Bill Grant of Grand Junction, CO has always been a westerner at heart. He grew up in the shadow of the Appalachian Mountains in western North Carolina, but subsequently lived in several parts of the country. Prior to moving to Colorado, he spent twenty-one years in Ohio where he was a professor of western history and culture at Bowling Green State University.
"I always had one foot in the West," says Bill. "I was ready to discover the Rocky Mountains long before I ever got there."
Bill first visited the famed Rocky Mountains in 1958 as part of an extended exploration of western national parks, monuments, and forests, and his love affair with the west has never waned. When Bill relocated to the Midwest, he made a point to travel to Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, or Colorado at least once a year.
Bill's interest in the West was first kindled when he was just a boy. "The Mountain Man era fascinated me and I read all I could find in my local libraries," he said. "Later this interest was incorporated into my teaching and scholarship which focused on the conflicting values of wilderness and civilization. When I retired, wilderness was something I wanted to put my time and energy into."
Moving to Grand Junction was in many ways the fulfillment of a dream for Bill. "I brought my wife, Claudia, to Colorado for some serious courting soon after we met." Bill said, "She quickly came to share my love of the Rockies. It seemed natural to us both to settle here when I retired."
Once there, he became deeply involved with Western Colorado Congress, a grassroots conservation organization working to preserve the quality of life and protect public lands in Western Colorado. He has spent an enviable amount of time exploring some of the beautiful forests, mountains, and canyon lands in the region, including a very special place called Dominguez Canyon.
"Over 6,000 years ago, the ancient inhabitants of Dominguez Canyon left their traces in rock art on boulders and cliffs," says Bill. "Hiking there is, for me, a walk through time in which only the canyon itself remains constant."
Western Colorado's Greater Dominguez region is located along the lower Gunnison River, not far from Grand Junction, and offers visitors opportunities to explore an ever-changing landscape of canyons, mesas, meadows, forests, and life-giving rivers.
"Dominguez Canyon is an important recreational resource for a rapidly expanding population," says Bill. "Without careful management and the protection provided by wilderness status, the fragile canyon ecology will deteriorate, archeological resources will be damaged, and a unique part of our natural and cultural heritage will be lost."
Bill knows that wild land isn't saved by accident, but by the work of dedicated citizens, working hand in hand with the local community and elected leaders. Bill has given presentations to community groups, met with elected officials and BLM representatives, written opinion pieces and letters, and testified at public hearings. "There's a great need for people who share the values of wilderness and are willing to put the work in," he explains.
Bill and his fellow wilderness supporters hope to see the establishment of a National Conservation Area for the Dominguez Canyon region that will include a significant portion of wilderness within it. "I feel very strongly that we owe it to future generations to leave a legacy," he says. "I like to think of my work on Dominguez as part of that legacy."
Bill is also proud of his work to establish a monitoring and trail maintenance program in the canyon. "I like giving back, and physical work on the land is very gratifying," he says.
Today, Bill serves as president of the board of directors of Western Colorado Congress, a role that brings with it plenty of work and responsibility, but a great deal of satisfaction as well. "In this work I have come into contact with people whose values I share and whose company I enjoy," says Bill. "I've established myself in this community and find this is something I enjoy being a part of."
For more than three decades, Bill was involved in wilderness from an academic standpoint, teaching the history and culture of the West. Now, he is working to make history by joining with other spirited individuals to protect Dominguez Canyon for future generations. We applaud Bill Grant and Western Colorado Congress for their work to pursue permanent protection for more of America's wilderness -- our common ground.
