People, problems flocking to Rockies
Annual CC report cites urban sprawl, pollution
By DENNIS HUSPENI THE GAZETTE
Beset by toxic chemicals, urban sprawl and deteriorating national parks, the Rockies still are gaining population four times faster than the rest of the nation. That was among the snapshots of the region in the 2005 State of the Rockies Report, released Tuesday at Colorado College in conjunction with a three-day conference on the subject. The report includes findings from a wide range of research into the environmental health and the livability of the eight-state Rocky Mountain region. It was the second such annual report compiled and presented by the college’s staff and students. One of the most anticipated parts of the report, the issuing of letter grades based on counties’ livability, was changed this year. The 2005 report issues a letter grade for “Civic Engagement and Capacity,” which looked at such factors as charitable giving, community health, education levels, religious involvement and voter participation. “This was a major research project we hope inspires reflection,” said Bryan Hurlbutt, a CC graduate and project researcher. Other areas covered by the report include “National Parks Under Stress,” “Energy Use/Development Patterns in the Rockies,” “The Toxic Rockies” and “Rockies Sprawl Index.” The report sharply criticizes the Bush administration’s diverting national park funding to anti-terrorism measures and for the “maintenance backlog” in fixing buildings, campgrounds and trails. “Only 27 percent of the maintenance backlog here in the Rockies will be alleviated through (fiscal year) 2009,” the report says. “The government . . . can and must provide more funding just to solve the current measured maintenance problems.” Findings for Colorado and El Paso and Teller counties: c Colorado had the highest num-
ber of toxic chemicals released into its water than the other seven Rockies states; it ranked sixth for amount of toxic land releases and fourth for toxic air emissions. - Out of 280 counties surveyed, El Paso ranked sixth for most toxic chemicals released into water and fifth for amount of toxic land releases. Using air, water and land pollutant indexes, El Paso County was the 13th-most polluted county in the Rockies. - Using indicators such as how far homes are built from downtown and density of urban area, El Paso County had a “sprawl index” of 160. “Scores of higher than 100 can be considered more sprawling than the regional norm,” the report states. - El Paso County scored a B on its “Civic Engagement and Capacity” grade. Teller County scored a C+. Some of the best and worst county grades in the state: Denver, Douglas and Boulder got A’s, Pueblo a D+. The new category of “Civic Engagement and Capacity” sought to measure how “people in the Rockies engage with each other.” A community’s “capacity” meant it had the churches, or other factors, to be more civic. The “engagement” is whether the residents actually interacted. Organizers explained it as the difference between registered voters and people who actually voted during an election. One of the first panel discussions involved former Colorado Springs Mayor Mary Lou Makepeace, currently the director of the Gill Foundation’s Gay and Lesbian Fund. Makepeace attributed Colorado Springs’ lower grade, as compared with Boulder, partly to Colorado Springs’ reputation as a less tolerant city. “In Colorado Springs, it’s dangerous to be different,” she said. “That’s a creative impediment to building community in Colorado Springs.” Makepeace praised the report and the students who helped create it. “I value the way this develops leaders of the future,” she said. “That’s the best outcome of the whole process.” CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0110 or dhuspeni@gazette.com