Tourism is as hotly debated in the West as
clearcutting. Some see it as salvation for overworked landscapes
and faltering economies; others see it as a more vicious form of
extraction than mining and logging. All those perspectives as well
as a few from the center will be at the “Seeing and Being Seen:
Tourism in the American West” conference to be put on by the Center
of the American West at the University of Colorado, Boulder, May
1-2. The keynote speaker will be Bless Me, Ultima writer Rudolfo
Anaya. He will be backed up by historian Patricia Nelson Limerick,
attorney Charles Wilkinson, economist Thomas Michael Power, Western
American Indian Chamber of Commerce head Ben Sherman, wildlife
professor Richard Knight, journalists Raye Ringholz and HCN’s Ed
Marston and others. There will also be an April 29 National Park
Service workshop on historic tourism and an April 30 scenic byways
tour. Cost for the conference only is $30 before April 25 and $35
after, and is intended for a general audience. Call the center at
303/492-4879, or fax
303/492-1671.
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Here’s looking at tourism.
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