Denver, Colo., one of the West’s most sprawling,
traffic-choked cities, has become a champion of mass transit with
FasTracks, its ambitious light-rail project
Magazine
November 14, 2005
Denver, Colo., one of the West’s most sprawling, traffic-choked cities, has become a champion of mass transit with FasTracks, its ambitious light-rail project. Also in this issue: A provision in the new energy bill promises funding to speed up the oil and gas permitting process in BLM offices – without costing the industry an extra penny.
Feature
Sidebar
Longer commuter rails could connect the West’s
far-flung cities in ways they haven’t been connected since
the glory days of the railroad
Architect Kevin Koernig, who commutes from suburban
Littleton to downtown Denver, loves light rail because it saves him
money, keeps him healthy, and gives him extra time to
read
Charlie Lybrand enjoys living in his transit-oriented
complex in metro Denver, because he rarely has to drive to get to
college or go out to party
Light rail has become unexpectedly popular in deeply
conservative Salt Lake City, Utah
Editor's Note
Westerners may love their cars, but the region’s
rapid growth means that even the most ardent car-lovers have a
stake in mass transit, and in Denver’s grand experiment in
light rail
Uncommon Westerners
Janelle Holden, the daughter of two Republican
legislators, works with the Predator Conservation Alliance in
Montana to help ranchers learn how to co-exist with wolves and
other predators
Essays
As mountain towns get more accessible and lively, even in
midwinter, the author relishes the way his tiny, remote town slows
to a stop once the mountain pass highway is closed for the
season
Book Reviews
Laura Pritchett’s first novel, Sky Bridge, perfectly
captures the speech and rhythms of everyday life in the
hardscrabble ranchland of the eastern Colorado plains
Ethnobotanist Kat Anderson’s new book, Tending the
Wild, examines the way California’s native peoples used
– and shaped – the landscape’s natural resources
before Europeans invasion
In Imperfect Pasture, Bruce Smith, Eric
Cole and David Dobkin examine the conservation successes –
and failures – of the National Elk Refuge near Jackson,
Wyo.
The Mountain Encyclopedia by Frederic
V. Hartemann and Robert Hauptman delivers intriguing,
well-illustrated facts and figures about mountainous topics from
all over the world
Writers on the Range
Sen. Larry Craig’s suggestion that New
Orleans’ 9th Ward be restored as a wetland may represent a
newfound respect for the power of nature and the limits of the
human ability to control it
Heard Around the West
Old-timers can no longer ski for free at Park City;
80-year-old farmer won’t slow down; scary killer bee stories;
Alaskan pork; Bluff vs. Pokershare.com; no road to new high school
in Tombstone
Dear Friends
Thanks to readers for Research Fund gifts and the many
responses to HCN’s survey;
visitors
News
A provision in the new energy bill promises funding to
speed up the oil and gas permitting process in BLM offices –
without costing the industry an extra penny
Assistant Interior Secretary Rebecca Watson resigns; Texas
oil baron Oscar Wyatt indicted in Iraq oil-for-food scandal;
Congress won’t fund "bunker buster" nukes; Fish and Wildlife
OK with lynx mortality at proposed Wolf Creek ski village
American Indian tribes face an uphill battle in their
effort to protect sacred sites on federal land in the
West
A land-exchange plan especially designed for
California’s Eastern Sierra could help prevent development
controversies such as the current one over the proposed Whitney
Portal project near scenic Lone Pine
Oregon’s controversial Measure 37, which de-clawed
the state’s famous land-use regulations, has been ruled
unconstitutional by a Marion County judge.
The La Plata County commissioners have signed two deals
allowing energy companies to double the density of coalbed methane
wells near Durango, Colo.
Conservationists fear that the new National Park Service
management policy will reduce environmental protection at the
expense of commercial interests
The Fish and Wildlife Service has announced plans to
remove the marbled murrelet from the endangered species list,
despite the small seabird’s declining numbers
Letters
Featured stories
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LAND & CABIN ON CO/ UT LINE 18 ac w/small solar ready cabin. Off grid, no well. Great RV location. Surrounded by state wildlife area and nat'l parks.
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MANAGER PERMACULTURE LANDSCAPE CONTRACTOR Permaculture / Landscape Company Manager / Site Lead Red Ant Works, Inc. - 20+ year landscape construction and horticultural care company seeks manager and site...
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CANYONLANDS FIELD INSTITUTE Field seminars for adults in natural and human history of the Colorado Plateau with lodge, river trip and base camp options. Small groups, guest experts.
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COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER San Juan Citizens Alliance is looking for a passionate, dynamic, organized, and technology-savvy communications professional to help grow our membership and presence in the Four...
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ENERGY AND CLIMATE PROGRAM ASSOCIATE San Juan Citizens Alliance seeks an Energy and Climate Program Associate to focus on public outreach, education and organizing to advance campaigns to mitigate climate...
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REAL ESTATE SPECIALIST 
This position provides professional real estate services and is responsible for managing and completing real estate projects utilizing a project management database that is designed...
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WILDFIRE MITIGATION SPECIALIST The Wildfire Mitigation Specialist is responsible for delivering wildfire risk mitigation information, recommendations and programmatic resources to wildland urban interface homeowners, community members and partners....
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DEVELOPMENT POSITIONS
Thorne Nature Experience is hiring for a Development Director and Senior Individual Giving Manager. Individuals will work collaboratively with Thorne's Executive Director to develop and...
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SENIOR PROGRAM MANAGER, LANDSCAPE CONSERVATION & ENERGY The National Parks Conservation Association, a 100-year-old nonprofit advocacy organization and the nation's leading voice for national parks seeks a Senior Program Manager, Landscape Conservation...
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BACKCOUNTRY AND FRONTCOUNTRY STEWARDSHIP CREW MEMBERS The San Juan Mountains Association (SJMA) is hiring a crew of ambassadors to work in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service to educate visitors on...
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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, NATURAL HISTORY INSTITUTE The Executive Director is the chief executive officer of the Natural History Institute (NHI). The Executive Director has broad authority to lead and manage the...
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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AT FRIENDS OF CEDAR MESA - The Land, History, and People of the Bears Ears Region - The Bears Ears and Cedar Mesa region is one of the most beautiful,...
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SENIOR DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATE Greater Yellowstone Coalition seeks a Senior Development Associate to coordinate the organization's individual giving program. The position description is available at http://greateryellowstone.org/careers Please email a...
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TRAIL CREW TECHNICAL ADVISORS
SEEKING TALENTED TRAIL CREWLEADERS The Pacific Crest Trail Association, headquartered in Sacramento, California ,is dedicated to protecting, preserving and promoting the Pacific Crest National Scenic...
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ENDANGERED SPECIES POLICY ADVOCATE Are you a Guardian for wildlife, great and small, across the West? WildEarth Guardians (Guardians) seeks a full-time Endangered Species Policy Advocate (Advocate) for the...
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WESTERN NATIVE SEED
Native plant seeds for the Western US. Trees, shrubs, grasses, wildflowers and regional mixes. Call or email for free price list. 719-942-3935. [email protected] or visit...
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THE LAND DESK: A PUBLIC LANDS NEWSLETTER Western lands and communities--in context--delivered to your inbox 3x/week. From award-winning journalist and HCN contributor Jonathan P. Thompson. $6/month; $60/year.
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CONSERVATIONIST? IRRIGABLE LAND? Stellar seed-saving NGO is available to serious partner. Package must include financial support. Details: http://seeds.ojaidigital.net.
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HISTORIC LODGE AND RESTAURANT - FULLY EQUIPPED Built in 1901, The Crazy Mountain Inn has 11 guest rooms in a town-center building on 7 city lots (.58 acres). The inn and restaurant...
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ONE WILL: THREE WIVES by Edith Tarbescu. "One Will: Three Wives" is packed with a large array of interesting suspects, all of whom could be a murderer ... a...
