The San Juan County Historical Society is about more than relics of the past,The organization has an entrepreneurial spirit, the latest manifestation of which is the development of a hydroelectric plant to support another venture - the restoration of the historic Mayflower Mill. Historical society leaders began to envision an opportunity when the Sunnyside Gold Corp.

Grand Canyon National Park, an American and global icon, faces serious threats to its most important resources from uranium mining, air pollution and stream depletions, according to the National Parks Conservation Association.

Unlike computers, where 10-year-old technology now seems ancient, the technology of small hydro plants has changed little in the last century. Consider the new hydroelectric plant in Ouray. In a shop along the Uncompahgre River, falling water pushes the blades of a generator originally manufactured in 1909.

The bad news is that Colorado lawmakers have turned to savings accounts for dams, canals, and pipelines to cope with a budget crisis that's entering its third year.

Environmental opposition often means that new hydropower facilities are non-starters. But there may be a way around that: retrofitting existing dams.