Colorado College has named Ed and Betsy Marston, the former publisher and editor, respectively, of the High Country News in Paonia, Colo., as the 2008-09 Champions of the Rockies.
The award is part of Colorado College’s State of the Rockies Project, now in its sixth year. The Marstons will receive the award April 6, during the 2009 State of the Rockies Conference, to be held April 5-7 on the Colorado College campus. The award, initiated in 2006-07, is presented to outstanding leaders of vision, drive and determination who are helping to shape the future of the Rocky Mountain West. Ted Turner was the first recipient of the award.
The Marstons are being honored as journalists who have lived in the West for many years, researching and reporting on the important trends and challenges of the region. The Marstons recognize the Rockies’ special place in the history and heritage of the country, as well as the challenges involved in preserving the West’s unique character.
In announcing the selection of the Marstons, Colorado College President Richard F. Celeste cited their “contributions over several decades to informed, thoughtful and comprehensive journalism through the strengthening and operation of High Country News.”
High Country News has become one of America’s most respected environmental publications, dubbed by some “the conscience of the West,” and the newspaper’s clout on environmental issues is impressive. Its correspondents give the paper a reach that goes well beyond its core coverage area of Colorado, Utah, Montana, Wyoming and Idaho. The paper has 23,500 subscribers, and they include most of the congressional delegations of the Western states. In 1987 the newspaper’s prestige was bolstered by a George Polk journalism award for its investigative series on water-use policies in 10 Western states.
The 2009 State of the Rockies Conference will focus on “Visions of the Rockies in 50 Years: Will Our Children Thank Us?” The Rocky Mountain West is undergoing rapid and profound changes, including increased growth, new energy sources and jobs, the loss of habitats and open spaces, shortages of water and shifting priorities and centers of influence.
Over three days in April, speakers representing diverse interests in the Rockies will share their vision for this unique and delicate region, and will discuss what their organizations are doing to shape the future.
