Site search
sponsored by
Home
News
SUMMIT COUNTY - The Rocky Mountain region is marked by abundant scenic lands, a wild west character and a wealth of natural resources. But the way we work and play on the land is threatening to destroy the very attributes we cherish, say the authors of this year's State of the Rockies report, an annual project compiled by student researchers at Colorado College in Colorado Springs.
Past reports have characterized the region as an "inland colony," exploited by the greater United States.
"The idea is that the nation takes what it wants, like energy resources, timber and vacation housing, and leaves behind a mess, including abandoned mines, devastated forests and second-home, cold-bed communities," the authors of the report wrote in a preview of this year's edition, to be unveiled at a conference in Colorado Springs next week.
"We are reaping the short-term benefits of population growth, natural resource development and tourism and recreation while chipping away at the long-term viability of our region by converting our wild lands to generic subdivisions, strip malls and industrial wastelands, leaving our remaining wild lands over-used by skiers, off-road vehicle drivers and other recreationalists," wrote Bryan Hurlbutt and Caitlin O'Brady, outlining the themes of this year's State of the Rockies report.
Finding a common voice for the region is a critical challenge, the authors said.
"That could be the best hope for reaping the most out of population growth and the demand for natural resources while maintaining our strongest economic and community assets - the Rocky Mountain landscape and culture," said O'Brady.
"The hope is to start a discussion on how we, as a region, can come together ... and find a unified voice," she said, adding that some of the speakers at the conference will focus on leveraging some political clout from those shared regional interests.
As defined by Colorado College's ongoing State of the Rockies project, the region encompasses Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, Montana, Idaho, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.
Giving these states more say in determining the selection of presidential candidates from both parties, in the form of an early regional primary, could help ensure that those candidates spend more time immersing themselves in some of the issues critical to the region, according to Western political analysts.
The four-day conference at Colorado College features a slate of sessions on topics ranging from global warming threats to the region to the quest for environmental justice, highlighting how some socio-economic groups in the region's urban areas bear the brunt of environmental degradation.
For more information on the conference and a detailed schedule of sessions, visit http://www.coloradocollege.edu/stateoftherockies/index.htm.
Bob Berwyn can be reached at (970) 331-5996, or at bberwyn@summitdaily.com.
Past reports have characterized the region as an "inland colony," exploited by the greater United States.
"The idea is that the nation takes what it wants, like energy resources, timber and vacation housing, and leaves behind a mess, including abandoned mines, devastated forests and second-home, cold-bed communities," the authors of the report wrote in a preview of this year's edition, to be unveiled at a conference in Colorado Springs next week.
"We are reaping the short-term benefits of population growth, natural resource development and tourism and recreation while chipping away at the long-term viability of our region by converting our wild lands to generic subdivisions, strip malls and industrial wastelands, leaving our remaining wild lands over-used by skiers, off-road vehicle drivers and other recreationalists," wrote Bryan Hurlbutt and Caitlin O'Brady, outlining the themes of this year's State of the Rockies report.
Finding a common voice for the region is a critical challenge, the authors said.
"That could be the best hope for reaping the most out of population growth and the demand for natural resources while maintaining our strongest economic and community assets - the Rocky Mountain landscape and culture," said O'Brady.
"The hope is to start a discussion on how we, as a region, can come together ... and find a unified voice," she said, adding that some of the speakers at the conference will focus on leveraging some political clout from those shared regional interests.
As defined by Colorado College's ongoing State of the Rockies project, the region encompasses Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, Montana, Idaho, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.
Giving these states more say in determining the selection of presidential candidates from both parties, in the form of an early regional primary, could help ensure that those candidates spend more time immersing themselves in some of the issues critical to the region, according to Western political analysts.
The four-day conference at Colorado College features a slate of sessions on topics ranging from global warming threats to the region to the quest for environmental justice, highlighting how some socio-economic groups in the region's urban areas bear the brunt of environmental degradation.
For more information on the conference and a detailed schedule of sessions, visit http://www.coloradocollege.edu/stateoftherockies/index.htm.
Bob Berwyn can be reached at (970) 331-5996, or at bberwyn@summitdaily.com.
