| Change – the last few years saw the word tickle the lips of uncountable Americans. While many forecast the broad implications of change at the national level, the Colorado College State of the Rockies Project has been pondering the future of the ever-changing Rocky Mountain region.
The Colorado College State of the Rockies Project, which investigates issues affecting the eight-state Rocky Mountain region, is preparing for the sixth annual Rockies Symposium and publication of its Report Card. The Rockies Symposium will explore “Visions of the Rockies in 50 years: Will Our Children Thank Us?” on April 5, 6 and 7.
All events will be held on the campus of Colorado College in Colorado Springs, and are free and open to the public. Except where noted, events will be in Armstrong Hall, 14 E. Cache La Poudre St.
Sunday, April 5th: A Future Rockies for Recreation
Whether you climb, ski, ride, run or hike, the Rockies region provides the best terrain. Symposium events will begin with a workshop and presentation by Andrew Skurka, National Geographic Adventure Magazine’s 2007 Adventurer of the Year.
Skurka will discuss and demonstrate his method of lightweight backpacking. Carrying only seven pounds of equipment for seven months, Skurka walked a 6,875-mile loop he created through the West, averaging 33 miles per day.
The workshop will be held from 1:30-3:30 p.m. in Slocum Commons and the presentation, “Walking the Great Western Loop,” from 4-5:15 p.m. in Armstrong Hall.
As president and CEO of Recreational Equipment Inc. (REI), Sally Jewell relies on her vision of the Rockies’ recreation future to direct her business and provide for her customers. Jewell, who also sits on the boards of several conservation organizations and whose company was named “Employer of the Year” in 2008, will share her business vision of the Rockies in 50 years and its impact on recreation and the environment. She will speak at 7 p.m., following the unveiling of the 2009 State of the Rockies Report Card.
Monday, April 6th: A Future Rockies through Compromise and Consensus
Among the treasured landscape of the region lives the wildlife that has intermittently been hunted, poisoned, observed with awe and protected.
As growing cities and expanding roads replace habitat, interactions between humans and wildlife are commonplace and sometimes dangerous.
The 2009 Report Card highlights Rockies’ wildlife issues in three sections: “ Wildlife Range and Condition,” “Wildlife Management” and “The Impact of Energy Development on Wildlife.” Finding ways for humans and wildlife to coexist in limited and shared space is a greater challenge than ever.
The first event of the day, “Saving the Spine of the Rockies,” features Joshua Pollack, the acting executive director at the Center for Native Ecosystems, and Penelope Pierce, regional director for the Yellowstone to Yukon Coalition. In their respective organizations, each works to protect places and habitats crucial to the survival of various species indigenous to the Rockies.
They will present their vision of maintaining the spine, heart and soul of the Rockies from 4-5:30 p.m.
Prior to the keynote address at 7 p.m., the Rockies Project will acknowledge Ed and Betsy Marston, the long-time publisher and editor of High Country News, as the 2008-09 Champions of the Rockies. Running the regional paper for 19 years, the integrity and quality of the Marstons and their staff earned High Country News the nickname, “the conscience of the West.”
The keynote address will be shared by George Cooper, president and CEO of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP) and Mark Shaffer, director of the Environmental Program and the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. These speakers offer a non-governmental, non-profit view in which wildlife deserves respect, humans maintain rights and those with differing environmental values work together to achieve what is best and fair.
Tuesday, April 7th: A Future Rockies Filled With People
Broadening the scope of the July 2008 report by the Brookings Institution, the Rockies Project undertook an analysis of the mega-regions and "rural economic clusters" in the Rockies.
As the Rockies’ population continues to increase, cities grow together along transportation corridors and economies become intertwined. Robert Lang, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and co-director of the Megapolitan Institute at Virginia Tech, and Amy Liu, deputy director of the Metropolitan Policy Program at the Brookings Institution, will be joining the Rockies Symposium for the final keynote address at 7 p.m. to share their vision for the future of the six megapolitan regions in the Rockies.
The decisions and actions of government and individuals today will shape the Rockies region for future generations.
In 50 years will grizzly bears roam through roadless areas? Will cutthroats thrive in free-flowing streams?
Will the transportation system accommodate the needs of a migratory region?
Will our children thank us for the changes we created, or blame us?
Elizabeth Kolbe was a student researcher on the 2008 State of the Rockies report and now serves as the State of the Rockies Program Coordinator. |
