The relations between human beings and the non-human world have never seemed so urgent or troubled as they do today. 对气候变化的担忧, 海洋酸化, 正在消失的草原和森林, 土壤枯竭, 水资源日益减少, and 环境 catastrophe fill the pages of our newspapers and flash across facebook, 推特, instagram, 以及其他大众媒体. 在全球范围内, such problems can seem so large and so vexing that they appear literally unsolvable - where individuals, 社区, or governments can’t marshal the resources to adequately address the challenges posed. 然而,, in shifting our attention from a bigger picture to a smaller one, local efforts to protect our natural environment can offer lessons that are portable and pragmatic, 甚至让. This special half-block course asks CC students to momentarily refocus their attention from the global to the local, and to take a closer look at 环境 struggles being waged closer to their new home in Colorado Springs. Run in conjunction with the State of the Rockies Program this course will take students out of the classroom and put them into the field, on the front lines of 环境 conservation efforts here on the southern end of Colorado’s Front Range. 通过研究科罗拉多州土地使用的历史, 与环保专家交谈, 参观他们正在努力保护的地方, this course will examine how we arrived at our 环境 present through a series of human choices, made within the constraints imposed by the non-human world around us. 从巍峨的山脉到广袤的草原, Colorado Springs draws countless people eager to appreciate its great natural spaces. 然而, managing those resources has been more difficult than it may seem. We invite students to join us in learning about the nearby natural landscapes, 管理和保护面临的挑战, and where we might go in shaping a more effective conservation future.