‘State of the Rockies’ report highlights regional trends
By Walter Hecox
The Rockies region is a spectacularly varied, beautiful and yet fragile part of the nation. As the Colorado College State of the Rockies Project defines it, there are eight states with 280 counties spread across 863,242 square miles comprising 24 percent of the nation’s landmass, and 6.5 percent of the nation’s people. Most of its residents live in urban areas, only 1.4 percent of the land is developed, and the 119 percent population growth in the past 30 years outpaces the rest of the country by a factor of three. The population is slightly younger, more mobile and more educated than elsewhere. But these numbers, of course, don’t begin to describe the region. That’s why the State of the Rockies takes a closer look. A year ago, the first State of the Rockies Report Card and Conference evaluated 14 county-based indicators related to land and environment; social and cultural capital; income, employment and equity; as well as an overall GPA for each county based upon vibrancy and vitality. Conference speakers challenged our thinking with charges that the Rockies are not “sovereign” and in fact are mostly an “inland colony” for the rest of the nation to use and sometimes abuse through recreation and tourism, natural resource extraction and toxic waste disposal. Ed Marston, former editor of The High Country News, wrote in the 2004 Challenge Essay, “We live as Southerners did during Reconstruction, occupied by an often federal force, and for many of the same dismal reasons.” Intrigued by such challenges, the Rockies Project has selected a new set of topics in this year’s Report Card to explore, discuss and debate at the State of the Rockies Conference that begins today and runs through Thursday. For the conference, two “challenge” speakers from different ideological perspectives provide their views of our region: Terry Anderson of Montana’s Property and Environment Research Center on “old West vs. new West” and Patricia Limerick of University of Colorado-Boulder’s Center of the American West on “enduring myths and iconoclastic realities.” Energy is a major focus this year with Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico (former U.S. energy secretary) challenging us to think of “A New West, A New Energy Policy” and Amory Lovins of the Rocky Mountain Institute talking about the role of the Rockies in “Winning the Oil Endgame.” Native American speakers will share encouraging news about enhanced sovereignty among their nations, and Terry Tempest Williams, renowned author from Utah, will discuss “Ground Truthing: The Open Space for Democracy.” In this year’s “State of the Rockies Report Card” we continue to “grade,” but this time we scrutinize national park units, energy-rich areas, toxically challenged regions and communities with creative occupations. Major work has gone into original analysis and discussion. A “Rockies Baseline” section is introduced to track vital signs that depict a region in transition; we intend to present similar baseline information in future report cards. We again assign an overall GPA to each county throughout the Rockies, this year in the area of civic capacity and engagement, both components of social capital. We have few illusions regarding grading: Communities earning a high grade will be pleased, while communities graded low will howl with protest. In the ensuing discussion and debate, much good arises as people within the Rockies start to talk about their region, acting for brief periods like citizens of the Rockies. Why do we at Colorado College carry out the State of the Rockies Project each year? Our major goal is to involve undergraduate liberal arts college students in all aspects of the project so they learn about the complexities of the Rockies, help create the Report Card and help conduct the annual State of the Rockies conferences. In addition we hope to encourage conference attendees and report card readers to engage with experts and stretch their minds. And we hope attendees will ponder what is required to protect and promote a region whose future requires engaged citizens, careful management and dynamic change to reinvent — again and again — a region of explorers, settlers, entrepreneurs and residents. Join in the debate! You will not agree with every speaker or topic covered during the conference, or with all of the assessments and critiques printed in the 2005 Report Card, but we hope it will spark good discussion, greater understanding and an appreciation for this great region. For information on the conference and about how to obtain a copy of the 2005 State of the Rockies Report Card visit our Web site, www.coloradocollege.edu/stateoftherockies. Hecox is a professor at Colorado College and the project director of the Colorado College State of the Rockies Project.