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Great Plains Colleges developing a 2-Year Renewable Energy & Business Incubation Certification

Back in 2003 Darryl Birkenfeld began asking himself and others, “How can the communities of the Great Plains living in an area with so much renewable energy resources, like wind and solar, begin to take advantage of it?”  At the time Mr. Birkenfeld had recently joined Ogallala Commons (www.ogallalacommons.org) as its executive director.  The organization is an eight-state resource development network for communities in the Ogallala Aquifer region which extends from Texas to South Dakota and includes much of the eastern plains of Colorado.  Many of these agricultural communities are now faced with the challenges of the aquifer’s depleting water levels and a lack of options to revitalize their already hurting economies.

Mr. Birkenfeld’s conversations with others in early 2004 resulted in the idea of developing a certification program for renewable energy and entrepreneurship.  The certification’s purpose would be to provide technical skills applicable within several renewable energy fields and to also develop business entrepreneurs and innovators with a sense of place. 

The idea was the focus of a renewable energy workshop in Wray, CO in September 2004 sponsored by the Rocky Mountain Farmers Union.  Bob Mailander, Director of the RMFU’s Co-op Development Center, said “Supporting community leaders and local entrepreneurs to capture the renewable energy potential will play an ever increasing role in rural economic development for our Great Plains’ communities.”  A second workshop for the idea was held in Lubbock, TX in February 2005.  The workshops produced two significant outcomes: Chadron State College in western Nebraska became the lead college coordinating the development among several collaborating community colleges; and Texas State Technical College distributed a survey to colleges in the eight-state region to determine the courses and programs they offer that could support the program.

The Certificate program is scheduled to begin in the fall of 2006 through Chadron State College and several partner colleges in the region.  The program’s current form is balanced between core science courses, technical and applied training, entrepreneurship, regional history and ecology, as well as on-the-job apprenticing and partnerships with local utilities and private companies.  The renewable energy curriculum will cover wind, solar, biomass, geothermal, hydrogen, and biofuels.

Colorado Harvesting Energy Network Luncheon, December 7

Please join us to celebrate a unique partnership advancing rural economic development through renewable energy.  Several Colorado leaders will be recognized for their role in forming the Network and will provide insight into the renewable energy opportunities that lie ahead of us at the local, state and national levels.  Details will be shared about the upcoming Intermountain Harvesting Energy Summit scheduled for March 27-28 involving leader from seven states. 

Network Partners:  Colorado Farm Bureau, Rocky Mountain Farmers Union, Environment Colorado, Colorado Working Landscapes, Independent Bankers of Colorado, Ag Energy Workgroup 25x’25

Time: 11:30 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Location:  Renaissance Denver, 3801 Quebec St., Denver, CO 80207

Cost:  $20 per individual; Organizations may purchase a table (contact 303-283-3524)

Please RSVP to: Colorado Working Landscapes, 303-283-3524, or via email at frank@workinglandscapes.com

Wind Power & Wildlife in Colorado, January 23-25, Fort Collins

The Colorado Division of Wildlife is organizing a Wind Power and Wildlife Symposium in Fort Collins at the Ramada Inn I-25.  The Symposium has three goals: 

• To make available up-to-date information about the effects of wind power development on wildlife and ways to minimize impacts in Colorado;
• To make available information about applicable laws and regulations associated with wind power and wildlife in Colorado;
• To create an open dialogue between the wildlife conservation community and the wind industry in Colorado

The intended audience includes government wildlife and land management agencies, private landowners, wind power industry, non-governmental organizations, elected officials and interested citizens. 

The Symposium is in conjunction with the Annual Winter Meeting of the Colorado Chapter of the Wildlife Society.  The TWS meeting theme is “Energy and Natural Resources: Finding the Balance.”

For more information contact David Klute, Colorado Division of Wildlife, 303-291-7320, david.klute@state.co.us.

 

Colorado Working Landscapes

www.workinglandscapes.com

Email: information@workinglandscapes.com

Phone: 303-283-3524

Colorado Working Landscapes (CWL) is a landowner-driven coalition of interests dedicated to the advancement of public policies and private initiatives to conserve land, preserve and sustain agriculture, and enhance landowner values while recognizing public benefits.