A little paper with clout

THE LEGACY OF TOM BELL, the founder of High Country News, looms large over the magazine’s history. And yet, he only ran HCN for about five of the 13 years that it was published in Lander, Wyoming. When Bell stepped back from managing its day-to-day operations, “the newspaper evolved into a more objective, less strident publication that focused on the environment,” Marjane Ambler, a former editor, said, writing for the Wyoming State Historical Society. Once Ambler, Joan Nice and Bruce Hamilton took over the magazine in 1974, its circulation increased and its scope broadened. Recognition from Western icons like Robert Redford and Edward Abbey introduced HCN to a wider audience.

A series of setbacks and schisms beset the editorial staff in the late 1970s, however, culminating in the tragic car accident in 1978 that killed news editor Justas Bavarskis and seriously injured three staffers. By 1983, HCN’s board of directors sought new leadership and agreed to hire Ed and Betsy Marston, who relocated the newspaper to Paonia, Colorado, where much of the staff remains today. Under the Marstons, the newspaper continued to expand its coverage, readership and influence. By 2002, when Ed Marston stepped down as publisher, the paper’s circulation had grown from 3,000 to 20,000 readers.

Paul Larmer, one of the Marstons’ first editorial interns, became publisher in 2003. Larmer brought a fresh vision to the organization, and the black-and-white tabloid evolved into a magazine, gradually becoming a full-color publication. The coverage expanded even further, taking celebrates its 50th anniversary, we checked in with Betsy Marston and Paul Larmer to chat about the magazine’s more recent history and future prospects. Our conversation has been edited for length and clarity.