Barry Noreen has worked as a writer and editor at the Gazette since 1982. Many of his years with the Gazette he was the environmental reporter. Come here him discuss the state of Colorado's Environment. Click "Read more" for complete details ...

“The Boom and Bust Legacy of the West” Barry Noreen, columnist for the Gazette, writes "A View From Here," a close look at government and community issues in Colorado Springs and El Paso County. Barry will talk with us about current environmental issues and anything else we can get him to “report on” to us. We’ve invited him to speak about environmental issues (since this is Earth Day month). He is well versed in many topics of interest to us. Although he claims to have been “raised by wolves in Montana” my interchanges with him reflect a man with more sophistication than we normally assign to wolves. They did a good job in teaching him the English language. Come take advantage of this opportunity to hear what’s current, what’s past and what’s predicted for our Colorado environment.

The meeting will take place at Big House Sports, 2660 Vickers Drive in Colorado Springs; the building used to be called “Lynmar” and still has “Lynmar” painted on the side. It’s on the north side of Vickers between North Union Boulevard and North Academy Boulevard. From the intersection of Vickers and Union, travel west on Vickers for about 2/10 mile and the building will be on your right; the entrance to the parking areas is just past the building itself. From the intersection of Academy and Vickers, travel east on Vickers for about 4/10 mile and the building will be on your left; the entrance to the parking areas is just before the building itself. There are four parking areas: directly in front of the building, to its left, a small area directly behind the building, and another, much larger area just beyond the small area behind the building. The areas in front, to the side, and directly behind the building are often full, so it’s recommended that you park in the larger area behind the building; you’ll need only to climb up a short staircase and you can enter the building at the rear through the glass doors. Take an immediate right, walk down the hall and up to the second floor, and enter the door marked “Sneakers Bar & Grill.” A door to the right leads to the room in which the meeting will be held; a door to the left leads to a snack bar. Several Freethinkers are planning to meet at 6:00 pm, an hour before the meeting, in the snack bar — you’re cordially invited to join them. If all those stairs might be difficult for you to navigate, the parking area in front of the building is on the same level as the building’s upper level, so if you enter at the front, you need only walk past the reception desk, through a glass door, and you’ll see “Sneakers Bar & Grill” to your left. There are two “handicapped” parking spaces in the front parking lot.