State of the Rockies
Have we forgotten the oldest westerners?
Missing Persons in the New WestWith all the fascinating stories and commentary we read on NewWest, it strikes me that there is one perspective we rarely get. In fact, with the exception of the story a couple weeks ago about the Apache Indians demanding the return of Geronimo’s skull (if it can be proven that the Skull and Bones Club at Yale has it) we rarely read anything in these pages about the Oldest West – the Native Americans. It’s almost as though the dire predictions of George Catlin and Karl Bodmer have come true.
Bodmer and Catlin were artists who traveled throughout the West in the nineteenth century and specialized in painting the faces, lives and costumes of the Indians they encountered. Both men – and many of their contemporaries – believed that Native American cultures would soon become extinct. Catlin considered his art a memorial to native peoples.
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How Growth Hurts
Valuing Human Capital in the Midst of a Hiring and Housing CrisisAsk just about any employer in the Flathead and you’ll get the same story: hiring and retaining employees is a nightmare. Unemployment rates are lower than ever, open jobs at the Flathead County Job Service are over 600 (compared to 300 at this time last year), construction continues to boom and housing costs are sky high. These issues are defining business in the Valley as development unyieldingly marches on and able workers seem to be more and more scarce. [more]
Talkin' 'Bout Energy
Geothermal Scholar to Discuss Renewable Energy ResourcesAt a time when gas prices are going through the roof and everyone wants a piece of the pie that is alternate energy, Dr. John Lund, director of the Geo-Heat Center in Klamath Falls, OR and president of the International Geothermal Association will speak at Fairmont Hot Springs resort on Thursday, May 18. [more]
May Day Rallying in Boulder
Hundreds Rally for Immigrants’ Rights in Boulder
Hundreds gathered at the Boulder Band Shell at noon today to show their support for immigrants as a part of the national “A Day Without An Immigrant” event. Organizers asked attendees to wear white, and people in white t-shirts, white blouses, and white Mexican dresses packed Boulder’s Central Park. I was struck by how many of the families brought their small children, most of whom waved tiny American flags. Mothers with babies in strollers ringed the tree-shaded area behind the band shell’s seating. On stage, various speakers offered personal testimonies, reminded attendees to register to vote at the station set up to the west of the stage, and led the crowd in spirited chants (“Si Se Puede”—“Yes we can” and “La gente unida jamas será vencida”—“The people united will never be defeated.”).
I saw only a few dissenters—on the corner of Broadway and Canyon, one man pumped a sign that said, “Detect, Detain, Deport” on one side and “Sanctuaries are for birds, not illegals” on the other.
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State of the Rockies Project
Study Ranks Rockies’ Counties on Youth Care“Nurturing the Youth,” one section of the 2006 Colorado College State of the Rockies Report Card, assigns letter grades to all 281 counties in the Rocky Mountain West on youth care. County grades are computed using 24 different indicators, which fall into six generally categories: teen involvement, family support, educational opportunity, healthy surroundings, neighborhood safety, and community engagement. Click here for the "Nurturing the Youth" section of the report (PDF). What grade did your county earn? What’s going on in your community that is or is not being captured by this data? You’re the on-the-ground experts, so share your thoughts!
State of the Rockies Project
Study Finds Rockies’ Low-Income and Minority Groups More Likely to Live Near PollutionSome criticize the environmental movement’s apparent preference for protecting “nature” over humans. Sometimes it may seem that environmentalists are less concerned with humans than they are with trees and furry animals, but a report in the 2006 Colorado College State of the Rockies Report Card suggests that this preference is not likely based on any lack of concern for humans. Instead, it may be because those people that face the biggest environmental burdens are low-income and minority groups, who are underrepresented in the environmental movement.
“Environmental Justice—Income, Race, Ethnicity, and Toxic Pollution in the Rockies Metro Areas” finds that people living near sources of toxic polluters earn 14% (nearly $3,000) less per capita, are four percent more likely to be racially non-white, and six percent more likely to be ethnically Hispanic than people not living near toxic sources in the entire Rocky Mountain West. The analysis was also carried out for the largest 23 metropolitan areas in the eight-state region. For example, in Salt Lake City, Phoenix, Pueblo, and Albuquerque people living near toxic sources earn around 20% less per capita. Findings like this led to the emergence of the environmental justice movement in the United States. The environmental justice movement draws from both the environmental and civil rights movements to support the idea that everyone, no matter what income bracket, race, or ethnicity they belong to, has an equal right to clean air, water, and land. Click here for the Environmental Justice section of the Report (PDF). Read the report and share your thoughts!
Editor's note: The writer is the co-author of the 2006 Report Card. We are releasing segments of the report here on New West for your discussion.
In the Flathead
Killing the Cat, Kalispell Debates Sewer Expansion, and Population Goes Up, Up, UpA mountain lion has a rough ending to his day after being kicked out by his mom and killing a goat, Kalispell considers almost doubling its current sewer system during a time when everyone wants to hook up, and Montana's population goes up a little bit as Flathead County's goes way up. [more]
State of the Rockies Project
Report Documents Threats to Biodiversity in the RockiesBiodiversity, or the variety life, is critical to the functioning of numerous systems on Earth, but biodiversity is diminishing around the globe as species face a variety of amplifying threats, from habitat destruction to invasive species to pollution to climate change. Here in the Rockies, an abundance of life still exists relative to most other parts of the country, but today’s rapid development poses serious threat to species in the region.
“Preserving Biodiversity,” part of the 2006 Colorado College State of the Rockies Report Card, measures habitat threat in all 281 counties in the eight-state region. The report uses six indicators to compute threat in each county: percentage of urban landcover, percentage of agricultural landcover, gallons of daily withdrawals from water bodies, pounds toxic pollution emitted, projected population growth, percentage of lands protected (Wilderness, National Park, etc). How does your county rank? Click here for the Preserving Biodiversity section of the report (PDF).
For Whitefish, Quainter is Better
New Big Mountain Master Plan More People-FriendlyWhitefish’s Big Mountain presented its new master plan to the Whitefish City-County Planning Board on April 20th, but decisions on the plan were postponed in order to sort out zoning issues. The new plan, which is intended to make the ski area’s village more people-friendly, includes three new lifts, dispersing development around a downsized village concept, and establishing an enlarged beginner skiing area away from the village.
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State of the Rockies Project
New Approaches to Managing Resources in the RockiesResource management in the Rocky Mountain West is often mired in bitter conflict between competing interest groups in the realm of law and politics. Today, however, ground is being broken in managing limited, highly valued resources through cooperative approaches that harness market incentives. “New Resource Management—Innovative Approaches in the Rockies,” a section of the 2006 Colorado College State of the Rockies Report Card, highlights several successful examples of creative collaboration in managing land, water, and wildlife around the region.
Are lawsuits and government regulations too divisive, or do they play an important role that the market can’t fill in managing limited resources? Should the examples in the report serve as models for resource conflicts around the West? Click here for the PDF of the New Resource Management section of the report.
Editor's Note: The writer is a co-author of the 2006 Report Card. Colorado College is releasing sections of the report here on New West for discussion.
