The Poudre can run through the radical center

Perhaps fools rush in where angels fear to tread, but with a little effort, reasonable people can meet someplace in the middle.

We're happy that local organizations are making that effort around one of the most important - and contentious - issues facing Northern Colorado.

Water, and more specifically water storage, has always been vital to the growth of the arid West. In recent years, it has also become an issue so divisive that neither the economic-development-minded governor nor groups dedicated to regional problem-solving dare mention it in public.

As Steve Porter points out elsewhere in this edition, the near-drought conditions along the Front Range that have allowed wildfires to rage this spring are offset by mountain snowpack well above average. Our inability to take full advantage of those resources while they are available is frustrating, to say the least.

The solution isn't simple, although decisions made today will shape the region for generations to come. UniverCity Connections, Colorado State University and the Community Foundation of Northern Colorado have taken a great leap toward creating a shared understanding of the complex topic through a series of educational sessions called The Poudre Runs Through It.

Mary