Environmental Histories


X Sage, Photo Credit David Zettner
Sand Creek Massacre NHS, Photo Credit David Zettner
Painting of the attack on Sand Creek, courtesy the Colorado Historical Society


Environmental histories describe how an environment changed over time and provide a greater understanding of how natural resources impact cultural values and actions. Landscapes are records of human relationships with the natural environment and can document contrasting cultural values, competition for limited resources, human actions that alter ecosystems, and how human-environment contribute to cultural change. Environmental histories are the result of reviewing literature and historical documents, oral interviews, and site investigations.



National Park Service
Desert Southwest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit
Rocky Mountains Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit
Colorado Plateau Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit
Sonoran Institute
Montana State University