Colorado Plateau Studies: 2006 Symposium Dangerous Liaisons:Mining the Colorado Plateau

2006 COLORADO PLATEAU STUDIES SYMPOSIUM Dangerous Liaisons: Mining the Colorado Plateau

Art Exhibit August 21 - October 7 V. Philip Tullar Commons “Dangerous Liaisons: Mining the Colorado Plateau” is an exhibit that examines the ecological, social and aesthetic effects of mining energy resources (coal, petroleum, oil shale and uranium) on the Colorado Plateau and Western Slope of Colorado and portraits of the land from which the resources are extracted.

Symposium Saturday, September 30, 2006 9AM – 4PM Coconino Community College Lone Tree Campus Speakers will discuss the renewed interest in uranium and oil shale energy resources on the Colorado Plateau and Western Slope. Topics include economic, environmental and social effects of extractive industries in the West. 9 - 10 A History of Energy Development on the Colorado Plateau Roger Clark , Grand Canyon Trust Air and Energy Program Director Since 1978, Roger Clark has been an environmental advocate, educator, and guide throughout the western United States and Mexico. He first began working for the Trust in 1989 on actions to control air pollution from the coal-fired Navajo Generating Station, to reduce aircraft noise at the Grand Canyon, and to modify water releases to protect critical wildlife habitat downstream from Glen Canyon Dam. In 1995 he received the Ben Avery Award from Arizona’s governor for “outstanding contributions to Arizona’s environment.” Roger has a B.S. in Forestry from Northern Arizona University, and graduate degrees in resource policy and philosophy from Yale University. 10:15 – 11:15 Finnegan’s Rainbow? The Geology of Energy Resources of the Colorado Plateau Pete Kohler , Coconino Community College, Northern Arizona University The 2 billion year geologic history of the Colorado Plateau has created some of the worlds most spectacular scenery. Contained in some of the rock layers are energy resources that have potential economic and strategic importance. The general geology of the Colorado Plateau with specific references to mineral and energy related strata and structures will be presented. 11:30 – 12:30 Boomtown Blues and Energy Development: A Case Study in Colorado Oil Shale Andrew Gulliford, Ph.D. Based on research from his book Boomtown Blues: Colorado Oil Shale, which won the Colorado Book Award, historian Dr. Andrew Gulliford will discuss what happens when large multinational energy companies make huge promises to small towns and then leave abruptly shattering local economies and throwing hundreds of people out of work. Western politicians eagerly seek boom times but rarely do they prepare for the inevitable busts. Dr. Gulliford’s popular slide lecture will illustrate the cyclical nature of Western energy development and the critical social consequences when corporate neighbors disinvest. Andrew is on the faculty of the Southwest Studies Program at Ft. Lewis College and is the author of Boomtown Blues: Colorado Oil Shale , 2003 winner of the Colorado Book Award. 1:30 – 2:30 Uranium Mining on the Colorado Plateau Michael Amundson Ph.D., Northern Arizona University Author of Yellowcake Towns: Uranium Mining Communities in the American West and "Yellowcake to Singletrack: Culture, Community, and Identity in Moab, Utah," Imagining the Big Open: Nature, Identity, and Play in the New West by in Nicholas, Bapis, and Harvey. 2:45 – 3:45 The Cost to Communities of the Boom and Bust Cycle of Energy Exploitation Laura Kamala , Grand Canyon Trust Laura Kamala is Director of Utah Programs for the Grand Canyon Trust. A passionate advocate and 28 year resident of the Colorado Plateau, she works on conservation initiatives through community collaboration.