The opposing forces of conservation and development have shaped and will continue to shape the natural environment and scenic beauty of the American West. Perhaps nowhere are their opposite effects more visible than in the neighboring states of Colorado and Utah, so alike in their spectacular mountain environments, yet so different in their approaches to land conservation. This study explores why Colorado has over twenty-five land trusts, while Utah has only one. John Wright traces the success of voluntary land conservation in Colorado to the state’s history as a region of secular commerce. As environmental consciousness has grown in Colorado, people there have embraced the businesslike approach of land trusts as simply a new, more responsible way of conducting the real estate business. In Utah, by contrast, Wright finds that Mormon millennialism and the belief that growth equals success have created a public climate opposed to the formation of land trusts. As Wright puts it, "environmentalism seems to thrive in the Centennial state within the spiritual vacuum which is filled by Mormonism in Utah." These findings remind conservationists of the power of underlying cultural values that affect their efforts to preserve private lands.

A local authors uncovers the real Boulder, from the high mountains and sparkling streams of Rocky Mountain National Park to the historic buildings, shops, galleries, and more.

Finally, the total experience of hiking Rocky Mountain National Park has been captured in one comprehensive volume, which covers literally every named destination in RMNP and many exciting hikes in adjacent public lands. This book is a must-have for any beginning hiker or avid outdoor enthusiast. It will take you anywhere you want to go in RMNP and its surrounding areas. From fun family hikes to hearty mountaineering adventures, Rocky Mountain National Park: The Complete Hiking Guide has something for everyone. It includes details about every trail within RMNP, as well as at-your-fingertips info highlighting trailheads, elevation gain, distance, and the difficulty of each hike. By far the most extensive and accurate hiking resource available for RMNP, this guide provides the information you need for an enjoyable experience in one of the nation's most popular parks. Book jacket.

DigiCat Publishing presents to you this special edition of "The Mountain Divide" by Frank H. Spearman. DigiCat Publishing considers every written word to be a legacy of humankind. Every DigiCat book has been carefully reproduced for republishing in a new modern format. The books are available in print, as well as ebooks. DigiCat hopes you will treat this work with the acknowledgment and passion it deserves as a classic of world literature.

Native American tribes once traversed the east-west anomaly of the Rocky Mountains known as the Palmer Divide as a passage between the high ranges and the Great Plains. Lying between Denver and Colorado Springs, and named for William Jackson Palmer, founder of Colorado Springs, the offshoot range divides the great Platte and Arkansas River systems. Settlers homesteaded, farmed, and ranched the area. Railroad construction in the 1870s led to towns supporting commerce and tourism, particularly in the western section of the Palmer Divide, in what eventually became known as the Tri-Lakes Area. The area drew tourists who enjoyed hiking, wildflowers, and the outdoors, and facilitated such local industries as ice harvesting, lumber milling, ranching, and potato farming. A vast area north of Colorado Springs, the Palmer Divide retains a picturesque rural nature and cohesive small-town feeling--creating such social events as the Rocky Mountain Chautauqua and the Yule Log Festival, as well as the enduring Palmer Lake Star on Sundance Mountain.