WESTERN SKIES - September 29, 2005

*** COMMENTARY: AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL? ***

WHITNEY: When Katherine Lee Bates stood on top of Pikes Peak, she was inspired, and penned the words to the song, "America the Beautiful." But today, when commentator Jessica Feis looks over the city that sits at the foot of Pikes Peak, she gets a different impression.

JESSICA FEIS: O beautiful for spacious skies / For cement covered seas of grain / For scarred mountains, an eyesore to see / Above not fruit but chains.

In 1893, Katherine Lee Bates made a fateful trip to the top of Pikes Peak. Brimming with awe at the splendor of her surroundings, she penned words that carved a place in history both for herself and for the Pikes Peak region. One cannot but wonder if Miss Bates had ascended our great peak in 2005, looking across the region and seeing not only the timeless picturesque foothills but also the experiment in urban sprawl beyond, would her words have been so inspired? Is Katherine Lee Bates rolling over in her grave wondering what happened to the amber waves of grain and the fruited plain?

Having lived here for most of my life, I can empathize with this feeling. Both sets of my grandparents first came to this region in the 1950s. Just like the contemporaries of Katherine Lee Bates, they came here in search of clean, healthy air, a fair climate, and inspiration from the beauty of the mountains. The mesas of the Westside became the romping grounds of my parents, as they did for my brother and I twenty-five years later. Yes, my roots run deep here, and although sometimes I wonder why, these roots are well-nourished. The love for my city and mountains course deep in my bone marrow. The ghosts of long-ago Colorado Springs are my dear friends.

In the last months of his life, my grandfather often rode through new developments of town and made only one remark, "Look at all those damned houses." I concur. Houses and businesses are being built in every crevice, nook and cranny. Tiny open fields in which I used to play are being gobbled up and turned into storage unit facilities. With no regard to the surrounding landscape, box-like houses are being built so close together that privacy is no longer a variable. Yet we feel pleased because our economy thrives when it could so easily fail. We rejoice because our city is growing, but what price? Little do we stop to consider that with each cookie cutter house and each new franchise, the things that were so attractive and inspiring about our fair land slowly cease to be. Colorado Springs becomes indistinguishable from any other mid-sized western city. Our clean, dry mountain air becomes polluted. What is left of our fresh mountain water becomes filled with waste. The awe-inspiring views become blocked by our neighbor's asphalt shingles.

We must protect all of the glorious things that our region has to offer. We must fight to preserve open space, cut down pollution, clean up trash, and recycle. Taking pride in the glorious parts of our region must be our number one priority.

Come with me. I'll introduce you to the sprites and ghosts of Colorado Springs' past. They love this region, too. Working together, we can ensure that this area stays magical and unique for many more generations. We will loosen the chains of development, and assure Katherine Lee Bates that we will "crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea".

WHITNEY: Jessica Feis teaches first grade, and yoga, in Fountain.

And that wraps up this edition of Western Skies. Stephen Raher is our associate producer, Delaney Utterback is the IT wrangler, I'm Eric Whitney, thanks for listening.