Justin Higginbottom

Print and radio journalist

Audio

KSJD •

Chasing Sunlight: Inside the Growing Field of Archaeoastronomy

There’s a growing number of observers finding a connection with solar events and some rock-art panels. The study of these interactions is called archeo-astronomy… or cultural astronomy… or ancient astronomy. And the field relies on the work of amateurs scouring the Southwest for examples. For Rocky Mountain Community Radio, Justin Higginbottom reports from Moab.

Rory Tyler wasn’t in Moab for long before he had a hunch about “The Snake.” He had moved from Oregon in 1993 and soon after hiked with
KZMU •

Modern-day Trappers Are Using Beavers to Fight the Effects of Drought

At the chalky slopes of the Book Cliffs in Southeastern Utah, Christine Sandbach, a graduate student at Utah State University, has a beaver in a cage that she’s trying to get a read on.

“Whenever we interact with them we record their behavior. So she just kind of turned away when I opened up the cage cover. So that would be fearful,” says Sandbach, standing in a leafy oasis along the shallow Price River.

Sandbach is one a number of modern-day trappers searching the state for beavers in a partn
KZMU •

Backcountry Flying Is Taking Off in Southeastern Utah

Gary Hilley’s job as a mechanic usually keeps him grounded during the week. But when he’s free he heads above Southeastern Utah. Today Hilley is in his two-seat plane called a Supercub, a lightweight craft able to take off and land with only a few hundred feet of runway, flying over slot canyons and mesas, heading south with Canyonlands National Park in the distance.

“So all these orange dots are runways around us. But we’re probably going to go either to Mineral [Bottom] or Horseshoe [Canyon]
KSJD •

Among Utah’s wild horses roam a “genetic treasure”

Among Utah’s wild horses roam a special breed with a history stretching back to Spanish colonialists.

They've remained isolated in a mountain range near the Nevada border for hundreds of years which helped keep their bloodline intact.

As the Bureau of Land Management rounds up the herd to protect rangeland health, some say this breed shouldn't be treated like your average mustang.

There’s nearly 100,000 wild horses and burros in the West, according to the Bureau of Land Management.

Utah alon
KSJD •

The Meaning of 'Rez Dog' Is Changing on the Navajo Nation

It's hard to not notice the large number of dogs roaming the rural regions of the Navajo Nation. It's long been considered a problem as the animals can be aggressive or carry diseases. In fact that the Navajo Nation Council recently passed legislation that penalizes owners of animals that bite or attack people

But many of these animals also live a harsh life, and the culture around dog ownership in the area is changing.
Utah Public Radio •

A Natural Gas Operator Begins a Different Type of Extraction: Bitcoin

Operators at Wesco’s Blue Hills natural gas processing plant near Moab, Utah had a problem. After the Greentown pipeline was shut down by regulators who deemed it hazardous, Blue Hills’ gas was left stranded.

“And unfortunately, these oil wells are not like your kitchen faucet where you can turn it on and off at your pleasure,” said Steve Degenfelder, land manager and spokesman for Wesco Operating and Kirkwood Oil and Gas. “And so we had no other recourse than to flare the gas that would have o
KUER •

CIA Paranormal Program Finds New Life In Utah

Paul Smith’s psychic school is located in an industrial park on the outskirts of Cedar City. It could be an accountant's office except for a decal of a pyramid and an all-seeing eye on the door.

It’s called Remote Viewing Instructional Services, and inside half a dozen students hailing from Colorado to Canada are practicing before their first session.

Remote viewing is a form of extrasensory perception, or ESP, where practitioners learn to describe an object, which might be on the other side o
KZMU •

Audio Portrait: The Revolutionary Hillbilly

Hy Thurman helped found Chicago's Young Patriots Organization in 1968. The group was made up of white Southerners looking for work, but who mostly found discrimination and poverty. They fought for affordable housing, health care and raised awareness of police brutality. They also joined with the Black Panther Party and Young Lords to form the Rainbow Coalition, an influential multi-racial network. Now, Thurman is based in Alabama where he runs an organizing school. And he’s started a second Rainbow Coalition.
KUER •

From Polygamous Refuge To Tourist Town: Residents Adapt To The Transformation Of Short Creek

The community of Short Creek — made up of the twin towns of Hildale, Utah and Colorado City, Arizona — lies at the shrubby base of a red-walled desert mountain called El Capitan.

For generations, the dramatic and isolated landscape on the Utah-Arizona border has been a refuge for people who practice polygamy.

“My grandparents moved to the area in the 1940s to get away from the persecution and practice their religion in peace,” said resident Esther Bistline. She belongs to the Fundamentalist Ch
KUER •

The New Neighborhood Watch: After Protests, Utah Sees Birth Of Different Armed Movements

When Black Lives Matter protests kicked off in Utah in late May, John Sullivan noticed a lot of the leaders were white.

So the Black, 26-year-old, former speedskater decided to start his own organization. He called it Insurgence USA, and he immediately started organizing protests for racial justice.

When someone suggested they go to Provo, he thought it was a great idea. The event would give his group a chance to get out of downtown Salt Lake City, where protests were usually held.

“My though
KSUT •

Less Oil and Gas Revenue Means Fewer Funds for Utah Communities

Revenue from oil and gas in Utah hasn’t recovered since plummeting earlier this year. That means government grants and loans that rely on energy royalties have less in their coffers, just when communities need it the most.

You can find Lee and Debbie Elmgreens ranch at a shrubby fork in the narrow canyons of the Book Cliffs. On a recent fall day the greens have a map of southeastern Utah spread across their dining room table.

Lee Elmgreen is
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