Water and the American West
February 19 – March 12, 2022
$400/person
In the autumn of 2021 the water of the Colorado River was rationed for the first time since the Colorado River Compact of 1922. The arid West was running dry long before the 22-year-long drought in California and the onset of major climate disruptions due to global warming. At the end of his amazing life, John Wesley Powell (1834-1902) had warned America that there was not enough water in the West to satisfy all the demands that were being contemplated, and that was before the great take-off of Los Angeles (15 million people) and Phoenix (5 million).
Together we will explore all of this both historically and with a strong focus on the ways in which water scarcity is going to disrupt the lives of everyone west of the hundredth meridian. We will look particularly at the industrialization of three rivers: the Colorado, the Columbia, and the Missouri. The Pick-Sloan Plan on the Missouri gives us a particular opportunity to explore the impact of western water projects on the lives and sovereignty of Native Americans.
Class sessions will be held via Zoom on Saturday mornings for four weeks, February 19 – March 12, 2022 (time TBD). Zoom office hours Wednesday evenings.
Note: If you are age 35 or younger, have an interest in participating, and are experiencing economic difficulties preventing your ability to pay the course fee, please contact us at dakotaskyeducation@gmail.com for information on scholarship opportunities.
