Columnists - The Journal

Wild Bighorns in peril in Colorado, Rocky Mountain West

I’ve been afforded the rare opportunity and honor to kneel beside Colorado’s state animal and its most iconic: the Rocky Mountain Bighorn. When I worked for Colorado Parks and Wildlife, I at...

DATE: Jul 16, 2023 | CATEGORY: Opinion

Never underestimate the value of a well-played timeout

Sometimes a step back is the smart way to go

DATE: Jul 14, 2023 | CATEGORY: This May Take a Moment

Have we lost our sense of humor?

Numerous comedians have stopped performing at college campuses because they have found the students to be overly politically correct and overly sensitive to their jokes. Jerry Seinfeld, Chri...

DATE: Jul 14, 2023 | CATEGORY: Opinion

Durango needs ‘forward-looking’ housing plan for wildfires

Placing high-density housing in the Wildland-Urban Interface does not make sense economically or socially. Rapidly escalating wildfire insurance rates will reduce affordability in WUI areas....

DATE: Jul 9, 2023 | CATEGORY: Opinion

If you care about public education, go to the polls

The news media and political pundits are heavily focused on the next “big” election – November 2024, when we will decide who occupies the Oval Office for the next four-year term. Will it be ...

DATE: Jul 9, 2023 | CATEGORY: Opinion

Following the Colorado River from Moab to Mexico

With the two largest reservoirs in the nation perilously low, and the Colorado River Basin experiencing the worst drought in centuries, we decided to follow the river by bus from Grand Lake ...

DATE: Jul 8, 2023 | CATEGORY: Gulliford's Travels

It’s not about the checkbook

Before I start this guest column, I feel compelled to explain the one I wrote in June. I’ve had more compliments on it than usual. I’m happy to know so many readers took joy and inspiration ...

DATE: Jul 7, 2023 | CATEGORY: Opinion

‘Our democracy, for the most part, in good hands’

Over several decades, Americans have witnessed a growth in political extremism and naked partisanship. Those are often accompanied by assertions to the effect that all government is inept an...

DATE: Jun 30, 2023 | CATEGORY: Opinion

Restoring the land can actually be fun

Driving back to Colorado State University with a van full of students after a day of working to heal some beat-up land north of Fort Collins, I wondered: Could ecological restoration be a ne...

DATE: Jun 28, 2023 | CATEGORY: Opinion

‘How exactly is Polis saving us money?’

Gov. Jared Polis might have gotten his start in the digital flower business, but he just as easily could have been a used car salesman. Like so many politicians today, Polis has become incre...

DATE: Jun 25, 2023 | CATEGORY: Opinion

Going farther, deeper, higher for backcountry rescues

When I led groups into the Wyoming wilderness in the 1990s, once we left a trailhead, we were on our own. If somebody got hurt, we could walk or carry the injured person out or send runners ...

DATE: Jun 21, 2023 | CATEGORY: Opinion

The case for diversity in higher education

College admissions is one of the most talked about aspects of higher education, and nothing animates those conversations more than the topic of race-conscious admissions. In the coming days,...

DATE: Jun 14, 2023 | CATEGORY: Opinion