Feature Story

Growing Pains

Change and growth are inevitable, but, how we live affects everything. Life is a giant web, and what we do to that web affects all life. Unfortunately, the masses of people have the upper hand over their wild neighbors and are ignoring their responsibility of maintaining a balance with nature. The result is pollution, lack of water sources, destruction of wild places, the loss and extinction of many plant and animal species and the lack of respect for nature.

A pair of mule deer overlook the excessively polluted Denver skyline. The greater demand for gas guzzeling SUV's has increased Colorado's air pollution as well as intensifed its adverse heath effects. By ignoring the problem we are not only hurting the environment, but hurting ourselves.

In Chatfield State Park many careless fishermen leave tangled lengths of fishing line along the shore and in the resivoir. This American Coot died as a result of being tangled in fishing line.

Coloradoans love to retreat to their favorite outdoors places, but, there needs to be a change in how people treat their environment before they completely destroy it and themselves. We need to look at other alternatives:

• Carpooling
• working at home if possible
• RTD and light rail
• Hybrid Electric Vehicles
• Simple energy saving techniques such as weather proofing your home
• using energy efficient appliances
• supporting renewable energy resources such as wind (WindSource), solar (solar roofing shinges), and biomass (gassification energy plants rather than coal driven)
• Recycling
• Green landscaping and home building
• Conserving water