The Durango Telegraph. June 3, 2021

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June 3, 2021

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T H E

O R I G I N A L

I N D I E

W E E K L Y

L I N E

O N

D U R A N G O

&

B E Y O N D

Rolling the dice

The Quill

‘Does it go?’

Colorado sees $6.6M from sports betting in first year p8

AHS’s year in review p9

For local cave explorer, this is the enduring question p17

The search is over.

Issue 16 of The Gulch is out now!

Wherever you find the Telegraph or at www.gulchmag.com.

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2 n June 3, 2021

telegraph

lineup

4 La Vida Local

A sporting chance

State sees $6.6M in tax revenues from sports betting in first year

4 Thumbin’ It

by Corey H. Jones/ Colorado Public Radio

5 Word on the Street 6-7 Soapbox

9

8 State News

The Quill is back

Ear to the ground: “You can spot them a mile away by their well-coifed hair.”

– Local ruminating on ways to identify the recent bumper crop of newcomers to town

Fire & ice

thepole

8

RegularOccurrences

The Ice Lakes Trail is remaining on ice for the summer. Last week, the San Juan National Forest’s Columbine Ranger District announced it is extending the closure of the popular area northwest of Silverton until Sept. 15. The closure was put in place after last year’s Ice Fire.

In addition to the Ice Lakes Trail, the closure applies to the South Mineral Campground as well as lower Clear Lake Road (FR 815) and South Mineral Road (FR 585) from a new gate past the Goldenhorn camping area.

The year in review from Animas High School

17 Local News 19 Murder Ink

17

20-21 Stuff to Do

On the down low Local cave explorer Bev Shade on life 5,000 feet underground

21 Ask Rachel

by Kathleen O’Connor

22 Free Will Astrology 23 Classifieds

19

23 Haiku Movie Review

Buckle up Newcomer Alexandra Andrews delivers a psychological joyride

On the Cover Durangoan Allen Riling enjoys some solitary flatwater on Cataract Canyon./ Photo by Stephen Eginoire

by Jeffrey Mannix

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According to forest officials, numerous safety hazards still exist in the area, including falling trees, rocks and boulders. In addition, burnt soils devoid of vegetation and saturated by rain and snow are loose, unstable and prone to erosion, and mud- and rockslides. Summer monsoons are expected to only add to the instability.

The closure applies to all public users, including hikers, mountain bikers, snowshoers, skiers and OHVers. Violations of the closure is punishable with a fine of up to $5,000 For more information about this closure, call the Columbine Ranger District at 970-884-2512.

A map of the closure area is available at: tinyurl.com/y8wr9huy And speaking of fire and popular trails, some of the city’s outdoor recreation areas will be undergoing fire mitigation work starting Mon., June 7.

The work will take place on city-owned lands in the so-called “Durango Wildland Urban Interface,” including Overend Mountain Park, Dalla Mountain Park and Horse Gulch. Work will start on the Crestview Ditch, in the Mountain Park, where crews will thin vegetation.

“Reducing risk of fire in the Durango WUI is a high priority for our community,” Amy Schwarzbach, the city’s natural resources manager, said. “The Parks and Recreation Department has worked closely with fire experts to plan this work.”

The efforts are being planned by Fire Adapted Durango, a partnership between the City Parks and Recreation Department and fire experts. The thinning will be done by contracted sawyer crews and will follow Colorado State Forest Service guidelines. This latest round of thinning is the continuation of a multi-phase project focused on mitigating fire risk along the outskirts of town.

Trails and trailheads will remain open, but users should be aware that crews and vehicles will be in the vicinity. Signage will be in place to notify trail users that work is being done. For more information, contact the Parks and Recreation Department at 970-375-7321 or go to: Du rangoGov.org/FireMitigation.

June 3, 2021 n

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opinion

LaVidaLocal Slow burn It was my first night out downtown in well over a year. Now, to be clear, I’m not talking about a “closing down-The-Ranch” type night out; more of a two-beerhappy-hour-kind of evening. Get home before the sun goes down is mostly the kind of partying I do as a 42-year-old. I still like to dabble, but I also want to feel good, so I can go climbing or get out on the trails the next morning. At my age, feeling good in the morning to face the new day is the most important thing.

Even though there’s zero consensus about anything these days in these Divided States, I know everyone can agree that it’s good to have 2020 in the rearview. I know I feel that way.

Being out and about town these last couple weeks has felt good, yet there’s so much to ponder and reflect upon. There’s faces I haven’t seen since before the pandemic.

And, there’s the realization that some faces we will never see again. I lost more friends to avalanches than anything else over this last year.

Some of these people I wasn’t very close with, yet they were those people who could brighten my day with just a little small talk; the type of people who made me feel good to be a part of this community here in Durango.

Our community has changed quite a bit over the course of the last year. Just when we thought real estate couldn’t get any more expensive, the prices skyrocketed. Many businesses could not weather the pandemic, and now several restauThe author at Sailing rants seem short-handed. People Hawks recently helping who always dreamed of living here to remove graffiti. but didn’t think they could make it happen all of a sudden could move here and work remotely.

All throughout the pandemic, I felt removed, yet I also felt like I could continue to do many of the things I still loved like writing, biking, running and climbing. I was comfortably numb, and way out in the desert, I could forget there was even a pandemic raging.

Of course, the pandemic is still raging in other countries, and people are still catching COVID and ending up in our local hospital. Overall, it seems like as a nation we are ready to move on, and I for one am really enjoying being vaccinated and taking my mask off. Though I know we will never return to the pre-pandemic normal, I am excited to start attending events and not being so fearful of a virus and other humans.

These last couple weeks of being out and about in Durango has really got me thinking about the future of this town, and what we want it to be.

I personally love this town and area for two main reasons: the outdoor opportunities and the creative culture and community that continually inspire me as a writer. In other words: I came here for the rocks and trails, but I stayed for the storytelling and poetry.

In addition to the friends that I have lost, it is the absence of that creative community that I dearly miss. With that longing also comes the reality that this summer many events will be returning. I’ve got my first in-person event booked next month in Crested Butte, and I hope to get something scheduled in Durango this summer as well. I haven’t heard anything about my favorite local event, the Raven Narratives, but I’m hopeful those will be coming back at some point. Oh, how I have missed those evenings.

But back to the other evening. Sitting outside at Carvers, I felt overwhelmed. Perhaps it was because it was Memorial Day weekend; perhaps it was the constant roaring of motorcycles and big truck guys with small, uh, stick shifts.

Everything just felt off, so I requested to get a table inside where it was less chaotic. Inside, I couldn’t help but notice I didn’t recognize a single face working there, which makes sense because Carvers closed down for several months during the pandemic.

After spending the evening catching up with my dear friend and fellow Telegraph contributor Jennaye Derge – who I hadn’t seen in real life in over a year – I had a vision. A vision for the future of Durango.

It was a vision where our town embraced a cleaner more creative future. Instead of basically encouraging the big trucks to be rolling coal down our quaint little main street, why don’t we close it off to motorized traffic during the busy months? And while we are at it, shouldn’t the train also be encouraged to be more environmentally friendly?

Change is in the air in this town, and many mountain towns all over the West.

There seems to be two competing visions for our country right now. One seems to be rooted in the past and another in the possibilities of the future. Durango better be getting busy being born. As a poet and writer, I’ll be here thinking, contributing, analyzing and hoping. I’ll see you out there!

– Luke Mehall is the author of five books and the host of the Dirtbag State of Mind podcast. Find more of his work at www.climbingzine.com.

This Week’s Sign of the Downfall:

Thumbin’It A successful return of Animas River Days, one year after having to be canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, with just enough water to make for a somewhat exciting event.

A rough start to recreation in the high country, with a missing hiker found dead in the mountains north of Telluride and a man having to be rescued from the Weminuche Wilderness near Silverton.

Riley Amos, a 19-year-old Durango wunderkind, taking the prize in the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic, finishing with a winning time of 2 hours, 17 minutes and 53 seconds.

The closure of the insanely popular Ice Lake Trail and South Mineral Campground for the summer because of the Ice Fire last fall, which has caused trail damage, falling trees and flash-flooding concerns.

President Biden becoming the first president in history to commemorate the Tulsa race massacre in 1921, where a mob of armed white residents attacked Black residents and burned down their businesses.

4 n June 3, 2021

Sports fans apparently forgetting how to conduct themselves in public since the pandemic, with multiple reports of unruly fans fighting and throwing things at athletes during games.

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Finding Inventory Thanks to the shellfish hoarding caused by COVID, we’ve run out of all sorts of unnecessary stuff like caviar, jigsaw puzzles, kettlebells and small gold bars, all of which are on the national shortage list. But the most disappointing addition to the list is the Yellow Tang – aquariums are sold out nationwide, and prices have gone from $10 to $549 each. So now, we’ll overfish the reefs a bit more thanks to this pandemic.

Actually, it seems like there’s a shortage of just about everything nowadays, except for signs of our downfall.

WordontheStreet

Q

With the first $1 million Colorado vaccine drawing this week, the Telegraph asked, “How would you spend the money?”

Emily

“I’d buy a house in Durango.”

Rebecca

“I’d invest half and give the other half to foster care charities.”

Walter

“I’d buy a brand-new yellow Corvette.”

Aubrey

“I’d donate it to children’s vaccine research.”

Van

“I’d give it to fire and rescue and not go to Vegas.”

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June 3, 2021 n

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SoapBox Wheeler’s impressive track record This is a critical year to be a voter in the upcoming LPEA election, as we have the opportunity to re-elect our experienced and knowledgeable board member Tim Wheeler in District 4. Tim has been very effective in his first term. We need leadership at LPEA that works hard on behalf of the members and can get things done in a non-partisan manner. Tim Wheeler has been a very productive leader on the LPEA board and we need to keep him there.

His track record and efforts on the board in his first three years are impressive: • Treasurer • Chair of Finance Committee • Member of the Power Supply Committee • Member of the Broadband Committee • Representative to LPEA subsidiary FastTrack Communications During his time on the board, LPEA unanimously adopted a strategic goal for lowering CO2 emissions and keeping rates low, hired a new CEO, negotiated a 4% rate decrease with our power supplier and significantly increased board transparency.

Mail-in ballots need to be returned no later than June 16. I encourage residents of District 4 to vote for Tim Wheeler so he can continue to work successfully on behalf of LPEA’s members.

–Kyle Amstadter, Durango

Wheeler fights for broadband Tim Wheeler is the District 4 incumbent in LPEA’s upcoming board election. He is really sharp on all the key issues that LPEA faces and is forward looking in trying to shape policies for LPEA that will benefit all the members.

One key issue that he has been very involved with and

that I feel is critical to our community is the role LPEA should play in expanding broadband access in LPEA’s mostly rural service area. The pandemic we have all been living through shows just how important better and more affordable broadband access is to our future community well-being. LPEA should consider playing a key role in bringing better broadband to our area, in the same way it played a crucial role in bringing electricity to our rural community more than 80 years ago when for-profit companies would not make the necessary investments.

Tim Wheeler has been a key member on the LPEA Broadband Committee and LPEA’s representative to its broadband subsidiary, FastTrack Communications. We need to keep him on the LPEA Board to ensure his deep knowledge and leadership on broadband is retained.

Please vote to re-elect Tim Wheeler to the LPEA Board.

– Deb Paulson, Durango

Vote for community’s best interest I am inspired to write this letter in support of Tim Wheeler for the District 4 LPEA board quite simply because I have known him for many years now, and have watched him repeatedly apply his large knowledge base and skill set to try and make this community a better place to live. He certainly loves this community.

He is highly intelligent, asks important questions and is a quick-study.

As a current member of the LPEA Board, he has clearly stood out as one of the most committed and hardest working members. Some, in the know, say his work in his first term has been essential to LPEA’s success.

He has served as Treasurer of the Board for the past three years, is currently Chair of the Finance Committee, as well as a member of both the Power Supply Committee and the Broadband Committee.

In the last year, he has taken a special interest as a member of LPEA’s Broadband Committee and is encouraging the board to decide whether to expand its service to this community by not only providing us with power, but also expanding its services to include broadband. He is well aware that many of LPEA’s customers live in rural areas that are currently not being adequately served by our existing Wi-Fi carriers and sees that this creates an opportunity to both profit and serve. Other communities around the country that have taken this same step have found a way to bring in not only better, more dependable service to their communities, but in some cases even cheaper service. Tim is currently the board representative to the LPEA subsidiary FastTrack Communication, which may become even more important if the board decides to move forward with a broadband plan.

I believe a locally owned and operated broadband service would benefit this community greatly. No longer would we be watching outside interests control our fate.

Our community members making up the board would be in a position to act in accordance with this community’s best interests.

A vote for Tim Wheeler is a vote for the best interests of this community. Remember votes must be in LPEA’s hands by June 16.

–Ron Margolis, Durango

Clean air or more pollution We have come so far. Just a few years ago, members of the LPEA Board of Directors were openly pro-fossil fuels. Today, even the most conservative candidates acknowledge the negative effect continued pollution has on clean air and fire risk.

However, only some candidates will truly work to implement a new path to zero emissions with no rate4

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increase. Others either don’t have the skills, the knowledge or the inclination to move to locally generated sustainable energy.

Your vote could mean the difference between clean air with a thriving local economy or a step backwards toward more pollution and a missed economic opportunity.

Ted Compton is the right choice for District 3. As an engineer, he has the technical skills that will go missing when Britt Bassett leaves the board. As a parent and community member, he has the commitment to do what is right for the environment while keeping costs low.

Tim Wheeler (no relation to me) is the right choice for District 4. Tim is a proven board member and a tireless advocate for cost-effective and sustainable solutions.

A single vote could mean the difference in this election. Previous LPEA races have been decided by as few as 27 votes. This is the moment where your sole vote could be the difference for future generations.

If your LPEA ballot is still sitting on your counter, please take a moment to fill in a vote for Ted Compton, Tim Wheeler or Mark Walser. Your grandchildren will thank you.

– Jessica Wheeler, Durango

Time to legislate equity In the last few weeks, the Colorado House of Representatives has made national headlines for all the wrong reasons. Twice now, there have been high profile incidents of Republican legislators using discriminatory or racist language on the House floor.

My colleagues in the Black and Latinx caucuses have asked us, their white allies, to stand up in the face of these incidents. I will not be silent, and I am committed to speaking up when I see something wrong.

I condemn the comments that have been made, and am thankful that House Speaker Alec Garnett has since made it abundantly clear that such displays have no place in the People’s House.

I wish we could legislate kindness. Or empathy. Or understanding.

But while we can’t legislate these things, we can pass policies to help balance the scales. We can work to correct historical injustices and ensure that our laws to improve health care, support small businesses and grow our economy take into account how different communities are impacted. We can legislate equity.

Just this week, the House passed a bill to create a new health insurance option for Coloradans, known as the Colorado Option, which will help us afford quality health care by lowering insurance premiums by 18%. The standardized plan must address historical health inequities, and will also lower out-of-pocket costs for consumers. We on the Western Slope have some of the highest health care premiums in the country.

There is substantial evidence that people of color or living in poverty in Colorado often suffer worse health outcomes because they don’t have access to an affordable insurance option. The Colorado Option improves health equity by increasing access to affordable insurance products for these underserved communities so no one has to go without the care they need.

The sponsors, Reps. Dylan Roberts and Iman Jodeh, took great care to ensure this bill is good for everyone, from rural families to communities up and down the Front Range, and Coloradans of all ages, races and backgrounds. I am proud to support it.

Many other major pieces of legislation this year are focused on equity, from criminal justice reform bills that will help Coloradans get a second chance, to proposals that will improve diversity in our educator workforce, & much more.

However, one bill that is particularly important for my constituents to know about is the state budget, the Long Bill, which is due to be signed by the Governor very soon.

This year’s budget invests in equity to ensure that as we work to build back a stronger Colorado, we create an inclusive economy that leaves no one behind.

The budget prioritizes equity by funding the Colorado

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Comeback Plan. It invests $800 million into our historic state stimulus package, which is designed to help Colorado rebuild and recover in the wake of COVID-19.

Communities of color, including the Native American tribes I proudly represent in Southwest Colorado, have been disproportionately impacted by the economic and health effects of the pandemic. And it’s our job to ensure all of Colorado comes back stronger.

Among many other proposals, our budget invests $30 million into a loan fund to provide assistance to entrepreneurs who have traditionally lacked access to capital in order to help them start, restructure or scale up their business. It also puts $100 million toward additional funding for higher education, with over half to be used for recruitment and retention of underrepresented and underserved minority students; Fort Lewis College and Western Colorado University are serving their minority student populations well.

Legislating equity doesn’t mean prioritizing one community over another, it means creating policies that help all of Colorado while taking into account the historical and systemic realities we live in. Despite the headlinegrabbing incidents of discrimination on the House floor, we’re busy working to make Colorado a better, more prosperous and more equal place for everyone to live.

–Rep. Barbara McLachlan, D-Durango

“We’ll print damned-near anything” The Telegraph prides itself on a liberal letters policy. We offer this forum to the public to settle differences, air opinions & undertake healthy discourse. We have only three requests: limit letters to 750 words, letters must be signed by the writer; and thank-you lists and libelous, personal attacks are unwelcome. Send your insights by Tuesday at noon to: PO Box 332, Durango, 81302 or e-mail your profundities to: telegraph@durangotelegraph.com. Let the games begin ...

June 3, 2021n 7

StateNews

Rolling the dice Colorado gets $6.6M from its first year of sports betting

by Corey H. Jones

A

fter closing the books on its first year of legalized sports betting, Colorado collected more than $6.6 million in tax revenue. The programs set to receive that money will start to do so this fall.

Voters passed Proposition DD by a slim margin in 2019. But by the time legal betting launched in May of last year, the state didn’t know what to expect because of the pandemic, Colorado’s director of gaming Dan Hartman said.

“I think when we started out, we were very conservative, not knowing how it was going to go,” he said. “But we've been really impressed and I think excited about the numbers that have come in.”

Things may have gotten off to a slow start early on in the pandemic with casinos closed, many people stuck at home, and most professional The crowd goes wild for the Denver Nuggets during a playoff watch party at The DNVR sports postponing their seasons. That Bar on East Colfax Ave. on May 29. Legal sports betting brought in $6.6 million in tax meant a lot of wagers on sports like revenue last year./ Photo by Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite table tennis and mixed martial arts.

But overall wagers went up in the fall thanks in large part to the return of the casinos make off of sports betting. So when help them stay off that downward spiral,” National Football League, which typically the house wins, the state wins. This revenue Hartman said. “We keep looking at ways to draws a lot of betting action. In January, does not include any income taxes placed make sure that responsible gaming is built Colorado collected more than $1 million in on individual winnings. Instead, you take into what we do.” the money lost by bettors in Colorado and Of the tax revenue the state collects monthly tax revenue for the first time.

“I think that recovery is happening then sportsbooks essentially pay a 10 per- from sports betting, $130,000 goes directly across the board obviously as sports play cent tax on those profits. There’s the state’s to gambling addiction services, like crisis hotlines and counseling. continues to increase,” Joe Bertolone, exec- tax revenue.

Given that the vast majority of sports But Lantz, the gambling counselor, said utive director the University of Nevada Las Vegas’ International Center for Gaming bets in Colorado have been made online, more needs to be done to make people Regulation, said. “If you look at the gaming the lower barrier to entry has made addic- aware of both the risks and the resources. industry as a whole, regional operators tion a risk. The ability to bet on a mobile That means educating professionals like started to recover more quickly than inte- device makes it easier to hide the problem bankers and therapists to help identify pograted resort or destination places like Las from friends and family, said Nancy Lantz, tential gambling problems. who’s worked as a gambling counselor in “I absolutely love the fact that we do Vegas.” have money earmarked to take care of probA big factor in that resurgence is mobile the state for 20 years.

“It’s not unusual for me to see somebody lem gambling,” she said. “It’s not nearly betting. Wagers made by computer or smartphone account for more than 80 per- that has anywhere from $100,000 to enough.” $200,000 in debt,” she said. “And if their The rest of the tax money will be used to cent of bets, according to Bertolone.

“It's because of the ease of use,” he said. spouse doesn’t know about it, then they be- pay back the $1.74 million that lawmakers “The other thing that the operators are come desperate and the thoughts of suicide allocated basically for start-up costs. Then, doing is they were forced to get even more are very strong because of the embarrass- 6 percent will go to what’s called a hold sophisticated in regards to their wagering ment of what they’ve done and also trying harmless fund, which allows the state to menus, meaning what types of bets are to figure out how they’re going to get them- make up for losses in tax revenue from traselves out of debt.” ditional gambling and even horse racing as placed.”

This is another area where the pandemic a result of sports betting. The entities that Colorado’s 33 casinos all have master licenses for sports betting. From there, they has had a big impact. Some people who lost can apply for this money include the state need specific licenses to offer mobile and jobs turned to gambling. Others bet their historical fund, counties and cities with retail betting. Two-thirds of them are cur- stimulus checks, and plenty bet for enter- casinos, and community colleges. But most rently licensed mobile operators, while 16 tainment because there wasn’t really any- of the tax revenue will go to water conserthing else to do, Lantz added. vation and storage projects. The exact are licensed for in-person sports betting.

Hartman, the director of gaming, said amounts will be determined later this sumAnd over the first year, sports bettors in the state wagered more than $2.3 billion betting apps and websites have features mer. Then the state’s gaming commission built in to help people control how much needs to approve those distributions, which online and at casinos.

“We saw tremendous momentum last they wager or pause their betting. Operators it will likely do in September. n year,” Hartman said. “Things are coming can also detect if someone has a problem.

For more from Colorado Public Radio, go to: “And many of them do reach out to the back to normal.”

By law, this program only taxes profits customer and offer other things … that will www.cpr.org.

8 n June 3, 2021

telegraph

Parting Thoughts from Billie Roses and Thorns Roses

Class of 2021 finally finishing TED Talks with only a few minor injuries.

Finalizing our designs for the new school and getting ready to break ground this year, though the trailers will be missed.

Ending one of the most difficult years of our schooling with high hopes for next year. Ashley did say low expectations lead to happy lives.

Thorns

Haven’t met most of the freshmen, hope they’re cool.

Going into summer having never spent even a whole week in school together

Quill advisor Jessica McCallum will miss editor Billie Brand vehemently.

Photo by the selves in the selfie

Horoscopes that Count

By the Mathemastrologer Julian Springer

Aries Consider that, mathematically speaking, you have to be odd to be number one. Don’t change your ODD ways, EVEN if it means ruffling a few feathers.

Taurus This month your lucky numbers are statistically indistinguishable from your unlucky ones. Rest assured that this is a normal occurrence, and you should try not to think about whether this description can really apply to all 600 million people who happen to share your sign.

Gemini Three out of two Geminis have trouble with fractions. Try not to be one of them. You will find that careless errors have dire consequences for the next eight decades.

2

The Animas Quill

Co-Editor-in-Chiefs

Reporters

Billie Brand Ava-Kadence Jacober

Mya Oyler Naima Van Tyn Sailor Kabeary Mia Macon Scarlett Moore Molly Bachman Coleten House Sean Madden

Photo Editor Maya Olivier

Advisor

Jessica McCallum

Cancer The Earth wobbling on its axis is a phenomenon known as precession.

This means that you aren’t actually a Cancer. Most mathematologists say not to worry about it, though.

Leo Try to take it slow this month. As a Leo, you are 40% more likely to get busted for a speeding ticket than any Libras in the room. Nonetheless, if you’re afraid of negative numbers this is the time to stop at nothing to avoid them.

Virgo You struggle to identify causal relationships in life, leaving you susceptible to the dubious explanatory frameworks offered by mathemagicians like me. Luckily for you, the stars have aligned in your favor! Not all of the stars, but a few.

And the line is not totally straight.

Take it or leave it.

June, 2021

Dear Homegurl, What in the world am I supposed to do with the five options of males that I go to school with? It’s not that they’re not all pretty nice and cool, but are you kidding?! This is all I have to work with??

Sincerely, Lady in Desperation Dear Lady in Desperation, I know, it is a struggle at our lovely little Animas High School. But, I can say that settling is only worth it when they buy you food. So, start making that your standard and maybe some things will open up.

Peace and Blessin’s, Homegurl

Having to say goodbye to our cherished family members: Bridget, Dusty, Stephen, and Jess

The Animas Quill Staff

So it ends as it began, with my journalism teacher and I sitting at a giant Mac computer in an empty classroom for endless hours. Maybe we’re here because we didn’t plan well, or maybe it’s because we like the ambiance of our abandoned school and the visions of headlights skating by the window. Probably both actually… definitely both. It has been one h*#l of a year (I didn’t want to censor that either, but we’re a family newspaper), and if it was anything for you like it was for me, I’m vehemently proud of you for sticking it out. We have endured black screens, the black plague, and RGPs changing their hours to close earlier (we’re really sad about this last one). But we’re still here, like you’re still here, making a newspaper on the off chance that someone reads it, and it makes them smile. So smile, damn you!! Let this not be for naught. Peace and Blessings.

Love, your loyal layout editor, signing off of the Mac one final time.

Dear Homegurl

e a

The Animas Quill strives to be an exceptional and relevant source of news and student perspectives, connecting the Ospreys of Animas High School to the Four Corners community and the world beyond.

Libra Just remember, good mathematics is not about how many answers you know, it’s about how you behave when you don’t know the answer. Try to approach the problems in your life with this mindset. If it helps, remember that everything is nothing (0) with a twist (∞).

Scorpio Abstract, indefinite predictions about your future will continue to work as self-fulfilling prophecies.

Like this one: As a Scorpio you are statistically more likely to be President of the United States (look it up). Even so, try to be humble like the equal sign, neither greater nor less than anybody else.

Sagittarius According to a recent study conducted by the Cartoon Network, you are twice as likely to hit the big time as the next most successful alternatively signed counterpart.

t s w i a l

h a Capricorn c Recently, you and your crush may i have felt like parallel lines: a lot in m common but never meeting up!

This week will prove to be a good time for romance. Or travel. Or doughnuts. As a Capricorn, you see facets of yourself in any personality description, no matter how vague and content-less.

Aquarius I would tell you your future, but then you would alter it, creating a paradox. So instead, just chill out: everything that happens today, I saw coming.

Pisces Geometry keeps you in shape.

You will find that with the moon closer to the earth this month, tidal forces will make exercising slightly easier. Now is a great time to work off that Covid flab.

itself, Animas will be able to be there for the next 50 years, with two opportunities for a 20 year extension, for a total lease time of 90 years, to be reevaluated then.

While the improved functionality of the building is clear, the safety of the new building is also an important factor. Students won’t have to walk far from the parking lot(s) to the building, they won’t have to walk between buildings to get to classes, and the more permanent buildings offer a sense of security.

“We do everything in spite of our building,” Sean emphasized. “It was never a question of if we needed a new building, but when and how Rendering of one of the new nest’s common spaces. The intentional design of student work space has been a we were going to get it. Once Image courtesy of Anderson Mason Dale Architects priority throughout the design process.

Steve Schwartz [Vice Presiengineering field and seeing my work be prepared for dent for Finance & Administration at FLC and a real world purpose, not just a project.” former AHS Board member] became part of the Not only has the building process been an opporconversation, we finally started to get answers to tunity for student engagement, but the new campus those uncertainties.” set for construction at the Fort Lewis College campus Aside from the logistics, the question stands: how will “create an opportunity for collaboration, supportwill the Animas culture change and be shaped by a ing high school students in larger projects, and will permanent home? So much of our energy goes into allow students to see what a college experience might trying to make our school building reflect our look like,” Sean Woytek shared. programming. Before you even walk in the doors, Being on the same campus as the college will also you’re greeted with the memories and character of help with things like concurrent enrollment, easy students and classes from years past and present. access to facilities, and other small things such as Benches and skate ramps sit outside of the buildings, cutting the need for a cafeteria, gymnasium, or library chalkboard projects with people’s life goals line the in the new building, as we are working on an agreewalls, countless murals decorate classrooms and ment to have access to the Fort’s. As for the land lease

hallways, encouraging and motivating words fill the bathroom stalls. Traces of projects have accumulated everywhere, reminding us of those who have come and gone. How will we carry this energy with us as we move forward into a new fresh space?

Sean is optimistic that despite this lack of physical history in our new school, the culture will transfer to our new building through project-based learning, our teachers, and our students. He has high expectations that the excitement of a new building will encourage students to continue to carry our culture and traditions into the new space, as it has in years past, such as when we moved from the strip mall to the modulars.

In current and past years, getting a full understanding of who we are, what we stand for, and what we do purely by walking through the Animas halls was practically impossible. The strip mall had “unique, funky features, and was not even close to being built for a school, much less project based learning,” Sean reflects. “[The modulars] were much closer to what a school looks like, but obviously not ideal.” With the new classrooms and buildings, a fuller picture of our culture can be reflected, and won’t rely as heavily on student and teacher performance to get our mission and goals across to visitors. He is hopeful that the pride connected to the permanence of our new building will create a more seamless and welcoming environment compared to our previous campuses.

As we move forward into our new building in the coming years, Sean hopes we can become comfortable “moving [into the new building] from this sterile environment into something that really feels like us.”

With the collaboration and evolution of our school throughout the past few years, it is without doubt that this can be made our perfect home.

Mockery is Our Love Language: Senior Impersonations two years, Covid has forced this custom from live improv into film, leaving behind a trail of laughter for posterity.

The tough love captured in these spoofs embodies the essence of the teacherstudent relationships at Animas. The faculty takes great pride in creating the scenes and planning out their impersonations, adding personal creative touches in their costumes, music, voices, and mannerisms. As each Osprey flies from the nest, their impersonation adds to their legacy; it is an important rite of passage for students to remember the Teachers Dave Farkas, Julian Springer, and Roxy McKnight capture the essence of graduating impression they have left. Humanities teacher seniors Patrick Thornton, Owen Isenberg, and Sean Madden.

Jessica McCallum, who edited this year’s

By Sailor Kabeary video, commented, “Our mockery of these humans is an expression of our profound love for them. At the The Animas teachers successfully carried out the end of their journey, we just want every student to feel tradition of roasting the seniors through parody on seen.” their way out the door. Students look forward to (or maybe dread) these impersonations for years leading up to the final assembly on graduation day. For the last

Use the QR code above to witness this hilarity or search “AHS Senior Impersonations 2021” on YouTube.

June, 2021

The Animas Quill

3

An Osprey Must be Kicked from the Nest in Order to Fly

The graduating class of 2021 throw up their caps against a backdrop of beautiful mountain sky and a bright future.

By Naima Van Tyn and Molly Bachman Photos by Maya Olivier

The Animas High School Class of 2021 graduated under a beautiful blue sky at a private ranch in Hesperus on Friday, May 28. In the spirit of this whole school year, the ceremony was impacted by COVID, but it couldn’t stop the successful celebration. It was AHS’s second tailgate ceremony, with families and friends of the graduates lining up in their cars to witness the pomp and circumstance and finally see their beloved Ospreys cross the stage.

It began with Head of School Sean Woytek giving a warm welcome to the students and families, followed by a speech from County Commissioner Marsha

Rising college freshmen Britt Autry yells in excitement after recieving her diploma, eliciting a sophisticated laugh from Head of School Sean Woytek.

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The Animas Quill

June, 2021

Departing Director of College Counseling Jessica Morrison leads the graduating class

Porter-Norton. Alyssa Nicoly and Lindsay Levine’s like little ducklings over the ditches, bumps and cow manure to take their seats. beautiful performance of the national anthem that will permeate and define stages in your life.” ramped up the air of celebration. Student speakers It is safe to say Animas will miss the class of 2021 shared memorable moments of the graduating class, in all its scattered glory. They were able to persefrom their first day at Animas to their last. Britt Autry vere through the uncertainty that permeated the last began with her inspired and heartfelt poem “I fifteen months and find ways to succeed despite their Wanna Grow Up”; her poignant words rippled challenges. They were pushed to make beautiful work, through the hearts of the gathered friends and and they surpassed expectations, creating out-of-thefamilies as she spoke to the cycle of growing up and box senior projects, inspiring TED talks, and some wishing to return to the safety of simpler times. Billie of the most impressive thesis papers teachers have Brand and Rosie Gurnee followed, recounting their seen (see page 8 for coverage). During their time at evolving relationship with Animas and the authentic Animas, they have evolved into artists, engineers, nostalgia that comes with leaving high school. They activists, and poets. As “the cycle of [their last] school explored coming into community, and coming into year culminates” in the moment of their graduation, their own skins over the course of four years, our Animas community can kick them out of the concluding by asking their fellow classmates nest with the knowledge that they are amazing young and departing staff “to think of the moment adults ready to take their next leap in life. Just as Lori when you knew you were ready to jump.” ended her speech, we as a community can say our Their words moved the crowd, bringing farewell to these students: “Class of 2021, shine as you laughter and tears in equal measure. disappear. Leave us a light to remember you by.”

Faculty speakers Lori Fisher and Steve Smith spoke to the unique experiences they had with the class of 2021 and their fleeting four years at Animas. Lori recounted with a somewhat wistful air, “It’s hard ending anything, and it’s especially hard ending like this, where we haven’t actually completed the journey together, we’ve just been thrust into the transition.” Steve gave a final chemistry lesson on how the cycles of our universe are mirrored by our school years.

He advised the class of 2021, “Graduates, today is the end of one cycle and the beginning of the next. Be cognizant of the cycles Photo by Lorelai Brunner

One Person’s Journey

By Riley Douglas

Congratulations You got in!

To work another four years and watch as the life of a small fish begins So pack all of your worldly effects Say single worded goodbyes To jump blindly into hair-raising rapids And follow the disorderly ride of the floods

Amira Aquarian joyously takes her last stride as an Animas Osprey.

She is the last of her family to become an Animas alum, joining her two sisters in the “Alum Club.” Animas will undoubtedly be a little grayer without an Aquarian running around.

Alyssa Nicoly and Lindsay Levine harmonize the national anthem.

Alyssa and Lindsay will both be attending CSU, singing, skating, and sharing joy with others we’re sure.

Battered and bruised From the ups and downs of the first major hill Only to look up at breathtaking peaks ahead Step back and watch your soon to be journey As the magnet in your head points you south And your stomach bubbles and head buzzes One can not help but wonder and worry And ponder of all the the steps that need to be taken Both easy and hard a passionate soul will take them

Rosie Gurnee and Billie Brand deliver their final words of wisdom to the Class of 2021 in a joint speech that was equal parts fond memories and philosophical musings. They recount various experiences with anklets over socks, sappy camping trips, and the community they will miss at Animas. Rosie will be attending Lewis & Clark College in Oregon, and Billie will be attending Macalester College in Minnesota.

To imagine and hope for the spine tingling views To jump blindly into the arms of the world To shop for groceries with new people around you To perform everyday tasks only to call your mother and ask To walk to outlandish new places To talk and and connect with engaging new faces And to the parties you will party and the mistakes you will make As survivors of monumental trailers, Former owners of a building now for our next generation enjoy, Outlandishly long online learners, Fighters for limited parking spaces, And old war story tellers of chemistry classes, The things we have seen only speak to our future advances We will go the distance

Assitant Head of School Libby Cowles lets her well-deserved tears flow as she congratulates her graduating son Finn Bridgham. Finn will be biking around town while attending Fort Lewis College next year, and undoubtedly changing his hair color at least weekly.

We pray for his caffeine addiciton.

So for the swimmers, step takers, heartbreakers, And all you could ever hope to be For the nights you won’t sleep, and the aches your head will suffer To the places you are going and the boisterous ideas your mind is growing The people you are losing but will meet again on some washed out rocky trail The pressure you feel is suffocating, but now you are the person you are And fate awaits you at the end of the stage Congratulations

Colby Doughty flashes his classic grin for the camera after receiving his diploma. Colby completed a very interesting senior project on how tattoos are addictive, and after Animas, he will be “living life to the fullest.”

Graduates Sam Larsen, Garrett Middleton, Jake Burton, Trevor Harms, and Milo Etheridge smile into the camera donning their graduate garb. These homies will be continuing school at the likes of Fort Lewis, Colorado Mesa University, and Colorado School of Mines.

June, 2021

The Animas Quill

5

Farewell Staff, Leave Us a Light to Remember You By

By Quill Staff

Stephen Sellers Stephen Sellers, Animas’ legendary 9th grade Humanities teacher, will be a hard loss for the AHS family after eight years of leading freshpeople into project-based greatness.

Stephen, also known in the greater Durango Stephen huddles for a family photo with his Humanities Betties at graduation. community as DJ Bad Photo by Julian Springer Goat and a member of the Six Dollar String Band, is leaving the nest and planning on pursuing his already established career in music and filmmaking.

Stephen has been with AHS since 2012, where he cut his teeth in the old strip mall mentored by Lori Fisher. After a few years of teaching sophomores, he settled into a long tenure in 9th grade humanities, where he helped build the foundations of PBL for many classes of Ospreys.

Freshperson Gisella Hughes will remember Stephen fondly, sharing that, “[he] brings in the energy, and it’s not his DJ energy but it’s his ‘I’m here to make a change and I want to make these students my friends and have a connection with them and want to be present and connected with what they’re doing’ [vibe].”

Stephen shared some parting thoughts about leaving Animas: “I’ve been fortunate to be able to learn a lot at Animas about various different things. It’s helped me get better at the other things that I do in my life.” Stephen is proud of the work he has done here, sharing, “We exist as a thing that pushes the needle to help push school reform.”

The staff and students at Animas High School not only love Stephen but also think of him as a role model and even family. Sara Price, who worked alongside Stephen in the freshmen trenches for years, shared, “Stephen is a visionary who sees beyond the educational limits of his time. He is willing to ask the hard questions to students and then wait patiently while they work together to shape their education. While working with Stephen, I stretched my wings further than ever, trusting the process. Stephen will be deeply missed at Animas. But his roots run deep and will never be upended.”

Stephen is a huge loss for Animas; however, we know he has big dreams and talents and will find success in his next steps in life.

Bridget Stowers

Bridget last Halloween, dressed up as our beloved skater crew.

Photo by Finn Stowers

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The Animas Quill

June, 2021

The warm spirited Bridget Stowers will be leaving Animas at the end of this year. Bridget has been so much more than just the face at the front desk. She has always brought the support that everyone needed on those cold Monday mornings with her snacks, smiles, and hugs.

Bridget has technically worked at Animas for six years, but she started volunteering for the school the year before it was built. With her three sons being Animas alumni, she has been a part of

Dusty Grannis What will we do when the internet goes out?

For years, we have looked to Dusty Grannis, Animas High’s resident tech wizard, to solve problems large and small.

In a year when the world went on lockdown and had to learn through Dusty solving all our techy probelms, while embodying Osprey school spirit. We will be our screens, we lost in the web without him (pun intended).

Photo courtesy of Libby Cowles appreciated Dusty more than ever for his expertise in so many areas.

Dusty has been around since the strip mall days, and he has helped build Animas up into the school it is today. During his nine years at AHS, Dusty has come to wear many hats. Not only has he kept our tech world afloat and managed tons of data from transcripts to testing, he has also been a beloved teacher of computer science and X-block, a stellar Osprey Week leader, and a friend to all. Senior Sean Madden shared, “The passion and excitement Dusty has for the things he loves is contagious, and those around him will always surely end up with a piece of that positivity. I’ve always been so appreciative of the energy Dusty brings.”

Digital Arts teacher Roxy McKnight lamented the loss: “Dusty has always been able to help me and our students when I can’t figure something out. He made my entire job seem easier the day he walked in the door. He has empowered me to learn new things while taking care of other things I couldn’t learn even if I wanted to. I will forever be grateful for everything he has done for our school.”

The acts of service Dusty provides everyday allow our school to function to its fullest potential whether behind the scenes or in the classroom. From the troubleshooting of NEST meetings to the bonding experiences on the mountain bike trails, Dusty is always there to share his wisdom and help make the best memories for everyone. We will all miss him from the bottom of our hearts, and we hope the best for whatever is next for our dear friend Dusty. the community since the beginning. Bridget says that one of her favorite things has been “seeing everyone grow up over the course of four years and go from little freshmen into these amazing young adults.”

The relationships Bridget has built with the students are memorable for all.

Junior Jack Tescher is sad to see her go, sharing, “To me, she is one of the main faces of Animas, and I will miss not being able to get breakfast and snacks from her every morning.” Jack speaks for many. Although Bridget is leaving her role as the front office manager, the Animas community is sure they will continue to see her around because of the lasting connections she has built.

Bridget has been a guiding light and support system for the faculty as well. The mentorship Bridget has brought feels like, “a second mother to the students and faculty”, says Humanities teacher Ashley Carruth.

School counselor Erin Skyles added, “Since Animas’ inception, Bridget has been the constant, the love, the acceptance, the calm. She is more than the ‘mom’ of the school; she is home personified.”

As we remain grateful for our time with Bridget at the front desk and all around, we are lucky to be left with her words of advice: “You are capable of great things and everybody can contribute to the world because it’s easy to be kind. Don’t forget to give yourself some grace and pat yourself on the back.”

Jessica Morrison When news of Jessica Morrison leaving the Nest reached the ears of senior Billie Brand, they “initially thought it was a joke, a very bad one at that.” Billie adds that “Jess has been my rock this year, through the essays, the financial aid, and the crying over either of the previous two.

She is a steady wealth of knowledge and problem-solving. I would never come to her with anything and walk away without an answer or a game Jess rejoices with senior Kian Edmondson over his National plan. That’s why it was so hard to Merit recognition as a College Board Rural and Small Town learn that she was leaving. That sort Scholar. He will be attending Rice University in the fall.

Photo courtesy of Libby Cowles of thing just can’t be taught.”

However, Jess is leaving Animas having built the framework for college and career readiness at Animas High School. When she came to the school six years ago, the program that is now so integral to Animas’ important “life after high school” rhetoric, was unclear and not streamlined. Head of School Sean Woytek added that “She has created systems that will last the next decade. She has set Animas up for its future students, and also staff for including preparation into their everyday curriculum, which was not the case before.” The success of these systems is evident in the troves of students

Sophomore Rockets Take Flight!

thriving in both professional and academic environments after Animas. And the success that Jess has achieved at Animas is evident in the way she is beloved by staff and students alike, and by her ability to rally for her students to help them get into college and attain scholarships to make it affordable.

Jess will be leaving Animas in order to build a new college and career preparation program for a larger scale of students: the entire Southwest Colorado region.

She will be stepping up as the Executive Director of a brand new nonprofit, Southwest Colorado Education Collaborative, in partnership with five school districts and two colleges. She is hoping that she can use her knowledge of the “Animas model” to foster similar college and career prep experiences across the region.

Knowing that her new role holds many new opportunities to expand her career preparation skillset, and lead a team through many board meetings, Jess is excited to learn, yet is reluctant to give up her day to day contact with students. Jess reflects, “When I think about Animas, the piece I feel I’m really going to miss is the student relationships.” She loved that her students gave her energy and motivation, especially her advisory meetings that were “the break I needed to get my head out of college and career prep; my [advisees] were just hilarious.”

Students and staff alike will miss Jess’ beloved and innovative presence in the buildings, but as Billie puts it, “Jess is like a superhero, coming to fix literally all of your problems. It’d be selfish if we guilt tripped her into staying with us, because she’s going to go on to help so many students succeed in life. Wherever she goes next, whatever she does, Jess is always gonna have us as cheerleaders (and reference letter seekers). She’s gotta go Superhero the rest of the world. We’ll be fine though, she made sure of it.” We will miss you Jess, and we can’t wait to see what you accomplish next.

Artists Outside the Nest: AHS Students and Staff Add Color to Downtown

By Mia Macon

Sophomores Griffin Crabb and Za Barrett get ready to launch.

Photo courtesy of Libby Cowles

By Scarlett Moore This school year has been a struggle for all of us, especially Animas High School students and staff trying to stick to our normal project-based learning activities. And still, one AHS teacher has surpassed expectations of engaged learning in a pandemic: Ande Lloyd. Ande is a first year teacher, not to mention an alumnus of AHS. He managed to organize multiple exhibitions over the course of a COVID-hampered school year when most teachers were happy to even have one.

On April 29, Ande’s sophomore mathematics classes held an in-person rocket launch exhibition at the Riverview soccer fields. In a collaboration with their physics class, students studied projectile motion and were tasked with designing and launching their own rockets and calculating the height using the quadratic formula.

Most of the rockets took flight, and those that didn’t had an opportunity to refine and relaunch the following Monday. Coleman Jackson reflected “You don’t need to go too fast on a project. You should take the time the first time around to make sure the project is complete and you don’t have errors in it. The second time, mine was a success, and I learned a bit about refinement as a Habit of Heart and Mind.”

The rocket launch also happened to be a competition, and the winner was yours truly, this reporter, Scarlett Moore.

2nd Deli and Spirits now has a beautified bump-out thanks to Britt, Stephanie, and Roxy’s community art project. Students from all grades came together to give a splash of color to downtown Durango.

This was one of the first opportunities that students had this year to experience their electives in person in mixed cohort groupings.

Roxy remarked, “In a year where our projects were less community-connected than usual and pods weren’t normally allowed to mix, I wanted to give students the opportunity to feel like they were part of a bigger collaboration. This experience felt Osprey artists beautify downtown with a new mural on 2nd Avenue. like Animas: students across Photo courtesy of Roxy McKnight grade levels laughing and connecting over the basic human experience through color and expression.”

The mural was inspired by wildflowers and “the life of water” and adds a colorful, summery vibe to the 2nd Avenue concrete. Much gratitude to the owners, Colin Brunson and Zach Williams, for giving us this special “canvas” and for feeding the hardworking artists. Make sure to go grab a sandwich and appreciate the artwork this summer!

June, 2021

The Animas Quill

7

Animas Seniors Tackle Challenging & Exciting Capstone Projects

By Mya Oyler

Chris Piel stands behind the multiple guitars he refurbished under the guiding hand of his Luthier mentor. Chris presented his work at an in-person exhibition at the Powerhouse.

Mason James constructs his autonomous drone. In the words of everyone who saw his project: “planes are cool. “

Finalists for Best TED Talk

Taylor Schermer analyzed the best strategies for schools to become more green.

Landon Moranty explored how satire can help bridge the political divide.

Rosie Gurnee studied the benefits of community gardens and initiated plans for a garden dome at the new AHS campus.

Billie Brand connected media framing with poetry, revealing statistical discrepancies in representation of immigrants in news.

Lucy Hall raised the profile of gender equality in extreme sports.

Ainsley Haggart interviewed local immigrants in the context of research on immigration and asylum policy Garrett Middleton looked at how to make the physical environment of a classroom more conducive to creativity and progressive education BEST TED TALK: Taylor Schermer

The Animas Quill

Finalists for Best Action Project

Trevor Harms made a prototype of a robotic exoskeleton to aid with healing and disabilities.

Alyssa Nicoly created Women on Wheels, a supportive and welcoming community for women and nonbinary skaters.

Vinny Lopez designed and programmed a temperature recording device that collects and analyzes data for refrigerators/freezers.

Garrett Middleton made a short documentary promoting student-teacher collaboration.

Luke Davis created an art installation and hosted an opening at Studio &.

Mason James designed a fully autonomous drone that collects data and carries a payload.

Ava Kadence Jacober designed breakout spaces in the new AHS building using biophilic design.

BEST ACTION PROJECT: Trevor Harms

For his action project, Trevor became Iron Man.

Schermie crushes the public speaking game.

8

The final semester at Animas is one of the most difficult and most rewarding, as students culminate their high school academic experience with a large-scale capstone project. Senior Projects include in-depth research for a college-style thesis paper, an action project, and a TED-style talk delivered to an audience of peers, teachers, and community members. The seniors ultimately create projects that often engage with the community and inspire new ideas.

The senior teachers advise these projects and guide the students to success. Senior Statistics teacher Kyle Edmondson remarked, “Despite facing limitations due to COVID, seniors finished the year strong with an excellent round of TED talks combining both their research questions and action projects.”

Each year, finalists and winners are chosen for each pillar of the project: best thesis paper, best action project, and best TED talk. For an in-depth look at every student’s senior project, go to https://ahsseniorprojects21.weebly.com/ or scan the QR code below.

June, 2021

Chris Atchison stands outside the Animas Surgical Hospital van, where they provided COVID vaccines for any eligable AHS students to receive first and second shots on campus. Chris also connected students to other vaccine locations out in the community.

Finalists for Best Thesis Paper

Rosie Gurnee What is the potential of community gardens to improve upon America’s welfare state? What is the feasibility of and or political avenues through which this framework might come to fruition?

Luke Davis How might we re-examine the complex dynamics of art in a modern society by understanding the philosophy which fuels its existence?

Kian Edmondson How can you predict the success of an NBA draft prospect using analytical algorithms?

Taylor Schermer Does the LEED certification system adequately achieve its goals of encouraging green building construction while maintaining a symbiotic relationship with the environment through certification?

Billie Brand How does news media use framing to shape perspective on immigrants and what are the effects of this on immigration policy?

Amira Aquarian What is the most effective way to ensure racial equality in the current U.S police system?

Maya Vaughn How do genetics impact the risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease, and what treatment and prevention measures exist for combating the disease?

BEST SENIOR THESIS PAPER: Rosie Gurnee

“A public works initiative and sustainable development framework mechanising multiple sectors of government is required in order to realize the potential of community gardens for environmental improvement as well as social, economic, and health improvements.” ~ Thesis statement from Rosie’s paper

thesecondsection Durangoan Bev Shade navigates a small waterfall in the Cheve cave system in Oaxaca, in southern Mexico. Shade recently returned from a two-month expedition of the cave system where she spent 35 days underground. Cheve currently ranks as the 11th deepest cave in the world./ Photo by Kasia Biernacka

‘Does it go?’

Local cave explorer Bev Shade seeks to find the answer

by Kathleen O’Connor

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s a child, Durango resident Bev Shade loved crawling into cramped spaces – beneath beds, inside drawers of bedroom dressers, or even inside the dryer (something we don’t recommend). So, it comes as no surprise that she would discover in her teenage years a passion for caving. For Shade, it all started with the Outing Club at her high school in Austin, Texas.

“They would take kids canoeing or camping or rock climbing,” she explained. And since there’s a lot of caves in Austin, one of the things the Outing Club would do is go to explore these caves. “Shortly after, my best friend and I started looking for an organized caving group,” Shade said. This led them to The Grotto, the Austin chapter of the National Speleological Society (NSS). “After that,” Shade said, “we were able to access more formal-

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Calcite crystal formations in a small pool./ Photo by Kasia Biernacka

ized training, how to do the rappelling and climbing stuff that’s specific to caves and how to set the ropes and do the rigging, and go on more organized trips.”

Since those early days, Shade has explored caves worldwide, including Guatemala, Honduras, Argentina, Thailand, Poland and Slovenia. However, her main focus has always been Mexico.

She recently returned to Durango after spending two months – including 35 nights underground – participating in the Cheve Cave System 2021 Expedition. Stationed amid a cloud forest in the Sierra Juárez Mountains of northern Oaxaca, Shade joined an expedition of about 70 deep-cave explorers from eight countries looking to answer the question all curious cave explorers ask: “Does it go?” In other words, do newly discovered passages continue on or are they dead ends?

For this particular cave system, the answer was a resounding “yes.” 4

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The Cheve cave system, discovered in 1986 by American cavers, has since been the focus of approximately 20 expeditions.

The objective of this mission? To push farther, discover and document the Cheve limestone cave system. Expeditions thus far have culminated in a current depth of around 5,000 feet and a total cave passage of 47 miles in length (including numerous offshoots). For comparison, New Mexico’s Carlsbad Caverns is approximately 30 miles long.

As Shade describes Cheve, “It’s huge.”

Over a dozen underground camp stations have been established because traveling to the farthest reaches of the cave, through vertical and horizontal passages – sometimes wet or muddy – loaded down with equipment is so time consuming. Just traveling from the surface to camp can take up to three days. And though there are spacious chambers similar to those found in Carlsbad, this is no simple “walk-through” cave system. “A lot of it is more like a narrow canyon,” Shade said. “When the canyons get blocked by rocks or water, you have to climb up into the ceiling … You’re picking your way around on these boulders until you get to a place where you can get back down into the active stream passage.”

Additionally, much of the travel consists of steep, vertical drops and requires technical gear and ropework. Numerous vertical pits exist along the pathway to the deeper parts of the cave system. For example, the 1,300-foot drop “Saknussem’s Well” (cool points if you get the name reference) has 14 pitches, while a pit drop donned “The Widowmaker” requires you to carefully avoid several loose boulders as you rappel and climb.

Another portion of the cave system called “Salmon Ladders” challenges even the most experienced of cavers. As the name implies, this area is watery. “There are lots of pools of deep water you have to move through,” she said. “And when you’re wearing all that vertical gear, and carrying a heavy pack, getting in and out of the water can be really tiring. And you can get very cold in there, too.”

As one can imagine, living underground can present unique challenges, too. “Probably, the most difficult part for a lot of people is simply being underground for multiple days. It’s tough to keep your clothes dry, much less clean, so hygiene can become an issue,” she said. “And trying to keep your feet healthy becomes difficult because you’re wearing the same pair of socks every day. Extra socks would be too much volume.” When Shade was underground for 21 consecutive days, she only had two pairs of socks: one pair to wear during the day and one pair for sleep. “At about day 14, I switched, and then I started traveling in my sleeping socks and just sleeping with no socks because my other socks had gotten so utterly disgusting,” she said. “You can try to rinse all the silt out, but you’re not really effectively cleaning them, and they never really dry.”

The temperature in the cave remains around 50 degrees Fahrenheit, which Shade

Top: Shade navigates a wet passage in the Cheve cave system, which she described as more of a narrow underground canyon, with many of the passages choked with rocks and boulders. Explorers have so far mapped 47 miles of the cave system. Left: Shade suits up for a “day” of work. Dry feet are a luxury down under and layering a science, with explorers constantly battling soggy socks./ Photos

by Kasia Biernacka described as “quite pleasant,” though nights in the camp-supplied sleeping bags can be chilly. Staying warm is less of an issue during the “day,” when the cavers are busy hauling equipment and supplies to the next camp. However, cold can be an issue in very wet and windy passages, or if you have to stop for an extended time once wet, for example waiting for another team or in the case of an accident. “Managing layers is a big deal,” said Shade.

So, what does a typical hauling day underground look like? It starts at 9 a.m., when you wake up in camp and turn on the radio to listen to the other camp reports.

Then, you begin moving food, equipment and tools either back to the camp you just came from or forward to the next camp ahead. Either of those is a full day’s activity.

“Then you eat, listen to the 9 p.m. call, make your plan for the next day and go to sleep as soon as possible,” Shade said.

Days like these generally repeat for about six days. Then, a rotation of cavers occurs.

Those in active exploration at camp six rotate out, and everybody bumps forward to the next camp. Eventually, making it to the “booty” (i.e. new exploration) at camp six is the reward for the time spent hauling in supplies.

“I got out to camp six, and we explored a lot of new passages there, though I initially didn’t think we were going to be able to dig through it this year,” Shade recalled.

telegraph

The previous three years were spent digging in areas called “Mad Hatter” and “Mad Cows’’ (named after the large, spotted boulders there), laboriously squeezing through boulders and hammering off corners so people could fit through. “Not much mapping occurred because they were mainly trying to squeeze through all of the giant boulders,” Shade said.

Though good leads were unearthed (literally) during the 100 days of the 2021 expedition, there is still much left to discover.

At least six entrances to the Cheve system are clustered in the same vicinity at an elevation of 9,000 feet. Far below, at just under 500 feet, are natural springs emerging from the ground, giving this cave system a depth potential of about 8,500 feet. The current deepest cave in the world, in Georgia/Abkhazia, is reported at 7,257 feet deep. Cheve currently ranks as the 11th deepest cave globally, but clearly there’s potential for that to change. And Shade, who plans to return to Cheve next year, hopes to be there when that happens. “There’s not many cave systems like this one,” she said. “It’s definitely gotten under my skin.” n If you’re curious to learn more about the Cheve cave system and Shade’s adventures there, tune in to National Geographic’s Explorer Series on Disney Plus this fall. Or check out the United States Deep Caving Team (USDCT) website at: www.usdct.org.

MurderInk

Stolen identity

Brooklyn author takes us on a psychological joyride with debut novel

by Jeffrey Mannix

A

lexandra Andrews is a Generation X wife and mother living in Brooklyn, N.Y., and is described as having been a journalist, editor and copywriter. Despite and including the past tense, this will be a description of a few thousand women living in Brooklyn. And, like Andrews, most of them are writing a novel or screenplay, America’s commonest leisure pastime.

So why do we need to know anything more or anything at all about Andrews from Brooklyn?

We didn’t until some bleary-eyed editor in a cubicle at publisher Little, Brown and Co. came running out of his box & made it necessary that the rest of us know Andrews and the quirky title of her first novel, Who is Maud Dixon?

The book is a treasure of a book, and Andrews is without doubt running with the big dogs without first having to be pushed to the back of the pack. There’s big pressure now for Andrews to repeat, even before we canonize her article of virtu. Smart money bets Andrews will join the best of crime fiction literati with forthcoming work, and my guess is she’ll leave the plot-driven mystery genre for genuine literary fiction.

In Who is Maud Dixon? we don’t get lost keeping track of characters – which is a pleasure for those of us who don’t polish off a book in one or two sittings. The story is about only two people: Florence Darrow, a pallid lowlevel publishing gofer come to New York from Florida to be a famous writer; and the preeminent, pseudonymous author Maud Dixon. Her fiercely protected name is Helen

Wilcox, whose protagonist in her million-selling Mississippi Foxtrot is also Maud Dixon (something strange here, Andrews seems to whisper in our ear).

Andrews skillfully preps the mystery for half of this 324-page hardback, in which Florence is called upon by Helen’s agent to interview for a job as Maud’s assistant.

Florence sees the bright lights of literary stardom on the horizon from this apprenticeship. Meanwhile, the office dynamics and dalliances ebb and flow in a brilliant reveal of Florence. We come to think of her as an orphan or career apprentice right up until the day of the interview with Maud Dixon, with Dixon’s likeness blacked out to preserve her anonymity.

The next morning, Greta, Maud Dixon’s agent and the only one who knows her true identity, calls to inform Florence that she got the job. Florence packs up her few belongings and boards a train for the tiny town of Cairo, in the rural Hudson Valley, to begin her dream job leading without question to her own literary celebrity.

You might now see how a trap could be set, for somebody – Florence or Helen, the disguised Maud Dixon or the fictional Maud Dixon, or even the reader.

Who is Maud Dixon? is a psychological murder mystery

administered intravenously by a most skilled practitioner.

I had to stop reading occasionally because the tension was unnerving.

It makes no sense for me to describe the plot any further. But, my enthusiasm wants to describe more of this breathtaking narrative, so I’ll break the cardinal rule of reviewing mysteries and give you one incident that borders on being a ‘’spoiler.’’

Not long after Florence unpacks in Helen’s guest house, the impulsive Helen announces that they both will be leaving for a research trip to Morocco. Florence cannot figure out why she was brought along (frittering time away as tourists, not writers), when there’s a dreadful car wreck resulting in their rented Land Rover going upside down in a river. Florence barely escapes with her life, and no trace of Helen can be found. When the police and rescue workers arrive at the scene, they address Florence as Ms. Wilcox from the car rental agreement, and Florence Darrow becomes the new Helen Wilcox, and the famous Maud Dixon.

And here is where the mystery begins in Who is Maud Dixon? And you will not ever guess where this goes from here. Andrews is a skilled wordsmith; you’ll not forget this story, and what more do you want from a book of fiction?

Psst: don’t forget to ask for your 15 percent “Murder Ink” discount at Maria’s Bookshop. n

Free Do-it-Yourself Bankruptcy Clinic Presented by Colorado Legal Services

Thurs., June. 17th, 9:30 a.m. - 12 p.m. via Zoom For more info, call 247-0266. Deadline to apply is June 11.

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June 3, 2021 n 19

StufftoDo

Thursday03

p.m. at the Van Dal Dump Site, Tech Center Drive.

Cafe au Play free outdoor baby group, with separate play area for older siblings, 10 a.m.-12 p.m., 495 Florida Rd. (behind Christ the King church). Playgrounds open daily for children up to 4 years. 970-749-9607 for info.

Bayfield Communitywide Yard Sale, maps at Bayfield Town Hall, the Grocery Store and Lewis True Value. Town of Bayfield will also have items for sale and a dog licensing event at Town Hall, 1199 Bayfield Parkway.

Animas River Days Virtual Reel Paddling Festival, www.animasriverdays.com

Explore the Japanese bokken (sword) and jo (staff) 9:30-10:30 a.m., Claire Viles Park (across from St. Columba). www.durangoaikido.com

“Mimbres, the View from West Mexico: Aztatlán Cargo Systems and Figurative Bowl Traditions and their Influence on Classic Mimbres Ceramics, Worldview, and Social Change in Southwestern New Mexico,” 4 p.m., zoom talk. Register at: www.crowcanyon.org

Friends of the Library Book and Yard Sale, 12-3 p.m., Pine River Library parking lot in Bayfield.

SkaBQ, live music, 5:30-7:30 p.m., Ska Brewing World HQ, 225 Girard St. Adam Swanson, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave. Jose Villareal, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave. Black Velvet Duo with Nina Sasaki & Larry Carver play, 6-8 p.m., Dandelion Cafe

Animas River Days, events all day, Santa Rita Park. Info at www.animasriverdays.com Reeder and Spencer play 12-3 p.m., Ernie’s @ 11th Street Station, corner of 11th & Animas River Days returns June 3-6 with surf, SUP and paddle Main. competitions, a virtual film fest and auction and the ever-popular River Days Parade on Saturday night. All events take place at Santa Rita Park, Adam Swanson, 5:30-8:30 p.m., with kids activities, food, vendors and the Ska beer garden for your Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave. spectating pleasure. As an added bonus this year, ARD will host the National Freestyle Kayaking Championships, with the finals taking place Matt Rupnow, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Office Sunday at the Whitewater Park.

Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.

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

“Electric fencing to protect chickens, bees, small livestock and fruit trees from bears,” free online lecture, part of Bear Smart Durango’s speaker series, 6:30-8 p.m. Register at bearsmartdurango.org Trivia night 6:30-8:30 p.m., Powerhouse Science Center, 1333 Camino Del Rio. $5 suggested team donation.

Geeks Who Drink Trivia, 8-10 p.m., The Roost, 128 E. College Dr.

Friday04

Dustin Burley, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave. Disco Night, 6-9 p.m., Chapman Hill Roller Rink. $10/person with or without skate rentals.

Friday Nights at Fox Fire Farms, music, food and wine, 6-9 p.m., 5513 CR 321, Ignacio.

Jack Ellis & Larry Carver play, 6-9 p.m., Fur Trapper’s Steakhouse.

Animas River Days Parade, 5-7 p.m., Santa Rita Park. www.animasriverdays.com Gary B. Walker plays jazz accordion, 6-8 p.m., Dandelion Café, 725 E Second Avenue Disco Night, 6-9 p.m., Chapman Hill Roller Rink. $10/person with or without skate rentals.

Sunday06

Smelter Mountain Boys play, 6 p.m., Moe’s Starlight Lounge

National Freestyle Kayaking National Championships, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Santa Rita Park.

Gary B. Walker plays jazz accordion, 1-3 p.m., Magpie’s, 707 Main Ave.

City of Durango Free Mulch Giveaway, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Van Dal Dump Site, Tech Center Drive. Also takes place June 5. For more info, call 970-375-4839.

Merely Players presents Theatre in the Parking Lot featuring Yasmina Reza’s comedy “ART,” 6:30 p.m., TBK parking Lot, 259 W. 9th St. Also runs June 5, 10-12 at 6:30 p.m., June 6 & 13 at 4 p.m. Pay what you can. BYOC (bring your own chair) Info at: www.merelyplayers.us.

Rambling Readers, 10-11 a.m., gate to Saul’s Creek east of Bayfield. Small, friendly group to talk about books, as we ramble. Sponsored by the Pine River Library.

High Country Hustle plays two socially distanced live shows, 6:45 & 8:30 p.m., Animas City Theatre, 128 E. College Dr. For info, go to: www.amimascitytheater.com

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

Gary B. Walker plays piano, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., JeanPierre Bakery & Restaurant, 601 Main Avenue

Salamander Trio plays, 7 p.m., Ernie’s @ 11th Street Station, corner of 11th & Main.

Trail Work: Colorado Trail Maintenance, 12-4 p.m. Meet at Upper Lot Trailhead of Junction Creek. More info at www.durangotrails.org

“The Lion King,” free Movie in the Park, Buckley Park, seating starts at 7:45 p.m., movie starts 15 minutes after sunset.

Adam Swanson, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

Kids Summer Learning Program: Planting Day, 3-6 p.m., Pine River Library in Bayfield.

Saturday05

Rob Webster, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.

Durango Farmers Market, 8 a.m.-12 p.m., Saturdays through October. TBK Parking Lot, 259 W. 9th St. www.durangofarmersmarket.com

Tuesday08

Animas River Days, pro surf/SUP and freestyle kayak prelims, all day, Santa Rita Park, events go thru June 6.

More info at www.animasriverdays.com

Thee Fearless Peasants play, 5-8:30 p.m., Gazpacho.

Adam Swanson, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

20 n June 3, 2021

City of Durango Free Mulch Giveaway, 9 a.m.-3

telegraph

Blue Moon Ramblers play, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

Monday07 Meditation and Dharma Talk, 5:30-6:15 p.m.

Online at www.durangodharmacenter.org

Teen Summer Learning Program: Pressed Plant Bookmarks, 11 a.m.–12 p.m., Pine River Library. 4

AskRachel

Baffled by breakfast, ‘no’ to nostalgia & Aunt Flo’s undies Interesting fact: “Shorts” is reportedly slang for cigarette butts. Thus, “eat my shorts” takes on a range of meanings both literal and euphemistic.

Dear Rachel, I live such a sheltered life that I, bumping up against 45 and therefore prime viewing age for Brat Pack movies, just watched “The Breakfast Club” for the first time. I know folks are passionate about this movie, and it’s probably brilliant for its time, but I can’t get past the simple fact that there is no breakfast in the movie.

They eat lunch, but it’s not the Lunch Club.

Why would they name themselves after something that they didn’t even do together?

– The Makes-No-Sense Club Dear Dinner Organization, Answering this deep philosophical conundrum gets at the very root of metaphorical thinking. If there is no breakfast, how can it be about breakfast? The answer, of course, is that the phrase is catchy and therefore sticks in your brain so much that even for the 36 of your 45 years that you never watched it, you knew it existed.

Also, it’s called a euphemism. Sounds a lot more delicious than the Detention Gang.

– Eat my shorts, Rachel Dear Rachel, I’m guessing you were the first person in line to watch the “Friends” reunion. Was it any good? It just seemed to me like a sad attempt at grabbing cash for the six out of six cast mem-

Bitcoin Study Group, every Tuesday, 5:30-7 p.m., Zia North patio. For questions, call 970-426-2464 or email bitcoinstudygroup@protonmail.com

bers who really haven’t had a career worth mentioning since 2004. But, I’m a cynic who has been wrong before. Only once, but still. Is there anything redeeming in the reunion special?

– Won’t Be There For You Dear Janice, Boy howdy, are we ever in a nostalgic mood today.

We’ve got everything from the ’80s to whatever we called the 2000s. Can we get a shout out for the ’70s?

Maybe some “Starsky and Hutch” retrospective action?

Or dip into the ’60s with a little of “The Graduate: The Sequel,” where Dustin Hoffman seduces a much younger student in a role reversal-slash-cash grab for the ages.

But I still won’t watch it because how many streaming services can one person subscribe to, anyway?

– The one where we give up, Rachel Dear Rachel, My much younger cousin just taught me about the advent of the most magical invention, full stop. Better than running water or electricity or the internet. She calls them “period panties.” Bet you can guess the rest from there.

Sing it to the tune of Pink Floyd: “No more tampons, no more pads.” She swears she can dance in white pants and all is well. It’s enough to make me almost wish I could have my period again. Have you heard of these, Rachel? Are they an urban myth, or are they real?

– Full Stop required at www.durangotrails.org The Jeff Solon Jazz Duo, 6-8 p.m. every Wednesday thru Sept. 8, Dandelion Café, 725 E. 2nd Ave.

Email Rachel at telegraph@durangotelegraph.com Dear Catch-All, Where can I invest??? If this accoutrement is as good as your cousin promises, this will cut the string that ties us women down. I looked it up because of course, and if the reviewers are real red-blooded American women and not cold algorithmic bots, this is certainly the greatest contribution to the world since “The Breakfast Club.”

(And I hereby nominate myself as the face of Period Panties. So long as we can still use Jennifer Aniston’s face. It’s a better gig than reunion specials.)

– Free and clear, Rachel Songwriters Circle featuring Thom Chacon, Anthony D’Amato and Daniel Rodriguez, live, inperson concert, June 10 at 7 p.m., Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College. www.durangoconcerts.com

Durango Food Bank zoom presentation, 6 p.m. Sarah Smith, executive director, will provide update on the food bank’s challenges during the pandemic and how it has responded. For more info. email: Mtnman16@gmail.com

Explore the Japanese bokken (sword) and jo (staff) 5:30-6:30 p.m., Claire Viles Park (across from St. Columba). www.durangoaikido.com

Adam Swanson, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

Adam Swanson, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

Leah Orlikowski, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.

Terry Rickard, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.

Wednesday09

True Western Roundup Rodeo series, Wednesday until August, 6:30 p.m., La Plata County Fairgrounds.

“The Fast and the Curious,” 5k/10k fun run to benefit the Durango and Cortez Adult Education Center, June 12, 811 a.m., Animas River Trail. For details or sign up, go to: www.durangoadult.org

San Juan Basin Archaeological Society hosts Shelby Tisdale, director of the Center of Southwest Studies, who will talk about her book Federico: One Man’s Remarkable Journey from Tututepec to L.A. For log in, visit sjbas.org

Reeder and Spencer play, June 12, 5 p.m., Music Under the Tent, Vallecito.

Spanish Conversation Hour, 1-2 p.m., Pine River Library in Bayfield.

Bookmarks Discussion: Home Before Dark by Riley Sage, 2-3 p.m., Pine River Library in Bayfield.

Wednesday Wine Workshops, 4-5 p.m., PRIMI Pasta & Wine Bar, 1201 Main Ave. Taste your way through Italy’s wine regions with Sommelier Tracy Regan. Reserve your spot at www.primidurango.com Trail Work at Twin Buttes, 4:30-7 p.m. Registration

Upcoming “Non-fatal attacks by black bears in the lower United States, 2000-17,” free online lecture, part of Bear Smart Durango’s speaker series, June 10, 6:30-8 p.m.

Register at www.bearsmartdurango.org

Mountain Archery Fest, June 11-13, Purgatory Resort.

More info at www.purgatoryresort.com Virtual Pro Se (free) Legal Clinic, June 11, 4-5 p.m.

Call 970-563-9287 to sign up.

Reeder and Spencer play, June 11, 5:30-7:30 p.m., Summer Music Series, Ignacio Library.

Hillcrest Sunday Showcase: Sean O’Brien plays, June 13, 2-5 p.m., Hillcrest Golf Club.

The 7th Annual Durango Cowboy Poetry Gathering Outdoor Concert & Barn Dance featuring Tim Sullivan Band, June 13, 5-8 p.m., River Bend Ranch.

Tickets $15 at www.durangocowboygathering.org.

REAL radio, REAL people DURANGO COMMUNITY RADIO AT FORT LEWIS COLLEGE

telegraph

91.9 93.9

KDUR.ORG

June 3, 2021 n 21

FreeWillAstrology

by Rob Brezsny ARIES (March 21-April 19): “There is ecstasy in paying attention,” Aries author Anne Lamott writes. That’s always true for everyone, but it’s extra true for you Aries people. And it will be extra ultra especially true for you during the next 20 days. I hope you will dedicate yourself to celebrating and upgrading your perceptual abilities. I hope you will resolve to see and register everything just as it is in the present moment, fresh and unprecedented, not as it was in the past or will be in the future. For best results, banish all preconceptions that might interfere with your ability to notice what’s raw and real. If you practice these high arts with exhilarating diligence, you will be rewarded with influxes of ecstasy.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Your guiding wisdom comes from Taurus author Annie Dillard. She writes, “I think it would be well, and proper, and obedient, and pure, to grasp your one necessity and not let it go, to dangle from it limp wherever it takes you.” I suspect that Dillard’s approach will enable you to maintain a righteous rhythm and make all the right moves during the coming weeks. If you agree with me, your crucial first step will be to identify the nature of your “one necessity.” Not two necessities. Just the single most important.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): “All I want to be is normally insane,” actor Marlon Brando said. Yikes! I have a different perspective. I would never want to be normally insane because that state often tends to be sullen and desperate and miserable. My preferred goal is to be quite abnormally insane: exuberantly, robustly, creatively free of the toxic adjustments that our society tells us are necessary. I want to be cheerfully insane in the sense of not being tyrannized by conventional wisdom. I want to be proactively insane in the sense of obeying my souls’ impulses rather than conforming to people’s expectations. I bring this to your attention, Gemini, because I believe the coming weeks will be a fruitful time for you to be my kind of insane.

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CANCER (June 21-July 22): “It’s one thing to make a mistake, it’s another to become wedded to it,” author Irena Karafilly advised. Let’s make that one of your key truths in the coming weeks. Now is a good time to offer yourself forgiveness and to move on from any wrong turns you’ve made. Here’s a second key truth, courtesy of composer Igor Stravinsky: “I have learned throughout my life as a composer chiefly through my mistakes and pursuits of false assumptions, not by my exposure to founts of wisdom

and knowledge.” Third key truth, from Sufi teacher Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan: “Don’t be concerned about being disloyal to your pain by being joyous.”

Ezra Pound in the coming weeks. Make an extra effort to support and boost your allies.

Assist them in doing what they do well. To do so will be in your own best interest!

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): According to my analysis of the astrological omens, the number of perfect moments you will experience during the next two weeks could break all your previous records. And what do I mean by “perfect moments?” 1. Times when life brings you interesting events or feelings or thoughts that are novel and unique. 2. Pivotal points when you sense yourself undergoing a fundamental shift in attitude or a new way of understanding the world. 3.

Leaping out of your own mind and into the mind of an animal or other person so as to have a pure vision of what their experience is like. 4. An absolute appreciation for yourself just the way you are right now.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22Dec. 21): Poet Tess Gallagher praises those times “when desire has strengthened our bodies.” I want you to have an abundance of those moments during the coming weeks. And I expect that cultivating them will be an excellent healing strategy. So here’s my advice: Do whatever’s necessary to summon and celebrate the strong longings that will strengthen your body. Tease them into bountiful presence. Treasure them and pay reverence to them and wield them with gleeful passion.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): “There is strong shadow where there is much light,” Virgo author Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832) wrote.

That’s a good metaphor for you these days.

Since I suspect you are currently shining as brightly as you possibly can, I will urge you to become acutely aware of the shadows you cast. In other words, try to catch glimpses of the unripe and unformed parts of your nature, which may be more easily seen than usual. Now, while you’re relatively strong and vibrant, investigate what aspects of your inner world might need improvement, care, and healing.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): According to physicists, it’s impossible for a human being to suck water up through a straw that’s more than 34 feet long.

So please don’t even try to do that, either now or ever. If, however, you’ve a good reason to attempt to suck water up a 33-foot straw, now would be an excellent time to do so. Your physical strength should be at a peak, as is your capacity for succeeding at amazing, herculean tasks. How else might you direct your splendid abilities? What other ambitious feats could you pull off?

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Scorpio poet Ezra Pound had character flaws that bother me.

But he also had a quality I admire: generosity in helping his friends and colleagues. Among the writers whose work he championed and promoted with gusto were 20th-century literary icons James Joyce, T. S. Eliot, Marianne Moore, Hilda Doolittle, William Butler Yeats, Ernest Hemingway, William Carlos Williams and Robert Frost. Pound edited their work, arranged to get them published in periodicals and anthologies, connected them with patrons and editors, and even gave them money and clothes. In accordance with astrological omens, I encourage you to be like

telegraph

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): “To live is so startling it leaves little time for anything else,” poet Emil Dickinson observed. That’s the truth! Given how demanding it is to adjust to the nonstop challenges, distractions, and opportunities of the daily rhythm, I’m impressed that any of us ever get any work done. According to my astrological analysis, you Capricorns are now experiencing a big outbreak of this phenomenon. It’s probably even harder than usual to get work done, simply because life keeps bringing you interesting surprises that require your ingenuity and resourcefulness. The good news is that these surges of ingenuity and resourcefulness will serve you very well when the hubbub settles down.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Aquarius-born August Strindberg (1849–1912) was a masterful and influential playwright. He also liked to dabble in painting and photography. His approach in those two fields was different from the polish he cultivated in his writing. “I am an amateur and I intend to stay that way,” he testified about his approach in the visual arts. “I reject all forms of professional cleverness or virtuosity.” Just for now, Aquarius, I recommend you experiment with the latter attitude in your own field. Your skill and earnestness will benefit from doses of playful innocence, even calculated naiveté.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Which astrological signs feels the deepest feelings? I say it’s you Pisceans. You’re connoisseurs of deep feelings, as well as specialists in mysterious, multi-splendored, brushes-with-infinity feelings. Right now, you’re in the Deepest Feelings Phase of your personal cycle. I won’t be surprised if you feel a bit overwhelmed with the richness of it all. But that’s mostly a good thing - a privilege & a superpower! Now here’s advice from deep-feeling author Pearl Buck: “You can’t make yourself feel something you do not feel, but you can make yourself do right in spite of your feelings.”

classifieds

Deadline for Telegraph classified ads is Tuesday at noon.

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

(Sorry, no refunds or substitutions.)

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

Announcements Have You Found Us Yet? Durango’s newest rock shop, Crystal Boutique, has handmade sterling silver jewelry, and crystals beyond your wildest dreams. 1053 Main Ave. Durango.

GarageSale Yard/Estate Sale Curated, cool vibe vintage pieces, high quality decorative items, furnishings, and furniture. Plus, manly items like tools and a snow blower. Much more interesting than your usual garage sale. 734 E. 6th Ave., downtown Durango. Sat., June 12th, 8am - noon.

Lost/Found Lost: Blue NRS Dry Bag Left at Four Corners take-out on the afternoon of Sun., 5/30. contains womens gray Stio sweatshirt. 970-749-2595.

HelpWanted At Beautiful Local Campgrounds PT/FT and seasonal help needed at RV campgrounds in Durango and Vallecito Lake. Available positions include retail, front desk, food and beverage, housekeeping and maintenance. Please contact gm@jwdestinationsdurango.com or 970247-4499 for details.

We Are Hiring!

We are hiring part-time positions at 6th Street Liquors. We currently are looking for Saturday and Sunday day shift shift position and weekday afternoon shift positions. Please bring resume and references to be considered for position.

Please no calls.

Join the Exceptional Team at Genesis Alkali!

Genesis Alkali operates a multi-faceted mining and production facility in Green River, Wyoming, supplying some of the best-known products used around the globe. We operate the world’s largest natural soda ash and sodium specialty product mine and production site and strive to harness the latest technological innovations to better serve our customers.

Apply to Join the Genesis Alkali Team Genesis Alkali employs approximately 950 people at eight processing plants and an underground mining operation that is 1,600 feet (488 meters) below the Earth’s surface. We are proud of employing several generations of reliable, hard-working families over many decades and are determined to maintain a culture of safety as a core value. We currently have openings for the following positions: • Mine Supervisor • Senior Process Engineer • Process Control Systems Engineer • Engineering Project Manager • Electrician • Project Manager, Electrical • Electrical Engineer • QC Lab Supervisor • Mechanics Why Join Genesis Alkali?

• Highly competitive salary commensurate with experience. Medical, dental, life & disability insurance, vision, flexible spending (medical and dependent care) and health savings accounts, and prepaid legal, beginning first day of employment; company funds a portion of HSA. • Retirement – 401(k) savings and investment plan for salaried employees, company makes safe harbor matching contributions (fully vested) of 100% up to the first 5% of eligible pay you contribute; additionally, Company makes discretionary contributions up to 5% of eligible pay in the first quarter of the following year (three-year vesting requirement).

• Pension for hourly union employees plus an opportunity to participate in a 401(k) savings plan. The company does not provide a matching contribution for pension eligible employees.

• Tuition reimbursement programs are available to qualifying employees for approved programs.

• Subsidized transportation to our plant from Green River, Rock Springs, and the Bridger Valley.

• Relocation benefits for qualified positions View full job descriptions and apply online to join the Genesis Alkali team now! https://us59.dayforcehcm.com/ CandidatePortal/en-US/genesis?l=1

HaikuMovieReview ‘The Watch’ Mildly fun dick flick with killer aliens at a Costco store – Lainie Maxson

ForSale ’82 Land Cruiser 2F Engine $500. 505-488-8793.

Jeep Grand Wagoneer 1986. One owner. No damage. $13,000. 970-749-0800.

Reruns Home Furnishings Get warm weather ready! Nice bistro sets, garden pots and yard art. Vintage Drexel surfboard coffee table, Pier 1 nightstands and side tables. Lots of cute small furniture. Come in today. 572 E. 6th Ave. Open Mon.-Sat. 385-7336.

Fire Mitigation Services Professional Training & Services (Licensed & Insured) Retired Forester & Firefighter (Smokejumper) www.homestead firemitigation.com 970-317-0826.

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.

Wanted Rental House in Durango Wanted Retired couple seeks home for rent.

Ideal property has two bedrooms, two baths and a one car garage. One older, well-behaved cat. Please email lovnfly fishing922@gmail.com with available home info.

Cash for Vehicles, Copper, Alum, Etc. at RJ Metal Recycle. Also free appliance and other metal drop off. 970-259-3494.

Services Friendly Carpentry and Painting Stucco repair. David Carlson, 707-8063456.

RSE Handyman Service Home repair - yard work - odd jobs, 970-903-0449.

Harmony Cleaning and Organizing Residential, offices, commercial and vacation rentals, 970-403-6192.

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

Massage by Meg Bush, LMT, 30, 60 & 90 min., 970-759-0199. massageintervention.life Voted best massage in Durango 18/19/20. Couples, cupping, local CBD. Reviews on FB + Yelp. 970-903-2984

CommunityService Looking for Volunteer Advocates Make a difference in the lives of others, join us for a free, comprehensive training. Next Volunteer Online Training: June 7-25. For more information, call 970-247-4374. If you or anyone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call our free and confidential 24Hour hotline 970-247-9619.

June 3, 2021 n 23

Parker’s Animal Rescue is having a “Suitcase Party!"

Following a scrumptious brunch at Animas Air Park, a lucky couple will board a private helicopter to be flown over the stunning San Juan Mountains toTelluride. You will then be chauffeured to your accommodations at the historic New Sheridan, where you will have dinner that evening. Enjoy breakfast and leisure time the next morning before being chauffeured to the Telluride Airport to board your private plane for the scenic flight back to Durango. We are only selling 30 tickets. If you win, you’ll leave from the event so pack your bag and be ready to head off!

For info. or to buy tickets: www.parkersanimalsrescue.com or 970-769-2584 Proceeds benefit Parker’s Animal Rescue.

As a bonus, Star Liquors is sending each couple home with a gift.

24 n June 3, 2021

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