The Durango Telegraph, April 28, 2022

Boring our interns to tears since 2002

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April 28, 2022 Vol. XXI, No. 17 durangotelegraph.com

inside

T H E

O R I G I N A L

I N D I E

W E E K L Y

L I N E

O N

D U R A N G O

&

B E Y O N D

Hanging at Hoover

The new hot spot?

Main attraction

Monument to human ingenuity inches toward obsolescence p7

Rico land sale bubbles with possibilities – and limitations p8

At last, there’s life in the old Irish Embassy building p11

LPEA ANNUAL MEETING Thursday, May 12, 2022, 5:00 p.m.

LPEA Durango Truck Barn (Bodo Park) or via Zoom

Join us to learn more about LPEA’s major 2021 accomplishments. Snacks!

Door prizes! Live Q&A session.

More at: lpea.coop/annual-meeting.

www.lpea.coop | (970) 247-5786

(Advertise in the Telegraph.)

To learn more about our golden advertising opportunties, email: telegraph@durangotelegraph.com or call 970-259-0133

2 n April 28, 2022

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lineup

4

4 La Vida Local

Punk survivors An unforgettable evening with ’90s counterculture heroes Jawbeaker

4 Thumbin’ It

by Kirbie Bennett

5 Word on the Street 6 Soapbox

7

Ear to the ground: “I respect private property, for the most part.”

– One man’s philosophy on trespassing

Hold your fire

thepole

RegularOccurrences

It doesn’t appear weather conditions will line up this spring for a prescribed burn on Animas City Mountain, intended to create a buffer around the City of Durango.

“It may be unlikely we burn this spring at this point, but we haven’t called it off yet,” Ian Barrett, fire management specialist for the Bureau of Land Management, said. “We’re remaining optimistic favorable conditions will develop.”

7 Land Desk

Troubled water Hoover Dam: a monument to human know-how and bravado

8 Top Story

by Jonathan Thompson / Land Desk

10 State News 11 About Town

8

12-13 Stuff to Do

Is Rico going to be the next new ritzy resort destination? Not quite ...

13 Ask Rachel

Hot plans

by Jonathan Romeo

14 Free Will Astrology 15 Classifieds

11

15 Haiku Movie Review

Main attraction

On the cover: The first paintbrush flowers of the season add a pop of color to a recent desert hike./ Photo by Alex Krebs

Toy store and more opens in old Irish Embassy spot

by Elizabeth Barrett & Scarlett Moore Animas High School interns

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EDITORIALISTA: Missy Votel missy@durangotelegraph.com ADVERTISING SALES: telegraph@durangotelegraph.com STAFF REPORTER: Jonathan Romeo jonathan@durangotelegraph.com

T

he Durango Telegraph publishes every Thursday, come hell, high water, beckoning singletrack or monster powder days. We are wholly owned and operated independently by the Durango Telegraph LLC and

STAR-STUDDED CAST: Kirbie Bennett, Elizabeth Barrett, Scarlett Moore, Lainie Maxson, Rob Brezsny, Jonathan Thompson, Jesse Anderson and Clint Reid

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PHONE: 970-259-0133

friend or dog, we will accept full responsibility in a public flogging in the following week’s issue.

Although “free but not easy,” we can be plied with schwag, booze and flattery.

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Prescribed burns are one of the most effective tactics to reduce the threat of a larger, out-of-control wildfire. Just on the northwest edge of Durango, the 700-acre planned fire on Animas City Mountain was seen as a way to create a buffer and protection around the city itself.

But the weather so far this spring has made lighting a prescribed fire too dangerous, Barrett said. Fuels (such as dead grass and vegetation) on the ground are too dry, trees have yet to green up and, oh, the wind. That horrible, horrible windy wind.

“We have parameters for this prescribed fire that serve as the roadmap; so it’s not a judgment call,” Barrett said. “But the right conditions just haven’t been there. And of course that burn is so central, the stakes are obviously high.”

It’s no secret that wildfires are threatening communities across the West at a more alarming rate (and year-round now, it seems). And the City of Durango is no exception: during the 416 Fire in 2018, there was the real possibility of the wildfire moving into town.

According to the Colorado State Forest Service, around 53,800 people in La Plata County – about 97% of the population – live in a cross section where humans have built in forests, known as the wildland-urban interface.

In recent years, though, there has been a robust effort to create barriers and protections in vulnerable areas. The Animas City Mountain burn is by far the BLM’s most ambitious project, which is why it is so important to be extra cautious, Barrett said.

“There is, of course, an element of the unknown with fire (even prescribed fires),” Barrett said. “And it’s something we take extraordinarily seriously.”

Conditions need to line up by mid-May – after that, the BLM can’t ignite a prescribed fire due to protections for migratory birds. In that case, the agency will start to look toward fall 2022 or spring 2023.

“There’s not a lot of pressure to move forward,” Barrett said. “But it has to be within a set of parameters, so we’ll be ready in the fall or following spring if conditions don’t materialize.”

April 28, 2022 n

3

opinion

LaVidaLocal Survival never goes out of style With one foot in the past, guitarist and vocalist Blake Schwarzenbach steps forward on stage and announces, “Hi. We’re Jawbreaker from the future.”

When Jawbreaker released its major label debut “Dear You” in 1995, its jagged compositions and cacophonic distortion were broadly met with deaf ears and question-mark faces. Aside from the silent indifference of its major label overlords, their former fans in the punk scene only responded with accusations of “selling out.” Left in the abyss of abandonment, the band eventually dissolved in the summer of 1996.

Over time, that once-whispered album has gained long-overdue appreciation from the music scene. So much so that in recent years, after the wounds healed, it has compelled the band to reunite and tour – which explains how I found myself at Denver’s Fillmore Auditorium with tickets to see the band for two nights in April.

On the first night before I head in, the glowing digital marquee promoting the lineup has one burned out screen, creating a gap in the band’s poster. Maybe this marquee has been in this state for a while now, but I smile sympathetically at the way misfortunes follow this band during its peaks.

When I discovered Jawbreaker in the early 2000s, it had a mythical, controversial status within the punk scene. My heart magnetically connects to those artists who break identity and boundaries, even if it means going down in flames.

So when I found out “Dear You” was the record hated by dogmatic punks, I instantly sought it out.

In 2004, the band’s drummer, Adam Pfahler, was able to reissue the album on his own label, and I devoured it for days, obsessing over the songwriting. Eventually, I would dive into the back catalog which was just as rich, but “Dear You” became the one etched into my chest.

As much as the band devotes its time gazing into the void of suffering, the first show started off with some more optimistic songs. “The Boat Dreams on The Hill,” off 1994’s “24 Hour Revenge Therapy,” tells the story of a derelict boat yearning for a sense of purpose, “missing fishy flutter on its rudder.” And backed by Chris Bauermeister’s buoyant basslines, the sing-along chorus has everyone shouting back: “I wanna be a boat / I wanna learn to swim / Then I’ll learn to float / Then begin again.” In the crowd we throw our hands in the air, reaching for every noisy note like the anchor the band has always been for us.

With barely a moment to breathe, the band began the brooding palm mutes that start “Save Your Generation,” the opening track to “Dear You.” Speaking of anchors, this song is one that has always been life support for me. In the first verse, Blake sings, “There’s a million open windows / I’m passing these open windows / Keep passing these open windows” – a life-affirming refrain taken from John Irving’s novel “The Hotel New Hampshire.”

The palm mutes build to a moment of silence where lonely guitar chords are strummed, followed by a quick drum fill before they dive into the propulsive chorus. I’m overwhelmed with painful joy at this point. “If you could save yourself, you could save us all / Your leap of faith could be a well-timed smile / Survival never goes out of style.” As I sing these lyrics, I think of friends no longer around and how

I wish they were still here to experience this bliss. Josie, Sondra, John – there are too many headstones to recount. Would they have lived longer if we sang these words a little louder? I’ll never have the answer, but I feel like if I shout harder tonight, chanting those words back to the stage, maybe for a moment I can bring them back.

Speaking of friends to hold on to, my friend Dylan joined me for the second show. Though he’s planted roots in Colorado now, Dylan grew up in Jawbreaker’s stomping grounds of the Bay Area. The band keeps him tethered to that home, to that particular lifetime. And it makes me think of what American poet Hanif Abdurraqib once said when reflecting on live music: “People are experiencing one thing simultaneously, but approaching it with a unique set of feelings.” But regardless of what memories are dizzying up the heads and hearts of everyone in the crowd, we all equally roar with joy when the band begins the second night with “Boxcar,” from “24 Hour Revenge Therapy.” The song’s a playful middle finger to the dogmatism of punk rock. Youthful rebellion comes to life as we sing.

I recall a summer night in 2003 sitting in my bedroom reading the latest issue of Punk Planet.

There was an article by Chicago writer Jessica Hopper titled, “Emo: Where the Girls Aren’t.” Years before even more disturbing actions would be called out, Hopper was reckoning with the rampant misogyny within the punk and emo subculture. During the righteous rage directed at bands adorning the walls of Hot Topic and the lineups of the Warped Tour, she also highlighted a handful of redeeming bands – one of which was Jawbreaker, writing: “In Jawbreaker songs, women had leverage, life spirit and agency. Sometimes the women were friends or a sister, not always a girl to be bedded or dumped. They were unidealized, realistic characters.”

A song like “Accident Prone,” which the band played both nights, encapsulates Hopper’s statement. It’s an epic six-minute journey through grief and isolation with poetic and nuanced lyrics that break the traditional male gaze, allowing the listener, regardless of identity, to connect it to their distress.

There’s live footage of the musician Julien Baker covering this song on piano. As much as I adore getting lost in the earthquake guitars of the band’s original recording, there are many days (and many nights) when I have Baker’s piano cover on repeat. There’s no turning back when Julien sings, “I learned your name without words / I used my eyes and not my hands.”

After the last song on the last night, when our hopes for another encore are dashed by the blinding lights, it takes a while for the spell to break. Dylan and I follow the crowd outside, leaving the womb-warmth of the venue. We are orphans again under a starless night. As we search for food, I realize that, given how graceful the band’s raw music and message have aged, this is more than nostalgia.

Jawbreaker’s a band to feel good about growing old with. And yet as thrilling as this experience has been, more eventful things lie ahead. My co-conspirator and I are working on exciting things, and Dylan’s embarking on a new life journey. Maybe Jawbreaker is from the future and they’ve blessed us. Poets of the night we all are, I take a bite of midnight pizza, and I look forward to the promise of Saturday’s sunrise.

Thumbin’It The new Animas High School building on track for an October opening. The downside? According to our AHS interns, the windows won’t open in the new building and, suffice to say, they don’t think teenagers smell all that great...

Dr. Anthony Fauci saying this week that the U.S. is officially “out of the pandemic phase.” Well, that was… certainly an interesting experience.

A New York judge holding Donald Trump in contempt for not complying with a subpoena in relation to a probe over the former president’s business dealing and fining him $10,000 a day. That’s a lot of Trump steaks.

4 n April 28, 2022

– Kirbie Bennett

SignoftheDownfall: The Colorado Department of Agriculture reporting that the avian influenza was found in a backyard poultry operation in La Plata County. That doesn’t mean, um, we’re back in the pandemic phase?

Colorado Parks & Wildlife Director Dan Prenzlow forced to go on administrative leave after making a “back of the bus” comment to a black staffer at a conference. Yeah, making a joke out of the whole Rosa Parks/segregation thing isn’t the best way to warm up a room.

The continued deterioration of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, with Ukrainian forces and civilians under siege at a steel plant in Azovstal, Russia cutting off gas supplies to Europe and Putin still being a huge D.

telegraph

Easter Funday Some mom went to an elementary school in Austin, Texas, last week and handed out plastic eggs stuffed with condoms instead of candy. It was an honest mistake, because the mom was a pharmacist who’d just come from a safe-sex seminar and got the eggs mixed up. But yet another Bush spawn didn’t see it that way.

George “P.” Bush, who’s running for AG, took to Twitter to call out the “radicalized leftist parents exploiting our children,” but he missed the irony given that we’d all be better off if this confused bunny hopped around Texas permanently.

WordontheStreet

Q

With Elon Musk buying Twitter, The Telegraph asked: “If you had all the money in the world, what would you buy?”

Frankie

"College for people who couldn’t afford it."

Brent

"Tesla, the whole company. I think I’d show Elon Musk."

Matt

"I’d buy a town; that’d be pretty cool."

Robby

"Lots of cats."

Isabella

"I would probably buy all the oil companies right now so I could fix that issue."

telegraph

April 28, 2022

n

5

SoapBox

D-Tooned/by Rob Pudim

Lonely hearts club

I sincerely enjoyed (ruefully laughed along and pitiably empathized with) Michael Jennifer’s recent article, “Dating in Durango.”

I couldn’t find any direct links to the author via the eTele or across social media by which to send my thanks/commiseration/laughter/appreciation.

Michael – shining a public spotlight on your love life took tremendous courage. Your sense of humor is a testament to your resilience!

While I haven’t suffered any accidental nudes, I have self-inflicted my own dating debacles (such as the time I accidently bungled two dates on the same day, winding up with both eligible bachelors seated to my right and left simultaneously at one coffee shop table).

Candace Bushnell and Chelsea Handler got nothin’ on me!

At any rate, from one Jennifer to another, take heart, and may you find lots to laugh at and less to mourn as the search unfolds. The quest is both epic and worthy.

Every time I don’t find “the one,” I rediscover myself and am reminded that I am the only person I will definitely spend the rest of my life with no matter what. Which means my relationship with me had better be the best one of all.

I close with a deep bow of gratitude to

you and to the Telegraph!

– Jenny Mason, Durango Editor’s note: “Dating in Durango” was written under the pseudonym Michael Jennifer to protect the identity of the author, and, you know, all the women he encounters (including the “accidental nude” chick). We do, however, hope to receive reports from Mr. Jennifer’s escapades on a more regular basis.

Talk is cheap The Red Cross was unsuccessful in bussing out Ukrainians in the eastern coastal section during the time Russia was killing women and children and destroying the entire countryside. After the horrific carnage, Russia left to get a fresh batch of warriors, and there was a safer time frame to bus out surviving women and children. Didn’t happen.

The next Russian convoy could have been easy pickings on the road to neutralize. Again, didn’t happen. Instead, newer troops successfully set up with a commander known for using chemical weapons in areas of Syria. Recently, Russia set off a missile from a silo to warn us of using long-range nuclear missiles next.

The United Nations is still allowing Putin to have a limited presence. There is a U.N. relief commercial with a celebrity, Kate Blanchard, pleading for donations.

Really?

Although I have noble family members that sacrificed injury and deaths for our

country, I watch in utter amazement at the current strategies, without our troops in battle, used to try to defeat Russia. I get it that our military is war weary of using our brave troops, but if Ukraine asks for weapons, please double the amount each time and help their heroic fighters nip this war in the bud.

If our nation seriously wants to have a democracy in Ukraine, a continued

democracy in the U.S. and sustain a peaceful atmosphere in the surrounding NATO countries: Instead of a slow and agonizing Russian victory plus new openings for an autocratic way of life elsewhere, show our super strength, America, and don’t just talk. Talk is cheap unless you act on it for all the world powers to witness.

– Sally Florence, Durango

Spring into action with Fahrenheit Coffee – by the cup or the bag 1099 Main Ave., under the big clock Mon.- Thurs., 7:30am-3pm and Fri., 7:30am-1pm

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LandDesk

Hitting up Hoover Monument to human ingenuity inches toward obsolescence

by Jonathan Thompson

T

he altostratus clouds flatten the light and cast an eerie pall over the crumpled and craggy earth. They’ve been my constant – and only – companion since I left Los Angeles and drove across the vast expanse of the Mojave Desert. I haven’t seen many humans today, just cars and the spiky humanoid Joshua trees with their funky dance poses, so it’s a bit of a shock when I must roll down the window and talk to the security guy.

“Any firearms in the vehicle, sir?”

“Nope.”

And, just like that, he lets me through to drive across the 726-ft.-high Hoover Dam. “Why a firearm?” I wonder. “How am I going to hurt a dam with a gun? They really should see if I’m toting a climate changeinduced megadrought or alfalfa fields – things that really could mess up a reservoir.”

I brim with anticipation. I make it a point to visit Glen Canyon Dam at least yearly, but I’ve been to its older, downstream cousin only once in my life. I was 12, and my Aunt Ruthie and Uncle Ernie took my cousin Emily and me to see the wonders of the Southwest: Phoenix, El Centro, the Salton Sea, Oceanside, Anaheim, Las Vegas. After a few days at Circus Circus, we headed homeward, stopping at the dam for a gander, but I only barely remember it. I guess it didn’t make much of an impression.

This time is different. Maybe I’ve grown less jaded with age or more sensitive to a certain type of grandeur. As I roll onto the dam, I’m overwhelmed by the scale. Everything is so big – the rocks, the transmission towers, the intake structures, the bridge, everything.

It’s all so massive I can feel it, as if it exerts its own gravitational pull.

Can the people crowding the sidewalks on either side of me sense it, too? I’m eager to get out of my car to see, but the parking lots on the Nevada side are all full, so now I’m in a line of cars crawling across the dam. We enter Arizona and start climbing up the other side. Somewhat frantically, I veer into a parking lot, pull into the only free spot, get out of my cocoon, stretch my legs, gape.

I pick a path and stroll toward the brutalist monolith, trailing a man and a woman, he wearing a leather vest and cowboy hat, she in pink velour sweats, a cigarette dangling precariously from her lips. The crowds thicken as I get to the dam itself. It’s January 2022 and COVID-19 is still a bigger concern than high gasoline prices.

People seem to be moving around in distinct herds. A young couple gazes at a pillar of concrete while the woman, probably an engineer, describes its purpose. I try to eavesdrop but the din is too much. Four cars, Ferraris maybe or Lamborghinis, with

20-something bros at the wheels, inch across the dam as even younger bros gawk. Later, I’ll look it up just to see: $100 per hour to rent a Lambo from Dream Exotics Las Vegas.

Also, just to know: How much does the dam weigh? The answer: 6.6 million tons.

A Bureau of Reclamation history of Hoover Dam tells me the sleek, pale shield wedged between Black Canyon’s walls belongs in the pantheon of global monuments, along with the Colosseum, the Parthenon, Cliff Palace and the Great Pyramids. Its construction, beginning in 1931, certainly was a monumental feat for the 5,000 workers who swarmed the desert for five years. I read one paragraph in the history several times to make sure I have the grisly details right: “In the diversion tunnels the problem was even worse. Temperatures underground often reached as high as 140 degrees. Heat prostration became a deadly problem, killing one worker every two days during the summer of 1933. In July 1933, three women, wives of workers, died at the Cape Horn camp from heat prostration.”

Apparently fellow workers would drag the dead from Nevada into Arizona, since that state paid higher death benefits.

Eugene C. La Rue, the engineer tasked by the U.S. Geological Survey to locate dam sites on the Colorado River system, wasn’t too keen on the notion of a dam being built here.

Oh, he was in favor of a dam. He wanted a lot of them – even forwarding proposals to plug the river at the confluence of the Green and Grand (Colorado) rivers (inundating Moab) and on the San Juan River just below Chinle Wash (inundating Bluff). But he wanted the big one, the first one, to be constructed at Glen Canyon, on the big bend just above Lee’s Ferry.

But the powers that were, including thenInterior Secretary Albert Bacon Fall and L.A. water czar William Mulholland, wanted the dam to be much farther downstream, near the town of Las Vegas (population 2,300 in 1920). And so it would be, much to La Rue’s dismay. The ropy, sun-baked La Rue’s assertions that the Colorado River Compact was based on wildly overestimated flows were also ignored. Eventually he got fed up and resigned from the USGS. But before you feel bad for him, consider what his job entailed: boating the San Juan, the Colorado and the Green when they were all still wild and free and silty, oh so silty.

Capturing that silt was one of the main reasons to build a dam. Flood control was the primary purpose, and banking the capricious flows of the Colorado, holding back water during generous years and releasing it when the river gets stingy, was secondary, with power production coming in a distant fourth. Later, Lake Mead also became the source for most of Las Vegas’ water. But yes, Hoover Dam originally was built partly to

keep up to about 300 tons per year of the Colorado Plateau from flowing downstream where it would clog up irrigation canals.

The dam did its job splendidly: 15 years after water began backing up behind it, some 1.4 million acre feet of silt had accumulated in the reservoir. Glen Canyon Dam, completed in 1963, cut off about 90% of the sediment flow, saving Lake Mead from an even siltier future. Still, in the zone where the rushing Colorado River transforms into a stagnant Lake Mead, sediment is piled as high as 300 feet deep.

Hoover Dam also served its other purposes well, at least for several decades. But over the past 20 years, withdrawals from the Lake Mead “bank” have outpaced deposits, and the reservoir is shrinking. Last year, the surface level dropped below 1,075 feet in elevation, triggering the first tier of water cuts for downstream states. And for every foot the reservoir drops, the power-generating capacity of the dam’s turbines declines.

I find a relatively quiet spot, away from the spectacle of conspicuous consumption, and gaze out at the reservoir and the cliffs on either side. The 160-foot-high bathtub ring, almost bleach white, makes a stark contrast to the nearly black stone. The penstock intake towers rise up from the dark emerald water like art-deco era Manhattan skyscrapers submerged by rising seas. They weren’t intended to be seen, to be gazed upon like this by infrastructure voyeurs like me.

Upstream and around the corner, Las Vegas’ “third straw” – a new, much deeper water intake – is online. It and the accompanying pumping plant cost about $1.4 billion

telegraph

to build. It’s a lot, but worth it to hold onto the ability to draw from the shrinking pool for another couple of decades. The dam’s power plant was modified a while back, too, allowing it to continue to generate power until the lake drops to 950 feet –‫ ؘ‬100 feet lower than the old minimum power pool.

Sometimes, I think, humans can engineer their way out of a crisis. Or at least delay its worst effects. But then, Lake Mead’s shrinkage is merely a symptom of a much larger calamity, one that can’t be tackled with machines or technology or billions of dollars. The only way out of it is with restraint, but it may be too late for that.

I take a few pictures, watch a family of bighorn sheep below on the lake’s bleached shore. They peer back at me and my fellow bipeds. I amble toward my car, reluctantly toward the long drive ahead of me, and pass by the opening to a huge concrete-lined tunnel.

I am unable, for a moment, to discern its purpose. It drops too steeply to be some sort of access portal for people or vehicles besides extreme skateboarders. Then I get it: It’s the spillway. When the reservoir threatens to overflow the dam, it escapes via this tunnel, dropping rapidly to the river far below.

It’s beautiful in the way functional structures can be. And yet, it no longer serves any real function – and never will – except, perhaps, as a reminder of what was. And as a monument to human arrogance.

The Land Desk is a newsletter from Jonathan P. Thompson, longtime journalist and author of “River of Lost Souls,” “Behind the Slickrock Curtain” and “Sagebrush Empire.” To subscribe, go to: www.landdesk.org.

April 28, 2022 n 7

TopStory

The town of Rico, sitting at an elevation of 9,000 feet between Dolores and Telluride, remains one of the least developed towns in the San Juans. Recently, a developer has proposed the possibilty of a new hot springs resort./ Courtesy photo

Next major resort town?

Let’s put the brakes on declaring Rico the new Pagosa or Glenwood Springs

by Jonathan Romeo

R

ecently, you may have seen headlines in the news proclaiming that the small mountain town of Rico could become Colorado’s next major hot springs resort destination, á la Pagosa Springs or Glenwood Springs.

And, like most of the people in Rico, you may have freaked out a little bit.

“People were outraged when they saw that in the news,” Benn Vernadakis, a Rico town trustee, said. “We were horrified with the prospect of a development like that.

Everyone was freaking out.”

Vernadakis is referring to an April 6 article in The Denver Post entitled “Could spot on Dolores River be Colorado’s next hot springs destination?” after an Arizona development company listed 1,200 acres in and around Rico for sale, pitching the property as a place for a new hot springs resort.

Many town officials and residents, however, say a project of that scale is not even possible, given restraints with topography, the lack of infrastructure (like sewer) in town and the biggie: water rights for all the new development. And, that’s not to men-

8 n April 28, 2022

tion Rico’s own master plan is very clear the town does not want to sell itself out to become a resort destination.

Even the firm brokering the sale, Telluride Properties, doesn’t envision Rico becoming the next Pagosa Springs or Glenwood Springs.

“Rico is a small, beautiful mountain community, and I don’t think the town would ever accommodate a large hot spring resort like Glenwood,” Eric Saunders, a broker with Telluride Properties, said. “Personally, I envision a smaller scale version of it.

But that will be up to the town and the buyer.”

Rico, a small community of about 300 people sandwiched between Dolores and Telluride, remains one of the last relatively undeveloped towns in the San Juan Mountains, perched at an elevation of 9,000 feet.

But with development pressures on mountain towns all over the West, change is happening.

So let’s take the opportunity here to put the brakes on and dive deeper.

Boiled down history Dreams of a large-scale development in Rico have been in the works for decades,

ever since the decline of mining, which dropped the population from 5,000 in the late 1890s to 300 as of today. And the one potential saving grace has been the geothermal resources under Rico’s surface.

In the 1980s, a group of investors by the name of “Rico Renaissance” started buying up old mining claims – not with plans to dig in the dirt for metals, but instead make way for more than 300 new homes, a riverside lodge, a light industrial park and, yes, a hot springs resort.

The prospect of such a development prompted residents to develop a master plan to help guide the vision of growth, which was completed and adopted in 2004. And right there, on page 2, reads, “the Rico community will preserve its traditional authentic small town character and will not allow tourism to transform the community into a typical Colorado mountain resort area.”

Rico Renaissance’s plans never came to fruition, however, after the Great Recession derailed it in 2007-08. And since then, the property sat mostly idle until it was listed for sale in April, renewed by the interest in mountain living courtesy the

telegraph

COVID pandemic.

“The pandemic shifted everyone’s outlook on the work-life balance,” real estate broker Saunders said. “We think now is a nice time for Rico to take a step in a positive direction.”

‘Possibilities are endless’ Indeed, Telluride Properties came out with a splash, going so far as hiring a PR firm out of Los Angeles to get the property in headlines across the U.S. (resulting in The Denver Post story and other coverage on TV news).

Branded as the “Silver Springs at Rico,” the website offering is sleek and chic – almost the antithesis when one thinks of Rico. Regardless, the listing offers a “one-ofa-kind development opportunity” for the 1,146-acre property, which could be turned into a hotel & resort, a new housing complex, a spa/wellness retreat or any combination of these things – “the possibilities are endless,” Saunders said.

But Saunders said the listing simply puts out a number of development scenarios as ideas. In the past few years, Saunders said Rico Renaissance changed its name to Disposition Properties, whose owners are aging

and looking to sell the land to someone with a fresh new take.

“There’s a balance of selling it for what is market price and finding a buyer who is going to be a friend to Rico,” Saunders said.

Oops, we forgot to mention – the asking price is $10 million.

Tradesies?

The property consists of a patchwork of various old mining claims, the majority on the east side of town. About 100 acres is located within Rico town limits, with the other 1,000 acres in the surrounding unincorporated Dolores County.

The most ideal scenario, Saunders said, would be for the new owner to swap the outlying lands with the Forest Service. That way, the new property owner could concentrate development close to town and preserve the surrounding mountains. And in return, the owner would receive other Forest Service land in a more developable area.

A previous example, Saunders said, was about 12 years ago when the town of Breckenridge bought 567 acres near Rico, which it ultimately traded for 52 acres of Forest Service land near Breckenridge for affordable housing.

According to old news coverage, the Forest Service expressed interest in a land swap back around 2005 with the original Rico Renaissance plan. Scott Owen, spokesman for the Forest Service, said there has been renewed interest from outside parties on the land swap, which would exchange 708 acres of land owned by the developer for 107 acres of Forest Service land, near Telescope Mountain, east of the Dolores River.

“There is not a formal proposal for a land

swap at this time,” Owen said. “There may be an informal proposal, but we do not comment or share information about nonformal proposals as a matter of policy.”

Back down to reality Realistically, a resort the size of Pagosa Springs or Glenwood Springs is not only not possible given the current infrastructure in Rico, but also is not the desire of residents. “I’m not sure how reasonable that proposal is with where our current infrastructure lies,” said Rico Town Manager Chauncey McCarthy.

For one, the new development would need water rights – not an easy get in Colorado’s complicated water law landscape.

Rico does not use water from the Dolores River; instead water users must drill wells.

McCarthy said with the current situation, there wouldn’t even be enough water to sell taps for 300 new homes (not to mention, you know, the megadrought plaguing the region).

McCarthy added the proposed figure of 300 new homes doesn’t take into consideration limitations with mountain topography – most of the 1,000 acres is located on steep hillsides. And, it should be mentioned, there’s no sewer treatment plant in Rico.

“They’ve done a great job marketing this property, but there are a lot of unknown variables,” McCarthy said. “Nothing is turnkey.”

Down with Disneyland What’s more, it appears Rico residents are opposed to any such large-scale development. While the master plan says residents are supportive of diversifying the economy and welcoming balanced growth,

one of the major goals is to “limit tourism to retain the predominant traditional small town character and avoid a predominant resort character.”

“We really value our sense of community here; it’s the most important thing we have,” Barbara Betts, who has lived in Rico since 1987 and is a former mayor, said.

“And we want this to remain a small town with small town values.”

Matt Downer, who has lived in Rico for 20 years, said given the insane real estate spike in mountain towns since the pandemic, it’s no wonder a developer would want to cash in on Rico, just 35 minutes from Telluride. Like most every mountain town across the West, Downer said Rico has changed perceptibly since the pandemic, especially with the influx of remote workers.

“You can’t blame people for wanting to live in a beautiful place, but what obligations does a community have to keep that growth manageable?” Downer asked. “It’s a shock to the system, for sure. It’s a little scary.”

Vernadakis, the trustee who has lived in town since 1995, said the proposal would essentially double the size of Rico, and the town doesn’t have the infrastructure or the public support.

“We’re a bedroom community, and we really like the way it is,” he said. “We have Disneyland right over the hill in the form of Telluride.”

A better way?

Since it was listed in early April, Saunders said the property has generated a lot of interest from potential buyers, some as far as London. Tours of the land will start this summer, and he expects the property to sell

by the end of this year.

“Anyone that comes to our door will likely be more sophisticated and understand this development won’t happen overnight,” Saunders said. “They’ll have to work with the town … and work through a lot of those issues.”

Saunders, for his part, has lived in the area for more than three decades and owns property in Rico. He, too, believes at the end of the day, most of the land will be preserved and development will be focused near town.

“That’s the likely outcome, we hope,” he said.

Indeed, one potential buyer that has expressed interest is Montezuma Land Conservancy. Travis Custer, executive director of the conservancy, said they are in the early stages of work with the town of Rico to come up with solutions that would protect open space but also bolster the community (e.g. affordable housing).

“We’re hoping for a conservation outcome,” he said. “This needs to be a community-centered project. A lot of what we’re interested in is how the town of Rico wants to see itself develop.”

For longtime Rico residents, the specter of major development has been a constant ever since the early mining days. But through it all, Rico has been able to retain its sense of community.

“There’s significant challenges to building in and around Rico that other deep pockets have attempted to exploit to no avail,” Downer said. “Time will tell; maybe they can crack the code. But I think it’s a little nerve-racking for a lot of local residents.”■

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9

StateNews

An extra $400? Sure, why not Polis plans to speed up tax refund; Republicans call out election-year move

by Bente Birkeland & Megan Verlee Colorado Public Radio

G

overnor Jared Polis wants to change how quickly – and in what amounts – Coloradans receive their upcoming TABOR tax refunds.

Polis is currently backing a bill to send taxpayers rebates – $400 for individuals or $800 for couples – this summer, instead of next spring.

To be eligible for the earlier payout, people must file their 2021 state taxes before the end of May. Colorado currently uses a sliding scale that refunds more money to higher-income earners. Under the new bill, it would be a flat rate. The result is that people in the lowest income bracket – those making under $47,000 a year – would get an extra $124, while everyone in higher brackets would see a reduction in their expected refund from this pot of money.

Under the old system, the highest-earning taxpayers could have gotten up to $871 for single filers, depending on how much income they reported.

The bill, which lawmakers expect to introduce shortly, only affects the current TABOR refund, not payouts in future years.

The state government is paying refunds, because it’s collecting more tax money than it’s allowed to spend under the Taxpayers Bill of Rights. A strong economy last year has put state revenues about $2.2 billion above the TABOR cap, which limits state revenues to inflation plus population growth. This early TABOR payout would account for about $1.46 billion of that sum.

This leaves hundreds of millions in refunds still to be paid next year. That remaining sum will be distributed by reducing income taxes by a fraction of a percent, along with exemptions for senior and veteran property owners,

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Colorado Gov. Jared Polis wants to refund taxpayers this summer, instead of next spring. Republicans are calling it a move to win favor in the November election./ Hart Van Denburg/CPR News and an additional smaller round of tiered sales-tax refunds.

“This last year has been difficult,” said Polis, announcing the proposal on the west steps of the State Capitol on Monday, surrounded by Democratic lawmakers and officials. ”Rising prices, gas at $4 a gallon, groceries costing more – rather than sit on this money, we know that $400 will help people now.

“I think one of the biggest challenges that people face is the cost of everything going up,” Polis said. “And really the best thing that I think that the state can do with our healthy surplus that we have because of our strong economy is immediately move up tax refunds and get ‘em out.”

Republicans were quick to blast the move; they accused the Democrats who support the bill of hypocrisy, since many have argued in the past that this money would be better kept by Colorado and spent on state services. And Republicans noted that people would receive the checks weeks before ballots are mailed out for the fall midterm election, when Polis and other leading Democrats are up for re-election.

“For years, these same Democrats have worked to undermine TABOR and fought to increase fees and taxes on everyday Coloradans,” said a statement from Colorado Republican Party Chair Kristi Burton Brown. “However, I’m pleased to see their apparent change of heart, even if it is

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10 n April 28, 2022

telegraph

clearly just an election-year game.”

Republican Rep. Matt Soper said he was a bit conflicted about the bill because on the one hand he wants to get the money in people’s pockets earlier than next spring, but he said it looks a lot like buying votes.

Another leading conservative noted how odd the whole thing seemed.

“Taxpayers voted to prevent Democrats from taking their TABOR refunds,” Michael Fields, the president of the conservative group Advance Colorado Institute, said. “But now, those same Democrats want credit for those refunds.

Election-year politics just keeps getting stranger.”

Fields was referring to Prop CC, a 2019 ballot measure that would have let the state hold onto excess tax revenues to fund education. Polis and other Democratic leaders supported it, but it failed with voters by seven points.

Polis dismissed the idea that the election has anything to do with the latest TABOR policy. Instead, he said this moment in time calls for this action.

“Obviously there’s gonna be, you know, cynics who decry it,” Polis said. “But I think that the real question I put to them is, ‘why do you think the government should hold on to your money for another nine months?’”

For more from Colorado Public Radio, visit www.cpr.org

AboutTown

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Cristina Grave, owner of Durango Treasures, which recently opened in the old Irish Embassy Pub spot on the corner of Main Avenue and Ninth Street. Grave opened the store after seeing a need for expanded offerings at her other store down the block, Twilight Toys./ Photo by Scarlett Moore

Discovering Durango Treasures What happened to the old Irish Embassy Pub building?

by Elizabeth Barrett & Scarlett Moore Animas High School interns

pan out their treasures in the cave’s trough of running water. “A lot of people love to have an extra attraction, something for the kids to do,” Grave fter the Irish Embassy Pub, anexplained. “It’s not just for the kids or other COVID casualty, closed the adults; it’s for the whole family.” in September 2020, its iconic Durango Treasures only occupies location was put up for rent. At the the upstairs space, which took 3½ beginning of this year, passersby months to renovate. The mining cave began to notice new activity in its was built where the pub’s dishwasher long-vacant windows, and on April 2, used to be. Grave recounts, “We did a store called Durango Treasures offihave to do a lot of remodeling. The cially opened to take the pub’s place. counter was huge, and there were Out of curiosity, we went down to walls everywhere that we needed to chat with the owner, Cristina Grave, knock down, just to make more room a six-year Durango resident who also … It took us from the end of Decemowns Twilight Toys, in the 600 block ber all the way to April 2.” of Main Ave. While it may seem like a tourist Kids young and old can go prospecting for gold and Grave opened Durango Treasures fossils in the mining cave./ Photo by Scarlett Moore shop at first glance, Durango Treasures after demand for a wider selection of is also meant for Durango folks, said items grew. “Since (Twilight Toys) opened Colorado-themed kitchenware. “I’m super Grave. In fact, the store offers locals a spewe have had a lot of people coming in and excited to have this space; it’s such a beau- cial discount. “A lot of locals are coming in, asking for children’s items we don’t have tiful building!” she exclaimed. because they see a lot of things over there The crown jewel – or gem, if you will – that fit all needs, instead of just tourist stuff. the space for – like strollers, home decor, pet toys, just a little bit of everything,” she said. of Durango Treasures is a small “mining It’s been great, a lot of support from locals.” cave” in the back. It’s lit by warm LED “But our space is very limited.”

Grave is optimistic about the shop’s fuGrave was inspired to open up another “lanterns,” with walls designed to look like ture: “We love being there, and I think it’s store for more variety. Now, she sells every- real rock. The prospectors can buy a bag of going to be a great spot for the whole family thing from baby clothes and toys to unique, dirt containing either gems or fossils, and to come!” ■

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April 28, 2022 n 11

StufftoDo

Parkinson Association of the Rockies event, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Summit Church, 2917 Aspen Dr.

Thursday28

Dustin Burley plays, 5 p.m., Fur Trappers Steakhouse, 701 E. 2nd Ave.

Animas River Cleanup, 12-4 p.m., meet at Starbucks, 2817 Main Ave., at noon.

th

Durango Green Drinks, 5 p.m., 11 St. Station.

“He Lived the West We Read About” presentation, 1 p.m., Animas Museum, 3065 W. 2nd Ave.

Bingo Night, 5 p.m., Fenceline Cider, Mancos.

“School House Rock Live! Jr.” and “The Noble Gnarble,” youth theater, at 2 p.m. & 7 p.m., Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave.

Live music, 5:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave. Live music, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.

Jack Ellis Band plays, 5 p.m., Fur Trappers Steakhouse, 701 E. 2nd Ave.

Spaghetti Western plays, 6-9 p.m., 11th Street Station.

Live music, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

Lavalanche plays, 6 p.m., Durango Hot Springs.

Live music, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.

Powerhouse Trivia Night, 6:30 p.m., Powerhouse Science Center, 1333 Camino del Rio.

The Powerhouse Amplified: A Guitar Gala, opening reception 6-8 p.m., 1295 Camino del Rio, featuring music by Tyler Simmons. Exhibit celebrating the guitar’s unique history and development.

Geeks Who Drink Trivia, 8 p.m., The Roost, 128 E. College Dr.

The Chills play, 6-8 p.m., 11th Street Station.

Friday29

Community Yoga, 6-7 p.m., Yoga Durango, 1485 Florida Rd., C-201. Donations accepted.

Deadline for “Stuff to Do” submissions is Monday at noon. To submit an item, email: calendar@durangotelegraph.com

Career Symposium, 9 a.m-3 p.m., Sky Ute Casino, Ignacio. Hosted by Southwest Colorado Education Collaborative.

Stephanie and Paolo play, 7:30 p.m., Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College.

Gary Walker plays, 10 a.m.-12 noon, JeanPierre Bakery & Restaurant, 601 Main Ave. Smelter Mountain Boys play, 6-8 p.m., 11th Street Station.

Durango Wine Experience, 4 p.m., multiple locations in downtown Durango. More info at durangowine.com

Sunday01

Medieval to Metal exhibit, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Powerhouse Science Center, 1295 Camino del Rio.

Live music, 4:30-6:30 p.m., James Ranch, 33846 U.S. Highway 550.

“School House Rock Live! Jr.” and “The Noble Gnarble,” youth theater, 7 p.m., Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave.

Veterans Breakfast, 9 a.m., VFW Post 4031, 1550 Main Ave.

Donnie Johnson plays, 5 p.m., Fur Trappers Steakhouse, 701 E. 2nd Ave.

The Inouye Sisters & Piano Six-Hands play, 7 p.m., St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 910 E. 3rd Ave.

A Celebration of Story, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., Rotary Park, 1580 E. 2nd Ave. Event features storytelling, workshops, potluck, live music and more.

Ecstatic Dance with Alex Unger, 7:30-9:30 p.m., American Legion Hall, 878 E. 2nd Ave.

Terry Rickard plays, 5:30 p.m., Mancos Brewing Co. Jack Ellis & Larry Carver play, 5:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

Shitstormtrooper, Decapitation of a New Day & Paranormal Slaughter (hardcore/metal), 7:30 p.m., The Hive, 1150 Main Ave.

Live music, 5:30 p.m., The Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.

Saturday30

Freestyle Friday, weekly, 5:30 p.m., The Hive, 1150 Main Ave.

Hawk Tank Business Plan Competition, 8:30 a.m., events throughout the day. More info at fortlewis.edu/hawktank

Dan Groth’s “The Stork Version” Art Show, 6-9 p.m., Channel 37, 1129 Narrow Gauge Ave. (the alley behind 11th St. Station).

Devo Bike Swap, 9 a.m.-7 p.m., Chapman Hill.

Ru Paul’s Drag Race watch party, every Friday, 6-8 p.m., Father’s Daughters Pizza, 640 Main Ave. Cara Elizabeth plays, 6 p.m., Fenceline Cider, Mancos.

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12 n April 28, 2022

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Dandelion Festival, May 1, 2-9 p.m., Rotary Park, 1565 E. 2nd Ave. “School House Rock Live! Jr.” and “The Noble Gnarble,” youth theater, 2 p.m., Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave. Rockin’ on the River music series, 4-7 p.m., featuring Lavalanche, food trucks, local vendors and drinks. Powerhouse Science Center, 1295 Camino del Rio. Live music, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

Spring Into Summer Arts & Crafts Fair, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Bayfield Old Middle School, 110 South St.

Live music, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.

Methodist Thrift Shop “Spring Turnover” reopening, 10 a.m., 986 E. 2nd Ave.

Billy Bob Thornton & the Boxmasters play, 7:30 p.m., Farmington Civic Center.

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telegraph

AskRachel

No. 2 crimes, so long yellow license plates & foul winds Interesting fact: In honor of Earth Day, every answer uses the word “green.” So what if we forgot about Earth Day until after the fact?

Dear Rachel, I have noticed that the city has many dog drop stations along the Animas River Trail, and I think they are thinking of me in my time of need. My master takes the time to pick up after me and put my droppings in the green containers. Thank you city. But I am so mad at the city that even when my master pays taxes and tags for me that no such green containers are on Main Ave. when I go shopping. We need some place to drop our dumps on Main. The next sign to be put up for us dogs will be NO PUBLIC RESTROOM, on a post, oh I see it on doors already, da. I want to thank the businesses that provide water. I will return the favor, I hope on the trail.

– Jack (Mad Dog) Russel

Dear Rachel, Since pot is now legal in New Mexico, are we about to lose a significant chunk of our tax revenue? All those southern tourists coming up to drop the legal limit on their stash, then totally never driving back across state lines with their loot because that is illegal and wrong, brought a lot of green to Colorado. How can we recoup that?

– Looming Deficit Dear Paranoid Buzzkill, You’re looking at this all wrong. Now, New Mexicans can just stay home, making our streets a safer place, and prettier too, because it’s hands-down truth that Colorado has the more tasteful and aesthetically pleasing license plates, especially the classic green ones. Our brethren in places like Alamosa might feel the financial burn, but I will trade some tax revenue to Keep Durango Colorado any day.

– Being blunt, Rachel

Email Rachel at telegraph@durangotelegraph.com

Dear John Russ, Dogs gonna doo what dogs gonna doo. There are no problem dogs – only problem people. Yes, by all means, put green bags and drop boxes on Main. But you’re going to have to reeducate the populace that their dog is not some golden goose laying golden eggs, and warm sculptures don’t aid the Creative District. Or else we need to reassign the meter maids to a more glorious duty.

– I said duty, Rachel

Dear Rachel, With the spring wind comes a question of ownership. If a neighbor’s garbage blows into my yard, does it cease to belong to my neighbor and become my responsibility? Or is it still theirs, in which case, do I need to grant permission for them to come claim it? Or are they free to trespass to reclaim their relocated possessions?

– Gusty Relationship

Dear Gus, I think the most civil of all possible responses is to take your neighbor’s trash and put it gently into bags.

Load up these bags in the back of your Subaru and/or Tacoma. Then, in the dead of night, pile these bags up against your neighbor’s front door in such a way that they will tumble inward when your neighbor opens the door. If you’re short on bags, your local park should have some little green ones available, free of charge.

– Easy breezy, Rachel

Monday02

Live music, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave. Live music, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave. nd

Intro Aikido class, 6-8 p.m., DSBK Aikido, 121 W. 32 St. #B, free and open to the public.

Tuesday03

Wednesday04

Community Day, free entrance to Powerhouse Science Center, 1295 Camino del Rio. Sip & Shop 4 the Children, 4:30-6:30 p.m., Lively Boutique, 809 Main Ave. 15% of proceeds will be donated to 4 the Children, a local nonprofit serving abused and neglected children in the five-county region. 4thechild.org Open Bluegrass Jam, every Wednesday, 5-8 p.m., 11th St. Station.

Great Decisions 2022 talk, 11:45 a.m.-1:45 p.m., topic is industrial policy, more info at lwvlaplata.org

Live music, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

Live music, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

Live music, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.

Live music, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.

Author Anne Hillerman book signing, 6 p.m., Rochester Secret Garden, 726 E. 2nd Ave.

Durango Elks Lodge Pub Trivia, 6:30 p.m., Durango Elks Lodge, 901 E. 2nd Ave. Non-members welcome.

Ongoing

Open mic night, weekly 7:30-9:30 p.m., Moe’s Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave. Comedy Open Mic, weekly, 8 p.m., 11th St. Station.

skate and skate lessons. Waivers required. For schedule and online waiver, go to www.thehivedgo.org Shock Wave Drag Night, first and third Friday of every month, 9 p.m., Father’s Daughters Pizza, 640 Main Ave. 18+ Creativity Festivity – A Celebration of Children’s Art, Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave. Events run thru April 30, more info at durangoarts.org Graduating Senior Communication Design & Studio Art Majors, The Art Gallery at Fort Lewis College.

Exhibit runs until May 15.

Upcoming Matilda (the play), presented by the Merely Players, showings from May 6-22, more info at merelyplayers.org.

Brice Beaird performs, May 6, 7:30 p.m., Smiley Café, 1309 E. 3rd Ave. Part of Fort Lewis College’s Pop Up Performance series. www.durangoconcerts.com

Storytelling & Songwriting night, every second and fourth Thursday, 6-8 p.m., Mountain Monk Coffee, 558 Main Ave. More info at iAMmusic.us The Hive Indoor Skate Park is open, offering open

Ecstatic Dance with Plant Bass’d, May 6, 7:30-9:30 p.m., American Legion Hall, 878 E. 2nd Ave. Free legal clinic, May 13, 4-5 p.m., Ignacio Library, 470 Goddard Ave.

Deadline to submit items for “Stuff to Do” is Monday at noon.

E-mail your stuff to: calendar@durangotelegraph.com

telegraph

April 28, 2022 n 13

What Kate & Nate wear on their day off

... and you can too.

(Even if your name isn’t McKinnon. Or MacKinnon.)

In a variety of sizes for all your exploits on and off the red carpet.

(Also available in muscle T to show off your pipes.)

T-shirts: $15 Tanks: $12 Hats: $20 (plus shipping and handling)

Order yours today at: durangotelegraph.com or email telegraph@durangotelegraph.com

14 n April 28, 2022

FreeWillAstrology

by Rob Brezsny ARIES (March 21-April 19): I recommend you adopt a limitation that will enable you to claim more freedom. For example, you could de-emphasize your involvement with a lukewarm dream so as to liberate time and energy for a passionate dream. Or you could minimize your fascination with a certain negative emotion to make more room for invigorating emotions. Any other ideas? You’re in a phase when increased discipline and discernment can be liberating.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): “Imagining anything is the first step toward creating it,” wrote author and activist Gloria Steinem. “Believing in a true self is what allows a true self to be born.” Those are excellent meditations for you to focus on right now, Taurus. The time is ripe for you to envision in detail a specific new situation or adventure you would like to manifest in the future. It’s also a perfect moment to picture a truer, deeper, more robust version of your beautiful self – an expanded version of your identity that you hope to give birth to in the coming months.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Gemini author William Butler Yeats won a Nobel Prize for Literature, so I conclude he had considerable talent and wisdom. But he cultivated interests and ideas that were at variance with most other literary figures. For example, he believed fairies are real. He was a student of occult magic. Two of his books were dictated by spirits during séances. In the coming weeks, I invite you to draw inspiration from his versatile repertoire. Welcome knowledge in whatever unusual ways it might materialize. Be eager to accept power and inspiration wherever they are offered. For inspiration, here’s a Yeats quote: “I have observed dreams and visions very carefully, and am certain that the imagination has some way of lighting on the truth that reason has not, and that its commandments, delivered when the body is still and the reason silent, are the most binding we can ever know.”

CANCER (June 21-July 22): You know what’s always good for your well-being? Helping people who are less fortunate and less privileged than you.

To enhance your health, you can also fight bigotry, campaign against the abuse of animals and remedy damage to the natural world. If you carry out tasks like these in the coming weeks, you will boost your vigor and vitality even more than usual.

You may be amazed at the power of your compassion to generate selfish benefits for yourself. Working in behalf of others will uplift and nurture you. To further motivate you, here are inspirational words

from designer Santiago Bautista: “I am in love with all the gifts of the world, and especially those destined for others to enjoy.”

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): “There is a moment in each day that Satan cannot find,” wrote author and artist William Blake. Here’s how I interpret his poetic words: On a regular basis, you become relatively immune from the debilitating effects of melancholy, apathy and fear. At those times, you are blessed with the freedom to be exactly who you want to be. You can satisfy your soul completely. In the next six weeks, I suspect there will be more of these interludes for you than usual.

How do you plan to use your exalted respite from Satan’s nagging?

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Poet Louis Little Coon Oliver (1904–91) was a member of the indigenous Mvskoke people.

He declared, “I do not waste what is wild.” That might mean something different for him than what it would mean for you, but it’s an excellent principle for you to work with in the coming weeks. You will have more access than usual to wildness, and you might be tempted to use it casually or recklessly. I hope that instead you harness all that raw mojo with precision and grace. Amazingly, being disciplined in your use of the wildness will ensure that it enriches you to the max and generates potent transformative energy.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): I suspect you will have the skills of an acrobat in the coming weeks – at least metaphorically.

You will be psychically nimble.

Your soul will have an exceptional ability to carry out spry maneuvers that keep you sane and sound. Even more than usual, you will have the power to adjust on the fly and adapt to shifting circumstances.

People you know may marvel at your lithe flexibility. They will compliment you for your classiness under pressure. But I suspect the feats you accomplish may feel surprisingly easy and breezy!

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): A Tumblr blogger named Af-70 gives copious advice. From his wide selection of wise counsel, I have selected four tips that are right for your needs in the coming weeks. Please study the following counsel.

1. “Real feelings don’t change fast.” 2.

“Connect deeply or not at all.” 3. “Build a relationship in which you and your ally can be active in each other’s growth.” 4.

“Sometimes what you get is better than what you wanted.”

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22Dec. 21): Consider putting a sign on your door or a message on your social media that says something like the following: “I’ve still got some healing to do.

While I’m making progress, I’m only part-

telegraph

way there. Am open to your suggestions, practical tips and suggestions for cures I don’t know about.” Though the process is as yet incomplete, Sagittarius, I am proud of how diligent and resourceful you have been in seeking corrections and fixes. My only suggestions: 1. Be bold about seeking help and support. 2. Be aggressive about accessing your creativity.

3. Expand your imagination about what might be therapeutic.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): “To uncover what is hidden in my soul might take me a week or two,” my friend Allie told me. I told her she would be lucky if her brave and challenging exploration required such a short time. In contrast, some people I know have spent years trying to find what is buried and lost in their souls: me, for instance. There was one period of my life when I sought for over a decade to find and identify the missing treasure. According to my astrological analysis, you will soon enjoy multiple discoveries and revelations that will be more like Allie’s timeline than mine: relatively rapid and complete. Get ready! Be alert!

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): A Thai cook named Nattapong Kaweenuntawong has a unique method for cooking the soup served in his Bangkok restaurant. At the end of each night, he saves the broth for use the next day. He has been doing that daily for 45 years. Theoretically, there may be molecules of noodles that were originally thrown in the pot back in 1977. In accordance with current astrological omens, I urge you to dream up a new tradition that borrows from his approach. What experience could you begin soon that would benefit you for years to come?

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Pisces-born Casimir Pulaski (1745–79) was a Polish nobleman and military commander. As a young man, he fought unsuccessfully to free Poland from Russian domination. Driven into exile, he fled to America, arriving during the Revolutionary War with Britain in 1777. General George Washington was impressed with Pulaski’s skills, making the immigrant a brigadier general. He distinguished himself as a leader of American forces, exhibiting brilliance and bravery. For that excellence, he has been honored. But now, more than two centuries later, his identity is in flux.

DNA analyses of Pulaski’s remains suggest he was an intersex person with both male and female qualities. (Read more: tinyurl.com/PulaskiSmithsonian.) I bring this to your attention, Pisces, because the coming months will be a favorable time to question and revise your understanding of your identity. May you be inspired

by Pulaski’s evolving distinctiveness.

classifieds

Deadline for Telegraph classified ads is Tuesday at noon. Ads are a bargain at 10 cents a character with a $5 minimum. Even better, ads can now be placed online: durangotelegraph.com. Prepayment is required via cash, credit card or check.

(Sorry, no refunds or substitutions.)

Ads can be submitted via: n www.durangotelegraph.com n classifieds@durango telegraph.com n 970-259-0133 n 679 E. 2nd Ave., #E2 Approximate office hours: Mon: 9ish - 5ish Tues: 9ish - 5ish Wed: 9ish - 3ish Thurs: On delivery Fri: Gone fishing; call first

Announcements Half Price Art Show Sale!

Meet and greet Veryl Nadya Rosenbaum at The Durango Rec Center’s Friends of The Arts Hall Gallery on Saturday, April 30th from 10am to 2pm for great watercolor/digital deals - (cash or checks please.) Also, seven large posters of “The Queen of Peace” given away from the drawing on April 27th. Thanks to all who signed up and the great comments about the show.

Artist Booths Available!

For the White Rabbit Micro Market. Fri., Sat. & Sun., 5/1 - 9/30. Call 970-259-2213.

The Perfect Gift for your favorite dirtbag. Literature from Durango’s own Benighted Publications. The Desert, The Climbing Zine, The Great American Dirtbags, American Climber, Climbing Out of Bed and Graduating From College Me are available at: Maria’s Bookshop, Pine Needle Mountaineering, the Sky Store, or on the interweb at www.climbingzine.com.

HelpWanted Assistant Planning Director The Town of Silverton is looking to hire for the Assistant Town Planner Position. This is a full-time position, paying $18-$22 per hour, depending on qualifications, plus benefits. Job duties include but are not limited to: helping the Planning Director in day-to-day activities, preparing reports, overviewing submissions to the planning department, and preparing agendas and meeting minutes for the Planning Commission. For a full job description, please visit townofsilverton.colorado.gov.

Nonprofit Hiring Two Positions Wildfire Adapted Partnership seeks two part-time (30 hr/wk) positions: Admin Coord. to assist the Executive Director in

day-to-day operations and County Coord. to manage wildfire education and mitigation programs in Montezuma County. Visit www.wildfireadapted.org to view full job announcements.

Bare Hands Landscape Landscape maintenance crew positions available, 30-40 hours per week.

Transportation required. Must work well in a group setting, be able to follow direction, and be willing to learn. $17/hour. If interested please email davidmccorry@ hotmail.com, preferably with a resume.

Chief Business Development and Marketing Officer Durango, CO – Oil & natural gas company seeks a Chief Business Development and Marketing Officer - Responsible for bus dvlpmnt for the US & Canada targeting institutional clients w/ a net worth of more than $100 million incl pension funds, family offices & large money mngr; incl establishing relationships w/ potential investors in the US & Canada; presenting potential investment deals in the German market to the potential investors. To confer w/ legal staff/representatives to ensure that bus dvlpmnt strategies are within prescribed territorial guidelines. To organize & coordinate industry conferences in Germany for potential & existing investors. To conduct site visits & asset inspections for potential investors & organize meetings w/ management teams. To find & evaluate investment opportunities for US investors in Europe w/ a focus on Germany. To analyze data to improve bus decisions & mitigate against occurrences that could affect bus operations. Organizing road shows & attending industry events in Germany, i.e. travelling w/ potential investors from the U.S. & Canada to Germany in order to identify & evaluate investment opportunities. To collaborate w/ the executive team to dvlp investment opportunities for potential investors. To provide reports & make recommendations to the executive team on operational matters. To participate in strategic planning as it relates to marketing & bus dvlpmnt budget. This position is located at IKAV Energy Inc.’s Durango, CO headquarters w/ the option to telecommunicate anywhere in the US & to report electronically to the company’s Durango, CO headquarters. MIN REQ: Master’s Degree in Business Administration + 2 yr. exp. Mail re to: Cynthia Green, IKAV Energy Inc., 1199 Main Ave., Durango, CO, 81301

telegraph

Now Hiring!

PT sales associate. Beautiful environment. Art and jewelry sales exp. nec. Resume to: kgabaldon@rmi.net Dynamic Challenging Position Marketing, Education & Communications Manager at Durango Natural Foods Co-op! Full time - $18.50/hr. Please visit durangonaturalfoods.coop/employment Click Marketing Application for full Job Description and how to apply visit durangonaturalfoods.coop/employment Environmental Professional Durango-based environmental consulting firm seeks qualified environmental professional for PT position (possibly FT for right person). Applicant must have at least two years of consulting experience in CWA, ESA, NEPA or hazmat compliance work. BS/BA min. in biology, botany, geology, soil science or related field is required. Must have good written/verbal communication skills, and GIS experience is a plus. Please send resume and salary history to: smoore@smeenv.com. No phone calls please.

ForSale Reruns Home Furnishings New inventory including French provincial dresser, carved vintage Indian low table, art, awesome vintage iron bench, laps, décor and decorative pillows and more … Come in today! 572 E. 6th Ave. Open Mon.-Sat. 385-7336.

HaikuMovieReview ‘The Cleaner’ Nothing new in this dirty cop film noir but it’s beautifully shot – Lainie Maxson

Services RSE Handyman Service Home repair – yard work – odd jobs 970-903-0449 Marketing Small & Local Businesses Media, website building and content editing, copywriting and editing, newsletters, blogs, etc. for small, local, independent or startup businesses. www.forward pedal.com or email jnderge@gmail.com Harmony Cleaning and Organizing Residential, offices, commercial and vacation rentals, 970-403-6192.

Lowest Prices on Storage!

Inside/outside storage near Durango and Bayfield. 10-x-20, $130. Outside spots: $65, with discounts available. RJ Mini Storage. 970-259-3494.

BodyWork Lotus Path Healing Arts Now accepting new clients. Offering a unique, intuitive fusion of Esalen massage, deep tissue & Acutonics, 24 years of experience. To schedule call Kathryn, 970-201-3373.

Massage by Meg Bush LMT, 30, 60 & 90 min., 970-759-0199.

Wanted We Are in Hell!

We’re a young couple who has lived and been gainfully employed in Durango since 2015, but decided now was the perfect time to start looking to buy a home because we’re idiots. But, if you are selling your home and would rather sell to people who have been here long enough to know what the Arc of History is, contact us at San.Juaner1122@gmail.com Cash for Vehicles, Copper, Alum, Etc. at RJ Metal Recycle. Also free appliance and other metal drop off. 970-259-3494.

CommunityService The American Red Cross of Western Colorado announces the opening of a new Durango office at 700 Main Ave. There will be an open house Fri., April 29, 3:30 5:30 p.m. Employees and volunteers will be on hand to answer questions and share more about the American Red Cross.

Free Alzheimer’s Webinars Better understand the changes that come with the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. Registration required. To register, go to tinyurl.com/ yc7fay9k.

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