Literature of PlaceSenior Seminar Humanistic Tradition: Literature of Place Tomorrow's Voices senior seminar Literature of Place combines literature, writing, and civic education to help instill our students with a sense of place and community inspired by literature. This class examines the relationship between humans and and their environment. Assuming that the fate of humans is inseparable from the fate of the environment, a student of geography might use the environment as a mirror, a source for self-reflection, as it will reveal the true character of the people that influenced and, to whatever degree, shaped the landscape. A geographer sees the landscape and then works backwards to reveal and evaluate the "human character" as it shows up in the sustainability of place. In turn, our students seek to examine the effect of their landscape on humans and hypothesize on the prospects for sustainability in all facets of human life from biological to spiritual. Our notion of what is possible, our sense of self, and our imagination are shaped by our geography. Literature of Place explores these themes, themes of humanity within the context of nature, themes of community within the context of place. Authors return again and again to geography as the source for their inspiration, the crucible from which they extract a view that helps us make sense of our world. Humans are shaped by their landscapes and all they contain: by the geoography of smells, sounds, race, poverty and, as literature seeks to reveal, a sense of morality...a human identity larger than self. This class offers both high school and college credit. College credit is available through the University of Colorado's "CU Succeed Gold Program." This class is not currently offered. Please check back for future class dates. Teachers: Paul Anderson and Aaron Garland   The Complexities of Climate ChangeChanges in Treeline Elevation in the Canadian Rockies - Will Roush Historical photographs of the Canadian Rocky Mountains taken in the early 1900s show the treeline elevation to be 500 feet lower than it is today. This presentation explores what caused such a significant ecological shift, where variations in the change occur, and other changes occurring in the treeline environment of the southern Canadian Rocky Mountains. The presentation will explain how the documentation of the impacts of anthropogenic climate change on a remote alpine landscape poses challenging questions for conservationists and restorations. Unlike a the direct and localized impacts of mining or logging on ecosystems climate change affects the treeline and alpine ecosystems in diffuse ways which become integrated into prior ecosystem functions over the long-term. Traditional conservation and restoration strategies may not be logistically feasible or ethically appropriate.Free Non Members 4/01/2010 7:30pm at Hallam Lake  How the West Was WarmedBeth Conover Melting glaciers. Pine beetle infestation. Drought. Carbon footprints. Green jobs and promises of a new energy economy…In this entertaining and enlightening collection of essays, noted environmentalist and Greenprint Denver founder Beth Conover develops a portrait of the wide range of responses to climate change in the Rocky Mountain West. For over two decades, this region has been a leader in addressing climate change, and today it is a hub of solutions to this pressing global issue. Written by over forty veteran journalists, scientists, business people, and policy makers, these essays show us how climate change has and continues to affect the ways in which we live, work, and play. An alternative to the many dry scientific books and how-to greening manuals about global warming, How The West Was Warmed provides insights, hope, and a little dose of humor to inspire all Americans in facing our future. Editor Beth Conover has worked for twenty-five years at the intersection of environmental protection and economic development. As policy advisor to Denver mayor John Hickenlooper, she was the architect of Greenprint Denver, one of the nation’s earliest and largest urban sustainability programs, and helped lay the groundwork for the greening of the Democratic National Convention in 2008. She is a graduate of Brown University and holds a joint MBA/masters of environmental studies from Yale University. Conover is a founding partner in the consulting firm ConoverBrown, LLC. She is a native of Denver, Colorado, where she lives with her husband, Ken Snyder, and their two sons. Click here to find out more. Free Non Members 3/25/2010 7:30pm at Hallam Lake Fens: Ancient Wetland EcosystemsDee Malone Fens are peat-accumulating wetlands that receive their water from surrounding mineral soil and only develop where a constant flow of groundwater saturates soils and maintains anoxic conditions. In Colorado, they can occur anywhere in the subalpine zone (above roughly 8,800 ft.) where enough ground water emerges to perennially saturate the soil.Although fens occupy only a tiny percentage of the landscape, they provide important wetland ecosystem functions including water quality functions, carbon and water storage, wildlife habitat, and biodiversity. Because fens take thousands of years to develop, they are essentially irreplaceable. Because of the uniqueness, importance and vulnerability of fens in our region, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has set a goal that every "reasonable effort" should be made to avoid impacting fen habitat. As a result of increasing threats, there is an urgent need to locate and evaluate all functioning fens. Dee Malone is involved in a process being conducted by the Colorado National Heritage Program and the U.S. Forest Service to inventory and assess fens in the White River National Fest. Please join us for this fascinating presentation! Free Non Members 3/18/2010 7:30pm at Hallam Lake  Renewable and Efficient EnergyPitkin County's Energy Smart Loan Program - Dylan Hoffman In a time of rising energy costs (and rising global temperatures), many property owners are looking to energy improvements in order to save money and reduce their contribution to climate change. However, the average property owner lacks the upfront capital for energy efficiency improvements or renewable energy installations. In response to this issue, and to facilitate the retrofitting of our community’s existing buildings, Pitkin County has created the Energy Smart Loan Program. This program utilizes County bonding to provide property owners with the option of long-term, fixed rate loans for energy improvements that are repaid through a special assessment on the owner’s property taxes (tying the loan to the property rather than the person). This program, modeled after similar programs in Berkeley and Boulder County, has the potential to have a transformative impact on the way our community uses energy. This presentation will describe the creation and implementation of Energy Smart, and will demonstrate how creative financing for energy improvements can save money, save energy, and stimulate the local economy. Free Non Members 3/11/2010 7:30pm at Hallam Lake Confessions of an Off-Road OutlawGarrett VeneKlasen Garrett VeneKlasen is a most unlikely proponent of the new nation-wide laws governing the use of off-highway vehicles. As a hunter and 16-year ATV rider, he says he’s done just about all the things that have given four-wheelers and dirt bikes such a bad rap."I’m as guilty as the next guy when it comes to abusing the resource. I own two ATVs and was used to going where I wanted, foraging into new country and opening new roads. It was easy to strap a chainsaw on my bike, and if I saw an area I wanted to get into, just cut my way in with my ATV..." By and by though, VeneKlasen began to notice the negative effects of his cross-country exploits. Both game and non-game species began to disappear in areas where he and other off-road users frequently traveled. The more closely he looked at the impacts of off-road use in his area, the more horrible the reality of the sport’s far reaching destructive capabilities became... Today, Garrett is an outspoken advocate of strict travel management, the creation of large tracts of roadless country and educating the public on the reality of the threat OHV use causes to wildlife and wildlife habitat. VeneKlasen presents a lively, amusing and practical approach to travel management. Topics covered include a close look into the mind set of off road users (both responsible riders and the outlaws), the effects of OHV use on wildlife and wildlife habitat, stewardship, a hard look at the economics of quiet recreation vs OHV use, public education, networking a nationwide support group of travel management advocates, forming alliances between the sporting community and environmentalists and a host of off-road related issues. Free Non Members 3/04/2010 7:30pm at Hallam Lake  Dust on SnowEarly Snowmelt and the Colorado River - Jeff Deems Spring 2009 saw several strong storms depositing large amounts of desert dust on the snowpack in the Colorado mountains. The dust emerged on the snow surface during the snowmelt season, producing extreme snowmelt rates, and leading to early melt-out.Is this climate change? Are dust storms increasing in magnitude or frequency? Was 2009 a sign of things to come? Does dust in snow affect water in the Colorado River basin? These are questions that our research team is addressing. We use field measurement, computer models, and airborne and satellite remote sensing imagery to study the linkages between desert land management, dust transport and deposition on the snow, and impacts on snowmelt and river flows. In this presentation, we will explore the causes and impacts of desert dust deposition on mountain snowpacks: where the dust comes from, how it influences snowmelt, and the impacts on our water supply. Dr. Jeffrey Deems Jeff is a snow scientist with the NASA National Snow and Ice Data Center and the NOAA Western Water Assessment, in Boulder, CO. His background as a backcountry skier spurred an interest in avalanche and snow science research, and he has conducted studies combining field data collection, modeling, and remote sensing in most of the mountains in the western US. Free Non Members 2/25/2010 7:30pm at Hallam Lake God in the WildernessRabbi Jamie Korngold Rabbi Jamie Korngold – the Boulder-based Adventure Rabbi – will give two free presentations based on her book, God in the Wilderness: Rediscovering the Spirituality of the Great Outdoors.An ultramarathon runner, skier and climber, Rabbi Korngold has turned her love of the outdoors into a vocation with the Adventure Rabbi Program. Rather than holding weekly Shabbat services in a physical synagogue, Adventure Rabbi offers hikes and ski outings with an emphasis on finding spiritual fulfillment in nature. In her book, God in the Wilderness, she uses biblical stories, personal experiences and witty insights to reveal “the rich traditions and lessons God taught our ancestors in the wild” and to explore “why the natural world is essential to the spiritual development of Jews and Christians alike.” Free Non Members 2/18/2010 7:30pm at Hallam Lake  Turning Environmental Values into Colorado’s PrioritiesPolitics and Environment in Colorado 2010 - Pete Maysmith Pete Maysmith will be discussing how politics in Colorado impact our environment. He will touch on recent past elections and how those outcomes have shaped environmental policy in Colorado and Washington. In addition, he will highlight the environmental community's legislative priorities for 2010 and discuss the challenges and opportunities the 2010 elections pose for greater environmental protections. He will report on the results of the just concluded Copenhagen Climate Summit and prospects for future action around climate change at the federal and international level.Pete is the Executive Director of Colorado Conservation Voters. Over the course of the last 18 years Pete has done on-the-ground organizing, run state and national field campaigns, lobbied at the city, state, and national level, done extensive earned media work, directed statewide candidate and ballot campaigns, run a statewide non-profit, and served as senior leadership staff of national organizations. For more information about Pete or Colorado Conservation Voters please visit www.coloradoconservationvoters.org Free Non Members 2/11/2010 7:30pm at Hallam Lake East of AspenThe Wonders of Independence Pass - Paul Andersen and David Hiser Free Non Members 2/04/2010 7:30pm at Hallam Lake 
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