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Ear to the ground:
“I thought the song ‘I Ran’ was about the country.”
– We’re not sure which is worse: that you’re admitting this or that the whole reason the topic came up is because you’re going to see Flock of Seagulls in concert (… actually, we’re a little jealous.)
Pucker up
There’s no doubt this summer’s monsoons have kept river runners on their toes. Seems the San Juan River below Bluff wasn’t the only stretch to be affected by flash floods. The Colorado River through Cataract Canyon has gained what is being described as a “trip-altering” Class IV rapid at Gypsum Canyon below Big Drop 3 near the end of the run.
Local river runner Julie Pysklo and crew got to experience the new rapid firsthand on a trip last week, Aug. 3-8. Thankfully, they were made aware of the rapid by a guide for a commercial trip who was putting on at the same time they were.
“He asked us if we knew about the new rapid at Gypsum,” said Pysklo, an experienced boater who has run Cataract six or seven times over the years. “It’s a Class II on the map but had turned into a Class IV because of the storms.”
Pysklo and her party had not heard but were grateful for the beta (and in keeping with river etiquette, offered the guide a beer for the intel). “There was no one else down there when we were putting on. If we hadn’t seen him, we would have floated right into it,” she said.
When the group came upon the rapid, they heeded the guide’s horror stories of even seasoned veterans seeing carnage and decided to line their boats. “It’s the first time I’ve ever had to line a boat,” said Pysklo.
On the cover
A rogue backyard sunflower signals the glorious but waning days of summer in the Southwest./ Photo by Missy Votel
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She described the rapid as a jumble of 10foot pour-overs, massive holes and large boulders choking about ¾ of the river channel. “There was also one big ‘f*** you’ rock right in the middle,” she said.
Cataract was flowing at about 5,000 cfs that week, but according to the guide, the rapid gets harder at lower water.
Gypsum is perhaps the most dramatic example of rapids on the lower part of Cataract formerly submerged by Lake Powell that have re-emerged in recent years as lake levels drop. According to americanrivers.org, as of the fall of 2023, Gypsum is among about 10 rapids that have risen from the receding silt and muck of Powell.
Alas, Pysklo is kicking herself for not snapping a photo of the new rapid, but when you’re lining boats through Class IV, there are more pressing matters. Word is map-makers are in the process of updating river guides to reflect the change and add a few pucker points to old Gypsum. In the meantime, the scout is river left.
opinion
LaVidaLocal
A moment of clarity
The last time I experienced a moment when one of life’s uncertainties melted away, I’d been riding my bicycle. The route I prefer for the sake of exercise and safety stays on the pavement, avoids rush hour traffic and keeps me off any asphalt where posted speed limits approach the Medicare enrollment age.
Recently, I considered upgrading to an e-bike, thinking that a lithium battery might be a more reliable container than my skull for more energy and inspiration. In the end, I decided to stick with my traditional foot-powered, coffee-charged, pedal-andchain driven bicycle. For me, it makes more sense; the slower I go the more sensible I am.
Like every online package I order, this clarity business doesn’t show up when I push the purchase button. Often I am forced to abandon my quest in solving problems, walk away, and hope that in the future – if it’s truly important – the answers will arrive when I least expect them.
And when they do, sometimes with such an immediacy, it’s baffling. I’ll sit up in bed in the middle of the night and mutter “the Battle of the Bulge!” then, fall back asleep. In the morning, Pam will ask if my seance with Eisenhower’s ghost went well. Then I’ll spend half the day wondering what she was talking about.
Moments of clarity while awake can be less invasive but still quirky. An elderly friend who lived alone often needed a younger set of hands. While we worked together to repair her periodically dysfunctional irrigation system, she’d use a phrase that sounded to me like a foreign expression. She’d ask me to sit tight while she rummaged through her orderly supply of labeled boxes in her basement, looking for what she called a “gozinna” or a “gozonna.”
When she’d return with the missing link, just by slowing her pronunciation down in my head, I understood what she actually said. She needed either a male connector that “goes-in-a” or its female counterpart that “goes-on-a” pipe fitting. That moment of daylight still makes me blush.
Noted American inventor, architect and philosopher R. Buckminster Fuller –noted for popularizing the geodesic dome – confirmed my suspicion about exceeding the speed limit in his slim but innovative 1970 Bantam paperback, “I Seem to be a Verb.” It presents a miscellany of newsworthy (and outrageous) quotations and photographs culled like a time capsule from “Spaceship Earth’s”
Thumbin’It
The U.S. women’s soccer team earned its first Olympic gold in 12 years in a nailbiting 1-0 win over Brazil.
Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters was found guilty in her election-hacking plot, which included burner phones and a washed-up surfer dude named Conan. (Are you listening, Coen brothers?) No word on whether they’ll allow her My Pillow in prison.
Score one for the amphibians. After seven years of painstakingly stocking high-altitude ponds, endangered boreal toads are getting after it, with tadpoles found for the first time in a wetland near Gunnison. Even cooler, they release a secretion that smells like peanut butter, but don’t try to kiss one.
media. The book is actually two, divided along a continuous center line of thoughts – all CAPS – the top half of the book in black ink, the bottom in green, as if to suggest a contrast between industrial and ecological thought. The reader can start anywhere, or read just the top half, cover-to-cover, then flip it upsidedown and read the other half. But it all begins with this memorable stanza: “I live on earth at present, and I don’t know what I am. I know that I am not a category. I am not a thing – a noun. I seem to be a verb, an evolutionary process –an integral function of the universe.”
He’s right, that we are all verbs, but conjugating more rapidly than Darwin ever could have foreseen in his Galápagos Island observations. Our thoughts flit about like finches, impulsively changing each new idea so that it possesses a slightly different beak, highly adapted to a specific purpose, ready to pounce on the next opportunity.
Alvin Toffler, along with his spouse, Adelaide Farrell, also published an international bestseller in 1970 called “Future Shock,” a term the authors defined as “too much change in too short a period of time.” According to Wikipedia, “(Toffler) argues that the accelerated rate of technological and social change leaves people disconnected and suffering from ‘shattering stress and disorientation.’” No wonder I sometimes find myself standing in the bicycle lane, scratching my helmet.
Max Roser, of the World Economic Forum in Oxford U.K., writes, “The technologies that our ancestors got used to in their childhood were still central to their lives in their old age.” If there is a second edition of Toffler’s book, it ought to be titled “Economic Shock” – fueled not only by innovation but also by human avarice – a powerful driving force of high-speed change.
I grappled with this concept even before reading my copy of the Buckminster Fuller book, which surfaced at a thrift store several months ago. I paid 25 cents. The original price listed on the cover? $1.65. My acquisition illustrates a modest but steady 55 years of deflation. Then I looked my book up on a second-hand sales site and found 115 other 1970 copies ranging from $70 to over $700. It’s still confusing, because both prices now exist simultaneously in my mind. It could be that true clarity requires more time than patience will ever allow. – David Feela Do you want lies with that?
Colorado’s outbreak of H5 bird flu has now moved on to cats, with at least five cases reported in Northern Colorado. This and Mpox is apparently on the move in Africa. We’re all doomed.
That icon of the Southwestern desert, the saguaro cactus, is in trouble, with adult saguaros toppling over at an alarming rate and new babies failing to grow. The prickly saguaro arm of blame is pointed at – you guessed it – climate change.
A new scary rapid on Cataract Canyon. OK, some of you gonzos may see this as an “up,” but not if you float into it unawares and sideways, and end up getting sand in your Schlitz.
SignoftheDownfall:
Roseanne Barr has a podcast, because it’s the obvious career path for someone fired from her own television show for being a holocaust denier who tweets racist things about Black presidents. And during episode #028 featuring Marjorie Taylor Greene, Barr theorized that Bill Gates is working with Planned Parenthood to create a new meat substitute made from fetuses, and that McDonald’s will soon combine it with bug parts to sell “Fetus Burgers.” MTG didn’t disagree, of course, but the odd thing is that neither one of them mentioned Mexicans a single time, which, according to MAGA cult lore, means they’ve both been replaced by liberal clones and/or lizard people.
WritersontheRange
Ties that no longer bind
Montana once prided itself on politicians with ties to the land; that’s changing
by John Clayton
Tim Sheehy, the Republican seeking to unseat Montana Democratic Sen. Jon Tester, is a business executive born and raised out of state. That same description applies to Troy Downing, a Republican running for one of Montana’s two Congressional seats. Same for Montana’s Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte and his challenger, Democrat Ryan Busse.
I have nothing against out-of-staters moving to Montana or working at a business. I fit both categories myself years ago. But I think this change in politicians’ backgrounds reflects a change in how Montanans view their identity.
Previous Montana politicians who weren’t government lawyers often came from farming and ranching or related businesses. Today’s business backgrounds are less intimate with Montana’s land. Gianforte started a software company. Sheehy founded imaging technology and aerial firefighting businesses. Downing, a real estate developer, has owned everything from self-storage units to vineyards.
Seeking business-friendly policies, Republicans have long favored candidates with business backgrounds. But today’s desire for political outsiders includes Democrats like Busse, a former firearms executive without experience in elected office. And recent high-profile Democratic candidates have included educators, managers and a musician – in other words, people who have not worked daily with nature and its resources.
Montanans used to mistrust government officials who lacked intimacy with the land. But today, both parties elevate politicians who lack that intimacy, probably because Montanans care more about ideological issues such as immigration, abortion, inflation or gender identity.
The wide-open farms and ranches of Montana were often where many of the state’s politicians came from. However, today’s state leaders come from business backgrounds that are less intimate with Montana’s land and agricultural heritage./ Photo by Lee Peters via Unsplash
Political power used to flow from grazing stock and vast acreages. Now it flows from Wall Street stock and scenic mansions. For example, Sheehy and Downing own homes in the chichi resort of Big Sky; Gianforte comes from the expensive Bozeman area; Busse comes from the scenic and pricey Flathead region.
Sure, those places are Montana. But Montana’s politicians once came from less-glamorous places, including bareknuckle Butte, the faded mining metropolis; remote Libby, with its logging and mining economy; and dusty Billings, an oil and cow town. In the 2000 and 2004 gubernatorial elections, Democrat Brian Schweitzer owned a Flathead mint farm
but bragged that he was raised on an eastern Montana cattle ranch.
In other words, politicians once claimed Montanan identity through shared experience. That often included in-state birth and always included landbased pastimes like hunting. Today it’s less “Are you a hunter?” than “Are you endorsed by the National Rifle Association?”
The shift makes it hard to interpret politicians’ actions. For example, in 2021, Gov. Gianforte killed a mountain lion and trapped and killed a wolf. Because he’s not a rancher-politician, we can’t understand, much less endorse, such acts in the context of a lifelong working relationship with land and livestock.
Similarly, Gianforte, Busse and Downing have all been cited for various gradations of hunting violations. Should we judge them differently than we would a native-born hunter? And Sheehy’s company is deeply in debt. For a ranch, that wouldn’t be surprising. But for an aerospace company?
To the rest of the country, choosing leaders based on ideologies may sound familiar. But Montana, aka “Big Sky Country,” used to pride itself on being different. More place-based, more rural, more centered on the individual.
Outsiders may have dismissed such philosophies as insular and backward –but that dismissal was what made them outsiders.
How should we react to this change? We might celebrate that Montana is leaving behind its tired frontier myths. Or we might mourn the shift, because Montana’s extraordinary landscapes – and people’s deep relationships to them –were what once made the state special. As Montana changes from bovines to business and from rural to resort, its politics can feel like yet another big-box store featuring all the latest national trends.
Then there’s Sen. Tester, the lone elected Democrat who’s running for reelection. The third-generation farmer from the wide-open plains of Big Sandy represents the land-based tradition that Montanans once cherished. But do Montana voters still want a senator like that?
Regardless of outcomes this November, the act of choosing by ideology rather than deep roots in the land marks a huge change.
John Clayton is a contributor to Writers on the Range, writersontherange.org, an independent nonprofit dedicated to spurring lively conversation about the West. A native of Massachusetts and graduate of Williams College, John has lived full time in Montana since 1990. He is the author of books, including “Stories from Montana’s Enduring Frontier,” and writes a newsletter at naturalstories.substack.com. ■
How the GOP spells DEI
GOP VP nominee JD Vance, previously known as James Donald Bowman, James David Hamel, James David Vance and J.D. Hamel, (look it up) has stated that Kamala Harris is a DEI hire. The inference being that her long history as a prosecuting attorney, district attorney, attorney general of California, U.S senator of California and vice president of the United States was achieved only because of her gender and race. This from a white dude with 18 months’ experience in government. What a bunch of trumped-up nonsense. His running mate, the Donald, even went so far as to state he didn’t know Harris was Black and that she only recently “became Black.”
I, too, question DEI designations. Here’s a DEI group we could do without: Don Jr., Erik and Ivanka. But let’s look at the GOP ticket. The “D” they hate stands for diversity. The “D” they represent means dictatorship, deceit, dishonesty, discrimination, defamation, danger, delusion, decadence, deranged, drill baby drill. You get the idea.
The “E” stands for equity, another term they dislike. Their “E” represents
egotistical, erratic, exclusionary, extramarital, expletive, exhibitionist, erosion and entropy.
The “I” stands for inclusion. To the GOP, the “I” stands for incite, inflame, idolize, illiberal, ignorance, impeached, idiocy, ill-gotten, insanity, I-Donald.
Just a short list of many D, E, I words that apply to the modern Republican party.
As a multi-cat male who never had children, I fit a group that JD Vance and his ilk wish to silence. The Project 2025 (which Trump had “never heard of”), a 920-page manifesto written by numerous Trump aides and the Heritage Foundation, spells out their plan to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion. They plan to end democracy, screw the environment and incarcerate those of us who dare to believe that all people have a right to live a life with a decent income, health insurance, affordable education, clean air and water, safe food and access to safe abortions if necessary.
Apparently that’s too much to ask for in the GOP version of modern America. What the heck happened? Donald Trump. That’s what.
– Craig S. Chisesi, Rifle
ShroomTown:
Photo by Missy Votel
Bringing transparency
I support and endorse John Purser for LPEA Board of Directors, District 4, northeast La Plata County. John is an outdoor enthusiast who has lived in and enjoyed the Durango area for 20 years. His background in environmental economics contributes to his current volunteer work with Citizens’ Climate Lobby. His career in the tech industry honed his skills in critical analysis and problem solving. He has a passion for efficient energy policy that protects our environment and protects our wallets.
John is concerned about the level of transparency with the current board and considers full disclosure of detailed costs crucial to determining just and sound policy that serves all LPEA members. Ballots to vote will arrive midAugust. Your simple action of voting can power our future with affordable, reliable and clean energy.
– Susan Atkinson, Durango
Taking care of business
Recently I wrote about what we in the State Legislature did for Colorado this year; I am proud to have been a part of that team effort. This month, I present the 30 bills I sponsored and Gov. Polis signed in 2024:
1. HB24-1009 Requires childcare licensing to be offered in the prevalent language of an area. This helps more children get an early start and more parents find good jobs.
2. HB24-1003 Trains educators and students in harm reduction for drugs through Naloxone; an Animas and Durango high school student bill.
3. SB24-013 Fairly compensates district attorneys and assistant district attorneys, especially in rural areas.
4. SB24-005 Conserves water by prohibiting certain non-essential turf.
5. HB24-1446 Improves training resources for science educators.
6. HB24-1444 Expands the American Indian boarding school research program for three more years.
7. HB24-1441 Clarifies the number of members on the state board of nursing.
8. HB24-1257 Continues and expands the Colorado Natural Areas Council, showcasing our extraordinary vistas.
9. HB24-1222 Clarifies terminology referring to the entities administering human services programs.
10. HB24-1154 Codifies the potential financial relationship between traditional and charter schools.
11. SB24-128 Edits an obsolete provision in a Colorado Department of
Transportation requirement.
12. SB24-105 Clarifies fuel product fees imposed by the Dept. of Revenue.
13. SB24-103 Adds technical changes to the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment statutes.
14. SB24-099 Allows retired rural school administrators who are receiving PERA benefits to return to work.
15. SB24-078 Adds licensure opportunity for outdoor, nature-based preschools.
17. SB24-031 Permits local authorities to control the spread of noxious weeds.
18. SB24-026 Requires the State Agricultural Commission and the Colorado Water Conservation Board to hold regularly scheduled public meetings.
19. SB24-017 Helps K-12 budgets by regularly distributing their property tax and state payments over a year.
20. SB24-014 Authorizes a Seal of Climate Literacy high school diploma, an Animas High and Durango High bill.
21. SB24-204 Makes technical revisions to the Procurement Code.
22. SB24-194 Adds fire and ambulance districts to the list of districts permitted to impose impact fees.
23. SB24-188 Eliminates the Budget Stabilization Factor, raising per-pupil spending and giving a one-time stipend to rural schools.
24. HB24-176 Updates terminology for individuals enrolled in the state medical assistance programs.
25. SB24-175 Adds doulas to health insurance programs to help improve perinatal health outcomes.
26. SB24-172 Clarifies language concerning hemp in regulating marijuana.
27. SB24-171 Authorizes the restoration of wolverines in Colorado.
28. SB243-170 Helps fund the America 250-Colorado 150 statewide celebration of the two birthdays.
29. SB24-148 Allows certain facilities to practice precipitation harvesting for water conservation.
30. SB24-132 Extends confidential evaluation protections for all educators.
As I end my tenure, I finished my sixth year as Chair of the House Education Committee and first year as Chair of the House Services Committee and Vice Chair of the Statutory Revision Committee. I am also Vice Chair of the Sportsmen Caucus and member of the Agriculture, Water and Natural Resources Committee and the Interim Water Resources and Agriculture Review Committee. I also filled in as Vice Chair of the House Finance Committee for 30 minutes. I suppose that will look good on a resume.
– Rep. Barbara McLachlan, D-Durango
LandDesk
Treading water
Nine years on, meaningful progress on cleanup remains elusive
by Jonathan Thompson
It was nine years ago Aug. 5, while I was sitting in our Durango home, when a tweet from La Plata County popped up on my screen warning residents of an upstream spill of some sort. “I gotta see this,” I said to myself, running out to the old Silver Bullet and driving it to the 32nd Street Bridge. When I found the water to be its usual placid green, brimming with SUPers and boaters and scantily-clad tubers, I continued north into the Animas Valley, where the monsoon had left pastures green and cottonwoods lush.
I turned onto Trimble Lane, passed the golf course and McMansions to a little turnout by the bridge and was transfixed by the river: Turbid, electricorange water, utterly opaque, sprawled out between the sandy banks, as iron hydroxide particles thickened within the current like psychedelic smoke.
The crazy color was the result, of course, of the Gold King Mine spill. Contractors for the EPA had inadvertently breached an earthen plug in the portal of the Gold King Mine, releasing some 3 million gallons of Tang-hued, acidic, metal-tainted water into a tributary of the Animas River. The spill turned the waterways various shades of yellow and orange for a good 100 miles downstream. The incident drew global attention, shut down the river and affected recreation, commerce and agriculture. On the riverside communities, the spill also inflicted a collective trauma –some of which lingers today.
It really seemed, at the time, to be a turning point. After years of lurking under the public radar, abandoned mines and the ways they harm the environment, water quality and human health were finally getting attention. There were congressional hearings, stories in the national media and downstreamers demanding that the Upper Animas River watershed be declared a Superfund site once and for all.
Nine years have passed, a Superfund site – the Bonita Peak Mining District –was established, numerous lawsuits have played out, and as much as $160 million has been spent responding to the initial
disaster and on Superfund-related activities. And yet, no meaningful federal policy regarding abandoned mines has been passed by Congress or implemented by the White House. And while Gold King Mine discharges are being treated, keeping some harmful metals out of the streams, very little additional progress has been made on solving the larger problem of abandoned mines in the Upper Animas watershed and their effect on water quality.
It is all a bit discouraging, to say the least, though not all that surprising.
On the federal policy part, the Biden administration issued a report last summer calling for major reforms to the 1872 General Mining Law. The proposed changes would increase protections on the mining claim/lease and permitting end, so as to avoid future Gold King events. A reclamation fee and royalties on federal hardrock minerals would also be established to help fund a restoration
industry tasked with cleaning up abandoned mines.
It all sounded great, but so far has yielded very little actual policy. Yes, the Biden administration increased mining claim fees from $165 to $200. And the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act did earmark billions of dollars for abandoned mine – and oil and gas well – cleanup. As for Congress, the closest they’ve gotten to a viable mining law reform bill is one clearing the way for corporations to use public lands as waste dumps.
The problem is that the mining industry wields a great deal of power, especially in Nevada, Arizona and Utah. And that means that even Democratic, otherwise green-leaning politicians tend to bow down to the industry (see Sens. Jacky Rosen and Catherine Cortez Masto, both of Nevada). The Biden administration, meanwhile, has developed a case of carbon tunnel vision, and is
looking to streamline and encourage mining for so called “green metals,” such as lithium, manganese, cobalt and copper. It has also signed on to efforts to bolster the domestic uranium mining industry to support a growing advanced nuclear reactor sector. Implementing the administration’s own recommended reforms could slow those efforts.
As for a lack of progress in the Upper Animas? That’s a more complicated situation.
Superfund – or CERCLA – seems to work well as a blunt instrument for cleaning up old factories, waste dumps or other contained industrial sites, and for holding the responsible parties to account. It has a good track record on some mining sites, including several in the West. Even then, however, the cleanup can last for decades, and in the case of draining mines, may require water treatment in perpetuity.
But there’s nothing straightforward
The Animas River flowing orange on Aug. 6, 2015, through Durango, as a result of the Gold King Mine spill. Despite the ensuing Superfund declaration, little progress has been made in addressing the thorny issue of acid mine drainage around Silverton due to myriad reasons, from bureaucracy to geology./Photo by Jonathan Thompson
or simple about the environmental legacy of mining in the Upper Animas watershed and the 48 sites within the Bonita Peak Mining District. The mountains’ innards resemble Swiss cheese, with miles and miles of drifts and shafts in addition to natural fractures and faults that blur hydrological understanding. Indeed, mysteries remain around the exact source and pathways of the water that blew out of the Gold King in 2015. (For what is likely the most exhaustive, and exhausting, chronological dive into the Gold King/Sunnyside/American Tunnel connections, check out an old Land Desk wonkfest at www.landdesk.org.)
Further complicating issues is a fair amount of natural acidity and metal loading that can never be cleaned up, along with the still-unanswered question of which stretches of stream may have been able to support fish before mining commenced, and which ones may feasibly be able to support fisheries in the future. In other words, what is the end goal of the project? What would “fixing” the problem, as downstreamers demanded in 2015, look like in terms of specific water quality improvements in specific stretches of streams? And are those desired fixes feasible? Nine years later, those questions linger.
The saddest part of it all, perhaps, is the fact that those questions were being asked and answered, and solutions were being implemented, prior to the Gold King spill. The Animas River Stakeholders Group moved maddeningly slow at times, but they were thorough, realistic in what could be achieved, and effective. They were also efficient: Because their funding was limited, they had to prioritize projects that would give them the biggest water quality bang for their buck. They were also somewhat limited in what they could do, thanks to liability issues. While moving or capping a waste pile is fairly low risk, if a “good samaritan” like ARSG tries to fix a draining, abandoned mine, it could become responsible for future problems – like the Gold King blowout. So, ARSG relied on industry partners for draining adits or called in the EPA.
A lot of folks, myself included, hoped that the Superfund cleanup would incorporate ARSG as an active partner and build upon their efforts. Just imagine what the group, which was formed in 1994 and included a vast storehouse of water-quality data and analysis and human expertise, could have done with EPA funding and liability protection. Instead, the EPA started virtually from scratch. The ARSG ultimately disbanded and was replaced by the Citizens Advisory Group, or CAG. Former ARSG Coordinator Peter Butler was
Peter Butler, former coordinator of the Animas River Stakeholders Group and later the chair of the EPA’s Citizens Advisory Group, leads people on a tour of the Bonita Peak site in 2017. Butler resigned from the CAG in 2023 out of frustration with the EPA. /File photo
brought on as CAG’s chair.
I ran into Butler on occasion while running or hiking the trails around Durango, and he always seemed a bit frustrated about the lack of progress at the Superfund site and the EPA’s lack of receptiveness to the advisory group’s advice and data collection.
Shortly after the Gold King spill, the EPA had spent millions of dollars setting up a water treatment facility in the former mining town of Gladstone, at the mouth of the bulkheaded and defunct American Tunnel (which accessed the Sunnyside, the last operating mine in the region, which was shuttered in 1991). But it only treats drainage from the Gold King, letting acid mine drainage from other nearby adits flow unmitigated into Cement Creek, which ultimately joins the Animas River. Other than that, the EPA has done very little in the way of substantive remediation, and downstream water quality has remained poorer than it was in the early 2000s, when Sunnyside’s treatment plant was still up and running. (It’s a very long story, but to sum it up: Legal issues, a lack of funding and an eviction shut treatment down in 2004, causing water quality and downstream fish populations to deteriorate.)
This week’s FREE music: Thurs., Aug. 15, 6-9pm: Adam Lopez Fri., Aug. 16, 7-10pm: Vintage Brew
Sat., Aug. 17, 12-3pm: Devin Scott
Sat., Aug. 17, 7-10pm: Durango Funk Collective
Sat., Aug. 17, 10pm-1am: DJ SHouse Party Sun., Aug. 18, 1-3pm: Dustin Burley **FREE Trivia Every Tuesday @ 6 p.m.**
Still, I was a bit shocked when Butler announced his resignation from the CAG late last year. He cited the lack of CAG influence on decision-making, the high turnover among local EPA administrators, and the EPA’s failure to honor promises made to the local community prior to Superfund designation. And, he wrote: “EPA has collected an enormous amount of information and data over the last seven years. However, the amount of metal loading in the river and streams, the impacts that it has on aquatic life, the metals of greatest concern, and the main source areas of metals and their relative importance has not significantly changed from what was known by ARSG in the early 2000s. It doesn’t seem that work done previous to the Superfund designation has sped up the timetable at all. EPA appears to be on its typical 20-year plus timeframe for completing work at this Superfund site.”
(The EPA later responded, as reported by the Durango Herald’s Reuben Schafir.)
It was damning criticism, and the EPA lost an important advisor when Butler stepped down. And while the CAG continues its work with a capable group, Butler’s exit also seemed to signal the end of the Animas River Stakeholders Group era, in which environmentalists, bureaucrats, scientists and industry collaborated to find working solutions to complex problems.
It has taken me a while to write about this, in part because I do find it somewhat heartbreaking. It also worries me. Earlier this year, Navajo Nation advocates and residents celebrated when the EPA finally designated the Lukachukai Mountains Mining District Superfund site after years of lobbying for it. They saw it as a guarantee that dozens of abandoned, Cold War-era uranium mines would finally be cleaned up and would stop oozing toxic material into their water and homes. And maybe it is, but how long will it take?
The sad reality is that no one – not the EPA, not the Stakeholders group, not industry – will ever totally fix the problem of polluting abandoned mines in the Upper Animas watershed. All they can really do is manage it and, in an ideal world, learn from the experience and develop better and more innovative ways to carry out that management. I suppose in EPA-time, nine years isn’t all that long. There’s still time to right the ship so that the project can benefit the water and the local community.
The Land Desk is a newsletter from Jonathan P. Thompson, author of “River of Lost Souls,” “Behind the Slickrock Curtain” and “Sagebrush Empire.” To subscribe, go to: www.landdesk.org. ■
BetweentheBeats
A new gig
Former Junkies bassist talks life on the road, new album and old-time music
by Stephen Sellers
For this week’s “Between the Beats, I sat down with local legend-in-the-making Cody Tinnin. Cody has quickly become an indispensable part of the Durango music scene, having played with half a dozen bluegrass bands in town over the last eight years. Most recently, Cody brought the style and bass for Stillhouse Junkies, touring heavily with them for the past five years. The Junkies and Tinnin have parted ways, and Cody’s eyes are now on a new horizon as he begins work on his sophomore solo album and takes time to rest and regroup after living life on the road in a tiny van. Enjoy a snippet of our conversation.
SS: How many gigs do you think you’ve played?
CT: Maybe 1,000? I don’t really know. Yeah, it’s hard to quantify exactly.
SS: What makes a great gig a great gig?
CT: Just having fun. I would say having fun with your bandmates.
SS: Have you ever had a pinch-me moment on stage?
CT: Yeah, lots of them, honestly, but the first one that comes to mind is probably Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival. You know, playing to just a whole lot of people very far away from Colorado, all the way out in New York State.
SS: A lot of people in Durango know you as the former bass player for the Stillhouse Junkies. What some might not know is that outside of playing bluegrass, you’re really passionate about old-time music. What is it about old-time music that you dig?
CT: I think in one word, maybe just rhythm. Everyone is usually playing more or less the same thing in an old-time session, and it’s like everyone is into that and making that really good. So, it’s just different. And it’s also an original American folk tradition, which despite America being kind of a trash fire, it’s still kind of cool to be into things that come from here. It’s our fiddle tradition.
SS: What’s your hope for the local Durango music scene in 2024 and moving forward?
CT: I think the biggest issue that faces the scene is a feeder venue that touring bands can hit – for bands who maybe have never been here before and can’t sell the tickets to get into Animas City Theatre. There’s a lot of great venues in town that support the local scene, but I think a dedicated music club would really help. I would love to help someone do that.
SS: You’ve done some work as a producer, working on Nathan Schmidt’s album “Backstories.” Can you tell me what it is you enjoy when it comes to producing?
CT: I think at the baseline, it’s like helping someone make a record, make their record. With Nathan, it was
super fun, because we got to kind of transform even the way he hears his songs into like a tangible thing. I love collaborating and making art with people. The goal is to help someone make the ultimate best thing that they can make.
SS: What are some of the challenges of being on the road and the toll that it can take?
CT: It just comes at you from every angle … it’s physical, it’s mental. You’re away from home, in uncomfortable situations, usually, at least once a day. But, ultimately it takes its biggest toll on your mental health and … it comes out in everything, in your music and your relationships. And when you’re on the road and touring, it’s just like everything is intensified by 10, and so it really makes it tough to keep a handle on.
SS: What has been helpful for you as you’ve been resetting and finding a new normal?
CT: Going to therapy, for sure, is the biggest thing, and then connecting with my friends here in town. I moved back to Durango in 2016, but the last four or five years have been really heavy touring, and I just haven’t been around as much. So getting to connect with the homies like you and other cats in town that I play music with has been really fun. And getting to
meet the next generation of Durango musicians and artists who are coming up that I haven’t had a chance to really be around since I’ve been on the road. Focusing on my own music has been excellent, too.
SS: For the musicians out there, what do you think is one critical thing that everyone could do for their mental health when they’re out there on the road?
CT: Don’t ignore it, number one, which is really easy to do. You have to make time for some kind of mental health routine, whether it’s like therapy on the road or whatever it is you need. But there always has to be time built in to take care of yourself and for your bandmates to take care of themselves, too.
SS: As you look to the future, is there anything on the horizon that is buoying you up right now?
CT: Yeah, I have a lot of exciting opportunities that I think are gonna pan out for next year … and I have a lot of different irons in the fire. I’m excited to hopefully be back on the road next year with some other artists, and we’ll see how that goes. I’m really stoked for that, but for now, I’m focused on this record, and I’m really excited to be in the groove of just writing something new. ■
Cody Tinnin / Photo by Renee Cornue Studio
The last Code Talkers
Ifirst met Colonel Bailey during the fall of 2002. I invited him to speak to my senior English class at Ignacio High School. I believe he has since passed, as there are only three living Navajo Code Talkers that are still living.
The Colonel told the story of how a white man came to recruit Navajos from the reservation who were fluent in the Navajo language. They were selected for a top-secret project involving the military. He recounted, “They recruited 24 of us in 1942. They took us to an undisclosed destination in Arizona from Gallup. I recall that one of the 24 decided to return to the reservation. We went through boot camp, then shipped to communications school. We were always under tight security.”
There were about 642 code talkers by the end of the war. All these men served in both theatres of war, and those in the Pacific Theatre were all marines. In the European Theatre, they served mostly in the army units.
There were two types of secret coding. The first type was developed from the Comanche, Hopi, Mekwaki and Navajo dialects. The coders used words from their
language for each letter of the alphabet. The second type was derived from using simple cypher texts using the Native language words. For example, a submarine was coded as an “ironfish.”
The first code talkers served in World War I, using Cherokee, Choctaw and Lakota languages, but little is written of their endeavors. These men sacrificed a lot as they were put in frontline positions to secure vital information during reconnaissance patrols. Casualty rates among code talkers were extremely high in both wars.
Unfortunately, many Navajo Code Talkers did not receive recognition for their valor until 1986. President Clinton finally awarded the Congressional Gold Medal to the original 24 in 2000. Since then, other presidents have awarded citations to code talkers from other tribes.
Looking back at that day, I remember my students being mesmerized by Colonel Bailey’s stories. After his presentation, every student came up to shake his hand. One related that she would never forget meeting and shaking the hand of a true hero of our nation.
– Burt Baldwin
Navajo Code Talker Colonel Bailey, left, with Baldwin in 2002./Courtesy photo
Thursday15
Durango Chamber Business After Hours, 4-6 p.m., Manna Soup Kitchen, 1100 Avenida Del Sol
Ska-B-Q with music by Ben Gibson, 5-7 p.m., Ska Brewing, 225 Girard St.
Trivia Night, 5-7 p.m., EsoTerra Ciderworks, 558 Main Ave.
Live Music by Jason Myers, 5:30 p.m., The Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.
The San Juan Circus performs, 6-8 p.m., Three Springs Plaza, 175 Mercado St.
Live Music by Jason Myers, 6-9 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.
Live Music by High Altitude Blues, 6 p.m., Weminuche Woodfire Grill, Vallecito
Live Music by Ben Gibson, 6 p.m., The Glacier Club, 600 Glacier Club Dr.
Live Music by Devin Scott, 6-9 p.m., The Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.
Live Music by Adam Swanson, 6-9 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.
Live Music by Smelter Mountain String Band, 6-9 p.m., Union Social House, 3062 Main Ave.
“The Ghetto Shaman,” presented by Merely Players, 7 p.m., Merely Underground, 789 Tech Center Dr.
Sunday18
Devo Days Bike Festival, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Purgatory Resort
Irish Jam Session, 12:30-3 p.m., Durango Beer & Ice Co., 3000 Main Ave.
Live Music by Alison Dance Duet, 12-2 p.m., Lola’s Place, 725 E. 2nd Ave.
“The Ghetto Shaman,” presented by Merely Players, 2 p.m., Merely Underground, 789 Tech Center Dr.
Board Game Sundays, 2 p.m., Lola’s Place, 725 E. 2nd Ave.
Habitat La Plata’s 30th Anniversary Celebration with live music by Nina Sasaki & Dan Carlson, 3-6 p.m., Serious Texas Bar-B-Q South, 650 S. Camino Del Rio
Sunday Funday, 6 p.m., Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave.
Live Music by José Villarreal, 6-9 p.m., The Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.
Live Music by the Blue Moon Ramblers, 6-9 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.
Monday19
West Slope Startup Week begins, 9 a.m., Center for Innovation, 835 Main Ave., Ste. 225
Happy Hour Yoga, 5:30 p.m., Ska Brewing, 225 Girard St.
Live Music by Bill Edwards, 5:30-10 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.
Live Music by Leah Orlikowski, 6-9 p.m., The Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.
Singo with Devin Scott, 6 p.m., Grassburger South, 360 S. Camino Del Rio
Comedy Showcase, 7:30 p.m., Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave.
Tuesday20
District Attorney Sean Murray presents to the Rotary Club of Durango, 6-7 p.m., Strater Hotel, 699 Main Ave.
Author Event & Book Signing with Paolo Bacigalupi “Navola,” 6-8 p.m., Maria’s Bookshop, 960 Main Ave.
Live music by The Black Velvet duo, with Nina Sasaki & Larry Carver, 6-8 p.m., Lola’s Place, 725 E. 2nd Ave.
Live Music by Bill Edwards, 6-9 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.
Live Music by Randy Crumbaugh, 6-9 p.m., The Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.
Open Mic Night, 7 p.m., Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave.
AskRachel Corn hole gold, going big and pet peeves
Interesting fact: New Olympic sports in 2028 include squash – but not pickleball. The interesting fact is that I can find no reason for ball-and-racquet sports to be named after garden produce.
Dear Rachel,
Now that the 2024 Olympics are over, I saw they are having break dancing as a sport. Hello! I think for the 2028 games they might have corn hole, pickle ball, frisbee golf and sling shot. Oh, and maybe ballet. What are your thoughts on this in the future?
– Jock Strap
Dear Cup Holder,
Where have you been? You did not see the Australian break dancing phenom DURING the Olympics?
I’ve long heard the idea that they should have one normal person compete in the Olympics alongside all the world-class athletes so we understand just how advanced they are. We finally, this year, got that wish. The best reason for something like corn hole in the Olympics would be the inverse: I want elite athletes to make all the corn hole bros shut the eff up about how good they are.
– Finish them, Rachel
Dear Rachel,
My older brother is getting into the franchising game with a company you’ve never heard of, but it works the same as McDon-
Open Mic Night, 7 p.m., Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave.
Wednesday21
Birdscapes: How to Attract Birds to Your Yard, 4:30-6 p.m., Durango Public Library, 1900 E. 3rd Ave.
Live Music by Ben Gibson, 5 p.m., Balcony Bar & Grill, 600 Main Ave.
Word Honey Poetry Workshop, 6 p.m., Durango Public Library, 1900 E. 3rd Ave.
Raptor identification for beginners with the Durango Bird Club, 6 p.m., Fort Lewis College, Education and Business Hall, Room 55
Live Music by Bill Edwards, 6-9 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.
Live Music by Terry Rickard, 6-9 p.m., The Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.
ald’s. This got me scheming. Have you ever thought of franchising? You could have “Ask Rachel” columns in every newspaper in the country, and every franchised Rachel would have to pay you a cut of their take. I’m not even gonna ask for a percentage for this idea, it’s just my gift to you.
– Fran Chiser
Dear French Eyes,
I like where your head’s at. Namely, your head is at the crossroads of more money for me, without more work for me. Which is why I’d like to bring you on as my franchise onboarding manager. You can keep a hefty 3% commission for every franchisee you bring into the fold. Land this in every paper in the country, maybe even a few in Canada, and you’ll have enough to buy a Happy Meal from your brother.
– Consistently branded, Rachel
Dear Rachel,
I’m a dog person. My girlfriend is a cat person. We don’t live together. But we travel together. We split expenses. I have to hire a dog sitter which is not cheap (even though I have a starter-kit dog). She just has to ask a friend to come over once and make sure the cats haven’t died. We do not split these expenses. I think we should, because a sitter costs more than my plane tickets and I can’t keep going like this. Do we split costs, or do we just split?
– Sitting on a Fence
Open Mic, 7 p.m., EsoTerra Ciderworks, 558 Main Ave.
Summer Comedy Open Mic, 7-8 p.m., Fired Up Pizzeria, 735 Main Ave.
Geeks Who Drink Trivia, 8 p.m., The Roost, 128 E. College Dr.
Karaoke Roulette, 8 p.m., Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave.
Ongoing
West Slope Startup Week, Aug. 19-23, 9 a.m., Center for Innovation, 835 Main Ave., Suite 225
“The Return of the Force,” art exhibit exploring the influence of “Star Wars” on Native artists, FLC’s Center for Southwest Studies. Thru August.
Upcoming
Ska-B-Q with music by The Reztones, Thurs., Aug 22, 5-7 p.m., Ska Brewing, 225 Girard St.
Email Rachel at telegraph@durangotelegraph.com
Dear Splintered Sitbones, This is classic. Your solution is fair, but it will never actually happen. Why? Because if Solomon taught us anything, it’s that a fair split is not a solution. You start pushing the issue, and she’ll just start taking trips without you, blowing through all that extra cash she has due to her self-sufficient pets. If you can pull this off, though, you have a good shot at making the Olympic team in whatever sport best utilizes your ability to do the splits.
– Taking half the baby, Rachel
Concerts in the Plaza with Black Velvet, Thurs., Aug 22, 6-8 p.m., Three Springs Plaza, 175 Mercado St.
San Juan Brewfest, Fri.-Sat., Aug. 23-24, Buckley Park, 1200 Main Ave.
Tour de Farms 2024, Sat., Aug. 24, 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Needham Elementary, 2425 W. 3rd Ave.
Daniel Rodriguez performs, Fri., Aug. 30, 7 p.m., Animas City Theatre, 128 E. College Dr.
Deadline to submit items for “Stuff to Do” is Monday at noon.
Please include:
• Date and time of event
• Location of event
E-mail your stuff to: calendar@durangotelegraph.com
FreeWillAstrology
by Rob Brezsny
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Years ago, when I worked as a postal delivery person in Santa Cruz, Calif., I mastered my route quickly. The time allotted to complete it was six hours, but I could easily finish in four. Soon I began to goof off two hours a day, six days a week. Many great works of literature and music entertained me during that time. I joined a softball team and was able to play an entire game each Saturday while officially on the job. Was what I did unethical? I don’t think so, since I always did my work thoroughly and precisely. Is there any comparable possibility in your life, Aries? An ethical loophole? A workaround that has full integrity? An escape clause that causes no harm?
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): From an astronomer’s perspective, Uranus is huge. Sixty-three Earths could fit inside of it. It’s also unique, because it rotates sideways compared to the other planets. From an astrologer’s point of view, Uranus symbolizes the talents and gifts we possess that can be beneficial to others. If we fully develop these potentials, they will express our unique genius and be useful to our fellow humans. It so happens that Uranus has been cruising through Taurus since 2018 and will mostly continue there until 2026. I regard these years as your best chance in this lifetime to fulfill the opportunities I described. The coming weeks will be especially pregnant with possibilities.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Edmund Hillary is renowned as the first person to climb to the summit of Mount Everest. It happened in 1953. Less famous was his companion, Gemini mountaineer Tenzing Norgay. Why did Hillary get more acclaim than Norgay, even though they were equal partners? Was it because one was a white New Zealander and the other a brown Nepalese? In any case, I’m happy to speculate if there’s a situation in your life that resembles Norgay’s, you will get remediation in the coming months. You will receive more of the credit you deserve. You will garner the acknowledgment and recognition that had previously been unavailable. And it all starts soon.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): As an American, I’m embarrassed by the fact that my fellow citizens and I comprise just 4 percent of the world’s population but generate 20 percent of its garbage. How is that possible? In any case, I vow during the next five weeks, I will decrease the volume of trash I produce and increase the amount I recycle. I encourage you, my fellow Cancerians, to make a similar promise. In ways that may not
be immediately imaginable, attending to these matters will improve your mental health and maybe inspire you to generate an array of fresh insights about how to live with flair and joy.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): The coming weeks will be a wonderful time to waste time on the internet. If you are properly aligned with cosmic rhythms, you will spend long hours watching silly videos, interacting with friends and strangers on social media, and shopping for products you don’t really need. JUST KIDDING!! Everything I said was a dirty lie. It was designed to test your power to resist distracting influences and mediocre advice. Here’s my authentic counsel. The coming weeks will be a fantastic phase to waste as little time as possible as you intensify your focus on things that matter to you most.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Scientific research suggests that brushing and flossing your teeth not only boosts the health of your gums, but also protects heart health. Other studies show if you maintain microbiota in your gut, you’re more likely to avoid anxiety and depression. The coming weeks will be a favorable time to focus on big-picture thoughts like these. You will be wise to meditate on how each part of your life affects every other part. You will generate good fortune as you become more vividly aware and appreciate the intimate interconnectedness that underlies all you do.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): The official term for the shape of a single piece of M&M candy is “oblate spheroid.” It’s rounded but not perfectly round. It looks like a partially squashed sphere. An Iraqi man named Ibrahim Sadeq decided to try the difficult task of arranging as many M&Ms as possible in a vertical stack. He is now the world’s record holder, with seven M&Ms. I imagine that sometime soon, Libra, you could achieve a comparable feat. What’s challenging but not impossible?
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): I’ve heard many people brag about their hangovers. The stories they tell are often entertaining and humorous. One of my best laughs emerged in response to two friends describing the time they jumped on the roof of a parked Mercedes Benz at 3 a.m. and sang songs from Verdi’s opera until the cops came and threw them in jail with nothing to eat or drink for 10 hours. In accordance with astrological omens, Scorpio, I ask you to not get a hangover in the coming weeks. Instead, I encourage you to studiously pursue extreme amounts of pleasurable experiences that have only good side effects.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Most famous musicians demand that their dressing rooms be furnished with specific amenities. Beyoncé needs rose-scented candles. Rihanna expects her sanctuary to have dark blue or black drapes topped with icy blue chiffon. Eminem insists on a set of 25-pound dumbbells, and the hip-hop duo Rae Sremmurd wants Super Soaker water guns. Since the coming weeks may be as close to a rock star phase of your cycle as you’ve ever had, I recommend you create a list of your required luxuries. This imaginative exercise will hopefully get you in the mood to ask for exactly what you need everywhere you go.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Sleep deprivation is widespread. I see it as a pandemic. According to some studies, over half the people in the world suffer from insomnia, don’t get enough sleep, or have trouble falling or staying asleep. Most research on this doesn’t mention an equally important problem: many people aren’t dreaming enough. And the fact is that dreaming is key to our psychological well-being. I bring this to your attention, Capricorn, because the coming weeks will be a favorable time to enhance your relationship with sleep and dreams. I encourage you to learn all you can and do all you can to make your time in bed deeply rejuvenating.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Only 47 people live on the volcanic Pitcairn Islands, which are located in the middle of the South Pacific Ocean. Pollution is virtually non-existent, which is why the honey made by local bees is the purest on the planet. In accordance with astrological omens, I’d love for you to get honey like that in the coming weeks. I hope you will also seek the best and purest of everything. More than ever, you need to associate with influences that are potent, clear, genuine, raw, vibrant, natural and full-strength.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Many Indigenous people in North America ate wild cranberries. Farm-grown cranberries didn’t appear until 1816. Here’s how it happened. In Cape Cod, Mass., a farmer discovered a secret about the wild cranberry bog on his land. Whenever big storms dumped sand on the bog, the fruit grew with more vigor. He tinkered with this revelation and figured out how to cultivate cranberries. I recommend this as a teaching story. Your assignment is to harness the power and wisdom provided by a metaphorical storm or disturbance. Use it to generate a practical innovation in your life.
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.
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Announcements
JD Vance, Nuns are not cat ladies. You are weird. Seek help. Love, Jesus.
Wanted
Books Wanted at White Rabbit
Donate/trade/sell (970) 259-2213
Cash for Vehicles, Copper, Alum Etc. at RJ Metal Recycle. Also free appliance and other metal drop off. 970259-3494.
Lost/Found
My Cat Cid is Missing
Long hair, white with black spots, green eyes. Last seen near 18th St. and E. 2nd Ave., by St. Columba. Call 970-4036192
ForSale
Archery Mathews Prima Compound
Prima FirstLite Specter 60# peak 80% let-off 25" draw length adjustable with modules. GAS string/cables OEM new zebra string/cables arrows available depending on length $700.00 970-764-5877
Mobile Home for Sale
Located in Hermosa, at Lone Pine Trailer Park. See website for details: sanjuanhighlands.com $85,000, lot rent per month $600
Reruns Home Furnishings
Vintage patio sets, chaises, tray table, art, linens and housewares. 572 E. 6th Ave. Open Mon.-Sat. 385-7336.
HelpWanted
Nanny Needed
Three half days a week. Bayfield area. 970-317-3498
Fun Part-Time Job
Seeking mature part-time retail associate for one of the longest existing downtown merchants! Send questions/resumes to jeaninegae@gmail.com.
BodyWork
Massage Therapy
Helping Durango feel better for 23+ years. Rachel McGehee 970-903-0388
Inside/outside storage near Durango and Bayfield. 10-x-20, $130. Outside spots: $65, with discounts available. RJ Mini Storage. 970-259-3494.
Boiler Service - Water Heater
Serving Durango over 30 years. Brad, 970-759-2869. Master Plbg Lic #179917
CommunityService
Could You Use Extra income?
The housing crisis is changing who can live here. Be part of the solution. Home shareonline.org offers a way to share space with a local worker or stu-
‘Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F’ Don’t tell my mom but my brother and I skipped school to see the first film – Lainie Maxson
dent! Call 970 749-9607 for more info.
The Maker Lab in Bodo Park
Provides collaborative workspace, tools, learning and equipment featuring metal and woodworking, laser cutting, 3D printing, electronics and sewing. Classes for all levels. To join or learn more, go to www.themakerlab.org
