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Hawk Buckman

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Science

Mule Deer of the Rocky Mountains: A Life Written in Sage and Snow

In the rugged high country of the Rocky Mountains — from the snow-crusted drainages to wind-scoured alpine basins — a lean, ghostly predator roams. The coyote (Canis latrans) is at home here, from subalpine forests to alpine meadows and ridgelines above 7,000 feet. Though smaller than wolves, coyotes’ adaptability makes them one of the most successful carnivores in North America.
Frontlines

The Rocky Mountain Canid

In the rugged high country of the Rocky Mountains — from the snow-crusted drainages to wind-scoured alpine basins — a lean, ghostly predator roams. The coyote (Canis latrans) is at home here, from subalpine forests to alpine meadows and ridgelines above 7,000 feet. Though smaller than wolves, coyotes’ adaptability makes them one of the most successful carnivores in North America.
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Frontlines

Squirrels of the High Plains and Rockies: Adapting to a Warming West

No one cares about squirrels, right? I mean, how many people do you know who enjoy squirrels in a park, in the woods on a hike, or just in general? The answer is everyone — unless they’re suffering from sciurophobia (from Sciurus, the squirrel genus, + phobia, meaning “fear”) — and let’s be honest, you’ve probably never even heard of that because it’s basically a made-up word… a funny one at that. But everyone should care about squirrels, and here’s why.
New Journeys

Fort Laramie: An Outpost on the Plains

On the broad, rolling plains of eastern Wyoming, where the Laramie River joins the North Platte, a historic military post endures—Fort Laramie. It is not just a relic of frontier days; it was a laboratory of innovation in military construction, particularly in the use of concrete in Army buildings
Destinations

Where The River Meets the Sea: Nehalem Bay, Oregon

Nestled along Oregon’s northern coast, Nehalem Bay is where the Nehalem River meets the Pacific Ocean, forming an estuarine bay that blends fresh and salt water, marshes, and tidal flats. It sits in Tillamook County, framed by the small coastal towns of Nehalem, Manzanita, and Wheeler and one of our favorite places on planet Earth.
Climate Change

Moose: Built for Cold, Suffering The Heat

Moose are not ancient residents of Colorado. Unlike elk or mule deer, they weren’t here when settlers pushed west, and they weren’t part of the Rocky Mountain landscape that Indigenous peoples hunted and managed for centuries. Colorado Parks and Wildlife released the first moose into North Park in 1978. More followed in the 1980s and early 1990s, with transplants from Wyoming and Utah.
Destinations

Bear Butte: A Sentinel on the Prairie

Rising alone from the northern plains near Sturgis, South Dakota, Bear Butte is a striking laccolith formed over 50 million years ago and a sacred site for the Lakota and Cheyenne. Known as Matȟó Pahá and Noahȧ-vose, it has long served as a place of vision quests, prayer, and historic councils that shaped Native history.
Travel

Scotts Bluff National Monument: Gateway on the Great Plains

On the western edge of Nebraska, the prairie rises abruptly into stone. Scotts Bluff National Monument isn’t just a pretty skyline for Gering and Scottsbluff—it’s a waypoint that told generations of travelers they were on the right path.
Discovery

Nokhu Crags: Colorado’s Eagle’s Nest in Stone

High above the timberline, where the wind never quite stops and snow lingers well into summer, a jagged crown of rock dominates the northern horizon of Colorado’s Never Summer Mountains. Known as the Nokhu Crags, these serrated spires have long drawn the gaze of travelers crossing Cameron Pass on Highway 14.
Environment

The Last Light of the Blowout: Nebraska’s Endangered Penstemon

Discover the rare Blowout Penstemon (Penstemon haydenii), one of North America’s most endangered wildflowers, found only in Nebraska’s Sandhills and parts of Wyoming. Learn how relentless winds, shifting dunes, and fragile blowout habitats shape its survival, the threats it faces, and ongoing conservation efforts to protect this unique prairie survivor.
Environment

The Great Plains: A Landscape of Majesty and Fragility

Discover the hidden richness of the Great Plains and the crucial role of the black-tailed prairie dog in sustaining biodiversity. From western Nebraska’s towering buttes to Montana’s shortgrass prairies, learn how this keystone species supports hundreds of wildlife—from burrowing owls to bison—and why habitat loss, poisoning, and unregulated eradication put the entire ecosystem at risk. Explore conservation solutions, community involvement, and how protecting prairie dogs means safeguarding America’s grasslands for future generations.
News

Trails West Magazine becomes TerraQuest Magazine

TerraQuest Magazine has been in the works for a long time, but today marks a major step forward. We’ve secured a new domain and started migrating stories from the Trails West Magazine website to this new home.
Science

Rethinking the First Americans: Evidence Before the Clovis Culture

Over the past decade, the Clovis First model has faced increasing scrutiny due to discoveries spanning from southern Texas to the Pacific Northwest. Now, Sunrise, Wyoming joins that list. Through a combination of serendipity, rigorous science, and hard work, the site’s Paleo-Indian ochre mine—the oldest in North America—is shedding new light on when humans first arrived on the continent.
New Journeys

Medicine Bow National Forest – Serenity and Adventure in Wyoming 

Wyoming is primarily known for Yellowstone National Park but nestled far from the bustling crowds that make their way to Yellowstone National Park each year, the tranquil vastness of Medicine Bow National Forest beckons with a pristine allure that remains untarnished by the masses. This expansive forest unfolds across the picturesque terrain of the Medicine Bow Mountains and the Snowy Range, offering a captivating array of landscapes that seamlessly transition from lofty alpine meadows to secluded and densely wooded enclaves.
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Science

Mule Deer of the Rocky Mountains: A Life Written in Sage and Snow

In the rugged high country of the Rocky Mountains — from the snow-crusted drainages to wind-scoured alpine basins — a lean, ghostly predator roams. The coyote (Canis latrans) is at home here, from subalpine forests to alpine meadows and ridgelines above 7,000 feet. Though smaller than wolves, coyotes’ adaptability makes them one of the most successful carnivores in North America.
Frontlines

The Rocky Mountain Canid

In the rugged high country of the Rocky Mountains — from the snow-crusted drainages to wind-scoured alpine basins — a lean, ghostly predator roams. The coyote (Canis latrans) is at home here, from subalpine forests to alpine meadows and ridgelines above 7,000 feet. Though smaller than wolves, coyotes’ adaptability makes them one of the most successful carnivores in North America.
Discovery

Ancient Travels of Colorado’s Sandhill Cranes

Sandhill cranes are as old as the story of migration itself. Tall, gray-bodied, crimson-capped, they move with a purpose that has outlasted ice, drought, and the rise of cities...
Science

Lindenmeier: Into Folsom Time

The Lindenmeier Site in northern Colorado is one of North America’s most important Paleoindian archaeology discoveries. Here, Ice Age hunters of the Folsom culture crafted fluted spear points, sewed hides with bone needles, and hunted Bison antiquus on the windswept plains long before history was written. The site’s dramatic evidence — a Folsom point embedded in bone — challenged early Smithsonian archaeology skepticism and helped prove humans lived in prehistoric Colorado during the Pleistocene. Today, visitors to Soapstone Prairie Natural Area north of Fort Collins can walk the same open shortgrass prairie where these early people once camped and hunted.

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