COLORADO SPRINGS – Across the west, river systems are flowing at record low levels, snowpack is decreasing, farmers are struggling to successfully grow their crops, and pollution and debris is covering ecosystems. Problems in the west are threatening the future of pristine wilderness, and challenging communities connected to them. Overuse and drought in Colorado and…
GREAT SAND DUNES NATIONAL PARK – Sand rips over 300 feet tall dunes in the San Luis Valley. You look down and feel as if you’re in a desert on Mars. You look up and see jagged snowy peaks of the Sangre de Cristo Mountain Range. Protecting this unique ecosystem in a changing future is…
ROCKY MOUNTAIN ARSENAL REFUGE – Just outside of downtown Denver sits land that looks as if it has never been settled. Mammoth buffalo graze the plains, herds of deer seek shelter from the beating sun under trees, lone coyotes scavenge for prey, and prairie dogspeer up from holes. All the while skyscrapers and industrial emissions…
ZAPATA RANCH – Sunlight shines through dusty air as ranchers gather hundreds of bison for weighing and sorting. The Zapata Ranch, a Ranchlands property located in the heart of the San Luis Valley, is merging conservation and ranching. The Nature Conservancy owns the 110,000-acre ranch and has partnered with Ranchlands to manage the land. The…
ALAMOSA – Nestled beneath snow covered mountains, this high desert basin is so dry that one resource matters above all else – water. In the San Luis Valley of south-central Colorado, life revolves around water. Agriculture is the main industry. For locals, agriculture means more than income. It is an engrained culture. They depend on…
COLORADO SPRINGS – Nearly the center of the country sits Colorado Springs, a city grappling with the same energy debate the whole country faces. For some Americans, coal symbolizes the country’s position as a global industry powerhouse. For others, coal represents decades of irresponsible energy consumption and pollution that has poisoned the environment. Colorado Springs…
WELD COUNTY – Scattered brick houses sit amid tidy farm fields in politically-conservative Weld County, the heart of Colorado’s oil and gas drilling boom. Here, fossil fuel companies regularly tout their adherence to golden rule principles – treating your neighbor as you would want to be treated. The companies claim they want to be good…
COLORADO COLLEGE–Colorado College just opened a newly transformed Tutt Library, touted by college officials as the greenest academic library in the country. Now, CC has plans to build a new ice rink that will also be considered environmentally friendly. These actions follow a gigantic push by Colorado College’s Office of Sustainability in recent years to…
