Trauma-Informed Care Training

for youth-serving professionals

Learn strategies to protect learning environments & support resilience.

Tuesday, April 4 10:30 am - 2 pm

Durango Public Library tinyurl.com/bdfrtdjr

Free training, lunch included SIGN UP

4 No place like home

Finding a sense of self and place no easy task in chaotic world by Doug Gonzalez

6 Page paradox

Despite power plant closure and low lake levels, Page, Ariz. ... is growing?

by Jonathan Thompson

9 Road trip

A few intriguing shows worth the drive to the Land of Enchantment by Jon E. Lynch

Gas patch grind

Galactic Gravel Grinder tours Aztec’s scenic (for reals) backroads by Jennaye Derge

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The Durango Telegraph publishes every Thursday, come hell, high water, tacky singletrack or mon-

Ear to the ground:

“I don’t think I could ever live in Colorado.”

– Is it the endless winter? Outrageous house prices? Prevalence of full-body fleece? Whatever it is, at least one recent visitor to Main Ave. is not planning to relocate here.

Kicking ass

For the third year in a row, the “No Man’s Land Film Festival” is coming to Durango. The all-women adventure film fest will be held in the Vallecito Room in FLC’s Student Union on Thurs., March 30, 6:30-9:30 p.m.

The first film, “Who Are You to Tell a Story?” by Erica Hinck, is an “intimate view of the filmmaker’s frustrations and fears,” according to the event lineup.

“Reclaim Your Water: Natasha Smith” tells the story of Smith, a member of the Ebony Beach Club, a multicultural organization focused on surfing. In the film, Smith shares her story in the hopes of increasing representation in surf, skate and other sports that have historically been exclusively white.

“Miles to Go” tells the story of trans trail runner Perry Cohen, who formed a team of runners who identify as trans men with the goal of competing in states that have proposed or passed anti-LGBTQ+ legislation. “In 2022 alone, there have been over 300 antiLGBTQ+ bills proposed in various states,” the event listing says. “‘Miles to Go’ follows their journey into the world of trail running and the freedom to be themselves on the trail.”

STAR-STUDDED CAST: Doug Gonzalez, Jonathan Thompson, Jon E. Lynch, Jennaye Derge, Clint McKnight, Rob Brezsny, Ari LeVaux, Lainie Maxson, Jesse Anderson & Clint Reid

MAILING ADDRESS: P.O. Box 332, Durango, CO 81302

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Cody Moore gets some late season face shots in the San Juan Mountains, which have been skiing more like January as of late./ Photo by Andy High

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“A Woman’s Place” highlights the Pinnacle Club, a women’s rock climbing group in the U.K. The film dives into womens’ long-standing involvement in climbing while also rebalancing the notion that the sport is primarily male dominant.

“Practicing Freedom” is a short documentary about queer folks and women of color as they build a community within the mountain biking world.

And finally, the last film is “Precious Leader Woman,” which focuses on Canadian snowboarder Spencer O’Brien. In 2014, she was expected to win gold at the Sochi Olympics, but when she placed 12th, fans were shocked. What few people knew is that Spencer was suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, which caused debilitating pain. After the defeat, she retreated to her hometown in traditional Kwakwaka’wakw territory, north of Vancouver, along the coast of British Columbia. There, with the guidance of her family and close-knit community, she reconnected with her Indigenous culture and regained the strength to reenter the sport and defy all odds.

For more info and to buy tickets, visit https://bit.ly/3TMV5TH

Searching for home

I’ve been struggling recently with the idea of home. Although I have lived in Durango for eight years, I have a complicated relationship with it. How do you define home? Is it the place where you rest from the mental and physical woes of the day? Or is it as real yet ethereal as our intentions and thoughts?

When I was in grade school, I daydreamed about the big cities where my dreams would take me. Three months after finishing college, I scored what I thought was a dream job in New York City within the field that I majored in –photography. Before my plane landed, I secured a bedroom in the house of a friend’s mother in Queens. I was excited to start calling New York home. I felt a sense of pride for venturing out to this place far from home with a purpose that felt so near to my heart.

However, my dream job would soon become a nightmare. My employer was verbally abusive and kept me paranoid at all hours, threatening me with my job if I didn’t answer his late-night calls. I became a hostage to this job, and the price was my sense of self. I no longer felt capable or smart.

After weeks of fear being woven into hope for sticking it out, I gathered the courage to quit. Even though this employer withheld salary for my last three weeks of work, I had a bit of money left from my previous paycheck. I managed to skirt by on $2 slices of pizza, doctored-up bowls of ramen noodles and $5 steamed buns in Chinatown.

I eventually filed a case against my former boss with the New York Labor Department. Three months went by, and I still had not received my last paycheck and I became late on rent. My landlord –my friend’s mom – didn’t speak English but made it apparent through her sharp tones that I was a burden in her home. During this time, I was able to volunteer as an assistant to a portrait and fashion photographer who worked with other queer artists and performers. Although this was an unpaid job, it provided a muchneeded reprieve from the toxic environment of my former employer. Lana Del Rey’s first album would play throughout the day, and the busy Canal Street breeze would blow through the windows of the studio. This photographer paid me $100 twice for assisting him during shoots, with each bit going toward my attempt to set roots down.

One late winter afternoon, I was handed a letter that had been torn open by my friend’s mother. It was from the Labor Department. How long had she had it? One week? Two weeks? A month? The anger that rose was washed over by the sense of relief I had holding the check. Utilizing this and some money sent

Thumbin’It

Finland, which has held the title of happiest country for six years, offering to fly people in for a free masterclass on happiness. Can we get a one-way ticket?

Mr. Pickles, a 90-year-old radiated tortoise, a critically endangered species that rarely reproduces, and his partner, Mrs. Pickles, gave birth to three offspring. Now that’s hot.

A new study finding that cannabis legalization lowered rates of suicide, binge drinking, traffic fatalities and cannabis use in teen-agers. Paging Mr. Biden … from my mom, I paid the overdue rent and ventured out to seek another living situation – another place to hopefully call home.

I packed three boxes of items and borrowed a dolly to transport them. The apartment I found on Craigslist did not have a bedroom for me, but it was cheap. I was relegated to a futon in the living room, which was right near the bedroom door of my potential roommate. He was a somewhat handsome middle-aged man, but his breath smelt like cigarettes, and so did his apartment. When I arrived, he was visually upset that I was moving in so late, and it echoed the energy of my ex-boss. I immediately forfeited this living situation and lugged my boxes back to the subway. I texted someone I was seeing at the time, who was in the first year of his master’s program. He offered a place to stay that evening, and I felt so relieved that I didn’t have to bring my boxes into the subway again. “You don’t need to save face – just leave your stuff here until you figure it out.”

Within the week, two other friends provided places for me to stay. I volunteered and applied to as many jobs as I could. After two months, it even started to feel like home. However, I eventually ran out of cash and my credit card was nearly maxed out. I felt like I had given my all. I was drained and ready to go back.

I returned to Farmington, where my mother’s side of the family resided. A week later, I received a message that the Guggenheim Museum was interested in meeting with me for a position. Having spent my last bit of money for the flight home, I couldn’t possibly make it back and declined. It was at that moment that I admitted defeat and started to believe I would not be able to find the career or become the person I wanted.

For the past decade, I’ve continued to unravel the trauma that became so intertwined with how I viewed myself. I mostly stopped doing photography, because I felt betrayed by it. It brought me far from home, far from myself, and I didn’t want to risk going down that path again.

But on the journey back to myself, I am finding moments of knowing who I am. I know the desire to create something beautiful still burns warmly within my heart and has manifested itself in other ways that do not include photography. Even in the writing of this essay, I am tending to the fire, ensuring its flames stay lit until I can make it back home. “Home is a place we all must find, child. It’s not just a place where you eat or sleep. Home is knowing. Knowing your mind, knowing your heart, knowing your courage. If we know ourselves, we’re always home, anywhere.” – Glenda the Good Witch, “The Wiz.”

– Douglas

SignoftheDownfall:

The U.S. life expectancy continuing its decline, a result of poor diet, sedentary lifestyles, lack of universal health care, child poverty, lack of access to nutritional food ... the list goes on.

China banning a new movie starring Winnie the Pooh as a murderous psychopath. Hey, he’s just trying to expand his range as an actor and not be pigeonholed as a honey-loving cartoon!

Gonzalez

Putt, Putt … Pass

Professional mini golf has existed for 27 years, but putt-putt junkies have never been able to place online bets for livestreamed games because that’s always been reserved for actual sports like fullsize golf. However, last February, the Pro League Network launched the World Putting League for exactly that purpose, and nationwide betting took off in an absurd, but oddly predictable/American way. Now, online minigolf gambling is turning into a multimillion-dollar industry, even though the players themselves rarely win more than $5K in championships, which is the most absurd part of this story by par.

Not a game

In light of the recent bailout of Silicon Valley Bank, it seems appropriate to review Rule 11 of the game of Monopoly: What if the bank runs out of money?

Some players think the Bank is bankrupt if it runs out of money. The Bank never goes bankrupt. To continue playing, use slips of paper to keep track of each player’s banking transactions – until the Bank has enough paper money to operate again. The banker may also issue “new” money on slips of ordinary paper.

So we find ourselves in a real world game, where the federal government and adjacent institutions are manipulating banking and money at its core. While some people have to work for their money, others just have to be in the right place at the right time for a handout. That probably doesn’t sit well with most people who work hard for their money and try to save for themselves, their loved ones and their future.

Fortunately, you can exit this unfair system. Bitcoin allows you to not be dependent on a third party to have access to your money.

This is just one of the benefits of Bit- coin, a money you own without government control. We encourage readers to learn more about Bitcoin and opting out of this unhealthy financial game.

– Todd Flemion, Durango

Bringing up math scores

I am surprised as anyone else that, as an English teacher, I am running a bill about math and the necessity that students understand it. But that is exactly what’s happening.

I introduced House Bill 23-1231 last week with Rep. Rose Pugliese, of El Paso County. Together, we are addressing the falling math test scores of Colorado students with a targeted grant program. The bill passed the Education Committee with a unanimous vote.

The three-year grants are optional, focusing on: students who are struggling after missing a couple of years of math during the pandemic; schools and districts that have several years of low math test scores; students getting ready for middle or high school; and pre-K students who need to learn numeracy.

We are doing this with a train-thetrainer system, training a few people to teach math who can reach out to more people to teach math. Eventually, many people will have the skills to help students thrive, and the training benefits will continue for years to come.

Research shows that elementary teachers often do not necessarily like mathematics and hesitate to make math their priority. We also know when students miss a year of math, the next year is more difficult, which makes the year after that even worse. Students begin to feel inadequate, and learn to hate math. That needs to change.

The trainings will be offered in person or online, giving rural schools the same opportunity as urban ones.

Next, we offer to train parents. During the pandemic, many parents said they had trouble helping their children with math. This bill gives them the opportunity to learn what their students are learning, from word problems to complex calculations. They will have access to the evidence-informed curricula their schools are using.

For the first time, we will also train after-school programs, where educators help students with homework. Groups like Boys and Girls Clubs and YMCAs offer affordable after-school tutoring, and local groups will be working with their school districts to make sure students are getting the help they need.

This program also offers digital math accelerators for K-8, with online opportunities aligning individual work with state math standards. This is for students who work better on their own, who may only need to focus on one or two concepts, or who don’t have access to tutoring. The state will share the program to every interested student. We also will train future teachers of elementary or math-focused classes and will train preschool teachers how to teach numeracy, guiding our youngest students toward understanding math concepts. CDE will publish a list of evidence-informed curricula for schools to consider. Ninth-graders will have access to specific interventions, and schools that have fallen behind will have extra math help. The bill will reach about 36,000 educators and 3,000 teachers-in-training. Some 51 districts and 523 schools will be targeted and about 50,000 students will have meaningful after-school tutoring, setting up students for success.

– Rep. Barbara McLachlan, D-Durango