The Durango Telegraph, Sept. 16, 2021

No cottonwoods were harmed in the making of this paper

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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

Forced out

To the bat cave!

Clearing up the past

How the housing crisis is impacting our workforce p8

New walking tours shed light on importance of local bats p10

Fort Lewis removes panels that whitewash dark history p11

n In PersoMEMBER APPRECIATION LUNCHES Food! Live music! Door prizes – including an electric lawnmower!

Durango Office: Wednesday, September 22nd | 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Pagosa Office: Thursday, September 23rd | 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

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2 n Sept. 16, 2021

telegraph

lineup

4

4 La Vida Local

What happens when an English major takes up home improvement

4 Thumbin’ It

Tooling around

Girl power

by Zach Hively

5 Word on the Street 6-7 Soapbox

8

8 Top Story

Housing crunch

Has Durango’s affordable housing problem reached crisis proportions?

10 Local News

by Jamie Wanzek

11 State News

10

12-13 Stuff to Do

Going batty

13 Ask Rachel

Powerhouse introduces bat walks to familiarize us with nocturnal neihgbors

by Kathleen O’Connor

14 Free Will Astrology 15 Classifieds

11

15 Haiku Movie Review

Righting wrongs

On the cover: A hummingbird samples some of the local flora before fall and colder temperatures set in./ Photo by Stephen Eginoire

Fort Lewis College removes panel that glossed over dark past

by Pablo Vialcito / Colorado Public Radio

boilerplate

EDITORIALISTA: Missy Votel missy@durangotelegraph.com ADVERTISING SALES: telegraph@durangotelegraph.com STAFF REPORTER: Jonathan Romeo jonathan@durangotelegraph.com

T

he Durango Telegraph publishes every Thursday, come hell, high water, beckoning singletrack or monster powder days. We are wholly owned and operated independently by the Durango Telegraph LLC and

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

Ear to the ground: “I know, I hate Texas too.”

– Bumper sticker seen in Durango recently on a car with plates from Texas.

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

thepole

RegularOccurrences

When Afghanistan once again fell into Taliban hands last month, Animas High School junior Maddy Glotfelty did not take the news sitting down. Glotfelty, a junior who is active with DEVO as well as Durango youth hockey, set about organizing a GoFundMe site to raise money to help women and girls under the oppressive regime, known for barring girls from attending school.

“I am asking for the support of our community in helping women in Afghanistan,” said Glotfelty. “To a certain extent, as a privileged girl in Durango, Colo., gifted with education, it only makes sense that I use that privilege to help those who are not so fortunate. To help women and girls who are my age but were born in a different country. A country where their right to education will be stolen.”

Glotfelty is seeking to raise $2,000 with proceeds going to Women for Women International, a nonprofit organization that invests in women survivors of war and conflict. Through the group’s Stronger Women, Stronger Nations Program, women join in small groups to learn to earn and save money, build businesses, know their rights, improve their health, and change societal rules. Since 1993, Women for Women has helped more than 462,000 women in war-torn countries around the world.

“Even if the threats to women in Afghanistan don't directly affect your life, consider your sisters, mothers, cousins, wives or girlfriends,” Glotfelty wrote on her GoFundMe page. “Imagine the devastation and fear they would experience if a group of people gained power … they knew was about to take their future, education and freedom away from them.”

To give, go to: www.gofundme.com/f/raisingmoney-for-women-in-afghanistan

Zine-versary Over a decade ago, Luke Mehall drove The Freedom Mobile, a tattered and graffitied 1988 Mazda, to Durango with hopes of making a fresh start. His only “professional” contact were the editors of this fine newspaper, who offered a hundred bucks for a freelance story.

He also brought a publication called The Climbing Zine, with him, which at the time was a stapled together black and white, punk rock style zine. “The Zine,” as it’s known to its dedicated readers, blossomed from its humble roots, and now has thousands of subscribers in over 20 countries. (Mehall has also published five books since moving here, and last year started a podcast called Dirtbag State of Mind.)

Last year was the official 10-year mark, but the pandemic halted any sort of celebration. Now, finally, this Thurs., Sept. 16, at the Rochester Hotel’s Secret Garden, The Zine is hosting an official celebration to celebrate 10 years and 20 volumes.

Sponsored by Maria’s Bookshop and Pine Needle Dry Goods the celebration will kick off at 7 p.m. with poetry, storytelling, a short film, and a raffle. Visit climbingzine.com for more details.

Sept. 16, 2021 n

3

opinion

LaVidaLocal Try this at home I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, because it spares me coming up with an original thought: I was an English major for a reason, and that reason is power tools.

Now don’t get me wrong – I like power tools. Particularly the power part.

It’s the tool part that steered me toward analyzing literature. I am a precision instrument, particularly when it comes to working with commas, but my hands are… not. My hands can miss a stud and still strip a screw. My hands can – with no appreciable forearm strength – overtighten anything. It’s 50-50 that my hands will fold the legs on a collapsible table the correct direction.

My hands’ capabilities do not emasculate me, despite what the looks I get from workers at Home Depot say. I was also a philosophy major, and we as a people have moved well beyond Plato’s “I drill, therefore I’m man.” I find comfort in knowing I can look up what the heck a dangling participle is whenever I need to – this is my gift, far more than other, more homely versions of handiness.

But the unfortunate truth is that no participle, dangling or otherwise, will address a slow-draining shower. Or replace rotting steps. Or pretend that everything is just fine under the kitchen sink thank you very much. And the people who remedy these issues for a living charge an amount of money appropriate for paying back the loans on their work trucks, money that I do not always have, owing to the recessionary philosophy marketplace at the moment. So I am left to power up my own tools and maintain my home with my own two increasingly callused hands. Plus whoever I can bribe with promises of Mexican food.

Yet I am not as helpless as you might reasonably believe. Because I have YouTube. And of all the things I have learned by watching videos there, the most important is that one can create a followership in the thousands – a viewership in the millions – without a single public speaking or film-editing skill. This truth makes it perfectly clear what my next career will be.

Without further preamble, I hereby announce my new YouTube channel: Zach Fixes (Things Specifically in His Own Home).

Let’s begin with fixing my windows. Every single window in my house has come off its track to one degree or another, making them impossible to open and/or close properly, or at all. So look up here, inside the track. The manufacturer placed these little metal clips that you can pop out like this to easily remove the window from the frame. But either these clips are junk, or the previous residents grew so frustrated with the windows coming off the tracks that they attacked these clips with the battery end of their power tools. So if you watch me carefully, you’ll see my subtle solution. I roll up these towels – I do it by hand, but you are welcome to use your drill to save yourself time and splinters – and then I stuff the towels in the window… like this… to block the gaps and the drafts during winter. If my house gets too hot in summer, you can probably brute-force open one or two of these windows. If you break it, you can buy me a new one. And if you actually succeed, but the window won’t close again, you can just buy me a bigger towel before Christmastime.

Now let’s turn our attention to the slow-draining shower. We here at Zach Fixes (Things Specifically in His Own Home) recommend against using harsh chemicals, because power tools are more fun. This slow drain could be blocked by accumulated hair, or hard-water deposits, or my dog’s missing chew toy.

There is no way to know without a snake camera, and no way to get a snake camera until that YouTube ad revenue starts rolling in.

So let’s turn to the one tool every man should have in his arsenal, no matter what he majored in, or whether or not he is a man at all: a Sawzall.

Remove the drain cap and stick the longest Sawzall blade you can find down the drain and let ’er rip. As you can see, after a few moments, the water now drains effortlessly. Where is it all going?

Tune in next week and we’ll find out. For now, hit that subscribe button so the algorithm will keep you coming back forever.

Oh, and please, whatever you see here on Zach Fixes, do not try it at home. Come try it at my home instead. Even better? Bring your own ideas.

I’ll feed you enchiladas ’til you drop.

Sign of the Downfall:

Thumbin’It Predictions from the U.S. Forest Service that this year’s leaf-peeping will be especially good thanks for the summer’s robust monsoon season.

A survey of the Animas River showing fish populations have recovered since debris flows and mudslides off the 416 Fire burn scar in 2018 killed an estimated 80% of trout populations in the river.

After two decades in the works, legislation finally being introduced that would create the Dolores River National Conservation Area, adding protections for the river (or what’s left of it) as it flows through Dolores and San Miguel counties.

4 n Sept. 16, 2021

– Zach Hively

A growing number of tourist destinations, such as Iceland, being overrun with people illegally camping, trespassing and littering, leading some areas to require visitors to sign a pledge to respect the rules.

Reports in The Denver Post that people have been caught taking tarantulas during the hairy spiders’ migration/mating season near La Junta. I mean, really?

What are we doing here people?

The pandemic marking another grim milestone, with one in 500 Americans having died of COVID-19, a disproportionate number of them Black, Latino, Native American and Alaskan Native.

telegraph

M’nkey to Her Heart Adie Timmermans of Belgium was banned from the Antwerp Zoo for having an unhealthy emotional relationship with a chimpanzee this past August. Adie visited Chita, a 38-year-old male chimp, once weekly for four years before falling in love with him. The two blew kisses back and forth through the glass regularly at the primate enclosure, so it was mutual. Zookeepers finally banned Adie from the zoo after Chita stopped socializing with the other chimps, and Addie is protesting the ban because, and this is a real quote, “I love that animal and he loves me.”

WordontheStreet

Q

With The Telegraph itself under attack in recent days by a furry beast, we asked: “What’s the worst thing your pet has ever destroyed?”

Lou

“My Roomba. He pooped on the floor and the Roomba ran through it.”

" #

Fargo

“I went for a run around the kitchen with the lower rack of the dishwasher (with dishes still in it).”

" # !

Emma

"My puppy once ate a condom. We didn’t know until we took him out to potty the next day."

Sequoia

“I had metal teeth when I was a little kid ... and my Pomeranian, Todd, ate them.”

Sarah

“A vibrator.” telegraph

Sept. 16, 2021 n 5

SoapBox

D-Tooned/by Rob Pudim

Scrap the conspiracy theories Last week’s op/ed by Carole McWilliams (You’re in the dog house, Texas) was brilliant!

What if we, as Americans, used good ole common sense and accountability (instead of conspiracy theories, misinformation and overt racism) to hold each other accountable to science, equality, rational thought, truth, compromise, or even the Constitution?

No cherry-picking. No taking only the parts you want to believe in. We’re all in this together. Think of the planet as a whole. If we don’t do something significant (e.g. think reversing global warming) now, then we’re all going down together. Kind of like if enough of us decide not to believe in the social good, and decide our personal/political beliefs ‘Trump’ other’s safety, economic security and well-being, by believing COVID-19 isn’t real, or a hoax, or that the vaccine is somehow ‘political.’

Well, then we’re dealing with a type of belief system that is akin to extremism. A group who will not compromise, will only believe in what they ‘think’ is true, and cast aside science, rationality and the common good, and instead insist their beliefs are the only/true way. When people believe in a leader who propagates a lie to protect their position and power, and those who choose to believe it will break the law and kill to force their views and beliefs, then we are in no better shape than those who are subjected to extremist views such as those in Afghanistan now.

The religious right and white nationalists in this country might as well adopt a name that more befits their extreme views. Kamala Harris said it best in her 9/11 talk last week when she said that we need unity, not uniformity. And unity means not rioting when you don’t get your way, not subscribing to conspiracy theory, not refusing public health mandates, and not co-opting the flag in an attempt to legit-

imize your malfeasance. It does mean compromising, respecting science, acting on logic versus emotion, and seeing others as equals and not adversaries or inferiors. But hey,

perhaps a bumper sticker I saw recently sums it all up best: “Be Kind. We’re all idiots.” I could live with that!

– Tim Thomas, Durango

Fall into Jimmy’s Hours: mon - Fri 11-6 & Sat 11-5: www.jimmysmusic.supply 1239 Main Ave • 970-764-4577 6 n Sept. 16, 2021

telegraph

Stop the slaughter Wolf dens with pups are being dynamited, horrific snares are being used to kill wolves, and aerial hunting and trapping is being used as Idaho’s governor greenlighted the killing of 90% of wolves in the state by these barbaric means.

Wolves were on endangered species list and Trump removed protections. But this does not justify this all-out war on wolves by U.S. Fish and Wildlife. If a species is removed from endangered status it should be carefully managed, not have a killing spree as was the case at the turn of the century when wolves were seen as the bad predators.

Fish and Wildlife needs to step up into current times where science has shown wolves are keystone species essential to the health of an ecosystem. Studies in Yellowstone have shown that wolves keep elk grazing in riparian vegetation in check, therefore producing lush vegetation. Elk and deer populations in states where wolves have been introduced have not gone down and are healthier due to wolves killing the sick or injured. Wolves and their prey maintain a balance.

Please donate to Friends of the Earth, Defenders of Wildlife, Environmental Action or other organizations that are tirelessly working to stop this slaughter. Contact Fish and Wildlife, the U.S. Department of the Interior or the Biden administration and ask them also to stop this slaughter of these magnificent animals.

– Margaret Mayer, Durango

Guest-Toonatorial/by Kendra Goodin, Bayfield

Take care of democracy Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and the Texas Jeffry Epstein fan club have donned their Taliban robes to own, abuse, and punish women and children. They like them young.

Programmed failure drives democracy to extinction.

– Ann T. Johnson, Durango

Free Divorce and Custody Clinic Presented by Colorado Legal Services

Tues., Sept. 21, 5:30-7 p.m. via Zoom Spanish interpreting available.

For more information, call: 970-247-0266

Selling smiles since 2010.

The Alternative Resource Variety of Strains • Hash/Concentrates • Edibles • Tinctures • ATM

telegraph

Bodo Park (Durango)

Grandview (Durango)

Cortez

REC: 9am-9pm MED: 9am- 6:45pm 72 Suttle Street, Units F/G 970.259.3674

REC ONLY: 9am-8pm 37 CR 232 970.426.4381

MED & REC: 9am-9pm 1104 E. Main St., Cortez 970.565-6500

Sept. 16, 2021 n 7

TopStory

Danae Banks and her daughter, Lilla, in their new home in Farmington. Because of Durango’s rising rent prices, Banks, a local special-education paraprofessional teacher, was pushed to seek housing elsewhere./ Photo by Jamie Wanzek

Priced out How the local housing crunch is impacting the workforce

by Jamie Wanzek

O

ver the past year, Danae Banks had been renting a two-bedroom apartment near Fort Lewis College.

For $1,260 a month, it was an ideal situation for her and her 1-year-old daughter, Lilla.

Banks is a single mom and special-education paraprofessional teacher at Park Elementary. So the place was close to work and fit within her budget. It also provided a safe and comfortable place to live as a new parent.

In January, Banks received a mass email from the apartment complex; every tenant’s rent would increase at the end of each lease. At first, it wasn’t clear how much the rent would increase. “I thought maybe $50 or $100,” Banks said. Shortly after, she found ads on Craigslist for her apartment listed at $1,600. The $400 increase in rent was out of the question; she could no longer afford to live there.

Banks, 28, quickly noticed a shift in demographics at the complex, too. When she first moved in, the majority of people who lived there were students. “In the end, though, I was surrounded by people who were twice my age. I didn’t see students anymore.”

By June, she began hunting for a new place, with her lease ending in mid-August. “I got discouraged pretty quickly,” Banks said. Most two-bedroom options were going for $1,600-$1,700. And with her daughter, she couldn’t consider single bedrooms or roommates.

Banks tried everything. Craigslist. Facebook. Zillow.

Friends. Friends of friends. “Some people just don’t even respond,” she said. “It’s such a tight market right now.”

8 n Sept. 16, 2021

Ultimately, Banks had no choice but to consider Farmington, where she secured a four-bedroom house, costing less than her previous apartment. They have more space now, even a back yard. And the hour commute to Durango for work isn’t terrible. But, she explained, it feels defeating to be forced out of Durango.

“This is the community I love,” she said. “This is the community that has stuck by my side. But it feels like I’ve been pushed out.”

As the real estate market booms across the Durango area, the scarcity of housing is squeezing the workforce out – making stories like Banks’ increasingly common. And the current conundrum has community members, institutions and local governments casting wide nets, seeking solutions.

Housing boom Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Durango has received an inflow of people fleeing cities and relocating to other high-quality-of-life places. As a result, housing prices in Durango have shot up. The median home prices of Durango in-town homes went from $499,000 in 2020 to the current price, $650,000, representing a 30% increase. Out in La Plata County, home sales prices increased 25%, from $422,500 in 2020 to $527,100 in 2021.

Since July 2020, the housing inventory for single-family homes in the Durango areas has diminished 70% consistently every month. And as it stands, it would take one month to sell the current inventory of homes in the Durango area, according to data from the Durango Area Association of Realtors. The situation equates to simple supply and demand economics: a bottomed-out inventory means

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higher home and rental prices.

“With these kinds of pressures, it creates a housing crisis, literally,” Mike French, executive director of the La Plata County Economic Development Alliance, said. “And with the lack of inventory, we’ve seen a continuous increase in pricing, which is pricing out our essential workforce.”

The Alliance works to build the La Plata County economy through public and private partnerships by helping recruit and retain local employees. Although, without affordable housing, its work can’t take root. In fall 2020, the Alliance drafted a three-year strategic plan to ensure economic prosperity following the COVID economy. Its No. 1 priority was workforce housing.

“We can no longer separate housing and economic development; they’re in the same conversation,” French said.

“This community is going to have a tough time advancing any economic development initiatives without focusing on workforce housing first.”

Workforce woes Ben Waddell, an associate professor of sociology at Fort Lewis College, believes when we look to other mountain towns, “the writing is on the wall.” Waddell grew up in Telluride, although at age 8, his family moved to Norwood where housing was more affordable. Through his perspective, he sees it like this: when the essential workforce gets pushed farther into the periphery of a place, it creates a vicious cycle.

The labor pool shrinks, which in turn drives up labor prices and ultimately goods and services. “And then that cycle continues to push on society,” Waddell said. 4

And that push on society is currently in motion and can be seen across Durango’s workforce in the health, education and service industries.

Mercy Regional Medical Center is feeling the impacts of the area’s housing crunch, Carrie Wilson, Mercy’s human resources director, said. “We had a challenge bringing in traveling nurses (this summer) because they just weren’t able to find affordable housing in the area,” she said.

The availability and cost of housing are common barriers Mercy faces when recruiting. It’s not uncommon for potential hires to get the job and then decline because they can’t find accommodations in the area, which, Wilson explains, is a concern for the hospital.

moves include working with Project Moxie – a local housing consultant company, created by Jenn Lopez, who in 2020 developed the City’s Homeless Strategic plan along with a myriad of other housing solutions across the region.

Lopez and her team are currently working with FLC to develop housing solutions for its staff. Those solutions could consist of housing on campus, partnering with builders, or providing down payment or mortgage assistance for professors. “We need this right now,” Clausen said. “We can’t just leave it to the free market to decide.”

Telluride or Aspen?

On the ground, the increasing number of help wanted signs downtown reflect the woes of a dwindling housing supply, too.

According to a survey conducted by Local First, a nonprofit business alliance, at the beginning of summer 2021, 85 positions remained unfilled among 18 restaurants. While low wages, shifts in the industry since the pandemic and increasing child-care costs were all suspected factors, affordable housing remained a top contributor and concern for the service industry.

“As time went on, people stopped coming to work,” said Blaine Bailey, a former sous chef and executive director of In the Weeds – a nonprofit that supports restaurant and hospitality workers. “At first, we thought it was unemployment. But then housing started going up like crazy. I’ve had friends in the industry looking for places, and they just can’t find it. Some Several stores in downtown Durango are hir- folks are leaving the region altoing. Many factors are at play, but lack of af- gether.” fordable housing is one major contributing This summer, Bailey witnessed the factor./ Photo by Jonathan Romeo impacts of the housing crisis on the industry. For some, it was steep rent in“We want to make sure that we’re able to creases; for others, it was the lack of bring in the best talent that can provide available homes. As a result, he watched care for the community,” she said. “It’s im- some friends and colleagues seek affordable portant that talent is here, in a timely fash- housing in the Farmington and Aztec ion, and when we need them. And so when areas. housing challenges crop up, it can either Blaine never planned for In the Weeds delay that process or in some instances, to get involved in housing issues, but he people decide this isn’t the right place for quickly became a catch-all for industry them.” workers – from helping people fill out apFort Lewis College, another leading em- plications to connecting with landlords ployer in the region, faces similar issues willing to provide affordable rent. when hiring; it all comes down to housing.

Ultimately, it inspired an idea to create Becky Clausen, an associate professor of so- an alliance of landlords, property managers ciology and human services at FLC, said de- and second homeowners willing to support partments have been experiencing “failed the workforce. It’s currently in the beginsearches” because of housing costs. ning stages, but he hopes to create an ini“(Candidates) go through the whole in- tiative where both parties benefit – the terview process, visit the campus, and then workforce has first dibs on available housat the end, none of them can accept the job ing in the community, while at the same because the salary they make doesn’t match time, landlords and real estate agents can the outrageous housing costs here,” she still obtain fair market value. “This is my said. goal, but in the meantime, I’m encouraging The housing crisis is not only impacting those who can to step up and support the recruitment but retention of current em- community. (If we don’t) this place is going ployees. Professors move here, rent and re- to turn into Telluride or Aspen.” alize there’s no path to homeownership or Where is home? they can’t afford rental prices, so they end And while Durango is certainly at a difup leaving. “We’ve felt the impacts among ferent stage of a housing crisis than our sisour staff and faculty,” Clausen said. ter-mountain towns, the most severe According to Clausen, who also serves as impacts, including the loss of a workforce, a faculty representative to the Board of are imminent and in motion.

Trustees, more and more conversations are Banks and her daughter are currently adhappening about how best FLC can use its justing to their new life split between Duresources to support its staff. Recently, those rango and Farmington. But it’s tough. Her

life and her daughter’s life are grounded in Durango, not Farmington. Farmington is merely a space that provides a roof over their heads.

“I have zero community in Farmington,” said Banks. “I live there, but it’s not my home. Durango is my home. That’s where my family is, that’s where my child goes to school. I’m putting my time, my energy, my emotional energy into a community that I don’t get to be a part of anymore.”

Every day, Banks and her daughter make the drive to Durango. With the move, Banks now pays more for gas, obviously. But also child care. Since moving to New Mexico, she fears she may no longer qualify for Colorado Childcare Assistance – a program that aids low-income families with child care.

This could mean a $400 increase in expenses.

Everything is in jeopardy now, Banks said.

She can’t put her child in two different schools, across two state lines an hour from each other. In addition to working at Park Elementary, Banks works two other jobs in Durango. Uprooting her life entirely to Farmington is not feasible or possible, and moving there has created a new level of uncertainty.

“After the year that we have been through as a community, as a country, as a world, the housing crisis is putting another layer of stress on people that we should not be dealing with,” Banks said. “No one should ever have to feel this way. No one should ever be worried about having a place to live. No one should ever have to live so far from where their life is that it then puts everything else in jeopardy.” ■

Developments in the housing crisis pipeline • In July, Durango, Bayfield, Ignacio, and La Plata County joined forces to reactivate the area’s Regional Housing Alliance, which went dormant in 2017. The RHA will facilitate partnerships among local governments and ultimately have more access to funding to get affordable housing built.

• The Root Policy Report, a current and extensive housing study, will be presented to the Southwest Council of City Governments on Sept. 16. The study will reveal the affordable housing need more precisely, like how many units need to be built and what type of affordable housing is needed (deed-restricted housing, singlefamily homes, apartments) within each area’s medium income. The public meeting is virtual and is open to the public.

• La Plata County currently has access to nearly $11 million in COVID relief funds that could be used for this purpose.

The city of Durango also has about $4.7 million. Both government entities are deciding how best to use the funds, which could include assistance for affordable housing.

• The City of Durango is pursuing the Best Western on Highway 160 as an affordable housing solution. The project is undergoing a 90-day due diligence period while securing funding and working with Project Moxie to consolidate a plan.

telegraph

Sept. 16, 2021 n

9

LocalNews

Big brown bats, aka Eptesicus fuscus, are among the more common bats in Colorado and one of 13 species found in Durango. They are also some the fastest, reaching speeds of 40 mph./ Photo by Michael Durham

To the bat cave!

‘Bat walks’ take to the night skies to better appreciate our nocturnal neighbors

by Kathleen O’Connor

evening bat walks for the community. There are programs throughurango’s got bats, and the out the U.S., and BCI ultimately Powerhouse Science Center hopes to see the program expand would like to introduce you to internationally. them. In partnership with Bat ConIn Durango, eight organizations servation International (BCI), the and various Colorado state parks Powerhouse is bringing some bat edparticipated in the online bat walk ucation and citizen science-styled bat training, including not only staff walks to Durango starting this members from the Powerhouse, but month. In addition to dispelling also the Weminuche and Rockies some of the myths around bats, such Audubon societies, and the Southas “bats like to fly into your hair” ern Ute and Ute Mountain Ute (they don’t) and “bats are just flying tribes. In addition, all participants rodents” (they’re not), the bat walks attended an in-person evening seswill provide opportunities for collect- If you see a group of people looking at the night sky sion that taught them how to use ing essential monitoring data on local and pointing, chances are they’re on a bat walk. the BCI-provided bat detectors. The bat populations, as well as give particdetectors plug easily into a smartJusttheFacts ipants a chance for a somewhat up-close phone or tablet, allowing users to hear and What: Powerhouse Bat Walks and personal bat encounter with some of record bat echolocation calls. “This device When: 6:30 p.m., Tues., Sept. 21 the 13 bat species found in the area. also identifies the bat species through its Info: Sign up at powsci.org (space is Sasha Creeden, education director at the unique call, which is probably the most exlimited); free for Powerhouse members; Powerhouse, is looking forward to adding citing part,” Cord said. $5 for nonmembers the bat walks to the educational programDuring the practice walk on the Animas ming at the Powerhouse. “We are very exRiver Trail in Durango, participants obcited to be offering bat monitoring and program in 2019, the bat walks were de- served several different bats species almost information about the importance of bats signed with the intention of sparking a na- immediately. Some of the species recorded to the Durango community,” she said. In tionwide movement toward a new kind of by the detector included the pallid bat, the addition to getting outside and identifying nature experience.

Mexican free-tailed bat, the spotted bat and “We would like to bring bats to every- the big brown bat, one of the more comthe bats found in the area, the walks will also include pertinent information on local one,” BCI’s Bat Walks coordinator Erin Cord monly observed bats in Colorado. “The bats’ natural history, conservation and the said. “Unless you live near a large bat roost number and diversity of species we saw with integral role bats play in a healthy ecosys- or colony, most people don’t really think almost no effort was amazing,” Cord said. tem through insect consumption and polli- about bats as being a part of their local “This technology allows many people to nation. (Fun bat fact: agave plants, from wildlife. With the bat walks, we can intro- hear and notice their neighborhood bats for which tequila is produced, are pollinated duce them to a whole new nighttime world the first time. It is a real game changer for mainly by a nectar-feeding bat. Remember right in their own community.” any bat walks program,” she said.

To that end, BCI developed the bat walk that the next time you’re sipping on a marFor more information on Bat Conservation training program to allow interested organ- International and their bat walks program, visit garita).

Initially created by BCI through a pilot izations to get staff members trained to lead www.batcon.org. ■

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StateNews

Whitewashing no more Fort Lewis removes historical panels that glossed over school’s dark past

by Pablo Vialcita Colorado Public Radio

need, watch over them, protect them from all harm.”

Shadlow and company followed with he origin of Fort Lewis College in a victory song and an inter-tribal song to Durango is a dark stain on Amercelebrate the removal of the panels. ican education and the state of “I look at it as a day of celebration, Colorado. The school’s own leaders like correcting the record, I would have said as much. say,” he said. “Making sure that we all Once a post-Civil War army fort, the know that this history is real and that land was converted into a federal, offit affected real people.” reservation Native American Boarding The college says it hopes to continue School, which forced tribal students to its commitment to Indigenous students abandon their cultural identities and by accurately retelling its history and exadopt western culture. The campus was panding its curriculum to reflect the disituated on ancestral land stolen from verse makeup of its students. several Native American tribes.

“We will have a student who will be The process of forced assimilation was working with those panels to tell the often violent. And while there is no curhistory of the boarding school in a rent evidence that Fort Lewis had a direct more accurate way involving Native role in student deaths, mass unmarked American students and non-Native graves of Indigenous children have been American students,” Stritikus said. found at former boarding schools across “We’ll continue to do curricular work. the continent.

We’ve been recently supported by a Forced assimilation continued at the large grant from the Andrew Mellon school from 1891 until the land was Foundation to build a curriculum transferred to the state in 1911 to become around the boarding school, to do hisa university. The deal was made on the torical work around the issues related grounds that Native American students to boarding schools.” would get free tuition.

Eventually, Fort Lewis will remove Panels in the middle of Fort Lewis the remaining nine panels underneath College’s campus, right underneath its Panels at Fort Lewis College that whitewash the dark past of its history as a boarding school the clock tower and display them at iconic clock tower, are supposed to de- were removed recently./ Photo by Hart Van Denberg/CPR the Center for Southwest Studies. Fort pict this history, but the version on disLewis’ History Committee hasn’t deplay is incomplete. While they include its time as an week, the pieces finally came down. cided what to do with the space left behind, but members In a ceremony attended by students, tribal leaders and say they won’t move forward without student input.

Indian Boarding School, it portrays the time as peaceful and unproblematic. Photos show indigenous students university officials, Fort Lewis President Tom Stritikus de“One thought is to create some panels, possibly with scribed the college’s past as part of a “cultural genocide.” Indigenous artwork or additional information that we participating in sports and the marching band.

While the ceremony mourned the college’s past, lead- can provide for guests and visitors,” Lee Bitsóí, a Navajo “The school received high praise for its ‘extremely good literary instruction’ and its ‘excellent work’ in all ers described it as the beginning of a healing period. citizen and associate vice president of student affairs at “I think, as we move forward, we can do better,” Fort Lewis, said. industrial departments,” one panel said.

But, according to the school’s own Center for South- Melvin J. Baker, Chairman of Southern Ute Indian Tribe, Colorado as a whole has been taking steps to address west Studies, all aspects of the students’ Native culture, said. “We can always be better tomorrow.” the systemic oppression of Native Americans within the Skyhawk Nation, a drumming group composed of Indige- state. In August, Gov. Jared Polis officially ended procla“spoken, written, even gestured,” were strictly forbidden. Records show some students burned down barracks nous students, played music during the removal. First was a mations that incited the Sand Creek Massacre. But the grieving song, which the group sang in the Ponca language state still has not made good on its promise to rename as an act of rebellion against the school.

These days, a third of the college’s population is In- to memorialize the students taken from their homes.

Mount Evans and other landmarks named after figures “It’s talking to Osages, it’s saying all you Osage, look who used their power to oppress Native Americans. digenous, with 170 tribal nations represented on campus.

Indigenous students, activists and leaders have pointed at your children,” Noah Shadlow, the group’s leader, said. out the panels’ whitewashing of history for years. Last “It’s not just look at them, it’s take care of their every For more from Colorado Public Radio, go to www.cpr.org ■

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Sept. 16, 2021 n 11

StufftoDo

Friday17

Kiwanis Club of Durango’s Pancake Day, 7 a.m., La Plata County Fairgrounds.

Friends of the Library book sale, 10 a.m., Durango Public Library.

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.

History Live Durango: Pow Wow Regalia, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Southern Ute Cultural Center. For link and info. go to: www.animasmuseum.org/events.html

Mancos Farmers Market, 4 p.m., 145 Grand Ave., Mancos.

Gary Walker plays, 10 a.m.-12 noon, Jean-Pierre Bakery & Restaurant, 601 Main Ave.

Terry Rickard plays, 6 p.m., Weminuche Woodfire Grill in Vallecito.

SkaBQ, featuring music by La La Bones, 5 p.m., Ska Brewing headquarters, 225 Girard St.

Artist Jon Bailey: Layer – A Solo Exhibit, Sept. 1726, Studio & Gallery, 1027 Main Ave.

Patrick Crossing plays, 6 p.m., Union Social House, 3062 Main Ave.

Animas River Update, hosted by San Juan Citizens Alliance, 5-6 p.m. More info. at sanjuancitizens.org

Arkansauce plays, 5 p.m., Columbine Roadhouse, Silverton, 71450 HWY 550.

Gary Walker plays, 6-8 p.m., Dandelion Café, 724 E. 2nd Ave.

Nosotros plays Concerts in the Park, 5:30 p.m., Buckley Park.

Donny Johnson plays, 5 p.m., Fur Trappers Steakhouse and Bar, 701 E. 2nd Ave.

Comedy Night, 7 p.m., Dolores River Brewery in Dolores.

Live music, 5:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon and Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.

Live music, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

Morgan Miles plays, 8-9:30 p.m., Tico Time River Resort, Aztec.

Ben Gibson plays, 6-9 p.m., Fur Trappers Steakhouse and Bar, 701 E. 2nd Ave.

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

Moses Guest plays, 5 p.m, Fort Lewis College Amphitheater

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

iAM Music Fest featuring Hello Dollface, Profetic Calaveras and DDAT, 6 p.m., Durango Craft Spirits, 1120 Main Ave.

Sunday19

Bad Goat Disco, 6-9 p.m., Durango Hot Springs.

The Climbing Zine 10th anniversary party, 6-9 p.m., The Rochester Hotel’s Secret Garden, 726 E. 2nd Ave. Deadline for “Stuff to Do” submissions is Monday at noon. To submit an item, email: calendar@durangotelegraph.com

The Jelly Bellys play, 5 p.m., Fur Trappers Steakhouse and Bar, 701 E. 2nd Ave.

Thursday16

Engage While Reading with Children, 6-7:30 p.m., Sunnyside Library, 75 County Road 218.

Common Injuries from Shoulder to Wrist, 6-7:30 p.m., presented by Animas Surgical Hospital Community, attend online or in-person. More info. at www.tinyurl.com/ash-speakerseries.

Author Scott Graham speaks about his addition to the book, Canyonlands Carnage, Sept. 6:30 p.m., Fenceline Cider in Mancos.

Trivia night 6:30-8:30 p.m., The Powerhouse, 1333 Camino Del Rio. History Live Durango: Dwight D. Eisenhower Chautauqua portrayal by Doug Mishler, 7 p.m., via Zoom. In conjunction with the Lifelong Learning Series.

For link and info. go to: animasmuseum.org/events.html Larry Carver & Jack Ellis play, 7-10 p.m., 11th Street Station.

Beam Me Up Starlight Trivia, weekly 7:30-9:30 p.m., Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave.

Ben Gibson Duo plays, 6 p.m., Weminuche Woodfire Grill in Vallecito.

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

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

Saturday18

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

Veterans Benefit Breakfast, 9 a.m., VFW Post 4031, 1550 Main Ave. Open to the public. All proceeds will help support local veterans.

Durango Autumn Arts Festival, 10 a.m., Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave. Open Mic, 1 p.m., Mancos Brewery.

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

Durango Farmers Market, 8 a.m.-12 p.m., featuring music by Jolie, TBK Parking Lot, 259 W. 9th St.

Author John Peel book signing, 4-5:30 p.m., Maria’s Bookshop, 960 Main Ave.

Bayfield Farmers Market, 8:30 a.m., 1328 County Road 501, Bayfield.

Open Mic night, 4 p.m. every Sunday, Fenceline Cider, Mancos.

Hermosa History Tour, 10 a.m.-12 noon. Meet at Animas Valley Grange, 7271 County 203.

Live music, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

Museum Day, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. The Animas Museum will be open and free. Tickets at animasmuseum.org/events.html.

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

Durango Autumn Arts Festival, 10 a.m., Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave. Alternative Horizons Golf Tournament, 1:30 p.m., Hillcrest Golf Club. More info. at alternativehorizons.org.

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

Picnic Concert Series, featuring music by Tim G. & Jim B., 4 p.m., Fox Fire Farms in Ignacio.

Durango Fall Gallery Walk, 5 p.m., participating galleries.

Telluride Blues & Brews Festival, Sept. 16-19, Telluride.

The MC Curry Organ trio plays, 5 p.m., Gazpacho, 431 E. 2nd Ave.

12 n Sept. 16, 2021

Live music, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

telegraph

Through the Roots: Reggae Night, 6-9 p.m., Tico Time River Resort, Aztec.

Larry Carver & Jack Ellis play, 6-8 p.m., Weminuche Woodfire Grill in Vallecito.

Monday20 Authors Jennie & Walt Dear book signing, 45:30 p.m., Maria’s Bookshop, 960 Main Ave. Meditation and Dharma Talk, 5:30-6:15 p.m.

Online at www.durangodharmacenter.org Aikido, 6 p.m., 121 W 32nd St. #B, durangoaikido.com

AskRachel

Twofer suckers, planting conspiracies and doggy style Interesting fact: Red is the most common safe word, followed by the much more evocative (and, frankly, harder to mishear) pineapple.

Dear Rachel, If aloe vera plants are supposed to thrive on neglect and survive when I forget to water them for weeks, how is it that my roommate took some aloe vera starts and stuck them in a jar of water and now they’re flourishing? Have I been lied to my whole life about the low-water needs of my plants? Is this just a conspiracy to make me feel better about my neglect?

– Aloe Darkness

Dear Rachel, So, I just ordered a fancy new $350 vacuum cleaner (don’t judge – I have a new dog who is a hairy beast and my daughter adopted a cat, which I am mildly allergic to, for reals). Anyway, the day it was delivered to my house, come to find I had received not one, but two vacuums.

I checked all my credit cards, of which I have many (again – no judge) and can only find one charge. Do I just consider it a gift from the vacuum cleaner fairy and sell it online? Or do I “come clean” and notify the company of its error? Another worry is, if I hang onto it past the 30-day return period, will the second charge mysteriously appear and I’ll be stuck with two (expensive) vacuum cleaners. WWRD? – Sucky Situation

Dear Vera Wang, Plants are one of God’s great mysteries. Not one of them lives naturally, natively, in a pot. Yet some of them thrive indoors, slurping down Miracle Gro, and others die because I look at them. Anyone who tells you they understand plants is a huckster, a shamster, a fraudster, or a freaking genius. Me? If I can’t eat it, I avoid it.

– Comes with a side salad, Rachel Dear Rachel, New puppy in the household, and with it new divisions in my marriage. Turns out I am the positive reinforcement one, using excited voices and treats to teach the dog what I want her to do. And my wife is the wicked stepmother, barking commands and shouting “NO!” and “UH-UHUH-UH” all the time in a voice deeper than the Seven Dwarfs’ mines. My question, how do I break my wife of these habits before it breaks our relationship?

– Doghouse Awaits

Dear Hosed, Obviously, you put that spare vacuum on cinder blocks in your back yard and keep it there as a parts vacuum. Because your vacuum WILL break. If it doesn’t happen from vacuuming up pet hair, it will happen from vacuuming up the pets themselves. You want to take that vac to the shop with a kitten stuck halfway up the suction pipe? No you don’t! You want to just pop on that replacement pipe from the parts vac, and then use the full-functioning vac to suck the kitten back out again.

– From suck to blow, Rachel

Tuesday21

Wednesday22

Twin Buttes Farm Stand, 3-6 p.m., Tuesdays thru October, 165 Tipple Ave., www.twinbuttesfarm.com

James Ranch tour, focus on water operations, hosted by 5 Rivers Trout Unlimited, 6-7:30 p.m., HWY 550, Hermosa.

Bingo night, 5 p.m. every Tuesday, Fenceline Cider, Mancos.

Trivia night, 6 p.m., every Wednesday, Mancos Brewery.

Fresh Air Meditation, 5:30-6 p.m., Claire Viles Park.

Email Rachel at telegraph@durangotelegraph.com Dear Good Boy, Wow, two new puppy letters in a week? Makes me wonder if I got a hubby/wife tandem in the mail. Usually when both halves of a couple proposition me, I milk them for a bunch of free drinks before turning them down. Based on my convos with these couples, I might recommend you give dom/sub play a shot before deciding to break your wife of her stern, commanding ways.

– Red pineapple, Rachel

People We Know and High Country Hustle play, Sept. 23, 6-9 p.m., Durango Hot Springs.

Durango Fall Blaze bike race, Sept. 25, more info. at durangofallblaze.com. Proceeds benefit FLC Cycling.

Durango Shimmy Mob, Sept. 25, dance fundraiser at various locations throughout town for Alternative Horizons.

More info at Shimmy Mob’s Facebook page.

History Live Durango: Fort Lewis Indian School (1892-1911), 4-5 p.m. virtual lecture. Email CSWSMail@fortlewis.edu for Zoom link

Local First’s Harvest Dinner, Sept. 25, 5 p.m., Smiley Building, 1309 E 3rd Ave. More info. at www.local-first.org

Dirtwire plays with the Monogahela, 7 p.m., Animas City Theatre, 128 E. College Dr. www.snimascitytheatre.com

National Drive Electric Week Event, Sept. 25, presented by 4CORE, 970-259-1916.

Upcoming

Mountain Marmot Trail Run, Sept. 28, Purgatory Resort. www.purgatoryresort.com.

History Live Durango: Ancestral Puebloan Tour of the Four Corners, 6-7:30 p.m., Pine River Library.

Library Community Champions event, honoring Marcia Clouser and Corrie McCarthy, Sept. 23, 3 p.m., Durango Public Library, 1900 East 3rd Ave.

Manhattan Short Film Festival, Sept. 28, 5:30 p.m., Animas City Theatre, 128 E. College Dr.

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

Pickin’ on the Plaza, Sept. 23, 4-6:30 p.m. Music by High Country Hustle, Powerhouse Science Center.

Rob Webster plays, Sept. 28, 6-9 p.m., Durango Hot Springs, HWY 550, Hermosa.

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

Manhattan Shorts Film Festival, Sept. 23, 4 p.m. & 7 p.m., Animas City Theatre, 128 E. College Dr.

Bluegrouse plays, Sept. 30, 6-9 p.m., Durango Hot Springs, HWY 550, Hermosa.

Rotary Club of Durango meeting, featuring guest speaker Rotary District Governor Becky Smith, 6 p.m., Strater Hotel, 699 Main Ave. Horseshirt plays, 6-9 p.m., Durango Hot Springs, HWY 550, Hermosa.

Kirk James plays, 6-9 p.m., Three Springs plaza.

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FreeWillAstrology

by Rob Brezsny ARIES (March 21-April 19): “Books are mirrors: You only see in them what you already have inside you,” wrote author Carlos Zafòn Ruiz. Let’s take that a step further: “Other people are mirrors: You only see in them what you already have inside you.” And even further: “The whole world is a mirror: You only see in it what you already have inside you.” Have fun playing with these meditations, Aries. The coming weeks will be a fertile time to explore how thoroughly your experiences reflect the activity transpiring in your own brain.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Some spiritual teachers say things like “I am not my body” or “This body is not me.” I don’t understand that.

It’s an insult and disparagement. It’s dismissive of our bodies’ sublime beauty and our bodies’ inspired role in educating our souls. I agree that we are not ONLY our bodies. I agree that a part of us is eternal, not confined to flesh and blood. But hell yes, I am my body. You are your body. It’s a glorious aspect of who we are. It’s a miraculous creation that has taken millions of years to evolve into the masterpiece it is. So yes, you are your body, and yes, this body is you. I hope you love your body. Are in awe of it. Are pleased to be inside it. If anything is lacking in this department, now is an excellent time to make corrections.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): “I know someone who kisses the way a flower opens,” wrote poet Mary Oliver. I’d love for you Geminis to have that experience. The astrological omens suggest it’s more likely than usual to occur sometime soon. Other experiences with a better-than-average chance of unfolding in the coming days: allies who speak of intimate subjects in ways that resemble a flower opening; partners who co-create with you in ways that resemble a flower opening; spiritual helpers who offer guidance and help in ways that resemble a flower opening.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): “I lie to myself all the time, but I never believe me,” writes Cancerian author S. E. Hinton. Ha! As a Cancerian myself, I confess to the same crime. But I am looking forward to a shift in the coming weeks. We Crabs will be inspired to cut back on the fibs we try to get away with. You know what that means? We’ll be more inclined to trust ourselves, since we’ll be more likely to tell ourselves the truth. Our decisions will be shrewd, and our self-care will be rigorous. Hallelujah!

14 n Sept. 16, 2021

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): My object in this horoscope is to stimulate your imagination in ways nobody else in your life will. You need an influence like me, from outside your inner circle, to administer friendly, playful shocks to jolt you out of habitual ways of thinking. Here we go. 1. If you were to stow seven parts of your soul in seven objects, what objects would they be? 2. If you could change one thing about your past, what would it be?

3. If you were a character in a fairy tale or a movie, who would you be? 4. If you could travel to a place that would teach you what you most need to know, where would it be? 5. If you had a magical animal as your special ally, what animal would it be? 6. If you could sing a song with uncanny healing power for someone you care about, what song would it be? 7.

If you could improve your relationship with some part of your body, what would it be?

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): “There’s nothing wrong with reading a book you love over and over,” writes Virgo author Gail Carson Levine. Adding to that encouragement, I offer you the following authorizations: There’s nothing wrong with seeking a pleasure you love over and over; or doing a necessary task you love over and over; or performing an energizing ritual you love over and over; or expressing key truths you love over and over. And these permissions will be especially crucial for you to exult in during the coming weeks, dear Virgo: because it’s a time when mindful repetition will be one of your strengths and a key to stimulating the deepening experiences you need.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): “If I’m a bitch and a fake, is there nobody who will love a bitch and a fake?” Libra author Graham Greene wrote that in his novel The End of the Affair. Here’s my extrapolation: I believe that every one of us, including me, is a bitch and a fake now and then. We all go through periods when we are not at our best, when we fail to live up to our own high standards. Is it possible that you have recently flirted with such a phase? If so, the cosmos has authorized me to absolve you. You are free you to reclaim your full exquisite beauty.

And if you haven’t been a bitch and a fake, congratulations. It means you have weathered a gnarly storm.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Poet Yves Olade writes, “I’ve started thinking of people as wounds that don’t heal.” To me, that idea is idiotically cynical. Moreover, I think it’s wrong for most of us. The truth is, humans have a natural instinct for healing.

telegraph

They are predisposed to attract experiences that might aid their recovery from difficulties – that might teach them the healing lessons they need. I believe this will be especially true for you in the coming weeks.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Research suggests that most people think everyone else has more fun than they do.

But I’m guessing that only a small percentage of Sagittarians feel that way. You tend to be extra alert for fun, and you have intuitive skill at tracking down fun. In addition, you often take the initiative to precipitate fun. You understand you have a responsibility to generate fun, and you have a talent for generating it. All these capacities will serve you well in the coming weeks. I recommend you raise your mastery of the art and science of having fun to a new level. Be the Champion of Fun and Games for your entire circle.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): I’m not engaging in empty flattery when I say that you are unlike anyone else who has ever lived in the history of the world. Your absolute uniqueness is a fundamental fact. Maybe you don’t reflect on this truth very often. Perhaps you feel that it’s not helpful to think about or that it’s irrelevant to your daily decision-making. But I propose that in the next three weeks, you give it a central place in your understanding of your destiny. Allow it to influence everything you do. Make it a major factor in your decision-making.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Welcome back from the underworld, Aquarius. I hope your time wandering through the maze-like twilight brought you as many fascinating mysteries as confusing questions. I trust you took advantage of the smoky riddles and arresting dilemmas to fortify your soul’s wisdom. I suspect that although your travels may have at times seemed hard to fathom, they have provided you with a superb education that will serve you well in the immediate future.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): In Oscar Wilde’s novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, the lead character says to a friend, “You filled me with a wild desire to know everything about life.” Is there a person who might inspire you like that, Pisces? Maybe a person from your past with whom you’ve fallen out of touch? Or is there a person hovering on the outskirts of your life who could stimulate you to have such feelings? Now is a favorable time to seek these influences. I advise you to be bold in your quest to associate with allies who will stimulate your lust for life and teach you crucial lessons.

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 www.durangotelegraph.com 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 The Perfect Gift for your favorite dirtbag. Literature from Durango’s own Benighted Publications. The Desert, The Climbing Zine, The Great American Dirtbags, American Climber, Climbing Out of Bed and Graduating From College Me are available at: Maria’s Bookshop, Pine Needle Mountaineering, the Sky Store, or on the interweb at www.climbingzine.com.

Lost/Found Found Right Shoe Did you lose a new shoe at Miners Cabin campsite 5? Call 863 529 3134.

HelpWanted

SilverPick Contracting is hiring for construction and concrete laborers.

Experience is preferred. Work will include assisting operators, framing, pouring concrete, and general construction work. Pay will be based on experience. Job is located in Durango, CO. Contact morgan@silver pickcontracting.com or call 970.422.8114.

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. Colorado Legal Services is Hiring Colorado Legal Services (CLS) is a non-profit organization that provides free civil legal services to low-income individuals throughout Colorado. CLS has 13 offices statewide and over 120 staff. Our Durango office is hiring a Paralegal to staff our reception and intake, provide administrative/legal support, and participate in outreach efforts. Full job posting with salary information and how to submit application is available at www.colo radolegalservices.org under “Careers” tab.

This is a full-time position.

Seeking Office Manager FLC Counseling Center seeks Office Manager and assistant to the Director, full time during academic year, part time during summer. $35k + great benefits. For detailed job info, qualifications, ompetencies and online application process please visit www.fortlewis.edu/ jobs and go to Faculty & Staff Positions page, click on Office Manager job link. FLC is an AA/EEO employer.

Application questions can be sent to Of ficeManager-Search@fortlewis.edu.

Are You Sales-y?

The Telegraph is searching for a new advertising sales aficionado. Strong command of English language, broad knowledge of pop culture and darkish sense of humor a plus. Good hygiene and local knowledge also required. Great pay and fun times! 20-30/hrs a week. Commission + base pay. Send resume to: telegraph @durangotelegraph.com Caregivers $20/hr Disabled man needs help with care.

Call Johnny, 970-749-2692.

Classes/Workshops Local Neurobiology Trainings Neurobiology of Trauma: Sept. 17; Neurobiology of Attachment: Oct. 1; Neurobiology of Self-Compassion: Oct. 20 https://rubyjowalker.com Insight Meditation Course Calm the mind and connect with the heart by learning the fundamentals of insight meditation. Thursday evenings

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starting September 30. 6:30-8:00 p.m. at the Durango Dharma Center. www.durangodharmacenter.org Spanish Classes Accepting students for in-person beginner thru advanced Spanish. Call 970309-5966 or visit www.espanolahora.net.

ForSale Tan Corduroy Queen-Sleeper Couch 78” long, good shape. $75.00. You haul. 970-799-0285 Reruns Home Furnishings Modern and retro desks, nightstands, barstools, lamps, chairs, tall bookcase, West Elm rugs, side tables, dressers, kitchenwares and lots of décor to warm up your space. Come in today! 572 E. 6th Ave. Open Mon.-Sat. 385-7336.

Wanted Seek Property Caretaker Position Experienced couple seeks a live-in position as property caretakers in Durango or Pagosa Springs. We are reliable, capable, friendly, and trustworthy. No smoking, drinking, drama, or drugs. Please contact us for resumes and excellent references at (434) 466-8270. To see our extensive combined skills please visit https://tinyurl.com/y5a9adet Cash for Vehicles, Copper, Alum, Etc. at RJ Metal Recycle. Also free appliance and other metal drop off. 970-259-3494.

Services Quiet your Mind and Heal with Silas Reiki, Therapeutic Touch, Breathwork, Yoga, and Mindfulness practices tailored to your needs! Call or text today to schedule apt. 970 769-5697 Friendly Carpentry and Painting Stucco repair, 707-806-3456.

Guitar Bass Voice Lessons Fun, student-centered learning for students of all ages, abilities and styles. Call Pete Giuliani 385-6713 or email info@petegiuliani.com RSE Handyman Service Home repair - yard work - odd jobs, 970-903-0449.

HaikuMovieReview ‘The Man Who Killed Don Quixote’ It took twenty-nine years to make this and even Longer to watch it – Lainie Maxson 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

CommunityService Help Support Survivors of Domestic Violence by participating in Alternative Horizons’ First Annual “Drive Out Domestic Violence Golf Tournament.” The tournament takes place Sat., Sept. 18 at Hillcrest Golf Club. For information on how to register a team or become a tournament sponsor, please visit www.alternativehorizons.org or call 970-247-4374. If you or anyone you know is experiencing domestic violence, call Alternative Horizons’ confidential hotline at 970-247-9619.

SJBPH COVID Vaccine Clinics: Free vaccine mobile clinic provided by San Juan Basin Public Health and Jogan.

No ID or insurance required. Walk-ins welcome. Contact 970-247-5702 or visit sjbpublichealth.org/covid-19-vac cine/ for more information.

Sept. 16, 2021 n 15

(505) 599- #5RDG$SSOH5DOO\

REGISTRATION & INFO VISIT WWW.ROADAPPLERALLY.COM

16 n Sept. 16, 2021

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