This is certainly an abreviated list of reading suggestions for NR students, but they stand out as among the best of both general and special subject matter. 

Front Range and Local Natural Resources and History

C.W. Buckholtz, 1983. Rocky Mountain National Park: A History.
Reading this makes visits to RMNP more interesting and fun

Colorado Natural Resources and History

H. Clifford, 2002. Downhill Slide: Why the Corporate Ski Industry is Bad for Skiing, Ski Towns and the Environment.
Thoroughly researched and well written history of ski resorts and explanation of how we got to the point where a private industry dictates resource use for the National Forests - focus on Colorado

M. W. Pesman, 1992. Meet the Natives: The Amatureur's Field Guide to Rocky Mountain Wildflowers, Trees, and Shrubs.
Very descriptive field guide- Very helpful for explorations of the prairies, foothills and mountains of Colorado

J. Robertson, 1990. The Magnificent Mountain Women: Adventures in the Colorado Rockies.
Adventures of female mountain climbers, botanists, park promoters and others

M. Sandoz, 1935. Old Jules.
Sandoz’s account of her father Jules Sandoz, one of the first settlers on the Colorado-Nebraska border

M. Sandoz, 1953. Cheyenne Autumn.
Powerful account of history of European interactions with Cheyenne tribe

M. Sandoz, 1961. Love Song to the Plains.
Lyrical account of the history and natural history of the western Great Plains

A.H. Zwinger, 1970. Beyond the Aspen Grove.
Nice account of natural history of high-elevation regions of Colorado

Western Natural Resources and History

J. Baron, 2002. Rocky Mountain Futures, an ecological assessment.
A readable scientific assessment of past, present, and possible future human influences on Rocky Mountain ecosystems from the Yukon to northern new Mexico

D. Flores, 1999. The Horizontal Yellow: nature and history in the Near Southwest.
Explorations of the human and natural history of the Near Southwest (New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, and slices of Colorado, Kansas, Arkansas, and Louisiana)

D. Flores, 2001. The Natural West: environmental history in the Great Plains and Rocky Mountains.
Essays combine science and literature in the examination of the environmental histories of the Rockies, the Great Basin, the Red River, and the Plains

P.L. Fradkin, 1989. Sagebrush Country: Land and the American West.
Nice discussion of rangelands ecology, history & politics of land use, and environmental impacts

W.H. Goetzmann, 1966. Exploration and Empire: The Explorer and the Scientist in the Winning of the American West.
Pulitzer-Prize-winning account of the government-sponsored 19th-century exploration of the West

R. Solnit, 1994. Savage Dreams: A Journey into the Landscape Wars of the American West.
Very well-written & thought-provoking account of attitudes toward western lands

F. Turner, 1983. Beyond Geography: The Western Spirit Against the Wilderness.
Thought-provoking history of attitudes toward land & natural resources in western civilization, as expressed during European colonization of America

L.H. Whittlesey, 1995. Death in Yellowstone: Accidents and Foolhardiness in the First National Park.
The author is a master storyteller - reading it makes trips to Yellowstone more memorable

Western Water

E. Abbey, 1982. Down the River.
Abbey’s unique voice on western rivers & water politics

P.L. Fradkin, 1968. A River No More: The Colorado River and the West.
Thorough, readable history of the Colorado River, including flow regulation and environmental impacts

D.R. Montgomery, 2003. King of Fish: The Thousand-Year Run of Salmon.
Comprehensive, readable account of natural history and human impacts on both Atlantic and Pacific salmon

M. Reisner, 1986. Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water.
Classic account of importance of water in history and contemporary politics of American West, including history of water use and environmental impacts

W. Stegner, 1953. Beyond the Hundredth Meridian: John Wesley Powell and the Second Opening of the West.
Classic biography of Powell & history of 19th-century politics of western resources

W. Stegner, 1988. The Uneasy Chair: A Biography of Bernard De Voto.
Biography of De Voto, distinguished western historian, who led fight against proposed dams in Dinosaur National Monument – defeat of these dams resulted in compromise of constructing Glen Canyon Dam on Colorado River just upstream from Grand Canyon

D. Tyler, 1992. The Last Water Hole in the West: The Colorado-Big Thompson Project and the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District.
Detailed history of the politics and engineering of the 1953 Colorado-Big Thompson project that transfers water from Colorado’s western slope to the Front Range

C. Wilkinson, 1992. Crossing the Next Meridian: land, water, and the future of the West.
Wilkinson explicates basic environmental issues being faced in the American West. Natural resources, he contends, are controlled by laws, policies and regulations that, formed in the 19th century, do not embrace today's economic trends, scientific knowledge and social values

E. Wohl. 2000. Virtual Rivers.
A terrific exploration of the human influences on Front Range rivers, ranging from beaver trapping through mining, logging, diversions, and other alterations

D. Worster, 2001. A River Running West: The Life of John Wesley Powell.
Detailed recent biography of Powell and 19th –century politics of western water & natural resources

General Environment

C. Cook, 2001. Awakening to Nature: Renewing Your Life by Connecting with the Natural World.
Philosophical discussion of experiencing the out of doors

G. Daily and K. Ellison, 2002. The new economy of nature: the quest to make conservation profitable.
Bold proposals and examples for linking financial profitability to sustainable natural resource management. Daily proposes the need to make conservation economically viable – eschewing the dominant paradigm that conservation can be achieved only through heavy-handed government regulation

F. Graham Jr., 1971. Man's Dominion: The Story of Conservation in America.
Interesting, easy to read

J. Holtz Kay, 1997. Asphalt Nation: How the Automobile Took Over America, and How We Can Take It Back.
Thorough, well-written look at the automobile's influence on 20th century American history, from patterns of material consumption and land-use to economic and environmental impacts - excellent book if you really want to understand the context of Front Range urban sprawl

A. Leopold, 1949. A Sand County Almanac.
A classic of nature writing, widely cited as one of the most influential nature books ever published

R. Manning, 2004. Against the Grain: How Agriculture Hijacked Civilization.
Very well written examination of agriculture from the very beginning up to the present, provides context for understanding contemporary American agribusiness

R. Nash, 1982. Wilderness and the American mind.
A classic account of the evolution of thought and behaviour toward wilderness in America since the first settlement of the New World

S. Steingraber, 1997. Living Downstream: A Scientist’s Personal Investigation of Cancer and the Environment.
Very well-written, detailed, powerful account of links between cancer & environmental contamination

W. Vitek and W. Jackson, eds, 1996. Rooted in the land: essays on community and place.
A collection of essays on the connections and relationship between social communities and natural landscape, emphasizing the vital role of civic participation in governing affairs dealing with nature. In particular, several essays mention the importance of scientists becoming more engaged in creating a “community of place” by devoting knowledge and information to discussions about land use and management

D. Western and R.M. Wright, eds, 1994. Natural connections: perspectives in community-based conservation.
Case studies describing and analyzing efforts by local communities in the stewardship of natural resources. The cases specifically link ecological stewardship with sustainable community economic development and fair, equal, democratic citizen participation. Community-based approaches to resource stewardship around the world stands in marked contrast to the near total reliance on government agencies in the U.S.

S.L. Yaffee, 1994. The wisdom of the spotted owl: policy lessons for a new century.
The spotted owl changed everything we know and understand about the link between resource policy and ecology. Yaffee’s book not only describes in chronological detail the spotted owl story, but critically analyzes how the institutions set up to steward our public lands and natural resources ultimately led to a “train wreck” that shut down a major portion of our domestic forest products economy, destabilized many rural communities, enhanced the power of environmental organizations, and shed light on the uncertainties and political nature of conducting ecological science. This book is vital for anyone who seeks to understand why we have the debates we do today over public lands and natural resources