Western Newsroom

The Gunnison County Tourism and Prosperity Project (TAPP) is launching its winter marketing campaign early this year, focusing on attracting fly-in visitors and supporting economic diversification beyond tourism. Western Colorado University plays a key role in that diversification, serving as one of the valley’s primary economic drivers alongside tourism and second homeowners, while collaborating with TAPP and ICELab to grow local innovation, jobs, and student opportunities.

A recent article explores how wildfire activity and watershed health are closely connected, noting that decades of fire suppression have intensified wildfires and damaged local water systems. Western Colorado University contributes to this work through research partnerships with the USGS and BLM, using local data to model fire patterns and inform sustainable watershed management across the Gunnison Valley.

Elizabeth Bradfield’s new poetry collection SOFAR reflects on ecological and historical themes through the lens of memory, sound, and place, drawing on her deep experiences as a naturalist and her life on the sea. As a faculty member at Western Colorado University and director of its poetry concentration, her work connects the university to broader dialogues in environmental humanities, creative writing, and the intersection of art and science.