The fifth annual Colorado College "State of the Rockies" report is being released Monday alongside the State of the Rockies conference, being held Monday and Tuesday on the CC Campus.

The report examines several critical areas affecting the eight-state Rocky Mountain region, which includes Colorado, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.

This year's 120-page report addresses topics including immigration in the Rockies, affordable housing, and renewable energy possibilities among other areas of interest. The report concludes that western states are capable of becoming a world-class production region for renewable energy.

The release of the annual report runs parallel to the "State of the Rockies" conference, which is being held on the Colorado College campus in Colorado Springs Monday and Tuesday, April 7-8. The conference is free and open to the public and features workshops covering all of the areas covered by the "State of the Rockies" report. You can find a schedule of the workshops below.

The conference will also feature a keynote address by Gale Norton, former Secretary of the Interior.

Each year, the State of the Rockies project team, which includes Colorado College undergraduate students, recent graduates and a faculty adviser, conducts research and creates the comprehensive report on the region.

"State of the Rockies" conference schedule:

Monday, April 7, 2008: Workshop: Affordable Housing in Colorado Springs: Existing Options and Future Opportunities. Participants will include representatives from the City of Colorado Springs's Office of Housing and Community Development, Partners in Housing and Habitat for Humanity. The workshop will be held at 4:30 p.m., Colorado College, Gaylord Hall, main floor of Worner Campus Center, 902 N. Cascade Ave.

Monday, April 7, 2008: Workshop: Renewable Energy: Residential Solutions to a National Problem. Participants will include representatives from Colorado Springs Utilities, SolSource and Colorado Springs citizens who have utilized solar energy in their homes and businesses. The event will be held at 4:30 p.m., Colorado College, Slocum Commons, 1st floor, SW wing - Slocum Hall, 130 E. Cache La Poudre St.

Monday, April 7, 2008: Workshop: Managing Rockies Wilderness and Wildlands: The Pike National Forest Travel Management Plan. Participants will include representatives from Wild Connections-Upper Arkansas and South Platte Project; the USDA Forest Service, Pike & San Isabel National Forests; Central Colorado Wilderness Coalition; and the Pikes Peak Sierra Club. The event will be held at 4:30 p.m., Colorado College, Gates Common Room, 3rd floor of Palmer Hall, 1025 N. Cascade Ave. (east of Tutt Library).

Monday, April 7, 2008: Lecture: Gale Norton, Keynote Speaker - Norton is former secretary of the Department of the Interior. The address will be held at 7:30 p.m., Colorado College, Armstrong Theatre, inside Armstrong Hall, 14 E. Cache La Poudre St.

Tuesday, April 8, 2008: Workshop: Connecting Colorado College to Local Immigrant Communities. Participants include representatives from Colorado College State of the Rockies Project, Colorado College Office of Civic Engagement, Pikes Peak Immigrant and Refugee Collaborative, Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition, Colorado Springs School District 11, Lutheran Family Services, Colorado College student body and Colorado College Career Center. The event will be held at 4:30 p.m., Colorado College, Gates Common Room, 3rd floor of Palmer Hall, 1025 N. Cascade Ave. (east of Tutt Library).

Tuesday, April 8, 2008: Workshop: River Restoration Opportunities in the Fountain Creek Watershed. Participants include Richard Muzzy, Environmental Planning Program Manager from the Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments; Carol Baker, Colorado Springs Utilities; Gregory Zimmerman, Watershed Coordinator from the Colorado Watershed Assembly and representatives from the Fountain Creek Watershed Vision Task Force and the Fountain Creek Restoration Project. The event will be held at 4:30 p.m., Colorado College, Slocum Commons, 1st floor, SW wing - Slocum Hall, 130 E. Cache La Poudre St.