Current Activities

Piñon Ridge Uranium Mill: Safeguarding public health in the permitting of Energy Fuels’ proposed uranium mill in West Montrose County.

Local Foods: Supporting a strong, vibrant local foods system that fuels healthy people and a healthy local economy by working with the Valley Food Partnership.

Community Outreach: Focusing on public education and working to achieve common goals with other groups including:

• Community Options:  Presenting MountainFilm on Tour to the Montrose Community each November.
• Transition Lab: Training ordinary people to model, explore and create a resilient future.
• Time Bank of the Rockies: Developing networks of shared time in the Montrose area which link individuals and organizations in new ways to facilitate non-money-based exchange of resources and services.
• Public Lands Partnership & US Forest Service:  Participating in the Uncompahgre Mesas Forest Restoration Project in order to re-establish sustainable, resilient and healthy ecosystems under current and future conditions.

History

• UVA formed in 1983 and over the years has been involved in some of WCC’s toughest campaigns - from forcing the clean-up of Louisiana Pacific’s waferboard plant in Olathe to stopping plans for a low-level radioactive waste dump in the West End of Montrose County. UVA members were also a driving force behind WCC’s annual Sustainable Living Fairs held in the mid-1990s.
• UVA members started to tackle growth issues in 1994 when they successfully amended the County Zoning Resolution to improve the commissioners’ ability to regulate land use. Since then, members have worked on the proliferation of gravel pits and attempted to limit the size of “big box” retailers within the city limits.
• UVA members are also responsible for keeping Montrose Recycling Center open and for helping to push the idea of curbside recycling into reality.