We’ve finally put together the last of our footage from the 7/10-7/24 research trip and posted it to our YouTube channel.  Click here to go to the channel. The four videos follow our trip throughout the Colorado River Basin and cover important stops such as:

-The Black Canyon of the Gunnison

-Moab, UT and Canyonlands NP

-Glen Canyon Dam

-Lees Ferry

-Las Vegas, NV

-Imperial Irrigation District, California

-Mexico and the Cienega de Santa Clara

-Yuma, AZ

Also check out Will Stauffer-Norris’ Source to Sea Preview and stay tuned for updates regarding Will’s journey this fall.

This year’s 5 student researchers are already well under way in their investigation of this year’s project topic- The Colorado River: Agenda for Use, Restoration and Sustainability as if the Next Generation Counts. Our researchers draw experience from their diverse educational background with two environmental policy majors, an environmental science major, a physics major and a public health major.  The summer research got off to a fast start at CU’s Natural Resources Law Center Summer Conference in Boulder titled: Navigating the Future of the Colorado River. With a plethora of experts and advocates for the Colorado River Basin present, project members were introduced to the key issues and conflicts of the Basin.

We are now preparing for our summer research trip down the Colorado River from high in the Rockies down through the Southwest.  Stops along the route will include:

-Glenwood Springs, CO

-Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP

-Moab, UT

-Canyonlands NP

-Lake Powell and Glen Canyon Dam

-Grand Canyon NP

-Las Vegas and Boulder City, NV

-Imperial Valley of California

-Yuma, AZ

-The Navajo Indian Reservation

Our researchers will be meeting with experts on the Basin while also viewing the environmental and socioeconomic aspects of the basin that has led National Geographic to call the Colorado River a “Lifeline for an Arid Land”.  Project members will be sending updates throughout the course of the trip including uploading photos to our State of the Rockies website, as well as uploading videos taken along the river. Keep an eye out for updates after July 10th when the trip begins.

We would like to thank those who submitted photos to the 2011 State of the Rockies photo contest.  With over 130 submissions the support for the project and high number of quality photos was very exciting.  After much deliberation the winning photos were decided.  There were three top finishers and three runner-ups.  Winners received a signed copy of Timothy Egan’s book, The Big Burn. Thank you to Steve Weaver, Mike Edmonds and Jane Turnis for judging the contest.

To see the winning photos, please visit:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/fbx/?set=a.10150152892573720.291527.51788008719

On October 18^th, 2010 award winning author Timothy Egan gave a lecture for the State of the Rockies Speaker Series, “Are Our Forests Dying? Forest Health in the Rockies.”  His lecture titled, “Big Burn: the Lasting Legacy of the Nation’s Largest Wildfire,” brought forth topics of forest health, fire, forest service history, and the importance of the Great Plains to the Rockies region.  You too can listen to the lecture at, http://www.coloradocollege.edu/podcast/

The 4th annual State of the Rockies Student Photo Competition is accepting submissions. Prizes will be awarded to top photos, and many will be included in the 2011 State of the Rockies Report Card. The competition is open until January 15, 2011, and photos must be taken in one of the eight Rockies States.

CLICK HERE for details

The eighth year of State of the Rockies Research has begun.  A group of six highly talented student researchers have started ten weeks of summer research.  (Check out the Research Team’s Biographies) The research team has identified three topics to be covered in this year’s State of the Rockies Report Card.

Here are basic ideas and questions surrounding each topic:

Recreation: individual participation, business entities, importance to economies.  How have these recreation areas developed?  How are they affected by government action and public demand trends?

Rockies Region Eastern High Plains: decline, possible rejuvenation.  Periodically some in congress propose a “new homestead act” to attract back population to areas with decade long declines.  New demands for solar and wind energy, ethanol production, might rejuvenate some of these areas.  Proposals for a “bison reserve” of large herd grazing and migration are in the works, including “safari” type tourism.

Rockies Infrastructure: roads, airports, rail, communication all are central to how the region develops.  Has the Rockies gotten it’s “share” of federal dollars for such basic infrastructure, and does what exists help determine growth patterns?

In July the State of the Rockies Research Team is traveling up through Yellowstone to Central Montana, passing through Eastern Wyoming and stopping in South Dakota on the way back to Colorado Springs.

Stops will include:

Lander, WY

Jackson, WY

Yellowstone National Park, WY

Bozeman, MT

Judith Gap, MT

Wright, WY

Wind Cave National Park, SD

The week long research trip will help develop the three topics and allow for the researchers to meet with experts in the field.  Later in July pictures, a day-by-day itinerary, and description of the trip will be posted!

Thank you for your continued interest!

In the third year our the Rockies Student photo competition, we received well over 100 deserving entries. We are pleased to announce this year’s winners:

Monica Mueller ’13

Samuel Landsman ’12

Bri Hoy-Skubik ’13

David Spiegel ’12

Ryan Schumacher ’11

Prizes for the top three photos include an 18×24 matted print (courtesy of Stephen Weaver) and a signed John Fielder book. The next three will receive the signed Fielder book. Congratulations and keep up the good work!

The Colorado College State of the Rockies Project is pleased to present the 2010 Report Card: Agriculture in the Rockies. This Report Card is the culmination of work done by the 2009/10 undergraduate research team. As the first Report Card dedicated to the treatment of a single topic, it provides comprehensive coverage of agriculture in the Rockies;  its historical roots in the region, land and water, demographics, production, finance, and organization. The Report Card is available free online as a PDF, and for sale through the CC Bookstore. Enjoy!

Kay Sherwood, and 2009-10 Rockies student researcher, has been awarded the Stenner Scholarship from USA Cycling. A senior environmental policy major, Sherwood maintains a 3.4 grade point average while competing both on the road and in mountain biking for the Colorado College Cycling Team. After being introduced to cycling as a freshman, Sherwood was quick to enter her first bike race and went on to qualify for road nationals that year. The Tiger squad then introduced her to mountain biking where she went on to take the Division II short track national title as a sophomore. The Ipswich, Massachusetts, native has since collected four Collegiate National Championship medals on both the road and the mountain bike while working tirelessly to introduce more women to the sport and her Tiger team. Sherwood’s work with the Rockies Project focused on land and water use in agriculture, and organic production in the Rockies region.

The annual Stenner scholarship program is funded by donations to the USA Cycling Development Foundation in the name of John Stenner, one of the founders of collegiate cycling.

The 3rd annual State of the Rockies Student Photo Competition is accepting submissions. Prizes will be awarded to top photos, and many will be included in the 2010 State of the Rockies Report Card. The competition is open until January 15, 2010, and photos must be taken in one of the eight Rockies States. For more information, click here.