The Durango Telegraph, Feb. 22, 2024

THE ORIGINAL

the durango

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Thanks for nothing

How three simple words can go a long way

We met at The Ranch

Bringing Bach to life

Finding true love at Durango’s favorite watering hole

Using classic music, dance to bring people together

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Ranch romance

Yes – it is possible to find true love at The El Rancho by Missy Votel

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Who’s the boss?

In Wilderness, we are not in charge – which makes it so special by John Clayton / Writers on the Range

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Three small words that go a long way to change someone’s day by David Feela

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Nonverbal cues

20 Moons seeks to form human connections with latest performance by Stephen Sellers

EDITORIALISTA:

Missy Votel

missy@durangotelegraph.com

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

Ear to the ground:

“This isn’t my first covid-eo.”

– Navigating the work week and deadlines with covid requires special skills

Numb nuts?

Tired of saddle sores and chamois chafe? Well, settle in, because we’re about to have a really uncomfortable conversation. About bike seats.

“We’ve all been there. The unmistakable allure of the open road or trail, the rush of the wind against our faces, and that persistent, nagging discomfort down below. It’s an age-old grievance, the universal problem of the traditional bike seat.”

STAR-STUDDED CAST: David Feela, Missy Votel, Stephen Sellers, Rob Brezsny, Lainie Maxson, Jesse Anderson & Clint Reid

FAN MAIL ADDRESS: P.O. Box 332, Durango, CO 81302

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ster powder days. We are wholly independently owned and operated by the Durango Telegraph LLC and dis-

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On the cover Snowboarder Mike Alcott puts the “action” in “action shot” at Silverton Mountain recently./ Photo by Andy High

REAL WORLD ADDRESS: 679 E. 2nd Ave., Ste E2 Durango, CO 81301

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tributed in the finest and most discerning locations throughout the greater Durango area.

So reads the opening salvo in a press release from “revolutionary” bike seat maker VSEAT.

The idea for the noseless seat (sort of an inverted plastic catcher’s mitt) was the idea of VSEAT cofounders Ani Armstrong and her personal trainer, Bryan Visintin. According to VSEAT, the search for a comfier, coochie-friendly seat began when Ani, whose dreams of “weekend rides along a sun-kissed beach path” in California were crushed, literally. Down there.

Bryan, who had championed cycling for its health benefits, found himself facing a conundrum: How to encourage someone to ride when their lady (and man) parts feel like ground meat. Coincidentally this is something most Durangoans face every spring, but we just ride through it till “things get toughened up.”

However, according to VSEAT, this may not be the best thing. After a bit of probing (their word, not ours), the two found multiple tales and evidence of health issues stemming from traditional saddles, including genital desensitization (wait, it’s not called “toughening up?”)

After not finding anything suitable on the market, they decided to make their own seat, “a testament to innovation, passion and an unwavering commitment to ensuring every cyclist enjoys the ride, pain-free.”

According to the company, the $119 VSEAT eliminates pressure on sensitive areas thanks to an ergonomic design that distributes weight onto supportive sit bones, not soft tissue. If also claims to promote healthy blood flow and reduce pressure points leading to a pain- and numb-free cycling experience of “long, exhilarating rides where your focus is on the scenery, not discomfort.”

Now if they could just do something about the painful lungs and legs.

A fishy kind of courtesy

We stood in line while a restless school of young fish darted around us when “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” opened at the theater. We were awaiting our opportunity to purchase two tickets and hopefully find a seat close enough to the screen, so we could judge how faithfully the comic book had been translated by the movie industry into a stream of flickering images.

Our habit of arriving early was rewarded with a lively preview from the lobby, 3-to-4-foot-tall children on the sidewalk fidgeting on the other side of the aquarium-like plate glass window, anxious to get through the door. Towering at least 2 feet higher than the evening’s average movie-goer, we felt confident that the theater’s seating posed only a small risk of leaving us stuck behind a panoramic cowboy hat or a hairdo that resembled cotton candy on a stick.

Everything seemed perfect until about 20 mi nutes into the film. Pam had to visit the bathroom. She stood up, hovered for an instant like (I’m just being poetic here) a bat leaving its cave, then deftly navigated toward the back of the the ater. As I already mentioned, the place had been teeming with tadpoles, and now they were clutching huge soft drinks and buckets of popcorn at the edge of their chairs. I guessed that Pam wouldn’t return until another Aquaman sequel got released.

Two minutes later, she sat back down.

“Didn’t have to go after all?”

“No, I went,” she whispered.

We watched the rest of the film without further comment, but in the back of my mind, I wondered what kind of enchantment she had used to keep from standing in line outside the theater’s narrow two-stall restroom.

“No, they were being gracious, but I did think it strange when they stopped me as I exited the bathroom to thank ME for thanking them.”

This peculiar and uncharacteristically generous encounter between young people and (forgive me, Pam, but I am forced to use this word) an “older” person reminded me of another strange incident at a shopping mall.

I had stood in a different kind of line – a checkout line – holding a few items. As I approached the cashier, he glanced at me, almost furtively, and then started scanning the merchandise I had placed on the counter. As I watched, his computer displayed the message “Say Hello” on its screen. It sounded like a good idea, so I smiled and said “Hello.”

After the movie, we stopped for a cup of coffee, and I inquired about her bathroom trip.

“Alright Aquawoman, did you use your hydro-kinetic supernatural powers to open an inter-dimensional bathroom portal?”

“No,” she replied, “a group of girls were having so much fun talking, I think they preferred standing in the lobby to watching the movie. They let me cut in line, so I thanked them and moved to the front of the line.”

“Were they on a conference call with friends who couldn’t make it?”

Thumbin’It

Apparently, local solar arrays are making so much energy that daytime electricity needs are being met. The downside: there’s nowhere for the excess to go, forcing LPEA to put the brakes on new solar installations in the meantime.

A teacher has created a secret shelf of banned book in a Texas school. The state recently banned "sexually explicit, pervasively vulgar or educationally unsuitable books” on topics like reproductive rights and fighting racism. Because none of that exists in Texas.

NASA is looking for a few people to test out its Mars simulator for a full year. We can think of a few candidates – and they can take their new gold sneakers with them.

After a curious look and attempted smile, he took my money and nearly made the correct change. I returned the extra dollar and noticed that his computer started to display a new message: “Say Thank You.” So I did, and I headed out of the store under the scrutiny of security cameras, aware that I had probably violated an unwritten shopper’s protocol by being more cheerful than a customer should be who waited in line for nearly 10 minutes.

Not until I reached the parking lot, fumbling for my keys, did it occur to me that the messages on the computer screen appeared there as reminders for the cashier – not for me – of a customer service policy: Say “Hello” when you meet the customer and say “Thank You” once the transaction has been completed.

I felt silly for missing the point so much earlier, but I also felt a pang of exasperation that a computer had to be programmed to prompt an exchange that ought to have passed between us without the assistance of gizmos and gadgets. Clearly, my cashier had failed to perform according to company standards, but then again, would I have done any better without prompting?

Since my visit to the mall, whenever I go shopping, I try to remember to say “hello” and “thank you” when employees simply do their job. And even within the confines and safety of our home, I’ve tried to be mindful of the practice by thanking our microwave when it beeps and displays the message that “your food is ready” or as our laundry machine sounds its little electronic tune that the cycle is done.

It’s a good habit to cultivate: simple courtesy, especially if Pam stops talking to me for a day or two. Just chatting with my appliances as they beep and bing their news could make all the conversational difference.

– David Feela

SignoftheDownfall:

Russian opposition leader Alexsei Navalny’s death in a Russian penal colony known for its brutal conditions. Just glad we live in a country where we can say (or write): Putin sucks.

In the wake of legal fees, Trump is hawking $399 gold lamé “Never Surrender High-Tops,” which apparently sold out online. Guess we can expect to see lots of these at the next MAGA rally, but certainly not playing basketball – or any sport for that matter.

Dropping a knee for extreme telemark skiing pioneer and all-around badass Kasha Rigby, who died in an avalanche on Feb. 13. We’re not sure if she still teled at age 54, but if she did, extra badass points.

Little Yawn

After turning 50, divorcing and co-staring in the Superbowl halftime show, rapper Lil Jon released a guided meditation album last week titled “Total Meditation.” WHAT?! YEAH!! (please read in Lil Jon voice). Of course, everyone has been taking SHOTS! at the rapper for stepping outside his lane, but the album is quite nice, and when he’s not yelling “TAKE IT OFF,” Lil Jon is just as soothing as any wannabe guru. But personally, I’m just glad he finally addressed the question “TURN DOWN FOR WHAT?!” because nobody would’ve guessed the answer was “inner peace.”

In defense of women

Birth and death are part and parcel of our human condition. They can’t be moralized out of existence. A pregnancy is never a guarantee. This isn’t about the fate of the fetus. This is about who has the most “situational” awareness and who has the most realistic ethical moral “standing” to make that fateful decision.

A fetus certainly is human, but it’s a potentiality, a person in the making. The fetus doesn’t take on the mantle of personhood until those first breaths of life-giving air start infusing its lungs, arteries and tissues with oxygen.

In a free society, legally speaking, shouldn’t a woman deserve the right to her own self-defense – along with sovereignty over her own body?

A just society should clearly acknowledge: “A woman’s life is more precious to her existing family, and to society, than an unborn potentiality.”

Life can force impossible situations upon people; who are we to judge them? Why not some compassion for the most difficult decision in a person’s life.

It is significant that abortion is as old

as civilization, even Jewish scripture presents the Abrahamic God’s perspective on the crisis in a forgiving, humane manner.

Entrust women with the responsibility of making their own best informed choices about their own pregnancies.

– Peter Miesler, Durango

Step up for Ukraine

I know the billions already spent on aid for Ukraine is only 5% of the annual $700-800 billion given to The Department of Defense (DOD). With that amount, there could be a list of budget cuts in their own house to easily send $60 billion to Ukraine immediately.

Mike Johnson, the unseasoned and spineless Speaker of the House, is refusing to spend $60 billion for the two-year war in Ukraine, because The Donald is in charge of calling the shots. How is history going to judge a cult leader/dictator with a recent conviction of rape and fraud, having such →

Rob Pudim

unprecedented control over representatives in Congress, the Senate and almost half of the voting citizens in the USA?

Please, step up DOD. You are a bigger force than an ex-President and should take care of Ukraine’s needs. The future of our planet will thank you for this.

– Sally Florence, Durango

When to ‘git along’

Last week’s “Writers on the Range” by Ben Long was, well, a bit hard to swallow. Kind of like a cowboy dusting off after he/she managed to get bucked off a fairly predictable foal. Really, you didn’t see that coming?

The conservation community has been trying to convince ranching and farming communities for years that restoring apex predators, soils, waterways and grasslands to natural (pre-1900s) conditions is beneficial to all involved, including humans, despite their political differences. That Mr. Long is now giving some space for bears, wolves and other extirpated apex species some deference in existence is, well, kinda like someone seeing the writing on the wall.

But since Mr. Long likes to use Montana as his go-to example of cooperation, might I interject a quick reminder of who Deanna Robbins is and what she does. Robbins is a cattle rancher who, as part of United Property Owners of Montana, vehemently opposes the American Prairie Reserve. The reserve is an effort to restore a mixed-grass prairie ecosystem with migration

corridors and native wildlife (i.e. bison) to central Montana. This refuge is seen as a “liberal” attack on the “conservative” values of pulling-yourself-up-byyour-bootstraps lifestyle of the “small rancher” of Montana.

Perhaps, but more than likely, this is an effort by those owners of small ranches from days gone by when land was cheap and timing was everything, to restore some balance to the environment that we ALL are part of, but we ALL do not own.

And when Mr. Long laments that ranchers are seen as “welfare” recipients, well, I clearly remember in 1995 when Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt (yes, a radical liberal, I suppose) tried to raise the AUM (Animal Unit per Month) public lands grazing fee. It was met with unabashed resistance from the “small rancher.” This is the amount of money that a rancher has to pay for feeding his/her cow on public lands. This is the primary way small ranchers are able to survive grazing livestock in the West.

The current AUM fee for public lands in the West is $1.35. Nah, no subsidy there when you consider the infrastructure costs in public lands for maintaining roads, fire management, waterways, etc. I would challenge Mr. Long to show how many of these small ranchers are subsisting on their own lands and efforts. I suspect that they subsist on the public lands that we all enjoy and depend on. And as such, they should give more quarter to those trying to bring back a more resilient and less monoculture perspective of lands management than that of the U.S. Forest Service and

Bureau of Land Management, whose mandates were to use the public lands to the maximum extent of the public’s, i.e. humans vs. animals, benefit. It is indeed a time to get along better.

– Tim Thomas, Durango

Gizmo the Radiant

It came to me I know not from where. There it sat on the table

November 1953, a toy made in Japan; tin, with a coiled spring.

You wound wind it up and it buzzed  and blinked with little red, blue, and green lights.

When wound up, it would spin and rattle  and then slowly and quietly die down. It rusted in some cellar’s damp corner. Years later I found it in a dusty bin. I wound it up and it cried with happiness.

– Burt Baldwin, Ignacio

“We’ll print almost anything”

The Telegraph prides itself on a liberal letters policy. We have only three requests: limit letters to 500 words; letters must be signed by the writer; and thank-you lists and libelous, personal attacks are unwelcome. Send your profundities by Monday at noon to telegraph@durangotelegraph.com

We met at The Ranch

True love at El Rancho? It happens … a lot

by Missy Votel

Maybe it’s the Wild West anything-goes vibe. Or the pleather seats and medieval-looking light fixtures casting their tawdry glow. Or the cheap tequila shots and PBR, loud music or patrons packed in like sweaty, shall we say morally relaxed sardines on a Saturday night.

Whatever the draw, there’s no denying that when inhibitions – like beer funds – run low, the El Rancho Tavern is the place to go.

But aside from random hook-ups or impromptu make-out seshes in the front fishbowl window, some relationships that are kindled under the glow of the neon Ranch sign actually last longer than the ice cubes in your well drink.

In fact, there are some folks, whether jostling for a beer at the bar or scamming for a clandestine New Year’s Eve kiss (pre-pandemic, of course), who have found true love between those brick walls. Which, thankfully, can’t talk. (Yes, we know this story is a week late for Valentine’s Day. But, like finding true love, stalking folks for a good story takes time.)

To be sure, we are not talking one-night stands here. We are talking happily ever after, till death – or some other unfortunate circumstance – do us part.

And while pick-up lines, mating rituals and wooing strategies vary, there is one common theme: “I went to the Ranch to get a drink,” Lori Walsh, who met her husband, Jake, at The Ranch in 2003, said. Freshly graduated from CU and new to town, Walsh went to The Ranch with a guy friend. Did we mention she was sporting a striped tube top and bleach blonde hair?

“I was really shaping up for a win for the night,” Lori recalled.

Spying a cute guy at the bar talking to another girl, Lori made her not-so-subtle move.

“I was basically trying to get a drink,” a daunting task that anyone who has attended The Ranch on a Saturday night can sympathize with. “I pushed my way through, between them.”

Suffice to say, the stranger with the goatee (Jake) had no choice but to notice. He said hello, and from there, The Ranch cast its romantic spell.

“We ended up having lots of drinks,” Lori said. Needless to say, memories got foggy and perhaps a bit

steamy, but let’s just say things ended up at a doublewide near Elmore’s, where Lori was living at the time.

The next morning, the two bonded over hockey, a sport they both played, and proceeded “to have the same conversations we had had the night before,” Lori recalled. Unfortunately, this was the era before cell phones, when interested parties had to scrawl phone numbers, with a thing called a pen or pencil, on matchbooks or cocktail napkins. (Perish the thought, Gen Z!) Numbers were lost, irretrievable messages were left on random answering machines and weeks went by with no further love connection. Then a happenstance run-in, which involved Lori, an engineer, working outside and Jake stopping his truck in the middle of traffic, brought the two back together.

“He yelled, ‘I found your number, I want to take you out,’” Lori said.

And the rest is El Rancho history.  “We dated for seven years, got married, had our daughter Maddie and have been together for 20 years,” Lori said.

We’re not sure what The Ranch/hockey connection is – maybe it has to do with that classic Eau de Ranch, which is not unlike that of a hockey locker room – but Chelsea Reinsch, a hockey goalie, met future husband, Tim, also a hockey player, at The Ranch.

It was New Year’s Eve 2003, and Chelsea, 21 at the time, went with friend Shelley Mauch. A bartender of

Gazpacho, Mauch introduced Chelsea to one of her regular bar customers, Tim.

“After introducing us, Shelley looked at us both and said, ‘Oh my god, you two are like cartoon characters,’” Chelsea recalled. “I looked at Tim and said, ‘Might as well call me wifey.’”

Then, on that note, Chelsea went to dance, and Tim fortunately did not run for the door. Seeing as how it was New Year’s Eve, and both Shelley and Chelsea were single with no love interests, they made a pact: they would kiss each other at midnight. But when the clock struck 12, Shelley found a better option, abandoning her friend on the dance floor. That’s when Chelsea took matters into her own, uh, lips.

“I went and found Tim and said, ‘Hey, it’s New Year’s Eve. Wanna make out?’ And that was that,” Chelsea said. “Shockingly, we did not go home together, which is normal for an El Rancho evening.”

Despite not knowing each other’s names, the two found each other again, even having their first official date at The Ranch. “We had to revisit the place of kindling,” Chelsea said.

Three weeks later, they officially became BF/GF – at a hockey tournament, of course – got married in 2016 and had twins Gunnar and Sadie in 2018.

“Shelley really orchestrated the whole thing,” Chelsea said, “If she wouldn’t have ditched me for that guy, I never would’ve gone and made out with Tim.” →

Durango’s El Rancho Tavern hopping on a typical night, where it can draw anyone from bikers to college kids to yocals./ Courtesy Photo

Jake and Lori Walsh

Lexi Ashton also had some help in meeting her partner, Carrie Philips, at The Ranch in 2022, when they were both in their early 20s.

Lexi’s brother, who went to Fort Lewis College, urged her to move to Durango in 2021. New to town, he took her on her requisite first trip to The Ranch in order to meet people.

“He was quite the party guy,” Lexi said. “He convinced me to go to The Ranch. He was definitely my wingman.”

Meanwhile, Carrie had just left a costume party on the grid and thought, “Why not go to The Ranch to spice up the night?”

Fortunately, it was a shipwreck theme party, so, as Carrie puts it, it was not an “extreme costume.” At least not by Durango standards.

But it was enough to catch Lexi’s eye.

“She had sparkles on her face, and there was a funness coming from Carrie’s group,” Lexi recalled.

Fortunately, the two had an icebreaker that was unavailable to their land-line predecessors. “Carrie approached first and asked, ‘Are you Lexi from Tinder?’” Lexi said. The two had previously matched on the dating app but never met.

“It was smooth but not too smooth of a line,” Carrie recalled.

However, it took some coaxing from Lexi’s brother to get his sister, an admitted introvert, to follow up. “He talked me up and brought drinks for me to take over to Carrie,” she said.

The two proceeded to dance the rest of the night, bonding over their dogs, which is a close second to hockey in suitability in a mate.

When the night ended, the two parted ways, and that’s when fate really played its hand. Carrie got home to discover the after-party that Lexi was headed to was directly next door. Throwing caution to the wind, Carrie texted, and Lexi came over. “It was meant to be,” said Carrie. When it came time to go, Lexi’s brother, who had driven her to the party, very intentionally sped away,

leaving her there. “We spent the night together, and every night since,” said Carrie.

The two have since moved to Seattle, where Carrie is pursuing a music career and Lexi is going to grad school to be a PA, but The Ranch is forever in their hearts. “Our Wi-Fi network is named ‘@ El Rancho.’ That’s how we keep it alive,” said Carrie. She added that they are entertaining the idea of getting tattoos of the trademark El Rancho sign, perhaps a story for another day.

They feel especially lucky to have met in a typical bar setting, which tends to be dominated by the dude-picksup-chick model. “We find it quite ironic that we found queer love there,” said Carrie.

El Rancho co-owner Chris Lile, who bought the bar in 1999 with brother, Chip, said he has heard many stories over the years of couples meeting at The Ranch. In fact, he met his former partner, Christine, there in 2002. However, he quickly noted it had nothing to do with alcohol. In fact, the two met during daylight hours, when Christine was a working as a representative for the food service company Shamrock. Eventually, Chris asked for her number, they started dating and had two kids together, now ages 16 and 17. Although they are no longer together, Chris said it was nevertheless the start of something beautiful.

“She is a wonderful woman … and we have two beautiful kids together,” he said.

When asked about the allure of The Ranch – either by day or night – he waxed poetically about the 115year-old downtown landmark, where questionable decisions, pheromones and beer flow like, well, beer.

“The El Rancho is one place where you can come and be yourself and get away from being an adult,” Chris said. “A lot of times, I see people who hooked up here the night before having breakfast here the next day,” he said. Couples have had wedding receptions there, and some couples who met at The Ranch now have kids who are hanging out here.

“We see all walks of life in here,” Chris said. “You never know what you’ll find.”  ■

Above: Chelsea Reinsch and her now-husband, Tim, on their wedding day. Below: Lexi and Carrie after fate and a night at The Ranch brought them together./Courtesy photos

Stay classy, Durango

BetweentheBeats

Bringing Bach to life

20 Moons’ Anne Bartlett on latest classical performance, ‘Facets’

by Stephen Sellers

Greetings, dear readers! With March on the horizon, the Durango Bach Festival will soon be upon us. Wunderbar! This year, beloved local dance company 20 Moons will be offering a series of innovative, evocative and soul-stirring performances in conjunction with the San Juan Symphony. The shows take place at Stillwater’s brilliant venue, The Lightbox. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry! You’ll integrate parts of your shadow self!

I recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Anne Bartlett, one of 20 Moon’s artistic directors, to learn more about her story, the upcoming performances and the true power behind the embodied movement we see, or feel, on stage.

SS: Let’s talk about dance as an art form and what makes you passionate about it.

AB: Humans have these mirror neurons. We communicate at a subverbal level. There’s a lot of stuff that’s happening that I’m not saying, and you’re not saying, and we’re just picking up signals. This is so ubiquitous, and we don’t learn about it or think about it. But this is the real way humans resonate with each other – through non-verbal language of the body.

The kind of art I do is geared toward playing off that. I’m really interested in art that helps us understand ourselves. So, if I can express something on stage that helps you understand yourself better, that’s number one. That’s the first connection.

SS: I have severely underestimated dance.

AB: That’s what we’re trying to do. First, can we understand ourselves through reflection back to one another? And, going farther, can I as a dancer help elevate the human experience? How do we be better at being human, being more open, more attuned, more interconnected? That’s our vision in 20 Moons. To help people see themselves … and think: I want to be a little bigger. I’m no longer so small and self-absorbed.

SS: What’s the origin story of 20 Moons?

AB: There were a bunch of us around Durango who had a lot of professional dance experience and/or training. So, we started as a collaborative. Maybe it was like eight people at the beginning in 2012. Meeting my partner Jeroen (van Tyn, executive director at Stillwater Music) was huge on this whole journey. We met in Iowa at a contra dance.

SS: I respect that! A midwestern contra dance is an exceptional place to meet your future partner.

AB: He’s one of those rare musicians who had experience playing music for dance. So, Jeroen got it immediately. We have this thing that we love together, and we have the same kind of vision around this art form. He was 20 Moons’ first musician. Our first performance was just him and a looper pedal.

SS: How many performances has 20 Moons had?

AB: At least two a year since 2012. We’re process-oriented. It takes us months to create a piece. We start with an idea ... and start to play with it. If you grew up in the studio-dance world, the teacher teaches you an external dance and you match it. It’s not coming from inside. The way we work is to let the form arise from what’s happening based on this human experience.

SS: What’s the impact that 20 Moons has had on your lives? How has it helped you make sense of it all?

AB: We have very committed people in 20 Moons. And we are kind of digesting our life through this container of 20

Moons. And we say, “Ok, you’ve got something? Put it in the dance. Bring it to work. Bring your pain, your joy, your suffering, your bliss.” It’s not all roses though, we do have to apply for grants. [laughs.]

SS: I love that part of the “rose” for you is exploring the shadow side of life. Some people would be like, “Nooo! Tell me how to move my hand like you’re doing…”

AB: [laughs] “Let’s go deeper! This is really fun!”

SS: Tell us about the performance, “Facets.”

AB: It’s 13 Bach pieces. It will be a cappella, flute, string and mixtures of that, all arranged by Jeroen. And, we’re thinking about Bach having his life experiences – the joy, the loss. This is a really big shift, because we’re using classical music that’s already composed. It’s profound, and it has a huge history. We have this history in 20 Moons of co-creating the music and movement together from the beginning. So, that’s a huge shift. We are collaborating with the San Juan Symphony, and Music Director Thomas Heuser has been so gracious and excited. He said, “Let’s say ‘yes’ first and figure out the details later!”

SS: What would you like to say for yourself?

AB: In order to express what I want to express, I need other people. I think that’s good. Sometimes I feel discouraged about humans and how we hurt each other and the world. Sometimes, that despair makes me want to resign from the human race. But, this art form doesn’t allow me to. It makes me keep showing up, showing up for people and working through the hard stuff to keep learning how to stay connected. How to be human imperfectly and graciously.

“Facets” opens the Bach Festival on March 2 with additional performances March 10, 15, 16 and 17 – all at the Lightbox. Visit www.20moons.com for tickets and more information. ■

20 Moons’ Anne Bartlett /Courtesy photo Tina

You’re not the boss in wilderness

by John Clayton

My friends and I encountered the grizzly bear scat deep in Wyoming’s Teton Wilderness, 20 miles from a trailhead. I’d seen grizzlies before – from the car. But this was on a whole other level. I felt vulnerable, nervous. I also felt fully alive.

That feeling owes much to the Wilderness Act, which became law 60 years ago, in 1964, when President Lyndon B. Johnson created a nationwide system of wild landscapes “untrammeled by man.” The attitude could be summarized as: In the wildest parts of America, humans come second. What comes

first is land, water and wildlife. If the grizzly that left those droppings had confronted us, we lacked the resources of civilization to protect ourselves.

If I fell off a cliff, there was no cell service to call 911. If a snowstorm made us cold and miserable, all we could do was suffer. In wilderness, Mother Nature won’t kiss a boo-boo to make it better.

There’s something elemental about being on your own, exposed. You’ve made a choice. As a result, you feel the power of larger forces – and sometimes, even the power of yourself.

Before the Act became law, American culture prioritized pulling all the resources we could out of the land by drilling, mining, dam building, logging and over-grazing. We barged through habitat, flattened forests and plowed prairies. We replaced old growth with board-feet of timber, canyons with cubic meters of water and grasslands with bar-

rels per day of oil. We’re still doing that on 95% of public land.

But the Wilderness Act acknowledged that in some places, the land should be left as unexploited as possible. Preserving wildness calls for restraint. It calls for motorized users, e-bikers, mountain bikers, pilots, snowmobilers, technical climbers with hardware and drone flyers to recreate somewhere else. Yet hiking, hunting, boating, fishing and horseback riding are all allowed in wilderness, as well as grazing if grandfathered in.

The Act’s primary author, Howard Zahniser loved hiking in wild places and was determined: In eight years of lobbying for The Wilderness Society, he helped rewrite the bill 65 times. By the time the Act overwhelmingly passed, Zahniser had died of heart disease at 58.

The Act is often discussed in terms of the acreage it protects, now 112 million acres, roughly half of that in Alaska. Yet it’s really about nature being the boss.

In wilderness, we recognize that always getting our way can devalue ecosystems. It can harm wildlife, clean water, fresh air and other widely shared resources. It can cause us to scorn Indigenous people’s connections to the land.

Wilderness is not the only place we embrace not getting our way, just as the U.S. Capitol is not the only place we em-

brace democracy. With wilderness as reminders, we can also consider not being the boss in a city park or back yard, by watching birds or growing native plants.

Threats to wilderness, however, have never subsided. Sixty years have brought us innumerable technologies to help us get our way while recreating in nature. And, as we’ve realized, making nature more accessible might make it more inclusive and its fans more diverse, but some of us are tempted to relax recreational restrictions in wilderness.

That would miss the point. “We must remember always that the essential quality of the wilderness is its ‘wildness,’” Zahniser said. “We must not only protect the wilderness from commercial exploitation. We must also see that we don’t ourselves destroy its wilderness character in our own management programs.”

Honoring wilderness ideals is especially important today because it represents the same lesson we should be learning from climate change: People can’t control nature. Thanks to the Wilderness Act, we can celebrate that some places remain free of our habit of changing everything – just because we can.

John Clayton is a contributor to Writers on the Range, an independent nonprofit that promotes lively dialog about the West. He lives in Montana .■

Clayton

Thursday22

Media Literacy Forum, 4:30-6 p.m., Durango Public Library, 1900 E 3rd Ave.

Live music by Rob Webster, 5-7 p.m., Ska Brewing, 225 Girard St.

Leah Orlikowski plays, 5-8 p.m., El Rancho Tavern, 975 Main Ave.

Bike Durango’s Commuter meetup, 5:30-7:30 p.m., Carver Brewing, 1022 Main Ave.

High Desert Garden Poetry Open Mic Night, 6-7:30 p.m., Durango Sustainable Goods 1259 Main Ave

Live music by Andrew Schuhmann, 6-9 p.m., The Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.

Live music by Tim Sullivan, 6-9 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main

Citizens’ Climate Lobby film event:

“Common Ground,” 6-8 p.m., Pine River Library, 395 Bayfield Center Drive, Bayfield

“Fifty Years in the Canyons,” presented by hiking guidebook author Steve Allen, 7-8:30 p.m., Center of Southwest Studies Lyceum, Fort Lewis College and via Zoom

Birds of Play, an evening of song and stories, 7-9 p.m., Durango Arts Center, 802 E 2nd Ave.

Drag Trivia Night, 7:30 p.m., Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave.

Friday23

Free Friday Yoga, 8:30 a.m., Lively (a boutique), 809 Main Ave.

Customer Education Networking Event, 9 a.m., Center for Innovation, 835 Main Ave.

Live music by Gary B. Walker, piano,10:15 a.m.–12 noon, Jean-Pierre Bakery & Restaurant, 601 Main Ave.

Friday Mocktail Happy Hour, 3:30-6 p.m., Durango Sustainable Goods,1259 Main Ave.

Heartwood Cohousing 4th Friday Tour and Potluck, 5 p.m., 800 Heartwood Lane, Bayfield

26th annual Dave Spencer Classic Welcome Party and Packet Pick Up, 5-7 p.m., Old Barrel Tea

Co., 713 Main Ave.

Live music by Bluegrouse, 5-8 p.m., Mancos Brewing Co., Mancos

Leah Orlikowski plays, 5-8 p.m., El Rancho Tavern, 975 Main Ave.

Live music by Mike Testa, 6-9 p.m., The Office Spiritorium, 699 Main

Friday Dance! 6 p.m. West Coast swing lesson; 7 p.m. dance-of-the-month lesson; 8-10 p.m. open dancing, VFW, durangodancing.com

Aria PettyOne presents Aria’s Pizza Party, 8:30-9:30 p.m., Father’s Daughters Pizza, 640 Main Ave.

Saturday24

Biker Breakfast, 9-11 a.m., Durango HarleyDavidson, 750 S Camino Del Rio

26th annual Dave Spencer Classic, 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m., Purgatory Resort

FLC Alumni Ski Day & Après-Ski Party, 9 a.m.–6 p.m., Purgatory Resort

Indivisible Durango meeting, featuring local candidates and presentation on neighborhood organizing,10 a.m.-noon, Durango Public Library, 1900 E 3rd Ave.

Snow Science & Social with SJMA and Mountain Studies Institute, 1-3 p.m., Andrews Lake Winter Parking Area, Hwy 550

Fenceline Cider 6th Anniversary Party, 2-9 p.m., Fenceline Cider, 141 S Main St., Mancos

Meet and greet with DA candidate Jason Eley, 4-5 p.m., Durango Public Library, 1900 E 3rd Ave.

Round Robin Euchre Tournament, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Union Social House, 3062 Main Ave.

Cabin Fever fundraiser, 5:30 p.m., Church of Christ, 2011 E. Bayfield Parkway, Bayfield

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

Live Music by Andrew Schuhmann, 6 p.m., EsoTerra Ciderworks, 558 Main Ave.

Adam Swanson Ragtime, 5:30-10 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main

Black Velvet, with Nina Sasaki & Larry Carver, 6 p.m., Derailed Pour House, 725 Main Ave.

Live music by Matt Rupnow, 6-9 p.m., The Office Spiritorium, 699 Main

Full Moon Howler Snowshoe Fun with SJMA, 69 p.m., Durango Nordic Center, 49786 Hwy 550

Silent Disco, 10 p.m.-12:30 a.m., 11th St. Station

Sunday25

Veteran Benefit Breakfast, 9 a.m.-11 a.m., VFW Post 403, 1550 Main

Durango Food Not Bombs mutual aid and potluck, 2-4 p.m., Buckley Park

Board Game Sundays, 2 p.m., Lola’s Place, 725 E. 2nd Ave.

Southwest Civic Winds presents “Universal,” 3 p.m., Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College

Durango Palestine Solidarity Coalition rally, 4 p.m., Buckley Park, 12th St. and Main Ave.

Sunday Funday, 6 p.m., Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave.

Live music by Ben Gibson, 6-9 p.m., The Office Spiritorium, 699 Main

Blue Moon Ramblers, 6-9 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

Monday26

Meditation and Dharma Talk, 5:30 p.m., in person at The Durango Dharma Center, 1800 E 3rd Ave, Ste 109 or online at www.durangodharmacenter.org

An Evening with Durango Poet Laureates Esther Belin and Zoe Golden, 6-7 p.m., Durango Library.

Comedy Showcase, 7:30 p.m., Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave.

Tuesday27

“Science Across Borders: Climate Technology and Competition,” with Dick White, part of the Great Decisions International Affairs Discussion series,

AskRachel

Stuck up, federal holidaze and mind on my money

Interesting fact: Financial experts say that no amount is too small to start investing. After all, if you invest just $5 in the stock market today, in 10 years you could have as much as $15!

Dear Rachel,

Brands use stickers as marketing. But I wonder. Did seeing a sticker on a water bottle or lamppost ever convince someone to buy a product? “Gee,” I don’t think, standing in the beer aisle, “that Breckenridge sticker I saw on a stop sign sure makes me want to taste this seasonal ale.” Is this smart on some level or just more visual pollution?

–Sticking Point

Dear Tacky,

It’s called “brand awareness.” RACHEL. One instance of seeing a sticker is not enough to make you buy a six-pack. RACHEL. But the more you see that brand RACHEL, the more familiar with it your brain becomes. RACHEL. Familiarity breeds trust. RACHEL. So it might take a thousand stickers RACHEL, but eventually, your subconscious RACHEL will trust that brand RACHEL without question. RACHEL. Make sense?

–The one you can count on, RACHEL

New Police Department and City Hall Public Forum, 5:30-7:30 p.m., Durango Public Library, 1900 E 3rd Ave.

Community Yoga, 4:30-5:30 p.m., Yoga Durango, 1485 Florida Rd. Donations accepted

Slow Bluegrass Jam, 5:30-7:30 p.m., General Palmer Hotel, 567 Main

Live music by Terry Rickard, 5:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main.

“Restore the Balance” with Karen Zink and Wyatt Bair presented by the Rotary Club of Durango, 6 p.m., Strater Hotel, 699 Main Ave.

Live music by Sean O’Brien, 6-9 p.m., The Office Spiritorium, 699 Main

AJ Lee and Blue Summit with La La Bones, 8 p.m., Animas City Theatre, 128 E College Dr.

Wednesday28

Restorative Yoga for Cancer, 9:3010:45 a.m., no cost for cancer patients, survivors, caregivers. Smiley Building, Room 20A. cancersupportswco.org/calendar

Yoga With In the Weeds, 10-11 a.m., The Hive, 1150 Main Ave., Ste. A

Dear Rachel,

I’m pro-worker’s rights. I think workers should get paid days off and vacations. But I also get pissed when I can’t go to the bank on Presidents Day or International Day of Donuts or whatever the holiday is. How do I rectify these two sides of my being?

–Jekyll

and Hyde

Dear Hyde and Seek,

I think the same thing anytime I’m unfortunate enough to hold down a job with 8-5 hours. Everything I need to do also has 8-5 hours. Getting anything done means skipping work. Which means not getting paid. Which means not affording the things I need to do. Maybe we should ALL get a paid day off every week but on a staggered basis. Or maybe we should just leave the capitalistic system. Or invent an eight-day week.

Dear Rachel,

–AWOL, Rachel

I keep getting advice to put my money to work or have my money work for me. This all sounds great. Except that I need to get money to have money. And that’s not happening according to script. How are young people like me (or anyone trying to make it) supposed to get enough money to put it to work?

–Interested in Interest

Email Rachel at telegraph@durangotelegraph.com

Dear Compounding Curiosity, You know what you need? Some stickers. The money is not flowing yet because clearly not enough people know who you are. Take me, RACHEL. Entire tens of people probably recognize RACHEL because they start fires with this page of the paper every week. When they have a question, you know who they think of? Abby, that bitch. But then they eventually resort to me, RACHEL. And someday it will result in money I can put to work.

–Suck it, Abby, Rachel

Jack Ellis & Larry Carver, 5:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

DHS Instrumental Music Gala, 6:30 p.m., Miller Middle School auditorium.

DIFF Free Movie Night, 6:30 p.m. Durango Arts Center, 7 p.m., Gaslight Twin Cinema.

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

Karaoke Roulette, 8 p.m., Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave.

Upcoming

19th annual Durango Independent Film Festival, Feb. 28March 3, Durango Arts Center and Gaslight Cinema, www.durangofilm.org

FLC Theatre presents “The Wolves,” 7:30 p.m., Feb. 29 & March 13, Gallery Theatre, Fort Lewis College

Durango Green Drinks, Thurs., Feb. 29, 5-7 p.m., 11th Street Station.

Animas River Days MC contest, Fri., March 1, 6-8 p.m., Durango Elks Lodge, animasriverydays.com/mc-contest

FreeWillAstrology

by Rob Brezsny

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Aries filmmaker Akira Kurosawa was one of the greats. In his 30 films, he crafted a reputation as a masterful storyteller. A key moment in his development came when he was 13 years old. His older brother Heigo took him to view the aftermath of the Great Kantō earthquake. Akira wanted to avert his gaze from the devastation, but Heigo compelled him to look. He wished for Akira to learn to deal with fear by facing it directly. I think Aries are more skilled at this exercise than all the other signs. I hope you will call on it in the coming weeks. You may be amazed at the courage it arouses in you.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): “When a mountain doesn’t listen, say a prayer to the sea,” said Taurus painter Cy Twombly. “If God doesn’t respond, direct your entreaties to Goddess,” I tell my Taurus friend Audrey. “If your mind doesn’t provide you with useful solutions, make an appeal to your heart instead,” my Taurus mentor advises me. This counsel should be useful in coming weeks. It’s time to be diligent, relentless, ingenious and indefatigable in going after what you want. Keep asking until you find a source that will provide it.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Gemini philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson offered advice that’s perfect for you. He said, “Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us, or we find it not.” Here’s what I will add. First, you need to commune with extra doses of beauty in the coming weeks. Doing so will expedite your healing and further your education. Second, one way to accomplish your assignment is to put yourself in the presence of all the beautiful people, places and things you can find. Third, be imaginative as you cultivate beauty within yourself. How? That’s your homework.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): I bet that soon, you will dream of flying through the sky on a magic carpet. In fact, this may be a recurring dream in the coming months. By June, you may have soared along on a floating rug more than 10 times. Why? I suspect it’s one aspect that life is encouraging you to undertake. It’s an invitation to indulge in more flights of the imagination; to open your soul to mysteries; to give your fantasy life permission to be wilder and freer. You know that platitude “shit happens?” You’re ready to experiment with a variation: “Magic happens.”

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): On February 22, ancient Romans celebrated the holiday of Caristia. It was a time for reconciliation. People strove to heal estrangements and settle longstanding disagreements. Apologies were offered, and truces were negotiated. In alignment with current astrological omens, Leo, I recommend you revive this tradition. Now is an excellent time to embark on a crusade to unify, harmonize, restore, mend and assuage. I dare you to put a higher priority on love than on ego!

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): My poet friend Jafna likes to say that only two types of love are available: too little and too much. We are either deprived of the precise amount and quality of the love we want, or else we have to deal with an excess of love that doesn’t match the kind we want. But I predict this will be a mild problem in coming weeks – and perhaps not a problem at all. You will have a knack for giving and receiving just the right amount of love, neither too little nor too much. And the love flowing toward you and from you will be gracefully appropriate.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): If the devil card comes up for me in a Tarot reading, I don’t get worried or scared. On the contrary, I interpret it favorably. It means that an interesting problem or riddle has arrived or will soon arrive and that this twist can potentially make me wiser, kinder and wilder. The appearance of the devil card suggests that I need to be challenged so as to grow new understanding. It’s a good omen, telling me that life is conspiring to give me what I need to outgrow my limitations and ignorance. Now apply these principles as you respond to the devil card I just drew for you.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): A taproot is a thick, central, primary root from which a plant’s many roots branch out. Typically, a taproot grows downward and is pretty straight. It may extend to a depth greater than the height of the plant sprouting above ground. Now let’s imagine that we humans have metaphorical taproots. They connect us with our sources of inner nourishment. They are lifelines to secret or hidden treasures we may be only partly conscious of. Let’s further imagine that in the coming months, Scorpio, your taproot will flourish, burgeon and spread deeper. I invite you to infuse this beautiful vision with an outpouring of love for yourself and for the wondrous vitality you will be absorbing.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Behavioral ecologist Professor Dan Charbonneau observed the habits of ants, bees and other social insects. He says that many of them just lounge around doing nothing. In fact, most animals do the same. The creatures of the natural world are just not very busy. Psychologist Dr. Sandi Mann urges us to learn from their lassitude. “We’ve created a society where we fear boredom, and we’re afraid of doing nothing,” she says. But that addiction to frenzy may limit our inclination to daydream, which in turn inhibits our creativity. I suspect you’re in a phase when lolling around doing nothing will be extra healthy for you. Liberate and nurture your daydreams, please!

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): “Education is an admirable thing,” wrote Oscar Wilde, “but it is well to remember that nothing worth knowing can be taught.” As I ponder the coming weeks, I disagree with him. I am sure you can learn many things worth knowing from teachers of all kinds. It’s true that some of the lessons may be accidental or unofficial – and not delivered by traditional teachers. But that won’t diminish their value. I invite you to act as if you will in effect be enrolled in school 24/7 until the equinox.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): The planets Mars and Venus are both cruising through Aquarius. Do they signify that synchronicities will weave magic into your destiny? Yes! Here are a few possibilities I foresee: 1. smoldering flirtations that finally ignite; 2. arguments assuaged by love-making; 3. mix-ups about the interplay between love and lust or wonderful synergies between love and lust; 4. lots of labyrinthine love talk, romantic sparring and intricate exchange about the nature of desire; 5. adventures in the sexual frontiers; 6. opportunities to cultivate interesting new varieties of intimacy.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Unlike the Pope’s decrees, my proclamations are not infallible. As opposed to Nostradamus and many modern soothsayers, I never imagine I have the power to definitely decipher what’s ahead. One of my main mottoes is “The future is undecided. Our destinies are always mutable.” Please keep these caveats in mind whenever you commune with my horoscopes. Furthermore, consider adopting my approach as you navigate the world – especially in coming weeks, when your course will be extra responsive to your creative acts of willpower. Decide right now what you want the next chapter of your life to be about. You can make it what you want.

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-Wed: 9ish - 5ish

Thurs: On delivery

Fri: Gone fishing; call first

Announcements

Tucker Carlson Stay in Russia USAF vet

Friday 6pm Dancing Lesson at VFW Go to DurangoDancing.com to get on notification list.

KDUR is Celebrating 50 years of broadcasting in 2025. Staff is on the hunt for past DJs who have a fond memory, story or even some recorded material! If you do, please email station manager Bryant Liggett, Liggett_b@fortlewis.edu or call 970.247.7261

Classes/Workshops

Intro Aikido Series

Aikido promotes self-discovery through self-defense. Find the true you in the new you. 4-week intro class M 6-8pm begins Mar 4. Register at durangoaikido .com. Text/call questions to 970-426-5257.

Wanted

Books Wanted at White Rabbit!

Cash/trade/donate (970) 259-2213

Cash for Vehicles, Copper, Alum Etc. at RJ Metal Recycle. Also free appliance and other metal drop off. 970259-3494.

HelpWanted

Do You Drive to Bayfield?

The Telegraph is looking for someone

to deliver papers to Three Springs/Bayfield every Thursday. Four stops. $25/ week. For info., email telegraph@durango telegraph.com.

Hiring Trail Crew

Are you passionate about trails and the outdoors? Are you dedicated, hard-working and driven? Durango Trails is hiring for the Trail Crew. Hours range from 10 hours a week to 30 depending availability and skill. Please submit your PDF resume now to: https://www.durangotrails.org /join-our-team/

Google Blogspot

Looking for some tutorial help with Google blogspot.com (blogger). Text Peter @ 970-769-9400

ForRent

Office Space for Rent

Beginning April 1st in Colorado Heritage Plaza at 150 E 9th St., Ste 200. 305 sq/ft at $625/mo. includes all utils except internet. Internet ranges from $30$50/mo. Please email or call Matt: matt@ homesfund.org; 970-259-1418 ext. 4

Integrative Health Clinic

Renting beautiful office downtown. Patio, sunlight, reception with park view. 970-247-1233

ForSale Subaru

Outback Legacy – 1999. Not pretty but runs OK. 244k. $2500 or thereabouts. Call Chip @ 970-403-4989.

Reruns Home Furnishings

Brighten up your space. Lots of new

inventory including tables, chairs, gorgeous lamps, mid-century modern coffee table and nightstands. Looking to consign smaller furniture pieces. 572 E. 6th Ave. Open Mon.-Sat. 385-7336.

2023 Trek Fuel Ex-e 9.8 XT e-MTB

Size large. 214 mi on odometer. Like new. Color “Deep Smoke” (black). $6500 OBO. Call 505-320-0704. Serious offers only, please. In Durango. No shipping.

Services

Boiler - Water Heater

Serving Durango over 30 years. Brad, 970-759-2869. Master Plbg Lic #179917

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.

Heating - Electric

Roof, boiler, gutter cleaning, fence, floors, walls, flood damage, mold.

BodyWork

Lotus Path Healing Arts

Now accepting new clients. Offering a

HaikuMovieReview ‘Bottoms’

A funny, raunchy fem-queer variation of the film ‘Superbad’

– Lainie Maxson

unique, intuitive fusion of Esalen massage, deep tissue & Acutonics, 24 years of experience. To schedule call Kathryn, 970-201-3373.

Rachel McGehee

Massage therapy & intuitive health consult-970-903-0388

Massage by Meg Bush

LMT, 30, 60 & 90 min., 970-759-0199.

CommunityService

Bring the World to Your Home

ASSE International Student Exchange Programs (ASSE), a nonprofit organization, is inviting local families to host a foreign exchange student. ASSE students come from more than  50 countries worldwide; are between the ages of 15-18; and are enthusiastic to experience American culture. Host families may be single parents, couples and single persons. The students have money for personal expenses and are selected based upon academics and personality, and host families  choose their student. If interested, call Elena at 1-800-733-2773, visit  www.asse.com or send an email to asseusawest@asse.com

Volunteers Needed

Do you want to make a difference in your community and the lives of others? Alternative Horizons is always in need of volunteers to staff our hotline. AH has been supporting and empowering survivors of domestic violence since 1978. Training and ongoing support provided. Next training April 19, 20 and 26. For more info., call 970-247-4374 or visit alternativehorizons.org/