The Durango Telegraph, May 30, 2024

Common ground

To know where we’re going, we need to know where we came from by Doug Gonzalez

RegularOccurrences

Ear to the ground:

“I have a case of extremus sphincteritis.”

– We feel ya; we get it every time the river comes up, too.

Fasten loose objects

Not all bad

Despite Aspen’s exclusivity, there are a few things we can learn from it by Jacob Richards / Writers on the Range

9

Losing end

When it comes to food in the West, wildlife pay the biggest price by Jonathan Thompson / Land Desk

Sounds of summer

A few warm-season classics to cue up for your next road trip or BBQ by Jon E. Lynch

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There will be a new voice at the helm of Animas River Days this weekend. Durangoan Chad Hare will be taking the mic from longtime master of ceremonies John Brennan, who MC-ed the event since time immemorial, or at least 1983.

“I’ve heard I have some big shoes to fill,” said Hare. “I am just kind of jumping in head first, eyes close. That’s my M.O.”

(For the record, the Telegraph does not recommend jumping into the river, or any body of water, head first. And always wear your PFD.)

Hare, 34 and a handyman by day, said he was encouraged to try out at the ARD MC competition earlier this year by friends Hope Tyler and Aaron Schenk.

“I thought there would be two or three people trying out and there were 10 or 11,” he said. “I thought my chances were pretty nil; I thought a few people were funnier than me.”

For the record, MC hopefuls were required to get up in front of a likely heckling crowd and narrate a rafting carnage reel. While Hare said he can’t really remember what he said, he won over fans and judges.

On the cover

Boaters hang on for dear life during a recent trip through the Grand Canyon’s infamous Hance Rapid./ Photo by Andy High

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

“It was probably my rugged good looks and complete lack of any knowledge of anything rafting,” he said. “I’ve been down the river a few times, but to row a raft, no way. A tube, on the other hand, would be fine.”

Despite his relative river newbiness, Hare is no stranger to getting up in front of an audience. “I enjoy MC-ing. I did the Follies last year and have done a lot of concerts,” he said, adding he’d like to someday land a job in the entertainment field.

And he has no doubt that when it comes to his new ARD duties, he will swim, not sink. “I’m so excited,” he said. “I’m going to be there as many hours as I can. I’m really looking forward to it.”

Animas River Days kicks off tonight, Thurs., May 30, with a party at 2nd Deli from 5-8 p.m. Jackson Kayaks will be in town for a slew of clinics Friday afternoon followed by two days of competition Saturday and Sunday. The ever-popular River Parade viewing party takes place Saturday starting at 4:30 p.m. at Santa Rita Park. For more info., go to: animasriverdays.com or visit the back page of this fine publication.

Dog and Hare

LaVidaLocal

In search of remembrance

Do you find it easy to feel connected to your ancestors – those distant relatives whose names and stories you do not know? For most of my life, I found it hard to do so, although it was only until recently that I realized why.

Brought on by the competing religious influences of my father and mother, I was forced to navigate a crisscrossing and confusing narrative about the metaphysical realm from an early age. My father practiced Catholicism and believed in an afterlife that required faith in Jesus. My mother practiced traditional Navajo beliefs, but I had difficulty comprehending them because I did not speak the language, Diné Bizaad. It left me with a heavy but universal question; “What happens to us when we die?” With different theological systems, I searched for something that resonated. Eventually, I became mostly agnostic and welcomed the idea of past lives.

Initially, my inclination for past lives made the ancestral ties of my current existence feel moot. I thought, “Why should I honor my direct ancestors any more than my ancestors scattered the world and time over?” In truth, past lives were a way to excuse myself from not being able to access my history. If I pardoned my ignorance of them, it wouldn’t feel as painful when I failed at my attempts to learn who they were. However, a question lingered: “Can I fully know myself if I don’t know them?”

This question unknowingly guided me to my current academic work. What started as a curiosity for a Diné language course has become participation in several Native American and Indigenous Studies (NAIS) classes. In a text book for a NAIS summer course I am currently taking, there is an essay titled, “Before Predator Came.” Written by David Gabbard in 2006, it discusses the dismembering and genocidal effects of colonization on all First Nations people, including the people on Turtle Island (North America) and the pre-Roman, preChristian people of Europe. According to Gabbard, dismembering entails disconnecting Indigenous people from all parts of themselves, including the culture of their ancestors. Gabbard, who is non-Indian, argues that this effect can be reversed through acts of decolonization, which include the production and preservation of Native American Studies, as well as the act of remembrance. He goes on to address how Native American Studies plays its part in decolonization. He writes, “Not only does First Nations scholarship forestall cultural genocide in the sense that it helps maintain an Indigenous culture’s

Thumbin’It

9-R stepping up to help The Hive by allowing it to use the old Big Picture School as temporary summer digs. Alas, no skate ramp for now, but the skate park is right down the street.

The road to EVs is getting smoother, with the City of Durango installing four new charging stations at the library. Plus, there are plans to install eight new Tesla superchargers at the Transit Center by the end of the year.

collective memory, but it also sustains their sense of being members of an interdependent life-world characterized by an underlying harmony.” Gabbard then writes why decolonization is not an exclusive act, and that it is important that it be practiced by all. Addressing non-Indian Americans, Gabbard writes, “In the process of healing the wounds left by the sins of our fathers on the backs of Indigenous People across the planet, we must simultaneously heal our own wounded spirits. Left unhealed … those wounds condemn us to perpetuate those same sins generation after generation.”

In turn, participants are able to remember who they are. By decolonizing in tandem, Gabbard argues all are healed through a reconnection to themselves and their shared humanity. Through my own remembrance, it’s as if I knew my foremothers and fathers all along. And if I ever revisit the idea of past lives, it is not to cover up the shame I once felt of my ancestral ignorance.

Below is one of the final poems I wrote in a Diné Poetics class. In the poem, I share a moment from my childhood. It takes place on the way home after a long trip, when my quest to remember was just beginning.

“Northern Fire”

The journey begins under the midnight sky, a tapestry of black wool buttoned with white dots. The truck gallops forward along the paved highway, its breathing deepening as it passes other travelers.

My head rests in her lap, my legs in my father’s.

Her fingers brush through my hair, tending to the fields planted in my scalp -

Rows of repose,

Stalks of quiescence.

Looking up, I had never seen a clearer night. Through this clarity, the bear saw me – and I saw it.

The bear used to protect our ancestors, she whispers. She was my north star – the light that leads back home, the connection to the past and the present.

And yet the bear was terrifying in its existence, for I could not comprehend how far it was from me –in the sky or in time.

Tacks on the Iron Horse course. We’re pretty sure this is close to a new low and really bad karma. Enjoy your flat tire (and flat spare) out in the middle of nowhere at night during a snowstorm. We’ll be sure to honk and wave.

Help for backcountry emergencies with Lifeseeker, a new technology that can quickly locate cell phones in remote locations. Of course, it doesn’t work if you leave your phone at home or in the car.

Just when you thought the Catholic church was turning a corner, Pope Francis blurts out a homophobic slur. He later apologized – guess he’s not that infallible after all.

The average Earthling experienced 26 extra days of abnormal heat in 2023 due to climate change, according to a scientific study, with some areas seeing 120 days of abnormally high temps.

– Doug Gonzalez

Co-Creeping

Alabama born-and-bred Brandon Deal and his wife, Megan, caused a fuss last year when they took to TikTok publicizing the fact that the couple “co-sleeps” with their 6- and 12-year-old daughters. Yes, they’re the old-testament type, yes, their children are homeschooled, and yes, even though the oldest child is now a teenager, the family still “co-sleeps” together, and they’re getting even more internet famous thanks to their refusal to stop justifying therapy’s existence. But frankly, none of the online outrage is justified, because this is the type of “parenting” that made Alabama famous in the first place.

WritersontheRange

What Aspen can teach us

‘Greedheads’ can’t be stopped, but they can be pressured to do the right thing

by Jacob Richards

Back in the ’90s, when writer Hunter S. Thompson held court at the Woody Creek Tavern just outside of Aspen, he’d often rail against the “greedheads.”

I grew up in Aspen, and sometimes my dad took me there to look at all the dollar bills on the wall. He made sure a picture of me and my first bull elk joined pictures in the bar of ski bums in head-to-toe denim.

Nowadays the bills are $100s, and the pictures on the walls look like fashion shoots. What would Hunter Thompson think? Likely that the greedheads had won. Most of the West’s resort towns have undergone something of an Aspenification, and that includes Aspen’s bedroom communities of Basalt, Carbondale, Glenwood Springs and Rifle that send workers to the ski lifts and restaurants.

When I was young, my family bounced around Aspen-area trailer parks and even lived in the office of a horse stable at the base of Aspen Highlands Ski Resort. The cabin had no running water, and the only heat was a wood stove. We would sled down the hill hanging on to our groceries and water jugs.

When I was 8, my mom was able to buy a deed-restricted condo in Aspen. Even then, we needed to add a roommate to afford our 740-square-foot, twobedroom apartment, one of us sleeping on the daybed in the living room.

Dad called it “condo-bondage,” and a

A bus for the Aspen area’s Roaring Fork Transit Authority. Despite often being maligned for out-pricing locals, Aspen has done right by its working class by providing affordable or deed-restricted workforce housing and providing mass transit to down-valley bedroom communities./ Courtesy photo

love of horses, hunting and open spaces pushed him down-valley before he settled in Silt, over an hour from Aspen.

I spent my middle school years there, living with my dad in the early 1990s, and it felt like a different world. Decades later, I remember the first Sotheby’s “for sale” sign outside of a ranch near Silt.

A feeling of dread swept over me. The same dread I felt as a senior in Aspen High School with a job, basic math skills and a sinking realization that I couldn’t afford to live in my hometown. I thought, “My dentist commutes from over 70 miles away, how could I afford to live here?”

Twenty years ago, I moved to Grand Junction, a historically blue-collar town, the biggest in Western Colorado with 65,000 people. Now, even humble Grand

housing costs and homelessness have both risen about 45%, according to Grand Junction Housing Manager Ashley Chambers.

“Seniors are getting creamed, service workers are getting creamed, and it’s adding to the homelessness crisis,” Scott Beilfuss, Grand Junction City Councilman, said.

“If we remain a healthcare, service and retail-based economy, wages will never catch up with housing costs,” Beilfuss said. “This has consequences for the entire Western Slope.”

But here’s what I’ve learned from growing up in Aspen. The perpetrator of this rural transformation has lessons to teach us. The town has run a robust and affordable housing program for years, and a recent study found that two-thirds of occupied housing units in Aspen were affordable.

Additionally, Aspen has long invested in a world-class public transit system, so workers can commute from miles away.

Junction is undergoing Aspenification despite being over two hours from the glitz of Telluride or Aspen.

It’s a long way from the town’s history of milling uranium and then stashing its tailings – still containing high amounts of radioactivity – along the Colorado River, not to mention meth epidemics and an ongoing homelessness crisis.

But these days, you can ride a zip line across the Colorado River, rent an electric scooter or buy a luxury condo downtown, built by Aspen-based developers.

The downsides of this Aspenification are hard to ignore. A 2019 study found that the Grand Valley surrounding Grand Junction was short some 3,736 units of affordable housing. Since then,

There are glitches. My mother, who still lives in her deed-restricted condo, learned that her basement often fills with leach water collected from Aspen’s toxic mining heritage. Clean-up estimates are $10 million – a sum she and the 79 other households can’t begin to afford.

What Aspen’s success teaches us is that the greedheads can’t be stopped, but they can be pressured to build or subsidize affordable housing, something that’s in the resort town’s interest.

Aspen also shows us that communities downstream need to organize to fight for affordable housing. And they need to stay organized, because the greedheads would rather fight you every step of the way.

Jacob Richards is a contributor to Writers on the Range, writersontherange.org, an independent nonprofit dedicated to spurring lively conversation about the West. He is a writer and guide in Grand Junction. ■

Richards

A weak argument for sport hunting

Andrew Carpenter (“In defense of big cat hunting,” Telegraph, May 16) says Coloradans aren’t smart enough to have an opinion about recreational killing of mountain lions or bobcats.

It’s too “complicated,” he says, too “highly technical” for mere citizens. Leave it to the big boys: government agency biologists and game wardens.

Actually, it’s not at all complicated, Coloradans are smart and deserve a voice because our wildlife is not private property and deserves better.

It may surprise this author to hear that decades ago, voters similarly banned the baiting and hunting of bears using dogs in spring when moms have dependent cubs and one of the loudest supporters was Tom Beck, a DOW bear biologist.

CPW has stated its neutrality on the Cats Aren’t Trophies (CATs) Measure, noting its job is to carry out the will of the citizens. CATs supports CPW.

Carpenter admits his dislike for Coloradans exercising democratic freedoms, but that doesn’t give him an excuse to confuse voters. Or maybe that’s the goal.

He does this by failing to point out that CATs’ measure bans recreational trophy hunting of lions to keep heads and hides, which has nothing to do with modern, science-based wildlife management.

Colorado’s statute is clear, mountain lion hunting is a “wildlife-related recreational opportunity” and nothing else.

Carpenter tells us to respect biology yet fails to provide any biology to support his litany of excuses to sport kill lions, including: “biology requires some predators to be hunted” and lion sport hunting “prevents overpopulation of lions” plus “overhunting of prey species.”

There’s good reason for this key failure to cite evidence: there isn’t any.

There is, however, a half-century of peer-reviewed, published science to show us that recreational killing of lions is not managing anything besides sport.

Leading lion ecologists from across the West have tested a series of hypotheses to evaluate benefits to humans from increased lion-killing. From 19712023, scientists killed predators to test artificially drawing down lion populations, as well as to test giving us more deer and elk for our freezers, or

to test protecting our dogs and our livestock. (Read the peer-reviewed and published studies at catsarenttrophies.org.)

The conclusions are consistent: Killing has never worked. (In fact, studies show recreational mountain lion hunting increases risk to domestic animals.)

Colorado Parks and Wildlife reports that after killing half the population of mountain lions in Colorado’s Arkansas Valley, the slaughter had no remarkable effect on deer populations. Researchers

for the Hornocker Wildlife Research Institute found that after increased killing of lions to lower their number, populations rebounded back to nature’s normal without human interference and without overpopulation.

“Our research (10 years) in New Mexico indicates that mountain lion populations will stabilize at a level depending on available habitat and food resources,” the experts concluded.

There is no overpopulation in Cali-

fornia, where lions have not been sport hunted for 50 years.

“Anyone familiar with population ecology knows that killing lions for sport is a social decision, based on attitudes and what is considered acceptable as recreation,” Rick Hopkins, a lion population ecologist of 45 years, said.

Last year, lion hunters killed 500 lions (296 males, 204 females) in the name of sport. These were native wildlife existing as nature prescribes, not in conflict with humans.

But you will never hear from trophy hunters about the actual details, including that outfitters charge up to $8,000 and “guarantee” a kill. Packs of dogs wearing GPS collars chase and corner sentient mountain lions up a tree. The shooter then walks up to a tree, where the lion has no escape, takes aim and shoots.

This is shooting, not hunting, and disregards ethical hunting principles of “fair chase” in the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation.

Sometimes lions are pushed out onto cliffs and fall; there is ample video online showing dogs in bloody battles with lions. It is undeniable kittens are orphaned when nearly half of lions killed are females.

Carpenter does not want you to hear these realities, because it’s all a losing ar-

gument. So he must rely on false statements, hoping our journalists won’t factcheck or ask about ethics. It’s a well-oiled misinformation campaign that could certainly benefit from a reality check.

–

Samantha Miller, Campaign Manager for Cats Aren’t Trophies (CATs), Grand Lake

A year of bipartisan accomplishments

We accomplished a lot this year – our bipartisan success happened, because we communicated, compromised and collectively decided how to best address our problems.

Affordable and attainable housing, one of Colorado’s most urgent issues, made headway. We ran several bills protecting our supply of homes while also protecting renters. We asked some local governments to allow granny flats.

We addressed urban density: one bill encourages local governments to build housing near transit centers, so people can easily get to work. Another limited the number of parking spots, leaving room for more housing.

The long-awaited property tax bill passed with little trouble, with both Republican and Democrat prime sponsors. It caps future spikes, and cuts rates for

both commercial and residential properties. Some sponsors demanded the tax cuts could not affect schools, and others required TABOR refunds could not be touched. Both sides got their way.

Our public schools did very well this year. One bill paid off the budget stabilization factor, raising per-pupil dollars and giving a one-time stipend to rural schools. The best news is that it ended reliance on an antiquated and outdated 30year formula; the second bill created a new formula. This time, money goes to identified student populations, such as English language learners, and low income, special ed and rural students.

Colorado will pay districts a base salary, then add to it according to the student population. Rural schools will now get extra funding on top of that, meaning we will be able to hire more teachers and pay them better. Rural schools have been left out of the budget process for 30 years; we are now finally involved.

In other education news, some lowincome families will get free college tuition for two years of school, giving students the boost they need to pursue careers and future education.

We did a lot for water, funding dozens of conservation and storage projects, banning non-essential public turf and passing a huge bill addressing the U.S.

Supreme Court ruling removing protection for Colorado waters. We created a permitting program for the dredge-andfill activities impacting those waters.

And, we referred a measure allowing revenue from sports betting above the $29M cap to be used for the Colorado Water Project. You will vote on that.

Another bill passed will cut child poverty in half by offering refundable tax credits to low-income families with children under 5. This helps take care of our youngest residents, giving their parents the breathing room to work full time.

Environmental advocates joined forces with the oil and gas industry to address air quality and safety; it is the first time in many years both sides sat down together.

Transportation was a popular topic, and commuter rail along the Front Range and into some mountain areas drew interest. Getting people off the roads will be efficient and clean.

Bipartisan work was key to our success. We didn’t always agree, but we tried to compromise as often as possible. When we take the “I” out of legislating, we can get a lot done. Not everyone joined in, and not everyone was happy, but we are headed in the right direction. I am proud of our success. We did it. – Rep. Barbara McLachlan, D-Durango

Winds of change

Tri-State is trying to reinvent itself, but time is ticking

by Allen Best

On a recent Friday on the Capitol’s steps, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis praised a new energy efficiency and beneficial electrification program offered by Tri-State Generation and Transmission. The credit is deserved. TriState, Colorado’s second largest electrical generator, is not the same utility it was 20 years ago, when it was planning a giant, new coal plant. It’s pivoting fast to renewables.

But can Tri-State reinvent itself even more? The loss of member co-ops suggests existential problems. Just two mornings before the announcement, United Power had become independent. The lights didn’t blink. The Brightonbased cooperative has 111,000 members, primarily in the north metro area. It was by far Tri-State’s largest member.

Other co-ops are also leaving.

Granby-based Mountain Parks will be gone next January. La Plata Electric Association gave its two-year notice in March. Tri-State will soon have 30% less demand for its electricity.

Departing members have cited the desire for lower-cost electricity and flexibility to generate electricity locally.

The exodus began in 2016. Many expected Kit Carson Electric Cooperative to stumble. Instead, it has soared. Last summer, it completed enough solar capacity around Taos to meet 100% of its members’ daytime needs. It also completed the $37 million payment required to leave remaining Tri-State members whole.

Tri-State Generation and Transmission ended operations at the Escalante Station power plant, near Grant, N.M., in 2020. The G&T is playing catch-up to meet demand for renewables from its remaining members, but is it too little, too late?/ Courtesy photo

I began following Tri-State in 2005. To finance a giant new coal plant in Kansas, it asked its 44 members to extend their contracts to 2050. Kit Carson refused. So did Delta-Montrose Electric.

In 2006, Kansas Gov. Kathleen

increased. Maybe Tri-State should erect a statue to Sebelius. Think of the problems for Tri-State were it saddled with the cost of that outdated technology.

Now, Tri-State is rapidly building its renewable portfolio as it prepares to close three coal-burning units in Craig between 2025-30. By decade’s end, it expects to be at 70% renewables across its four-state service territory.

Can Tri-State innovate its way into continued relevance? It was created in 1952 to generate and transmit electricity to rural areas. Federal aid made extension of power lines possible to dispersed farms that investor-owned utilities saw as unprofitable.

Today, Tri-State has to get out from under its stranded coal assets. It lobbied hard to get a carve-out in the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022 for it and other G&Ts, or generation and transmission organizations. It has applied for the maximum available, $970 million.

Might Tri-State G&T end up being Tri-State Transmission? Unlike its coal plants, Tri-State’s 5,800 miles of highvoltage transmission lines have considerable value.

Sebelius denied a permit for the coal plant. It was believed to be the first denial of a coal plant on the grounds of global warming. At the time, Tri-State was furious. Eventually, it did get a permit. By then, costs of renewables had plummeted, and coal costs had

To remain relevant, Tri-State needs to reinvent itself, a more difficult task than reconfiguring urban utilities. The economic geography of rural areas is more difficult. I do hope they figure it out.

Allen Best can be found at BigPivots.com, an e-journal that tries to make sense of the energy transition in Colorado and sometimes beyond. ■

By the numbers

The tally of the continuing

Western war on wildlife

by Jonathan Thompson

In August 1923, as the nation mourned the sudden death of President Warren G. Harding, the ranchers of southeastern Colorado rejoiced: A federal hunter had trapped and killed by poisoning “Old Three Toes” at last. The notorious tri-toe was not a gangster or outlaw, but a wolf – probably the last of the species in that part of the state – that had lost part of her foot to a trap.

Press reports from the time describe her as a “destroyer of calves and lambs … wicked, ruthless, fearless … wary, elusive, shy of traps.” And also as a wily seductress after she dug a domesticated collie out of his pen, re-wilded him and mated with him, giving birth to five pups.

Three Toes and her pups (and the male collie) were all victims of one of the more grisly campaigns of the Western settler colonial project: The total eradication of potential predators of cattle, sheep and other livestock by whatever means necessary –an effort to convert the landscape into a giant pasture.

The biological services branch of the Department of Agriculture oversaw most of the killing, but states, counties and livestock operators also created “wolf funds” that paid bounties for predator hides. States even criminalized compassion, harshly penalizing folks caught freeing wolves from traps.

The effort ultimately extirpated grizzlies, wolves, lynx and wolverines from most of the West, throwing the predator-prey balance out of whack.

The Endangered Species Act now protects many of these animals from the wholesale slaughter of old. But the killing campaign has by no means ended: The USDA’s Wildlife Services continues to euthanize thousands of animals annually, often to benefit livestock producers, but also to make airports safer, for public health reasons, to control invasive species, and sometimes to protect other wildlife species. (Note: The agency disperses and relocates far more animals than it kills.)

My intent here is not to cast moral judgment, but rather to make myself and my readers more aware of what sorts of activities and resource consumption go into the food we eat or the trips we make or to

simply prop up modern society. That said, some of what goes on is rather disturbing and, it seems to me, unnecessary.

Take the war on coyotes, a killing campaign that hasn’t ebbed a bit since the extirpation-happy days of the early 20th century. The only thing that’s changed is the technology: Now coyotes are killed using firearms, aircraft, night-vision and infrared sensing equipment, neck snares, foothold traps and cyanide capsules.

Now for the morbid data, all of which comes from the USDA and Wildlife Services Program Data Reports:

• 1.5 million - Animals euthanized by Wildlife Serv-

ices in 2023 (of which 1.1 million were identified as invasive species).

• 27 million - Animals relocated or dispersed by Wildlife Services in 2023

• 30,210 - Coyotes killed in Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, California, Wyoming, Montana and Idaho in 2023.

• 37, 13, 53, 18, 2 - Feral dogs, black bears, hawks, mountain lions and great blue herons, respectively, killed by the agency in Arizona in 2023.

• 125, 135, 58, 13, 9 - Beavers, redtailed hawks, black bears, sandhill cranes, and feral cats, respectively, killed by the agency in Colorado in 2023.

• 113,902; 2,717; 10; 10; 2 Starlings, ravens, black bears, mountain lions and feral ducks killed by the agency in Utah in 2023.

• 27, 6, 247 - Wolves, porcupines and yellow-bellied marmots killed by Wildlife Services in Idaho in 2023.

• 10,089 – “Events” Wildlife Services responded to in which beef cattle were threatened or damaged. Threatening animals included: grizzly bears, wolves, beavers, coyotes, crows, feral swine, feral dogs, vampire bats and a yellowbellied marmot.

• 1,709 – “Events” in which chickens were threatened. Threatening animals included black bears, grizzly bears, feral cats, feral chickens, dogs, eagles, peregrine falcons, owls, wild turkeys and feral swine.

• 12,664 - “Events” in which aviation was threatened. Threatening animals included: alligators, antelope, armadillos, badgers, bats, bears, beavers, blackbirds, bobcats, feral cats, feral chickens, feral dogs, ducks, bald and golden eagles, falcons, foxes, hawks, feral horses, lynx, nighthawks, owls, rattlesnakes, snipes, sparrows, swallows and voles.

• 14,007 - “Events” in which general human health and safety were threatened. Threats included: alligators, antelope, bats, beavers, grizzly and black bears, feral chickens, feral cattle, domestic cattle, feral cats, feral dogs, rattlesnakes, turtles, vultures, weasels, wolves and woodpeckers.

The Land Desk is a newsletter from Jonathan P. Thompson, author of “River of Lost Souls,” “Behind the Slickrock Curtain” and “Sagebrush Empire.” To subscribe, go to: www.landdesk.org ■ May 30, 2024

A photo and caption from the Wray Rattler, May 1918. Source: Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection.

KillYrIdols Bending your ear

by Jon E. Lynch

The bulk of this month’s Kill Yr Idols is being written piecemeal, from various locales, farther west and much farther south of my Four Corners home. Schedules aligned, circumstances fell into place, very little planning happened, and I was able to take off for a bit before summer slips into full swing. It has been my experience that (usually, but not always) I welcome visitors to our area with more patience when I myself have had a chance to travel elsewhere.

I often make remarks here in print. I’m also a fan of constant reminders, and while I’ve said this before, it bears repeating: remember that we live in a beautiful place that people want to visit. Do your best (JON) to treat those coming to town with the same graciousness and kindness you’d hope to receive while travelling. Trails, rivers, roadways, etc. will all be busier for the next little bit, so be as tranquil as you’re able to be. Here’s to an easeful segue into summer.

In honor of this seasonal shift – and with it the uptick in road trips, cookouts/hangs with friends and hopefully the omnipresence of music. I reached out to a handful of trusted music lovers and received not-sosimple responses.

I asked an equal number of men and women, all fervent music fans, this super nebulous and constantly shifting question: what’s your faovirte summer album? I imagine if I asked it again, I’d get a whole new set of albums from the same folks. Thus it goes, but for now, here are their picks in no particular order:

• Spoon’s “Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga”: Summer has always been a transitional time for me (likely a remnant from childhood) with lazy days spent wondering what the next thing will be or genuinely enjoying the moment. Spoon’s “Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga” embodies that liminal feeling. The album manages to balance the reflection of their earlier selves while exploring the future of their sound. Clocking in at 36 minutes in 10 songs, Spoon doesn’t waste any time with a truly wonderful album. The seven-track run from “You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb” to “Finer Feelings” go by quickly, with the easy-going nature from the studio chatter and the seamless track changes creating a

welcoming, laid-back ambiance. Yet the more serious statement pieces like “The Ghost of You Lingers” don’t feel out of place. Looking back, “Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga” was a transitional album for the band as it opened the door for them to have more freedom in producing their own music and introduced them to a much wider audience. Also, who doesn’t love a three-piece brass section played at a barbeque?”

• Sonic Youth, “Murray Street”: This is SY’s jam band album they hinted at during ‘A Thousand Leaves’ a couple of albums prior. An underrated gem in their catalog, an album to get completely lost in. As close as SY ever got to “relaxing.”

• Beastie Boys – “Pauls’ Boutique” & “Ill Communication”: Same group, two very different albeit flawless records that conjure summer positivity, hanging with friends and straight-up chilling. Doesn’t hurt they were both released during summertime.

• Kyuss, “Welcome to Sky Valley”: A desert rock album fitting for a beach bonfire, a heavier version of mellow, suitable for your summer album needs.

• Beck, “Odelay”: An album that has been and will continue to be written about ad infinitum. When this dropped it was so fresh and original with something new to be discovered with every listen. Nerd summer party record, “Where it’s at” indeed.

• R.E.M., “Green:” The first album that came to mind, with little thought. I have fond memories of listening to this album while driving around Illinois in my friend’s convertible ’65 Mustang, listening to this cassette over and over. Or maybe it was “Document”? Either way, doesn’t matter. They’re both killer records.

• Bad Weather California “Sunkissed”: I think we would both agree this probably has a pretty good summer vibe to it.

• Other mentions: Ray Barbee/Tommy Guerrero types of upbeat instrumental records; dub and reggae like Lee Scratch Perry, Toots and the Maytals, Sly & Robbie or hip hop; De La Soul’s “De La Soul is Dead”; The Breeders “Last Splash”; the Beastie Boys’ “Check Your Head”; and Tom Petty, “Full Moon Fever.”

Thanks to all those that took the time to respond, and to the many I didn’t have space for, per the word count. That said, I’m still open to your suggestions, dear readers. I’d love to know what your responses would be – so email me below. And, as always, reach out with questions, comments and gripes. Especially the

Derm on board

Sun Bus drives around Colorado, N.M. offering free skin cancer screenings

by Claire Cleveland

This year, 1,990 Coloradans are expected to be diagnosed with skin cancer, and about 160 people will die from skin cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. The Sun Bus mobile clinic is trying to turn those numbers around by offering free skin checks and sun education.

“What a bus does for you is it allows you to get out into the community where people are,” Neil Box, cofounder of  The Sun Bus and president of the  Colorado Melanoma Foundation, said. “Seventy percent of the population is not under the care of a dermatologist. And so, there’s a lot of lesions on people that are not getting screened.”

The Sun Bus travels around Colorado to big events and festivals to offer free skin checks and education. Participants enter the bus and undergo a skin check by a dermatologist in one of two exam rooms. If the examiner sees something suspicious, they connect the patient with a local dermatology clinic or offer further education on where they can go to get treated. Participants leave with sunscreen samples, sun exposure and skin cancer educational materials and a better understanding of their skin’s damage from the sun.

The Sun Bus started in 2018 after the Colorado Melanoma Foundation raised funds to purchase the bus. The bus is now supported by donations from organizations like  Epiphany Dermatology,  Castle Biosciences and EltaMD, among others.

In addition to skin checks and education, The Sun Bus also conducts research. In one of their surveys, they found that people are reluctant to go to the dermatologist even if they are covered through insurance.

“This opened the opportunity for us to interact with each (person) on a personal level, make it a friendly and inviting environment for them and get over that first fear of getting that visit to a dermatologist,” Tamara Terzian, executive director of The Sun Bus, said.

Since 2021, The Sun Bus has expanded its reach and started traveling to surrounding states.

Why is Colorado’s skin cancer rate so high?

In Colorado, 2.5 people per every 100,000 residents die of skin cancer every year. That’s higher than the national average of and higher than most other states in the country.

Coloradans are exposed to an excessive amount of ultraviolet radiation, according to The Colorado Melanoma Foundation, because of Colorado’s elevation, 300-plus days of sunshine and its residents’ love of the outdoors.

But I thought skin cancer wasn’t a big deal?

There are a lot of misconceptions about sun exposure and skin cancer.

“‘Hey, when I’m skiing, it’s wintertime where it’s cloudy out. I don’t need sunscreen.’ Guess what? Because of the altitude, you’re getting more sun on Vail Mountain than you are at Miami Beach,” Dr. Aaron Farberg, a dermatologist in Dallas, who specializes in skin cancer, said. “So you better believe you need sunscreen and protection during that time, too.”

Farberg said he often hears people talk about needing a “base tan” before going on vacation or not worrying so much about the spots they notice on their skin because they don’t think skin cancer is as dangerous as other cancers.

The most deadly type of skin cancer is melanoma, which occurs in the melanocytes or cells that give skin its color. It is estimated melanoma will kill more than 8,000 people in the U.S. this year.

“This is when you hear about 20- and 30-year-olds, oh my gosh, they died,” Farberg said. “It’s a multifactorial as to what causes it, but we know UV radiation is a key driver. Of course genetics play a part in this as well,

but at the end of the day, I mean skin cancer is real.”

There are also misconceptions about treatment, which Terzian said she has experienced first-hand on the us.

Back in 2019, she met a participant who was convinced cannabis could cure skin cancer.

“I had to go through what melanoma cancers mean and how they are generated and developed. And then what type of treatments are available and about the myth of marijuana fixing certain diseases,” she said. “It was for me what’s going on in certain people’s minds.”

How can I identify something concerning on my skin?

Use the ABCDE rule of melanoma if you’re worried about a dark spot or a mole on your skin:

• A for Asymmetry: One half of the mole or skin lesion doesn’t match the other

• B for Border: The edges are irregular, notched, ragged or blurred

• C for Color: The mole has uneven color, multiple colors or changes in color

• D for Diameter: The mole is larger than 1/4 inch, or the size of a pencil eraser

• E for Evolving: The mole has changed in size, shape, color or height over the past few weeks or months

The ABCDE rule is a good way to identify potentially concerning spots, but Farberg also tells his patients to get regular skin checks, just as they would get regular check-ups from their dentist or primary care doctor.

The Sun Bus’s next stops in Colorado are June 5 in Arvada and June 8-9 in Fort Collins. It will be in Durango Aug. 8-9. For more info., go to www.thesunbus.org. For more from Colorado Public Radio, go to www.cpr.org.■

Free Summer Music Kickoff

May 30: Benjamin Barnes, 6-9pm

May 31: Lizard Head Quartet, 7-10pm

June 1: Tracy Wiebeck, 12-3pm

June 1: Banjo Joe & Danielle, 7-10pm

June 1: DJ Seth Bates, 10pm-1am June 2: Spadefoot, 12-3pm

Thursday30

Green Drinks, hosted by San Juan Citizens Alliance, Local First and Bike Durango, 5-7 p.m., 11th St. Station, 1101 Main Ave.

Ska-B-Q with music by Pete Giuliani, 5-7 p.m., Ska Brewing, 225 Girard St.

Animas River Days kick-off party, 5-8 p.m., 2nd Deli, 601 E. 2nd Ave.

Live music by Leah Orlikowski, 5-8 p.m., El Rancho Tavern, 975 Main Ave.

Park Ranger Educational Series: Animal Tracks, 5:30-7 p.m., Durango Rec Center, 2500 Main Ave.

Live music by Darryl Kuntz, 5:30-10 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

Bluegrass Jam, 6 p.m., Durango Beer & Ice Co., 3000 Main Ave.

Live music by Jeff Solon Jazz, 6-8 p.m., Lola’s Place, 725 E. 2nd Ave.

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

Live music by Benjamin Barnes, 6-9 p.m., 11th St. Station, 1101 Main Ave.

Trivia Night, 6:30 p.m., Powerhouse Science Center, 1330 Camino del Rio

Country, Western and Bluegrass night, 6:30 p.m., Roxy’s, 639 Main Ave.

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

Friday31

Live music by One Stan Country Band, 5-8 p.m., Serious Texas BBQ South, 650 S. Camino Del Rio

Live music by Leah Orlikowski, 5-8 p.m., El Rancho Tavern, 975 Main Ave.

SW Colorado Cancer Survivor Celebration, 58:30 p.m., Three Springs Pavilion.

Live music by Darryl Kuntz, 5:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

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

May Birthdays Party, 7-11 p.m., The Subterrain, 900 Main Ave.

Live music by Lizard Head Quartet, 7-10 p.m., 11th St. Station, 1101 Main Ave.  14th annual 10 Minute Play Festival, 7:30

p.m., Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave

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

Fresh Baked Fridays: house, techno and electro, 9 p.m., Roxy’s, 639 Main Ave.

Saturday01

Durango Farmers Market, 8 a.m.-12 p.m., TBK Bank parking lot

Animas River Days, events starting at 8 a.m., Santa Rita Park.

National Trails Day trailwork & BBQ, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., Dry Fork Trail. Hosted by Durango Trails.

“SOS: Save Our Family Farms Conference,” 9 a.m.- 4 p.m., Wines of the San Juan, 233 NM 511 Blanco, N.M. Event also takes place Sunday. www.winesofthesanjuan.com

Grand Opening Celebration NSGHT Meditation Center, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., 858 Main Ave., Suite 204.

Live music by Tracy Weibeck, 12-3 p.m., 11th Street Station, 1101 Main Ave.

Animas River Days parade viewing party, 4:30 p.m., Santa Rita Park.

“Trout-a-Palooza,” fundraiser for 5 Rivers Trout Unlimited, family fun and games, 1-4 p.m., Pine Song; and party and live auction, 6-9 p.m., Hillcrest Golf Course. fiveriverstu.org/

Dancing Spirit Center for the Arts Fill Your Plate fundraiser, music by Jelly Belly Boogie Band, 4-7 p.m., Fox Fire Farms, Ignacio. 970-564-4600

Live music by Terry Rickard, 5-8 p.m., Serious Texas BBQ South, 650 S. Camino Del Rio

Live music by Pete Giuliani, 5:30-8:30 p.m., 701 Public House, 701 E. 2nd Ave.

Live music by Darryl Kuntz, 5:30-10 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

Karaoke, 6 p.m., Durango Beer & Ice Co., 3000 Main Ave.

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

Live music by Banjo Joe and Danielle, 7-10 p.m., 11th St. Station, 1101 Main Ave.

14th annual 10 Minute Play Festival, 7:30 p.m., Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave

Silent Disco with DJ Seth Bates, 10 p.m.-12:30 a.m., 11th Street Station, 1101 Main Ave.

Sunday02

Animas River Days, events starting at 9 a.m., Santa Rita Park.

Veteran Benefit Breakfast, 9 a.m., first and third Sundays of the month, VFW, 1550 Main Ave.

“SOS: Save Our Family Farms Conference,” 10 a.m.- 2:30 p.m., Wines of the San Juan, 233 NM 511, Blanco, N.M. www.winesofthesanjuan.com

The Allison Dance Duo, 12 noon-2 p.m., Lola’s, 725 E. 2nd Ave.

Live music by Sean O’Brien, 12-3 p.m., 11th Street Station, 1101 Main Ave.

Durango Women’s Choir and Santa Fe Women’s Chorale Concert, 2 p.m., St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 910 E. 3rd Ave.

14th annual 10 Minute Play Festival, 2 p.m., Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave

Irish jam session, 12:30-3 p.m., Durango Beer & Ice Co., 3000 Main Ave.

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.

Durango Palestine Solidarity 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 Ave.

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

Sonic Sundays, 6:30-9:30 p.m., Roxy’s, 639 Main.

Monday03

Happy Hour Yoga, 5:30 p.m., Ska Brewing, 225 Girard St.

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

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

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

Tuesday04

Twin Buttes Tuesday, weekly community bike ride for intermediate riders and above, 5:30 p.m.,

AskRachel

Skeezery, raising raisins & thirst for truth

Interesting fact: The average dog owner in the U.S. spends about $1,400 annually on their pet. I want to know what discount code they’re using.

Dear Rachel,

I pay a lot of money for dog beds. My dogs’ comfort is of the utmost, and it also keeps them off my furniture (sometimes). One of the beds that cost in the triple digits recently wore a hole in the seam, so I saw inside and guess what? It’s full of foam scraps. I’m literally certain someone takes the trimmings from the mattress factory dumpster and stuffs them in cheap sacks and sells them to suckers like me. Why are us dog people the targets of such skeezery?

– Mad Dog

Dear Puppy Pleaser,

The problem is not the expensive dog beds. The problem is that podcasts aren’t taking sponsorships from dog bed manufacturers. You could get 30% off using code RACHEL at checkout, with a free 100-day trial and a complete money-back guarantee, plus home delivery. There is an entire generation swapping out their mattresses every 100 days and ultimately sleeping for free. Let’s get on that puppy. – Lie like a dog, Rachel

Dear Rachel,

New baby in the extended family. What is

meet at Twin Buttes parking lot.

Live music by Leah Orlikowski, 5:30 p.m., James Ranch Grill, Highway 550, Hermosa.

Author Event & Book Signing with Karl Ford

“The Colorado Trail in Crisis,” 6-8 p.m., Maria’s Bookshop, 960 Main Ave.

Valkyrie Team Building, 6 p.m., Union Social House, 3062 Main Ave.

“Learn About Lewis & Clark,” featuring retired teacher and historian Mike Gallaher, presented by the Rotary Club of Durango, 6 p.m., Strater Hotel, 699 Main.

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

Man 2 Man Prostate Cancer Support Group, 6:30-7:30 p.m., Durango Public Library, Room 1. Guest speaker Dr. Christopher Stewart, of Mercy Urology. prostategroupdro@gmail.com.

Big Head Todd and the Monsters, 7 p.m., Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College

Open Mic Night, 7 p.m., Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave.

the obligatory time for me to spend on video calls? I get why mama and papa are proud. And gramma is always going to be proud. But until the little raisin develops a personality, I’m just not interested in staring at the baby sleeping on my phone. But I’m a jerk if I say “cool, seen enough, thanks and call me back next year.” How can I get out of this one? – Do Not Disturb

Dear Greenie Meanie,

I’ll give you this: you’re not wrong. Other people’s babies are just not that interesting. But maybe you need to dig deep and find which dark hole your heart lives in? Flowers aren’t exactly active, but we’re supposed to stop and smell them. Not suggesting you start smelling babies, but you can do what I do on FaceTime: pretend you have poor wifi, turn off your own video, then do whatever you please until Gramma gets tired of holding the phone over that little sleeping raisin.

– Coochie-coo, Rachel

Email Rachel at telegraph@durangotelegraph.com

forever drinking mountain water. And all the animals seem to be doing okay. What gives? – Doesn’t Hold Water

Dear Leaky Pouch,

Dear Rachel,

So, we’re not supposed to drink any kind of wild water, right? We could get giardia, or lead poisoning, or E. coli, or god knows what all else. So we buy iodine tablets and fancy water filters for backpacking. Yet our ancestors all survived for the history of

Wednesday05

Great Garden Series: Deep Dive into Native Grasses & Flowers, 4:30-6 p.m., Durango Public Library, 1900 E. 3rd Ave.

Community Concert with The Funk Express, 57:30 p.m., The Powerhouse, 1333 Camino Del Rio

Live music by Pete Giuliani, 6-10 p.m., The Balcony, 600 Main Ave.

Open Mic, 6:30 p.m., EsoTerra, 558 Main Ave.

True Western Roundup, 6:30-9:30 p.m., La Plata County Fairgrounds, 2500 Main Ave.

Big Head Todd and the Monsters, 7 p.m., Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College

Trivia Night, 7 p.m., Bottom Shelf Brewery, 118 Mill St., Bayfield

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

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

I mean, for starters, humans have seriously effed up the world’s water supply in, what, the last couple hundred years? That’s part of it. The rest of it is that we have delicate, civilized stomachs that haven’t had to fist-fight their way to survival ever since birth. We’ve gone soft. In fact, it’s a wonder that any of us let our dogs drink from mountain streams anymore. We can’t afford them getting sick in their fancy, pricy dog beds.

– Take me to the river, Rachel

Ongoing

Duality: Solo Exhibit & Augmented Reality Experience by artist Tad Smith, thru Jun 29, Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave.

“The Return of the Force,” art exhibit exploring the influence of “Star Wars” on Native artists, FLC’s Center for Southwest Studies. Thru August 2024

Upcoming

Ska-B-Q with music by Black Velvet Trio, Thurs., June 6, 5-7 p.m., Ska Brewing, 225 Girard St.

“Paint Like Steve Ross,” art by veterans, open house, Thurs., June 6, 6-7 p.m., Durango Public Library, 1900 E. 3rd Ave.

High Country Hustle with the Pickpockets and Robin Davis Duo, 7 p.m., Animas City Theatre, 128 E. College Dr.

Humane Society Adopt-a-Thon, Fri.-Sat., June 7-8, 8 a.m.-8 p.m. LPCHS, 1101 Camino del Rio

First Friday Art Crawl, Fri., June 7, 4-7 p.m., around Durango. Presented by Local First, Durango Creative District, and The ArtRoom Collective. May 30, 2024 n 13

FreeWillAstrology

by Rob Brezsny

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Welcome to the future of your education! Here are actions you can take to ensure you are exposed to all the lush lessons you need in coming months. 1. Identify three subjects you would be excited to learn about. 2. Shed dogmas and theories that interfere with your receptivity to new information. 3. Vow to be alert for new guides or mentors. 4. Formulate a three-year plan to get the training and teachings you need most. 5. Be avidly curious.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Poet Emily Dickinson was skillful at invoking and managing deep feelings. One scholar described her as being profoundly erotic, outlandish, sensuous, flagrant and nuanced. Another scholar said she needed and sought regular doses of ecstasy. Yet even she, maestro of passions, got overwhelmed. In one poem, she wondered “Why Floods be served to us in Bowls?” I suspect you may be having a similar experience. It’s fun, though sometimes a bit much. The good news is that metaphorically speaking, you will soon be in possession of a voluminous new bowl that can accommodate the floods.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): All of us periodically enjoy phases I call “Freedom from Cosmic Compulsion.” During these times, the Fates have a reduced power to shape our destinies. Our willpower has more spaciousness to work with. Our intentions get less resistance from karmic pressures. You are now in a phase of Freedom from Cosmic Compulsion. You will have more of these phases than anyone else during the next 11 months. It might be time for you to get a “LIBERATION” tattoo or an equivalent new accessory.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Bold predictions: 1. Whatever treasure you have lost or are losing will ultimately be reborn in a beautiful form. 2. Any surrender you make will hone your understanding of exactly what your soul needs. 3. A helpful influence may fade away, but its disappearance will clear the path for new helpful influences that serve your future in ways you can’t imagine. 4. Wandering around without a precise sense of where you’re going will arouse a robust new understanding of what home means to you.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Denmark’s King Canute IV (1042–86) wasn’t bashful about asserting his power. He claimed ownership of all the land. He insisted on the right to

inherit the possessions of all foreigners and people without families. Goods from shipwrecks were automatically his property. But once, his efforts to extend his authority failed. He had his servants move his throne to a beach as the tide came in. Seated and facing the North Sea, he commanded, “Halt your advance!” The surf did not obey. “You must surrender to my superior will!” he exclaimed, but the waters did not recede. Soon, his throne was engulfed by water. Humbled, Canute departed. I bring this up not to discourage you. I believe you can and should expand your influence and clout. Just be sure you know when to stop.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Virgo-born Irène Joliot-Curie craved more attention than she got from her mother, Marie Curie. Mom was zealously devoted to her career as a chemist and physicist, which is one reason why she won Nobel Prizes in both fields. But she didn’t spend sufficient time with her daughter. Fortunately, Irène’s grandfather Eugène became his granddaughter’s best friend and teacher. With his encouragement, she grew into a formidable scientist and eventually won a Nobel Prize in chemistry herself. Even if you’re not a kid, Virgo, I suspect there may be a mentor and guide akin to Eugène in your future. Go looking!

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): I have a fantasy that sometime in the coming months, you will slip away to a sanctuary in a pastoral paradise. There you will enjoy long hikes and immerse yourself in healing music and books you’ve been wanting to read. Maybe you will write your memoirs or compose deep messages to old friends. Here’s the title of what I hope will be a future chapter of your life story: “A Thrillingly Relaxing Getaway.” Have you been envisioning an adventure like this? Or is your imagination more inclined to yearn for a trip to an exciting city where you will exult in high culture? I like that alternative, too. Maybe you will consider both.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): An Instagrammer named “sketchesbyboze” advises us, “Re-enchant your life by making the mundane exciting. You are not ‘going to the drugstore.’ You are visiting the apothecary to buy potions. You are not ‘running an errand.’ You are undertaking an unpredictable adventure. You are not ‘feeding the birds.’ You are making an alliance with the crow queen.” I endorse this counsel for you, Scorpio. You now have the right and duty to infuse your daily rhythm with magic and fantasy. To attract life’s best blessings, you should be epic and majestic. Treat life as a mythic quest.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Invite new muses into your life in the coming months. Give them auditions. Interview them. Figure out which are most likely to boost your creativity, imagination and inspiration. Tell them you’re ready to deal with unpredictable departures from the routine as long as these paths lead to rich teachings. And what form might these muses take? Could be actual humans. Could be animals or spirits. Might be ancestral voices, exciting teachings or sacred sanctuaries. Expand your concept of a muse so you can get as much input as possible.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): The Japanese have a word for a problem that plagues other countries as well as theirs: “karoshi,” or death from working too hard and too much. No matter how highminded our motivations might be, no matter how interesting our jobs are, most of us cannot safely devote long hours to intense labor week after week, month after month. It’s too stressful on the mind and body. I will ask you to monitor yourself for such proclivities in the coming months. You can accomplish wonders as long as you work diligently but don’t overwork. (PS: You won’t literally expire if you relentlessly push yourself with hard exertion, but you will risk compromising your mental health. So don’t do it!)

AQUARIUS

(Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Typically, human fertility is strongest when the temperature is 64 degrees Fahrenheit. But I suspect you will be an exception to the rule in the coming months. Whether it’s 10 below or 90 in the shade, your fertility will be extra robust – literally as well as psychologically and spiritually. If you are a heterosexual who would rather make art or business than babies, be very attentive to your birth control measures. No matter what your gender or sexual preference is, I advise you to formulate very clear intentions about how you want to direct all that lush fecundity. Identify which creative outlets are most likely to serve your long-term health and happiness.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Here’s a key assignment in the coming months: Enjoy fantasizing about your dream home. Imagine the comfortable sanctuary that would inspire you to feel utterly at home in your body, your life and the world. Even if you can’t afford to buy this ultimate haven, you will benefit from visualizing it. As you do, your subconscious mind will suggest ways you can enhance your security and stability. You may also attract influences and resources that will eventually help you live in your dream home.

Gear Gear up for or Animanimas River er Days ys or ge get a gi gift ft for or dad

Great selection of Chacos, shorts, hats and swimsuits

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

Vintage Ski Boat

Owners and drivers wanted to share driving and coaching. If you have a new ski boat, you will also be welcome. Though we respect all watercraft, please no wake boats. I have a fair amount of equipment. 970-799-3488.

Ladies, Roe Overturned by you know who ... So! Overturn Viagra for MAGA supporters. Hello Don.

KDUR is Celebrating 50 years in 2025. Staff is on the hunt for past DJs who have a fond memory, story or even some recorded material! Email station manager Bryant Liggett, Liggett_b @fortlewis.edu

Wanted

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

Books Wanted at White Rabbit Donate/trade/sell (970) 259-2213

ForSale

Reruns Home Furnishings

Get ready for patio season. Beautiful servingware, glassware and baskets. Bistros, chaise lounges and yard art. Also furniture, art, linens and housewares. Looking to consign smaller furniture pieces. 572 E. 6th Ave. Mon.-Sat. 385-7336.

‘09 Yamaha XT 250 Dualsport!

Excellent condition, trip ready! Rear rack, skid plate, new battery. Hitch rack, oil/filter, new tail lights, tank bag. $2600 obo. 970.422.2042

Sol Inflatable Paddleboard!

Want to rule the underground paddle scene? Sol Sonic carbon inflatable paddleboard like new. Removable fin, carbon paddle, hand pump, roller/backpack case. $650 obo 970.422.2042

Services

Boiler Service - Water Heater

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

House sitters available!

We are a small family looking for a housesitting opportunity from October 2024- March 2025. Any dates between Oct to March could also work. Experience with house pets/ livestock. Call or text Jenny 9705709110.

Electric Repair

Roof, gutter cleaning, fence, floors, walls, flood damage, mold, heating service.

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

Empower Yourself to Flourish!

Bring alignment to all aspects of your life. Remove blocks and interference ... physical, mental, emotional & chemical. Guidance and healing for creating more balance in your life. Dr. Erin 970-9037176

Massage by Meg Bush

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

Lotus Path Healing Arts

Unique, intuitive fusion of Esalen massage, deep tissue & Acutonics, 24 years experience. Kathryn, 970-201-3373.

CommunityService

Giving Workshop for Donors

The Community Foundation serving SW Colorado and the Colorado Planned Giving Roundtable invite donors to join an exploration on how to leverage IRAs to support their favorite charities! The workshop is free and will be held at El Moro on Wed., June 26, 8 - 9:15 a.m.

‘Inherent Vice’

Thought that a drug-fueled, star-packed, film noir would be fun to watch. I was wrong – Lainie Maxson

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 are between the ages of 15-18. Host families may be single parents, couples and single persons. The students have money for personal expenses and are selected based on academics and personality, and host families  choose their student. If interested, call Elena at 1-800-733-2773 or email 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. Training and ongoing support provided. For more info., visit alternativehorizons.org/

“I

Read by thousands of

eyeballs every week.

(*And a few that just look at the pictures.)