The State of the Rockies Project was recently awarded a two-year $800,000 grant from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.

“With this two-year commitment by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the State of the Rockies Project will be able to expand its reach and work with many more students across campus who are interested in the social, environmental, and political challenges of living in the Rocky Mountain West,” says Kat Miller-Stevens, director of the State of the Rockies Project and associate professor in the Economics and Business Department.

Through collaborative student-faculty research and education, the State of the Rockies Project addresses socio-environmental challenges in states within the Rocky Mountain West, which include Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming.

The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation is a nonpartisan charitable foundation that works to promote a better world by advancing ideas and supporting institutions.

Each year, the State of the Rockies Projects works with bi-partisan research companies to conduct the Conservation in the West Survey, which polls the opinions of voters in the Rocky Mountain West on different environmental issues facing the region, including issues of energy, water, wildfires, and wildlife. The project has conducted the survey for the past 12 years and has increased the number of states included from five states in 2011 to eight states in 2022.

The $800,000 grant from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, which will be distributed over two years, will support the Conservation in the West polls, as well as several student-focused projects, which include a survey of public land visitors, teaching students about the poll and about conservation issues through Colorado College courses, and Anthropogenic, a student-led digital and print magazine. Additionally, the grant will support student-produced films and mini-series based on themes addressed in the 2023 Conservation in the West poll.

“The best part of my job at CC is finding ways for students to apply what’s learned in a class setting to relevant and timely regional issues. Many of the opportunities we create for students are directly supported by our grant from the Hewlett Foundation. We are grateful for their confidence in the work we do at the College,” says Cyndy Hines, project specialist for the State of the Rockies Project.

“It’s incredible to have the continued support of the Hewlett Foundation. We really are so fortunate,” says Cyndy Hines.

“I'm delighted that the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation awarded Colorado College a two-year grant to support our annual Conservation in the West Poll and to engage students in the poll. The foundation’s long-standing partnership with the college to increase the public’s understanding of urgent issues affecting the Rocky Mountain region is commendable and we are thrilled that we are able to continue this work for two more years,” says Laura Hines, director of corporate and foundation relations in the Advancement Office.

This year, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation invited the State of the Rockies Project to submit a two-year grant proposal, which was accepted. For the previous 12 years the Foundation has awarded State of the Rockies one-year grants, and the two-year invitation and increased award both reflect the Foundation’s commitment to Colorado College and its students.