The Durango Telegraph July 8, 2021

Keep your butts to yourself

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inside

T H E

O R I G I N A L

I N D I E

W E E K L Y

L I N E

O N

D U R A N G O

&

B E Y O N D

Rooted in place

Bagging it

Coming up empty

‘Footprints’ a must-read for Four Corners history buffs p7

State to begin phasing out plastic bags/Styrofoam in 2023 p8

Investigators fail to pinpoint cause in Ice Fire p9

The search is over.

UL C G E H T ISSUE 16

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Issue 16 of The Gulch is out now!

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2 n July 8, 2021

telegraph

lineup

7

4 La Vida Local

Landscape view Interested in Four Corners history?

Then this book is a must-read

by Jonathan Thompson

4 Thumbin’ It

Moving out 5 Word on the Street 6 Soapbox 8 State News

8

9 Local News

Banning the bag

Polis signs 2024 plastic bag/ styrofoam ban into law

Ear to the ground: “I spilled some tea on him because I was geeking out, but I made it up to him by giving him a bag of really killer weed.”

– Classic dad story about waiting on Neil Young in a restaurant in the 1980s

thepole

RegularOccurrences

A young mountain lion just searching for its place in the world, wrongly choosing downtown Durango, was recently relocated to greener pastures to live out its life.

Actually, prime habitat in Salida, but yeah, better than downtown Durango.

Adrian Archuleta, area wildlife manager for Colorado Parks and Wildlife, said for the past few weeks, reports have been flying in about a juvenile mountain lion hanging out by the Animas River, near the Island Cove Mobile Home Park, along the trail that follows Florida Road.

11 Top Shelf

by Paolo Zialcita / CPR News

12-13 Stuff to Do 13 Ask Rachel

9

14 Free Will Astrology 15 Classifieds

Smoking gun Investigators can’t pinpoint Ice Fire cause; cigarette suspected

by Jonathan Romeo

15 Haiku Movie Review Who’s on first?

Last week’s story on the Durango Art Market included some totally erroneous information for the group photo. The man on the far left is Paul Broderick, Relationship Manager for First Community SW Bank. Also, Cass Walker is from the First Southwest Community Fund, which is the bank’s affiliated nonprofit.

11

Back in action

Wood Belly comes to ACT; and Telluriding

On the cover: A hiker makes a dicey descent down a scree field in the San Juan Mountains recently./ Photo by Stephen Eginoire

by Chris Aaland

While the lion wasn’t showing aggressive behavior, wildlife managers were concerned about the amount of people walking and biking by. So when a report came in June 24 that it was resting right off the trail, CPW took the opportunity to tranquilize the lion with a dart.

“It was literally just hanging out there along the concrete wall, over the railing on the walking path,” Archuleta said.

CPW relocates mountain lions at least 140 miles away to make sure the wandering cats don’t find their way back into trouble areas. This particular lion was more than a year old, Archuleta said, and probably just separated from its mother. The lion was in good health, likely living the good life off raccoons and the infamous town deer, but was running too high of a risk of coming in contact with people.

“We have a lot of deer that live in town, a lot of pets, raccoons, and when you have that ample prey population, it attracts predators,” he said.

All rise

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We’re only human. If, by chance, we defame someone’s good name or that of their family, neighbor, best

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

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

telegraph

A quick update on our friends in Silverton and the most recent spat whether to say the Pledge of Allegiance at town trustee meetings.

Last week, Jonathan Thompson wrote on the town’s latest conflict after Mayor Shane Fuhrman abruptly nixed reciting the Pledge at meetings, inciting an uproar that caught the attention of Rep. Lauren Boebert and Fox News. The fallout even forced Town Hall to close after threats and harassment raised concern for town staff.

Well, after another long meeting June 28, which included debating whether to instead sing the Silverton town song (we haven’t found a copy), trustees came together and voted unanimously to reinstate the Pledge, hoping to quell tensions. Fuhrman, too, offered his mea culpa.

“I made a huge mistake by not appreciating how big of an issue this is for many,” Fuhrman said. “And just because I had the authority to make the decision does not mean I should have made the decision.”

July 8, 2021 n

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opinion

LaVidaLocal Pallet-able patriotism More than a decade of experience as a Boy Scout left me with an indelible respect for our American flag. Not only did I study the protocols for properly displaying it, I also found myself placed in situations where handling the flag in front of an audience made me both proud and nervous. That anxious feeling has recently been resurrected by a proliferation of political messaging that carelessly embraces a semblance of our flag as if it were a megaphone to express a variety of gripes and partisan positioning.

One morning during my walk around the same park where 4th of July fireworks are launched, someone drove past with a homemade message taped to the back of her car: I am ANTIFA. Apparently she really wanted everyone to know. The sign looked remarkably like a homemade cardboard hitchhiker’s destination ticket. As I continued along the sidewalk, I noticed a weedy wooden loading pallet leaning against a telephone post painted up to resemble a flag, but of course it wasn’t a flag.

The unwritten message seemed no different to me than the ANTIFA billboard, an insistence that everyone notice “I am PATRIOT.” These two declarations should be able to peacefully live side-by-side in America, but seeing them displayed so close together helped me grasp a problem we have in this country – a consuming passion to declare what “I am” instead of what “we are.”

Our flag used to accomplish that old-fashioned expression of unity for me just fine. And just so you know, it’s completely legit to properly display a flag each and every day according to the Flag Foundation. A calendar of 20 official flag days also exists, holidays of national spirit and celebration like Memorial Day, Independence Day, Veterans Day and even Flag Day, when posting the Stars and Stripes is especially encouraged.

On holidays like these, I display the flag on my porch where it never touches the ground. When it rains I retrieve it, and before dark I always put it away because I don’t care to burn a spotlight all night to illuminate it. But I also don’t attach it to my vehicle and drive around, or stick flag decals on my bumper, or own a set of matching lawn chairs with flag-upholstered seat cushions to cradle my butt. It’s not that I’m ashamed to display the flag more often, but in today’s flag-flapping climate, I don’t want strangers to mistakenly believe the flag also

stands for ransacking the U.S. Capitol or the rumor of our former president’s second-coming.

In so many communities like mine, an escalation of what appears to be flag politicization and marketing occurred throughout the 2016 and 2020 election cycles, and it continues to this day. Custom designed allegiances flutter fulltime up and down our streets, posters and paraphernalia coupled with the image of an American flag outfitted to express a personalized opinion, as if these folks need to remind those folks that they are Americans of a different ilk than the rest of us.

It’s also disappointing to notice when traditional flag holidays arrive, so few houses actually display a flag.

It’s as if our flag has turned into a party banner, elaborately visible at a rally to convince the attendees that our people are against those people.

Our flag was never intended to be a personal commodity but rather an allencompassing cultural symbol of the experiences and lessons we historically share. The ideals that make us human.

It’s far too easy to push aside the harms we inflicted on others during out democratic evolution, when citizens acted out their own little tyrannies of inequality and treated others with malice while wrapping themselves in a patriotic veneer. We do not salute them when we display our flag, and we do not need a separate flag to express that.

For me, perhaps the most disturbing, self-aggrandizing image of our devolving heritage recently emerged when our former president stood on a stage with a big goofy smile for the camera while he wrapped his arms around the American flag, pulling it close to his chest, hugging it as if it were a teddy bear. Don’t get me wrong, people are guaranteed the right to buy a flag and serve as its caretaker, but we all own it. It’s an investment in the future. We are custodians of a tradition that began in this country hundreds of years ago and continues to mature. Any notion of ego and personal agenda has no place on this emblem.

I have a sign on my lawn planted where the steps rise toward the door. It reads, HUMAN*KIND be both. No picture of the flag, no red, white and blue background, nothing engineered to strike the firing pin of conflict and division, though I do hope it says something about me to my neighbors. Because I am the product of those who have treated me with kindness, not derision, and from them I have learned how proud I am to be an American.

– David Feela

Sign of the Downfall:

Thumbin’It

K-Stop La Plata County ranking 99th in the top 100 healthiest counties in the country, according to a report by CVS Health and the Aetna Foundation. Go team.

4 n July 8, 2021

Reports of steep rent increases in Durango, forcing even more longtime locals out of town

A new state law requiring real-time air monitoring for heavy polluters, who must install air monitors and publish real-time results on a public website

Voluntary fishing closures on the Colorado River as well as the Dolores River as low flows and high water temperatures conspire to create less than perfect conditions for fish

Colorado finally taking a firm step to stop the plastic scourge by phasing in a new law to end one-time plastic bags and Styrofoam containers at major retailers, grocery stores and restaurants starting in 2023

A spike in shooting deaths in major cities across the U.S. over the 4th of July weekend, part of a disturbing uptick in homicides and gun-related violence in 2021 after decades of historic declines

telegraph

British-born white influencer Oli London spent $150K on 18 cosmetic surgeries to look like a member of the K-pop band BTS, and now “identifies” as Korean.

London claimed to be “transracial,” and discussed being “trapped” in a white body during an announcement last week. London also transitioned into a nonbinary person named Jimin with the pronouns they/them/Korean, which angered people in “their” county of Korea because “Korea” isn’t a pronoun, and apparently, altering your eyes and calling yourself Korean is offensive to some (mostly all) Koreans. I think we can all agree this is some absolute BTS.

WordontheStreet

Q

With the Tour de France rolling through the Alps, The Telegraph asked: “What do you deserve the yellow jersey for?”

Emily

“Getting a promotion at work recently where it’s my job to make people feel good.”

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" #

Sophie

“Playing volleyball in the Arizona heat and making the best team.”

# !

Eric

“Eating ice cream in the rain.”

Summer

“Falling while hiking and injuring my pinkie finger but continuing down the trail.”

Keith

“Community involvement.” telegraph

July 8, 2021 n 5

SoapBox

ToonedUp/ by Kayla Shaggy

Boebert serves only own interests Here’s how Rep. Lauren Boebert, of Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District, represents (her) constituents. She not surprisingly takes a very partisan conservative stance but disguises it initially with an email subject line of “Fighting Wildfires and Droughts (6/30/21).” She then boasts of a censure bill against the president for “derelection” of duty at the border (I hope she spelled dereliction right in the bill). She also comes up with some interesting statistics of the “border crisis”… “Arrests for murder increased 1233%.”

Another issue she’s championing is not supporting Critical Race Theory because 79% of her town hall meeting surveys said it should not be taught in public schools.

The EPA under Biden also is in her cross hairs as she does not support the Clean Water Act but clearly defines her position as “fighting for water rights” (to pollute our waters as profits necessitate?)

And then of course there are her religious views (and life choices) that are represented in not supporting Biden’s budget proposals as they do not specifically ban federal tax dollars from assisting poor people (think Medicaid) in abortion assistance. As a pregnant teen high school drop-out, perhaps she thinks this course in life should be protected via keeping other women from making different choices?

Finally, on fires and droughts, “As a proud member of the Committee on Natural Resources,” Boebert did mention that she “ensured the proper resources are being deployed.” She also mentioned plans to work on an “active forest management plan,” which I’m pretty sure already exists if she were to check with the U.S. Forest Service.

So, in case you’d like to follow her progressive work in Congress, make sure to catch her “mobile office hours” at a remote rural town near you, or there’s the Durango office at: 835 E. 2nd Ave., Suite 204, phone: (970) 317-6130.

– Tim Thomas, Durango

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LandDesk

Rooted in place Footprints of Hopi History a must-read for any Four Corners historian

by Jonathan Thompson

W

hen I was a teenager, I spent some weekends, holidays and most of the summers at my father’s little house overlooking a small canyon on the edge of Cortez. On his and my days off, we’d get up early, drink some instant coffee and drive west onto the Great Sage Plain. The old car floated over rolling hills on county roads that started out paved but inevitably became washboard nightmares that rattled dashboard screws free and caused dust to rise from the old car’s floorboards to mingle with the smoke from my dad’s cigarettes. Each of us stared silently out the windows, ruminating on rows of vibrant green bean stalks rising from red earth or cubical hay bales lined up on a freshly cut field.

Eventually he would steer the car to the side of the road and park in what seemed like an arbitrary spot.

Then we ambled through sage, piñon, and juniper – and, in the heat of summer, the incessant cicada-screech – until we came to a fragment of a wall sticking up from the earth, perhaps, or maybe just a pile of hewn stones covered with lichen with potsherds scattered about: a cultural site, the remains of a structure from the Pueblo II or III period.

We then walked delicately around the site, studying it, my father looking for architectural features, the function of which archaeologists had yet to discern – alignments of large stones, walls set apart from other structures, Chaco-style swales, often called “roads” for lack of a better term. My job was to find high vantage points, such as on top of a nearby hill or in the branches of an ancient juniper, from which I could see the surrounding skyline in order to see how the architecture fit into the larger landscape. Did walls or berms align with Ute Mountain or the Bears Ears, for example? Did a road point due north? Was there a sign of a similar structure on the opposite side of a canyon?

I almost always found these sorts of alignments – or perhaps I imposed them upon the structure. Yet I never knew what to do with that information or what it meant.

My dad was doing archaeology of a sort, informed by Pueblo scholars with whom he worked as Crow Canyon Archaeological Center’s research director. Although I didn’t know it at the time, I think I was doing something more like place-ology, trying to better understand my place in Place by piecing together how the Pueblo people placed themselves in Place through their architecture.

These two approaches may have been one and the same.

Memories of those site visits returned recently as I listened to the screechy thrum of cicadas and pored through Footprints of Hopi History: Hopihiniwtiput Kukveni’at, a 2018 book edited by Leigh Kuwanwisiwma, T.J. Ferguson and Chip Colwell, with contributions from a number of Hopi and non-Hopi scholars and archaeologists. It’s not a new book, but it’s a remarkable one, and a must read for anyone interested in the archaeology and history of the Four Corners country.

As the title implies, the book delves into the history of the Hopi people placing footprints – or migrating from place to place – over the course of millennia around the Four Corners until they reached the center place, or Tuuwanasavi, on the Hopi mesas. But it tells that story through the lens of another narrative; one about the creation of the Hopi Cultural Preservation Office and efforts by its longtime director, Kuwanwisiwma, to retake con-

trol over the Hopi story and how it is told. You might call it history sovereignty.

One way in which the Hopi Tribe could have done this is to simply shut out non-Hopi researchers and archaeologists, which would have been an understandable response to what one of the contributors to the book called historicide, or the anthropological community’s failure to see Hopi history from the Hopi point of view.

Instead, Kuwanwisiwma and his colleagues take a different approach: educating nonHopi scholars, government officials and archaeologists through collaboration. In many ways, Footprints is the manifestation of that collaboration.

One chapter, “The Genetic Diversity of Hopi Corn,” by Kuwanwisiwma, Shirley Powell and Mark Varien, lays out the details of one of those partnerships with the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center. Crow Canyon researchers wanted to better understand the farming techniques of the Ancestral Puebloans in the northern San Juan or Mesa Verde region. The northern San Juan Puebloans most likely grew crops without the aid of irrigation, relying only on direct precipitation, just as the Hopi still farm today.

So, Hopi farmers got together with Crow Canyon to cultivate experimental plots at Crow Canyon. While the Crow Canyon farmers wanted to mix several strains of corn in one plot, the Hopi farmers insisted that each strain be separated into distinct plots to avoid cross-pollination and hybridization. This discussion led to the possibility of analyzing the DNA of the current Hopi corn varieties in order to determine where the corn originated, to protect existing strains, and to protect Hopi intellectual property.

Ironing out details and addressing everyone’s concerns took years, but eventually the testing went forward. The results showed that different strains of Hopi corn are genetically distinct, not simply morphologically different.

“This result supports the Hopi view and the view of other Pueblo groups that varieties of Hopi (and Pueblo) corn, distinguished by color, have distinct characteristics that were important to the survival of Pueblo people,” the authors write. “Clearly, thousands of years of Hopi plant husbandry have created and preserved morphologically and genetically distinct corn varieties that are uniquely suited to the highly variable environmental conditions of the northern Southwest.” Hopi corn may be just what is needed in these times of climate change-induced aridification as more and more crops become unviable in the dry West.

telegraph

Most enlightening was a theme that runs throughout the book: The importance of landscape to the Hopi people. The land is not merely a backdrop against which human history plays out. It is integral to that history and culture; you can’t have one without the other. “The Hopi past and present are shaped by the way the land is remembered and discussed,” write the authors of a chapter on “multivocal approaches to Hopi Land.” Landscape is not just a trigger for memories, it is memory.

This concept is important to consider when thinking about preserving and protecting cultural sites in places like Bears Ears National Monument. It is not adequate merely to draw a line or put up a fence around a single Puebloan structure or village. The physical village is only a small piece of a much larger ritual landscape, it is the center of “a nested set of landscape features that mark cardinal directions, sacred places and boundaries, giving physical definition to the notion of centeredness,” write Wesley Bernardini – informed by the work of Alfonso Ortiz – in “Visual Prominence and the Stability of Cultural Landscapes.” If you want to protect a village, you have to include far more than just the architectural remnants.

Establishing a 2-million-acre national monument, in other words, is perfectly reasonable and is in line with the Antiquities Act’s mandate to set aside the smallest area possible in order to preserve the antiquities in question.

Bernardini’s chapter was the one that brought back those memories of site visits with my dad. Bernardini describes visiting sites with Kuwanwisiwma who, instead of staring at the ground, like most non-Hopi archaeologists, would look out to the horizon and take stock of the landforms he saw. He and his colleagues would often be able to discern which clan occupied the site based on the information they gathered.

Bernardini goes on to present a methodology for placing a site in its landscape and in relation to landforms near and far in order to “operationalize an Indigenous spatial lens that can identify likely cosmological landmarks.” Back during my site visits, I was doing a version of this, albeit an uninformed one in which I didn’t quite know what I was looking for, even if I had a vague sense of it.

Now, thanks to Footprints of Hopi History, I have a slightly better understanding of what I was seeing. I look forward to taking that new knowledge back out onto the Great Sage Plain.

The Land Desk is a thrice-weekly newsletter from Jonathan P. Thompson, longtime journalist and author of River of Lost Souls, Behind the Slickrock Curtain, and the forthcoming Sagebrush Empire. To subscribe, go to www.landdesk.org.■ July 8, 2021 n 7

StateNews

Bagging it

Plastic bags, Styrofoam will largely disappear from stores and restaurants in 2024

by Paolo Zialcita Colorado Public Radio

G

ov. Jared Polis signed House Bill 211162 into law Tuesday, marking the slow end of plastic bags for major Colorado retailers, grocery stores and restaurants.

The ban, which will also apply to singleuse foam containers, won’t fully go into effect until 2024, but the state will start introducing those restrictions in 2023. Customers will have to pay 10 cents per paper or plastic bag at establishments that have to follow the ban.

Sixty percent of the money raised by the temporary bag tax will go toward local recycling or composting programs. The rest will go to the businesses themselves.

Colorado Democrats pushed the ban as part of their efforts to reduce the state’s reliance on single-use plastics and their overabundance in landfills. State Rep. Alex Valdez told the House Committee on Energy and Environment the practicality of plastic bags does not justify the waste being created by them.

Several state agencies will have to pay extra to comply with the ban. Colorado’s Department of Corrections will need to re-

Starting in 2023, the state will begin to phase out single-use plastic bags and styrofoam at major stores and restaurants. Customers will have to pay 10 cents per paper or plastic bag. place foam containers used for prepackaged meals with paper products. That will result in an estimated $103,675 increase in the general fund.

The ban will also affect school districts, but it’s unclear what the exact cost will be.

The legislative analysis estimates it will cost

an additional $5.80 per student per school year to replace foam packaging. There are about 890,000 students in the state.

“The amount of the increase will depend on the type of food service facility located in the school, the number of student meals served per day, and the cost of alternative

solutions,” legislative council staff wrote.

“Some school districts may also have already put policies in place to limit the use of plastic products.”

There will be several exemptions to the ban. Amendments to the bill – pushed by state Republicans, plastic industry lobbyists and businesses – exempted small stores, depending on a municipality’s specific rules.

State Rep. Lisa Cutter, the bill’s co-sponsor, told CPR News she was disappointed by that change.

“It removes a significant portion of stores. Many, many small businesses want to be part of the solution,” Cutter said.

However, the bill lets county or city governments enact stricter bans than the state, which could mean these statewide exemptions may not exist in certain communities.

Other establishments, like laundry services, farmers and pharmacies are exempt.

Those small plastic bags in the produce aisle also won’t be affected.

A similar law in Denver went into effect last week. Customers at major retail stores, like grocery and department stores, already have to pay 10 cents per paper or plastic bag if they’re shopping within city limits.

For more from Colorado Public Radio, go to: www.cpr.org. ■

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Coming up empty Federal investigators fail to find cause for wildfire in Ice Lakes area

by Jonathan Romeo

A

fter a lengthy investigation, federal law enforcement was unable to find out what started a wildfire near the popular Ice Lakes Trail west of Silverton last fall, though it’s believed to be human caused.

According to a final report – obtained by The Durango Telegraph through a Freedom of Information Act request – investigators scoured the burn scar in the days after the fire but were unable to find an ignition source.

“The specific area of origin was determined, but no evidence was found during the investigation indicating what exactly caused the fire,” Shawn A. Cave, the lead investigator for the U.S. Forest Service, wrote in the report.

The “Ice Fire” broke out on the afternoon of Oct. 19, 2020, about a half mile up the highly trafficked Ice Lakes Trail, 6 miles from Silverton along South Mineral Road.

It wasn’t until Oct. 26, when a winter storm hit the region, that the fire was considered fully contained after burning nearly 600 acres of national forest.

No one was injured and no structures lost, but the fire did trap 28 hikers who had to be evacuated by helicopter, and cost about $750,000 to fight. The blaze also ran the risk of coming into Silverton and threatened the town’s water supply. And, ultimately, because of the damage to the forest, the Ice Lakes Trail was shut down indefinitely.

Though no exact cause was determined, federal investigators believe the Ice Fire was started by a person, and according to the investigation report, the leading theory is a cast-off cigarette butt.

“The only probable factor as to contributing to the start of the fire is human in nature,” Cave wrote. “However, no evidence or conclusive evidence was found in the point of origin. Therefore, the cause of the Ice Fire is inconclusive.”

Pinning a point of origin Around 11:30 a.m. Oct. 19, passing hikers reportedly saw the smoldering beginnings of the fire and tried to put it out by hand. But the burn quickly grew out of control, and realizing their efforts were not going to work, the hikers rushed down to call emergency dispatch, with the first call coming in at 1:13 p.m.

In October 2020, the San Juan Mountains were in an extreme drought after a noshow monsoon season and a continuing

The Ice Fire broke out October 2020 and went onto burn 600 acres in the San Juan National Forest. Federal investigators, however, were unable to determine what started the fire, although the running theory is someone hiking the Ice Lakes Trail threw a lit cigarette butt off into the forest, igniting the blaze. / Photo courtesy U.S. Forest Service dry pattern into the fall. All over Colorado, destructive wildfires were breaking out at historic rates. On the day the Ice Fire started, windy conditions caused it to spread rapidly, inciting a hefty emergency response that included nearly 100 firefighters and aircrew members.

Part of that response was the Forest Service’s fire investigation team, namely Cave, who has worked as a law enforcement officer in Southwest Colorado since fall 2011.

But, because of fire danger, steep terrain and falling trees, the area wasn’t safe to enter on the day the fire first flared up, the report said.

Instead, investigators talked to witnesses who said they saw columns of smoke first billow up about a half-mile from the trailhead, near a boulder within a meadow. An

emergency helicopter crew that flew over the area just an hour after the first call to dispatch confirmed these accounts of the fire’s point of origin.

On Oct. 23, 2020, as the Ice Fire slowed down (having burned nearly 600 acres but still only 50% contained), it was determined the area where the fire was believed to have started was safe enough for investigators to begin surveying.

Once on scene, the starting point was easily identifiable after investigators spotted a wide “V” pattern on the forest floor, indicating where the blaze broke out and then spread, which was consistent with eyewitness accounts and wind directions Oct. 19.

“I could see how the fire was able to burn toward the treeline,” Cave wrote in the report. “From the treeline, I was able to

telegraph

see how it established itself into the timber and became a crowning fire.”

The logical conclusion Missing from the scene, however, was any indication of what started the fire. So, investigators started to rule out possible causes.

No storms or weather activity were happening at the time, so lightning was eliminated. Investigators didn’t find any signs of a camp or campfire nearby. And, there no roads in the immediate vicinity where a spark from a car or other motorized vehicle could have caused it.

Instead, the more logical conclusion, held by many local emergency crews from the outset, was that one of the hundreds of people a day who make the hike on the Ice Lakes Trail was the culprit. Giving favor to this theory was the fact the point of origin for 4

July 8, 2021 n

9

IceFire from p. 9 the fire was close to the trail itself, about 75 feet off, and at a “good rest stop” for hikers, according to the report.

“Natural elements … were ruled out as well as mechanical elements such as a motorized trail (or) road,” Cave wrote. “Though no cigarette butts could be found at the specific origin, this is the leading theory.”

Fire investigations can be incredibly difficult, as active wildfires, weather and other factors can delay or diminish the quality of evidence on the scene.

A Forest Service spokeswoman Wednesday was unable to answer why investigators think it was a cigarette. No potential suspects are listed in the report, either. Still, the investigation report confirms what locals on the ground believed for months.

“Just by ruling out things, it was almost certainly human caused,” Jim Donovan, director of San Juan County’s Office of Emergency Management, said. “There weren’t any other factors at play during the day.”

It’s a people problem The Ice Lakes Trail is one of the most popular and heavily used in Southwest Colorado. Located within the San Juan National Forest, the trail starts at an elevation of 9,840 feet and climbs a couple thousand feet to two stunning, turquoise alpine lakes: Ice Lake and Island Lake.

On any given day in summer, hundreds of people make the 7-mile round-trip hike. But in recent years, social media (looking at you, Instagram) and countless “best of” lists have blown up use on the trail. Then, with COVID-19 pushing more people into the outdoors, the trailhead and parking lot started to feel more like Disney World than a gateway to the great outdoors. It was common last year to see 400 to 600 hikers a day (pre-pandemic, it was 250 hikers a day). One count over Labor Day weekend 2020 saw nearly 2,000 hikers and 215 overnight backpackers.

All that use took a significant toll on the fragile alpine tundra. People were regularly seen going off trail, damaging

A before and after photo of the damage to the Ice Lakes area as a result of a wildfire in fall 2020./ Photo courtesy San Juan Mountains Association vegetation, starting illegal campfires above treeline and leaving behind litter and human waste. The other big concern, of course, was the risk of wildfire.

Countless studies have shown more than 90% of wildland fires in the U.S. are caused by people, whether through unattended fires, sparks from motorized vehicles, fireworks, intentional acts of arson and yes, the flick of a cigarette butt. According to federal data, in 2020, humans started a staggering 53,563 wildfires – 91% of all wildfires – burning nearly 6 million acres.

One of the more peculiar aspects about the Ice Fire, however, was how late in the year it started and how high in elevation it burned (10,000-11,500 feet). The blaze also shot a message to the high-elevation town of Silverton that it was not immune to wildfire. The last major fire near Silverton was in 1879, when 26,000 acres of forest burned around Molas Pass.

“It was definitely a wake-up call, as far as the fire threat to town,” Donovan said. “We didn’t think it was going to be that much of a concern, but it definitely turned into that.”

Change gonna come While the fire did not impact Ice Lake or Island Lake, the trail itself was heavily damaged and now presents risks of falling trees, rock slides and flooding. As a result, the trail, as well as several adjacent roads and campgrounds, will be closed until at least September when Forest Service crews can reassess conditions after the monsoon season.

But that doesn’t mean people are staying out, said San Juan County Sheriff Bruce Conrad.

“People are just going around the sign,” Conrad said.

“People are constantly out there and think it’s great no one else is out there. People don’t understand we’re not closing it to be (another term for jerks). There’s reasoning behind it. They’re endangering themselves and the people that come after them.”

Conrad said his deputies give a warning to first-time offenders and tickets to people if caught in the area a second time. As of Tuesday, one person has been ticketed. According to the Forest Service, fines can run up to $5,000. Lorena Williams, a Forest Service spokeswoman, said the agency has also increased law enforcement and volunteer presence in the area, too.

And those aren’t the only changes coming for one of Southwest Colorado’s crown jewel hikes. A permit system, long in the talks, moved closer to reality last year after the incredible increase of use on the trail and subsequent deteriorating landscape, culminating in the fire.

“The SJNF is weighing all options for management of the Ice Lakes Trail, and a permit system is just one of those possible options,” Williams said. “We have completed some initial research and continue to gather information about all options.”

For Conrad and many Silverton locals, something’s got to change.

“That area has been under such pressure from over-use, it’s good to give the area and wildlife some reprieve while USFS contemplates how to better manage it,” Conrad said.

“But it is closed for public safety purposes and people back there will be charged.” ■

Serving up love in a cup since 2011!

Serving & selling fair-trade Fahrenheit coff ffe ee 1099 Main Ave., under the big clock Mon.- Thurs., 7:30am-3pm and Fri., 7:30am-1pm

10 n July 8, 2021

telegraph

TopShelf

Belly full of wood, mountains full of ukes & Ridin’ to Telluride

by Chris Aaland

“M

omentum is the key!” That was a favorite saying of my old man, Mr. Bill, when he was teaching me to drive back in 1984. In particular, he was referring to driving up mountain passes. But, like many Mr. Billisms, it had multiple meanings. Namely, if you work hard and good things start happening to you, then keep the foot on the gas pedal. After a sophomore year on the Wheat Ridge High School junior varsity basketball team, I spent the next spring solidifying my position on the varsity.

All it took to derail my plans was an injury. That came in the form of an attempted blocked shot on a breakaway during Smoky Hill league. A guy who was driving down the court stopped when he shot his layup. I went flying through him, getting upended while managing to get my right arm caught in the net. Gravity ripped the shoulder out of its socket and next thing I knew, I was getting a ride to the hospital.

By the time I was back from four weeks on the IR, the seniors I was trying to displace had secured their spot on the roster. I went back to JV to get in shape and wouldn’t regain my starting spot on varsity until the following year.

A lot of bands lost their momentum during COVID-19. One of them, Wood Belly, makes its triumphant return to the Animas City Theatre for an 8 p.m. show Saturday night. Wood Belly shot onto the scene in 2018, a year that saw them play the Durango Bluegrass Meltdown, release their debut album, “Solid Ground,” earn an IBMA Momentum nomination and win the Telluride Bluegrass Festival band competition. To achieve the latter, they had to outdistance StillHouse Junkies, the Durango trio that had been born just a year earlier.

One of the perks in winning in Telluride was having Planet Bluegrass foot the bill for an EP, which was released in 2019, followed in quick succession with an appearance on Telluride’s Fred Shellman Memorial Stage and a follow-up full-length record, “Man on the Radio,” just before the Christmas holidays. The second album was a strong effort – one that should have cemented their spot at the forefront of an already full slate of up-and-coming Colorado bluegrass, newgrass and jamgrass bands. On their heels were that hardworking Durango trio, StillHouse Junkies; the Boulder quartet, Bowregard; the Westside suburbs group, The Wrecklunds; and countless other groups from the Western Slope and Front Range. It was somewhat competitive, fighting against each other for club gigs, festival spots, and opening slots for bigger names like Leftover Salmon, Yonder Mountain String Band and The Lil’ Smokies.

Thankfully, live music is back. From what I saw and heard at Tico Time’s inaugural bluegrass festival a few months ago, Wood Belly hasn’t missed a step.

The Rocky Mountain Ukefest is back, running from tonight (Thurs., July 8) through Sunday at a host of venues, with headlining presenters Jack & The Vox, Daniel Ward, Marnie Ward and Devin Scott. The duo of Jack & The Vox is the biggest catch,

with Ukefest veteran Victoria Vox (ukulele, vocals) returning, only this time accompanied by her duo partner, Jack Maher (bass ukulele, guitar, vocals). Daniel Ward is a seasoned educator, composer and performer best known for his Latin style, infused with jazz and pop. Marnie Ward (no relation) is a playwright, vocalist and artist who has carved out a niche delivering Wood Belly makes singing telegrams along its triumphant the Front Range, dressed return to the ACT, in vintage outfits that Saturday at 8 p.m. harken back to the day of The Andrews Sisters, Doris Day and Frank Sinatra.

Scott is known for his big voice, big beard and wicked dance moves.

Highlights include the RMUF All-Star Band at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Community Concert Hall (featuring all of the featured presenters); an open mic hosted by Devin Scott at 7 p.m. Friday at the Animas City Theatre; the Early Bird Concert and dance party at 6 p.m. tonight at the 11th Street Station (featuring Scott, Marnie Ward and The Rim Trio); and a classic cowboy uke jam featuring Gary Cook of the Bar D Wranglers from 11-1 Sunday at Serious Texas BBQ South.

The Ride was a bit different this year, with the town and promoters agreeing on a 10-day, indoor, limited capacity event vs. a jam-packed outdoor festival in Telluride Town Park. It got rolling last weekend and continues through Sunday with a number of performers at a variety of venues.

Highlighting the list is Warren Hayes, former lead guitarist for both The Dead and The Allman Brothers Band, founding member of Gov’t Mule, solo artist and producer. Haynes plays the Palm Theatre at 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday. With a capacity of 586, there’s a good chance you’ll be able to boogie with Warren if you attend.

The Sheridan Opera House is limited to 265 tickets this weekend, but with Rival Sons, Black Pistol Fire and Rose Hill Drive performing, it should be hopping. I’m a big fan of all three, having seen Rival Sons and their L.A. hard rock sound numerous times in Town Park as well as a small club in LoDo. Black Pistol Fire is an alt-country band out of New Orleans that demands more attention than they get.

There’s plenty more to get excited about, too, at smaller venues, including four nights of Big Something, the last of three straight shows by the Jerry Joseph Duo (old-timers remember his many shows at Farquahrts in the late ’80s and early ’90s with his old band, Little Women), and a few other acts. Ridefestival.com is your source for tickets and an updated schedule. And don’t worry – The Ride will move back outside in 2022.

And then there were six (again). With the opening of Anarchy Brewing (across the street from Sonic and next door to Macho’s), the South Side has its first brewpub since BREW closed down a few years back. Anarchy joins Ska, Steamworks, Carvers, Animas Brewing and the other semi-newbie, High Trestle Brewing, which is located in the old Durango Brewing building. Welcome to Matt “Sully” Sullivan and his crew!

It’ll set your head on fire and make your kidneys scream? Email me at chris@ksut.org. n

telegraph

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StufftoDo

Thursday08 Cafe au Play free outdoor baby group, 10 a.m.12 p.m., 495 Florida Road (behind Christ the King church). 970-749-9607 for info.

SkaBQ, 5 p.m., Ska Brewing, 225 Girard St. Durango Dharma Center Open House & Social, 5:30-7 p.m., 1800 E. Third Ave., Suite 109, durangodharmacenter.org.

Mamma Mia! Opening night, runs thru Aug. 1, Lions Wilderness Amphitheatre, Farmington. Info at: www.fmtn.org/shows.

Terry Hartzel, 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. Live music, 6-8:30 p.m. every Thursday, James Ranch, HWY 550, Hermosa.

Trivia night 6:30-8:30 p.m., The Powerhouse, 1333 Camino Del Rio. No groups larger than eight. $5 suggested team donation.

Terry Rickard plays, 7 p.m., 11th Street Station.

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

Larry Carver & Jack Ellis, 7 p.m., Derailed Pour House, 725 Main Ave. Beam Me Up Starlight Trivia, weekly 7:30-9:30 p.m., Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave. Geeks Who Drink Trivia, 8-10 p.m., The Roost, 128 E. College Dr.

Friday09 67th annual Gem and Mineral Show, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., La Plata County Fairgrounds, 2500 Main Ave. Event also takes place July 9-10.

Gary Walker plays piano, 10 a.m.-12 noon, JeanPierre Bakery & Restaurant, 601 Main Ave. Kids Summer Program: Insect Hotel, 3-6 p.m., Pine River Library, Bayfield.

Free Virtual Legal Clinic, 4-5 p.m. to sign up, call: 970-563-9287.

Terry Hartzel, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave. Dustin Burley, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.

Monday12

Ely Cartwright plays, 5 p.m., 11th Street Station.

Family Magic Show with Mysto the Magi, Fridays thru the summer, 7 p.m., Tico Time Resort, 1 mile south of the stateline.

“The Origin Story,” live improv show, 7-9 p.m., Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave. Info. and tickets: www.durangoarts.org.

Saturday10 Durango Farmers Market, 8 a.m.-12 p.m., Saturdays through October. TBK Parking Lot, 259 W. 9th St. www.durangofarmersmarket.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 67th annual Gem and Mineral Show, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., La Plata County Fairgrounds, 2500 Main Ave. Event also takes place July 10.

Joshua Mendrala plays, 12 noon, 11th Street Station.

Summer Brew beer tasting, 1-4:30 p.m., Purgatory Resort, www.purgatoryresort.com Terry Hartsel plays, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave. Matt Rupnow plays, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.

Outdoor Storytime, 9:30-10 a.m., Pine River Library,.

Humane Society Adoption Event, also runs July 13, 10-11 a.m., Pine River Library, Bayfield.

Music in the Mountains mobile stage classical strings concert, 12 -1 p.m., Shoshone Park, Ignacio; and 5:30 p.m., Buckley Park. Free.

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

Online at www.durangodharmacenter.org Adam Swanson plays, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave. Rob Webster plays, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.

Tuesday13 Summer reading program at Durango Public Library, Tuesdays thru July 31. Programs and events for babies, kids, teens and adults. For info, stop by or call 970-375-3380.

Music in the Mountains mobile stage woodwinds concert, 12 -1 p.m., Stephenson Park, Bayfield; and 5:30 p.m., Buckley Park. Free.

Twin Buttes Farm Stand, Tuesdays thru October, 36 p.m., 165 Tipple Ave., www.twinbuttesfarm.com Rob Webster plays, 5 p.m., 11th Street Station.

Gary Walker plays jazz accordion, 6-8 p.m., Dandelion Café, 725 E. 2nd Ave.

Terry Hartzel plays, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

Disco Night, 6-9 p.m., Chapman Hill Roller Rink.

Sean O’Brien plays, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave

Hundred Year Flood plays, 7 p.m. Outside at Gazpacho, 431 E. 2nd Ave. An Evening With Wood Belly, bluegrass show, 8 p.m., Animas City Theatre, 128 E. College Dr. Tickets and info at www.animascitytheatre.com

Bitcoin Study Group, Tuesdays, 5:30-7 p.m., Zia North patio. Meet people and learn about Bitcoin. For info., call 970-426-2464 or email bitcoinstudygroup@protonmail.com

Durango Art Market, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., 11th Street Station. www.durangocreativedistrict.org.

Alzheimer’s Association presentation at Rotary Club of Durango, July 13, 6 p.m. Learn about diet, nutrition, exercise and social engagement for healthy aging. Info. at Mtnman16@gmail.com.

Randy Crumbaugh plays, 12 noon, 11th Street Station.

Acoustic Music Jam, Tuesdays, 6-8 p.m., Rotary Park, all instruments and singers welcome. 970-259-3408.

Silent Sunday with Swanson, 2-4 p.m. Sundays, Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave. Pianist Adam Swanson accompanies three classic short silent films. Info. at www.durangoarts.org.

Live music, 6-8:30 p.m. every Tuesday, James Ranch, HWY 550, Hermosa.

Sunday11

Wednesday14

Live Music on the Range: Matt Rupnow, 2-5 p.m., Hillcrest Golf Club.

Manna Summer Meal, 9 a.m.-12 noon, 1100 Avenida del Sol. All are welcome.

Disco Night, 6-9 p.m., Chapman Hill Roller Rink.

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

Live Animal Visit: Wolfwood Refuge, 10-11 a.m., Pine River Library, Bayfield.

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

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

Summer reading series, 10 a.m., Sunnyside Library, talk about wild raptors 4

Black Velvet Trio, 6 p.m., Fox Fire Farms, Ignacio.

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12 n July 8, 2021

telegraph

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AskRachel

No laughing matter, mama me-uh and the big fall Interesting fact: The word “courtesan” derives from an old Italian word for “advisor to the king or queen.” Yeah, I bet they did some advising.

Dear Rachel, Sooo not naming names, obviously, but I started work at a new small office lately. I tend to be pretty reserved until I really get to know people. So when I say I made a joke at work, I mean, like, a joke about needing coffee in the morning. Later that same morning, I get called to the boss’ desk and sternly informed that we do not use humor in this office. Is this the biggest red flag ever? How fast should I run?

– Michael Scott

calls where I could tell her the ambulance is here to pick me up and she’d say “Oh, one more thing while I have you.” Two weeks ago, she suddenly went radio silent. Just enough static to let me know she’s alive, but nothing more. Is this a test? And if so, how long can I make it last?

– Off the Hook Dear Totally Being Tested, Not everything is about you. Your mother could have a new boyfriend. Or a new girlfriend! Let’s just call it a new companion, without intimating a specific gender or intimacy level, because boy howdy do you NOT want to think about your mother having essentially a courtesan.

Which is really a much more pleasant-sounding word than the other words for that profession. Let’s bring that back into use. But not connected to your mother. Sorry to do that to you.

– Massively helpful, Rachel Dear Rachel, I’ve been toddler-sitting for a friend lately and pulling out all the old sing-songy nursery rhymes. I don’t know if I’m now woke or just paying attention to words, but these things are completely messed. Why did the old man bump his head after he went to bed? Why does Humpty fall down? Why do we all fall down?

Why were old-timey people so obsessed with people falling down??

– Taking the Fall

Dear Downward Dog, We really didn’t have much going on in ye olde days.

No common cultural touchstones from which we could derive a shared humor. Plus, life expectancy was like 27 years, and plagues were wiping out big fractions of the population, and most of us were serfs or courtesans. So falling down was a pretty standard cultural trope. Kind of like the coffee joke of its time.

– Rich, dark and creamy, Rachel

Music in the Mountains mobile stage brass ensemble concert, 1 p.m., Durango Public Library. Free.

The Jeff Solon Jazz Duo plays, 6-8 p.m. Wednesdays thru Sept. 8, Dandelion Café, 725 E. 2nd Ave.

Upcoming

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

Matthew Marcus McDaniel plays, 7 p.m., 11th Street Station.

Dear Under-Caffeinated, A worse crime than making a coffee joke (come on, that’s low-hanging beans) is snitching someone out for making a coffee joke. What next, turning you in for crossing your fingers that the copier doesn’t jam? Do you work for the Durango field office for the Stasi? Not only would I run, but I would clean out the supply closet on the way.

Those humorless freaks don’t deserve to be stocked with signature flags and mechanical pencil lead.

– World’s best boss, Rachel Dear Rachel, My mother is an insensitive over-communicator. I’m talking text messages so long they would make Tolstoy balk, and four-hour phone

Bookmarks Discussion: Michelle Obama’s Becoming, 2-3:30 p.m., Pine River Library, Bayfield.

Virtual book club, 2-3 p.m., non-traditional book club.

For info., e-mail spenser.snarr@durangogov.org.

Trail Work: Overend Mountain Park, meet at Leyden Trailhead, 4:30-7 p.m. Info. at www.durangotrails.org.

“House Fires: Risks & Causes,” 5-6:30 p.m., Durango Community Recreation Center. To sign up, contact Tosh Black with Durango Fire Protection District at tosh.black@durangofire.org or 970-382-6014.

Explore the Japanese bokken (sword) and jo (staff) 5:30-6:30 p.m., Claire Viles Park (across from St. Columba). www.durangoaikido.com Terry Hartzel plays, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave. Terry Rickard plays, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.

Ongoing Rocky Mountain Uke Fest, July 8-11, featuring Victoria Vox & Jack Maher, Devin Scott and others. Events in and around Durango. Info. at: www.rockymountainukefest.org

Email Rachel at telegraph@durangotele graph.com

Say Hello to a Horse, July 15, 10-11:30 p.m., Pine River Library, Bayfield.

Reception for “Summer Color,” paintings by Patrice DeLorenzo, July 15, 3-5 p.m., Animas Chocolate & Coffee Co., 920 Main Ave. Exhibit runs thru July 31.

Black Velvet Trio, July 15, 6 p.m., Dandelion Cafe.

The Actor’s Journal Episode 8 featuring Edie Falco, Jason Alexander and more, is now streaming at www.durangoplayfest.org/actors-journal/

Bound for Learning Book Club: The Dine Reader: An Anthology of Navajo Literature, July 15, 7-8:15 p.m., Durango Adult Education Center, 701 Camino del Rio, Ste 301, Classroom 1. Discussion includes the book’s editors Esther G. Belin and emeritus professor Connie A. Jacobs.

Bookclub takes place third Thursday of the month. For info. or to register, go to the book club, visit www.durangoadulted.org/bookclub.

9th Annual Ride Festival, thru July 11, Telluride. More information at www.ridefestival.com

Breastfeeding Workshop, July 15, 6-8 p.m. via Zoom.

Email drjoynd@gmail.com for link.

“Summer Color,” new paintings by Patrice DeLorenzo, thru July 31, Animas Chocolate Co., 920 Main Ave.

Brendan Shafer plays, July 15, 7 p.m., 11th Street Station.

Sunnyside and Fort Lewis Mesa libraries open 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Mon.-Fri. thru Aug. 20. Summer reading Wednesdays at 10 a.m. thru July 28. 375-3816 for more info.

Friends of the Library Book Sale, July 16, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Durango Public Library north patio. $1 a pound, proceeds benefit Durango Public Library.

Music in the Mountains, classical music festival, July 11-Aug. 1, www.musicinthemountains.com

telegraph

July 8, 2021 n 13

What Kate & Nate wear on their day off

FreeWillAstrology

by Rob Brezsny ARIES (March 21-April 19): Poet Joshua Jennifer Espinoza writes, “i name my body girl of my dreams / i name my body proximity / i name my body full of hope despite everything.” I love her idea that we might give playful names and titles and descriptors to our bodies. In alignment with current astrological omens, I propose that you do just that. It’s time to take your relationship with your beautiful organism to a higher level. How about if you call it “Exciting Love River” or “Perfectly Imperfect Thrill” or “Amazing Maze?” Have fun dreaming up further possibilities!

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): The English language, my native tongue, doesn’t ascribe genders to its nouns. But many languages do. In Spanish, the word for “bridge” is puente, which is masculine. In German, “bridge” is Brücke, which is feminine. A blogger named Tickettome says this is why Spanish speakers may describe a bridge as strong or sturdy, while German speakers refer to it as elegant or beautiful. I encourage you to meditate on bridges that possess the entire range of qualities, including the Spanish and German notions. In the coming weeks, you’ll be wise to build new metaphorical bridges, fix bridges that are in disrepair and extinguish fires on any bridges that are burning.

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14 n July 8, 2021

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Académie Française is an organization devoted to preserving the purity and integrity of the French language. One of its ongoing missions is to resist the casual incorporation of English words, which the younger generation of French people is inclined to do. Among anglicisms that don’t have the Académie’s approval: podcast, clickbait, chick-lit, deadline, hashtag, marketing, timelapse and showrunner. The ban doesn’t stop anyone from using the words, of course, but simply avoids giving them official recognition. I appreciate the noble intentions of the Académie, but regard its crusade as a losing battle that has minimal impact. In the coming weeks, I advise you to refrain from behavior that resembles the Académie’s. Resist the temptation of quixotic idealism. Be realistic and pragmatic. You Geminis often thrive in environments that welcome idiosyncrasies, improvisation, informality and experimentation – especially now.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Cancerian author Vladimir Mayakovsky wrote a poem about how one morning he went half-mad and conversed with the sun. At first he called the supreme radiance a “lazy clown,” complaining that it just floated through the sky for hours while he, Mayakovsky, toiled diligently at his day job painting posters.

Then he dared the sun to come down and have tea with him, which, to his shock, the sun did. The poet was agitated and worried – what if the close approach of the bright deity would prove dangerous? But the visitor turned out to be friendly. They had a pleasant dialog, and in the end the sun promised to provide extra inspiration for Mayakovsky’s future poetry. I invite you to try something equally lyrical and daring, dear Cancerian.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): A blogger named Bunny-Gal writes, “I almost completely forgot who I was there for a while. But then I dug a hole and smelled the fresh dirt and now I remember everything and am okay.” I recommend you follow her lead, Leo – even if you haven’t totally lost touch with your essence.

Communing with Mother Earth in the most direct and graphic way to remind you of everything you need to remember: of the wisdom you’ve lost track of and the secrets you’ve hidden too well and the urgent intuitions that are simmering just below the surface of your awareness.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): I can’t understand the selfhelp gurus who advise us to relentlessly live in the present moment – to shed all awareness of past and future so as to focus on the eternal NOW. I mean, I appreciate the value of doing such an exercise on occasion for a few moments. I’ve tried it, and it’s often rejuvenating. But it can also be downright foolish to have no thoughts of yesterday and tomorrow. We need to evaluate how circumstances will evolve, based on our previous experience and future projections. It can be a deadening, depleting act to try to strip ourselves of the rich history we are always embedded in. In any case, Virgo, I advise you to be thoroughly aware of your past and future in the coming days. To do so will enhance your intelligence and soulfulness in just the right ways to make good decisions.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Psychotherapist and author Clarissa Pinkola Estés poetically refers to the source of our creativity as “the river under the river.” It’s the deep primal energy that “nourishes everything we make” – our “writing, painting, thinking, healing, doing, cooking, talking, smiling.” This river beneath the river doesn’t belong to any of us – is potentially available to all – but if harnessed correctly it works in very personal ways, fueling our unique talents. I bring this to your attention, Libra, because you’re close to gaining abundant new access to the power of the river beneath the river.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): In formulating personal goals, Scorpio author Brené Brown urges us to emphasize growth rather than perfection.

Trying to improve is a healthier objective

telegraph

than seeking flawless mastery. Bonus perk: This practical approach makes us far less susceptible to shame. We’re not as likely to feel like a failure or give up prematurely on our projects. I heartily endorse this strategy for you right now, Scorpio.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22Dec. 21): In a letter to Jean Paul Sartre, author Simone de Beauvoir described how she was dealing with a batch of challenging memories: “I’m reliving it street by street, hour by hour, with the mission of neutralizing it, and transforming it into an inoffensive past that I can keep in my heart without either disowning it or suffering from it.” I LOVE this approach! It’s replete with emotional intelligence. I recommend it to you now, since it’s high time to wrangle and finagle with parts of your life story that need to be alchemically transformed and redeemed by your love and wisdom.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): In one of his poems, Capricorn-born Kenneth Rexroth complains about having “a crooked guide on the twisted path of love.” But in my view, a crooked guide is the best kind. It’s unwise to engage the services of a love accomplice who’s always looking for the simplest, straightest route, or who imagines that intimate togetherness can be nourished with easy, obvious solutions. To cultivate the most interesting intimacy, we need influences that appreciate nuance and complexity – that thrive on navigating the tricky riddles and unpredictable answers. The next eight weeks will be an excellent time for you Capricorns to heed this advice.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Aquarian singer Etta James (1938–2012) won six Grammy Awards and is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Grammy Hall of Fame and Blues Hall of Fame. She testified, “Most of the songs I sing have that blues feeling in it. They have that sorry feeling. And I don’t know what I’m sorry about.” Wow! I’m surprised to hear this. Most singers draw on their personal life experience to infuse their singing with authentic emotion. In any case, I urge you to do the opposite of Etta James in the coming weeks. It’s important for the future of your healing that you identify exactly what you’re sorry about.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): “Sometimes you win, sometimes you learn,” Piscean self-help author John C. Maxwell writes. His statement is useful, but it harbors a problematic implication. It suggests that you can experience either winning or learning, but not both – that the only time you learn is when you lose. I disagree with this presumption. In fact, I think you’re now in a phase when it’s possible and even likely for you to both win and learn.

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; call first

Announcements Want Loose Stones For your unique one-of-a-kind jewelry creation? Lanka Blue Jewelry has large inventory, at 701 Main Ave.

Lost/Found Lost Blue Dry Bag in Smelter Lost in Smelter Rapid on Thursday 6/24: blue dry bag with pump inside. If found, please text 970-903-0171.

Found- Gold Ring In the Smiley Café bathroom in May. Call to describe: 303-513-8055.

HelpWanted Laundry Customer Service 1-2 very responsible, reliable, friendly, multi-tasking, self-directed team players with strong customer service skills are needed! Responsibilities include doing laundry, helping customers, cleaning, etc. ~20-40 hrs/wk. Training is provided. $12.50+/hr DOQ (plus wash/dry/fold commissions of roughly $1-$2+ per hour, tips and free personal laundry)! Nice facility, customers, co-workers, and owners!

Please apply in person at the College Plaza Laundry, 509 E. 8th Ave.

Massage Therapist Wanted Amaya is immediately hiring for Sunday and Monday regular shifts. Please call Don 970-769-8389.

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

HaikuMovieReview ‘30 Minutes or Less’ Is much longer than the running time of this film should have ever been – Lainie Maxson

Services Classes/Workshops Summer Spanish Class Now accepting students for beginner thru advanced Spanish starting in June.

Finally, in-person learning is back! Call 970-309-5966 or visit www.espanola hora.net

ForSale Stihl Chainsaw MS270C 16inch bar, case, checked by Kroegers, hardly used. Retail $419, asking $275. 505-879-8777.

Want Loose Stones For your unique one-of-a-kind jewelry creation? Lanka Blue Jewelry has large inventory, at 701 Main Ave. Reruns Home Furnishings Summer is here! Great selection of yard furniture, yard art and garden pots.

Cool retro cabinet. Tall bar-style dining table, vintage desk, nightstands, lamps and side tables. Come in today. 572 E. 6th Ave. Open Mon.-Sat. 385-7336.

Friendly Carpentry and Painting Stucco repair, 707-806-3456.

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.

Lowest Prices on Storage!

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

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

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

NewspaperOrigami

ForRent Yoga/Pilates Teachers Wanted Studio and/or rooftop deck for rent $25/hr. Infrared heat available. Above Sunnyside Farms Market. Jolieensign7 @gmail.com or 218-235-9404.

Wanted Caregivers $20/hr Disabled man needs help with care.

Call Johnny, 970-749-2692.

Hiring for a Variety of Positions MUNIRevs is a rapidly growing Software-as-a-Service platform that automates the collection of sales and lodging tax payments for businesses. In addition to the tax and licensing system, MUNIRevs also offers LODGINGRevs, a vacation rental compliance software. Currently hiring for a variety of positions. Visit www.munirevs.com/job-opportunities for full job descriptions.

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.

Longtime Telegraph Contributor Looking for Housing Please email or call Luke at: luke@climbingzine.com or 970-3763116.

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July 8, 2021 n 15

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