Natural wanders: Colorado is rich with mineral and energy resources--and untapped potential.

• Author: Lewis, David

Gold. Coal. Oil. Natural gas. Wind. Water. Solar. Colorado is blessed with an abundance of mineral and energy resources. Mining was the main reason the state came into being, followed by ranching, which developed largely in order to feed those thousands of hungry miners. From the founding of Denver--based on a gold strike that failed to pan out--to the '59ers of the Pikes Peak Gold Rush--the state always has been identified with its resource wealth.

Times have changed, of course. Today, mining, oil and gas, and other mineral extraction industries are a minor part of Colorado's economy, representing about 4 percent of the whole. The state's top economic category, services, made up 28 percent of the state economy.

Colorado, which a century or so ago ranked first or second among states in non-fuel minerals production, in 2006 stood at No. 13, down from No. 10 in 2005. (This is according to a study by the U.S. Geological Survey and the Colorado Geological Survey, the latest data available.)

Leading minerals statewide, in order, were for the most part less glamorous than our storied history would lead one to believe: molybdenum concentrates and construction sand and gravel, followed by portland and masonry cement, gold, and crushed stone, according to "The Mineral Industry of Colorado."

Including oil, natural gas, coal and other minerals, mineral production reached $ 11 billion in 2007, "as a result of increased production and higher energy prices," says the "2008-2009 Colorado Economic Development Data Book."

Meanwhile, you may have heard that there is a movement away from the fossil fuels portion of the above, with Gov. Bill Ritter leading the charge toward cleaner energy such as solar and wind. There, potential production remains mainly ... potential. The good news is, Colorado has plenty of that, with abundant wind fortuitously gracing the portion of Colorado that most needs energy relief--the Front Range.

So what is the potential for future resource production here? Where are the cries of "Pikes Peak or Bust," or the equivalent thereof, going to come from?

To answer these questions, ColoradoBiz spoke with folks in the field from all over the state. Come with us as we tour the Centennial State's resources, region by region and resource by resource:

FRONT RANGE

Alternative: The Colorado Task Force on Renewable Resource Generation Development Areas was signed into law in 2007 in large part to map the state's renewable resources, dubbed Renewable Resource Generation Development Areas, or GDAs.

These are defined as "a concentration of renewable...