Healing the West

The following essays are in .pdf format

Daily Camera Opinion
June 27, 2003
By Joseph N. Ryan

"Back in 1858, a group of white settlers in horse–drawn wagons made their way to Pike's Peak in search of gold. They paused at Fort St. Vrain on the South Platte River for a view of the Flatirons, which inspired their leader, Captain Thomas Aikins..." Read on

The Rise of Regret in the American West: How to Tell Meaningful Action from Pointless Wallowing
May 7, 2003
By Patricia Nelson Limerick

"I could fill up the whole evening with thank you's. If I let this get out of control, at five minutes to eight, I would still be in the acknowledgement–and–gratitude phase of the talk, and for the question and answer peiod, you could ask me why I forgot X, or how could I have omitted Y. So I am going to try to be brief on this part..." Read on

Reversing the Trend of Habitat Loss in the West: The 'Uncertain Promise' of Ecological Restoration
March 2003
By Sharon K. Collinge

"The landscapes of the American West have changed dramatically over the past four hundred years, and no one can miss the great irony in this transformation. Wildness defined much of the appeal and attraction of the West, and yet our ancestors transformed the wildness to meet the demands of their—and now our—appetite for convenience..." Read on

Modern Tribal Action and the Revival of Indian Homelands
November 19, 2002
By Charles Wilkinson

"The middle of the twentieth century marked the all–time low point for tribal existence on this continent. For generations, reservation Indians had been chained to poverty, dependency, and religious persecution. Now Congress was poised to confiscate the ancestral lands they held so dear. Never had the age–old specter of the 'Vanishing Indian' come so close to reality..." Read on