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Historic preservation is the greenest form of construction, Towny Anderson said.

The executive director of Historic Routt County, which worked with Colorado Mountain College's Alpine Campus to start a historic preservation program in the spring, said retrofitting and maintaining historic buildings is going to be important for the future of the construction industry. It's a very cost-effective style of project, Anderson said.

The Alpine Campus is trying to generate interest in its new historic preservation program and is hosting an open house from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. today in the second-floor lounge of Bristol Hall.

Anderson said the open house would provide college students, high school seniors and interested community members with an overview of the program. Anderson said he would discuss course curriculum and what career opportunities could be provided.

"What we realize is these skills are not being taught," he said. "We see this as a huge opportunity for young folks who want to get into the construction and building trades."

In addition to college students, Anderson said, the program could allow people to change careers or develop new skills that would position them better in the job market.

This fall, Anderson is teaching a course about the history of architecture. If the college is able to generate enough interest in the program, it would like to offer more courses next spring. One would be an introduction to historic preservation, while another would be an introduction to the legal, business and economic aspects of the field.

Anderson said he also would like to offer a course on green preservation and one about the construction involved with historic preservation, which ideally would prepare students for a summer internship. Historic Routt County has applied for grants to provide students from the county with scholarships, and stipends if they participate in the internship program, Anderson said.

He said a project - such as the restoration of Diamond Window Cabin in Stagecoach, which was completed this fall - also would be offered to give students a practical learning experience in the field. Anderson said Historic Routt County is working to identify the project.

Citing a survey conducted for the U.S. Cultural and Heritage Tourism Marketing Council and the U.S. Department of Commerce, Anderson said 78 percent of domestic leisure travelers participate in cultural and/or heritage activities while on vacation. He said, of those, 66 percent visit historic sites.

Anderson said surveys of Steamboat Springs visitors and residents indicated that what makes Steamboat special was its agricultural and mining heritage and downtown.

"Obviously, I'm passionate about historic preservation and old buildings," Anderson said. "I just have this belief that maintaining and sustaining (buildings that have) historic character will be more sought after, more valuable as time goes on because there will be less and less of them."