#MediaMonday – Caroline Tracey
Today’s #MediaMonday comes to us from Caroline Tracey, High Country News’ climate justice fellow, reporting from Tucson. High Country News is an independent, non-profit magazine dedicated to shining a light on all the complexities of the Western U.S.
The magazine was founded in 1969 when Tom Bell, a Wyoming native, bought Camping News Weekly, a small outdoor recreation publication geared toward anglers and hunters. Bell, a World War II veteran, wildlife biologist and high school teacher, wanted to provide more than just fishing tips and camping hotspots. He was eager to inform people about what he saw as an impending environmental crisis in his beloved West, one that was largely being ignored by the region’s newspapers.
In 1970, he rechristened his publication High Country News and began to focus on environmental issues.
Caroline, time to share:
I am originally from Denver, and have had an interest in environmental conservation from a young age. In high school and into college, I wanted to become an urban planner to address urban sprawl and climate change. However, I quickly realized that I was too passionate about reading and writing to leave it behind for my career. I ended up majoring in literature, and also took classes about magazine-style nonfiction writing. Both then and now, I believe in the power of journalism and literature to bring about positive change.
After college, I worked on a cattle ranch in New Mexico—something I had always wanted to do. Eventually, I went to graduate school in geography at the University of California, Berkeley. I wanted to learn more about the US-Mexico border. I wrote my thesis about activism by deportees and return migrants in Mexico City.
Throughout that time, I worked as a freelance reporter, covering the mix of topics I’m most passionate about—migration, environmental justice, and the arts and literature. I’ve written about Mexico’s president for n+1, Interstate expansion in Denver neighborhoods for the Nation, public land politics for the Guardian, deportee coders for Rest of World, and in Spanish about cattle fever tick for Mexico’s Nexos.
Currently, I live in Tucson with my wife, Mexican architect and sculptor Mariana GJP, and our dog, Lázaro.
I love salsa verde tacos, entomatadas, and chilaquiles (with homemade salsas!), but occasionally nothing hits the spot better than a box of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese!
My favorite music is…I listen to everything, but if I were stuck on a desert island and had to pick a genre, it would be chamber music, as nerdy as that sounds!
When I’m not working, I like to…swim! I swim several times a week and it’s a highlight of my routine. I also like to ride my bike around the city, go to the farmers’ market, and spend time with friends.
A little-known fact about me: my other hobby is going to beginner ballet class.
You can follow me on Twitter or Instagram, and High Country News on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
