agent: Bob Marshall
  by Char Miller
• Militant Forester: Raphael Zon
  by Char Miller
• Land Ethic: Aldo Leopold
  by Susan Flader
• Timber Boom
  by Patricia Marshall
• Winds of Change
  by Todd Wilkinson
• Fighting for Free Speech
  by Todd Wilkinson
• The Next 100 Years
  by Dave Iverson

A hand-lettered sign inspires Ralph Swain's fight to keep wilderness wild. By Ann Bond

Natural gas drilling in Wyoming. Maybe. by Chris Bryant

• From the Publisher: For the Sake of Democracy. Integrity has its price. by Andy Stahl

• Inner Voice. Election Notes. Winning for wilderness in the High Sierra.

• Out There: Buried Treasure. Exploring one of the last frontiers: karst caves in the Tongass National Forest.by Rebecca Clarren

• Point of View. Why the Forest Service Needs Whistleblowers. by Rich Fairbanks