Durango Telegraph - September 6, 2018

2 n Sept. 6, 2018

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lineup

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4 La Vida Local

Wheelin’ & dealin’ Public land managers grapple with explosion in OHV use and abuse

4 Thumbin’ It

by Tracy Chamberlin

5 Word on the Street

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6-7 Soapbox

A big catch Genetic testing leads to discovery of San Juan strain of cutthroat

11 Mountain Town News

by Missy Votel

12-13

12-13 Day in the Life

Dem apples

16 Flash in the Pan

A pressing engagement with local cider makers photos by Stephen Eginoire

17 Top Shelf

14

18-20 On the Town

San Juan Odyssey explores mining past to better understand future

20 Ask Rachel

Ear to the ground: “Don’t google ‘red bumps on children’ before you eat.”

– Sound advice, which also probably applies to after eating as well

No strings attached

thepole

RegularOccurrences

The hills could soon be alive with the sound of more music. The Bayfield-based BeFRANK Foundation (which incidentally stands for “For the Recreation Artistic Needs of Kids”), received a gift of six cellos and nine bows valued at more than $10,000.

The instruments were a gift from the estate of Margaret Kathleen Noble, of Longmont. Noble was an international cellist and upon her death, bequeathed the instruments to Robertson & Sons Violins in Albuquerque. The store, in turn, suggested the Noble family gift the cellos instead to the nonprofit BeFRANK. The owner of the store, Don Robertson, has gifted close to $100,000 worth of instruments to BeFRANK over the years.

Established in 2013, the BeFRANK Foundation provides musical support and instruction to schools in Bayfield, Durango, Ignacio and Cortez.

Last year, it served 425 students with 15 instructors and an inventory of 523 classical stringed instruments. The BeFRANK foundation believes no child should go without access to musical instruments or instruction, and scholarships are available.

BeFRANK was founded by Lech Usinowicz, who serves as its executive director. In addition to this, he is also the orchestra teacher for the Bayfield Middle and High schools and director of the San Juan Youth Symphony Orchestra and Durango Chamber Music Academy.

Time travel

by Missy Votel

21 Free Will Astrology

16

22-23 Classifieds

Habit forming

Nuns of Brixton, bash at Twin Buttes and the season’s beer crop

23 Haiku Movie Review

by Chris Aaland

boilerplate

EDITORIALISTA: Missy Votel (missy@durangotelegraph.com) ADVERTISING AFICIONADO: Lainie Maxson (lainie@durangotelegraph.com) RESIDENT FORMULA ONE FAN: Tracy Chamberlin (tracy@durangotelegraph.com)

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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

STAR-STUDDED CAST: Lainie Maxson, Chris Aaland, Clint Reid, Stephen Eginoire, Tracy Chamberlin, Jesse Anderson, Allen Best, Zach Hively, Ari LeVaux, Luke Mehall, Jeffrey Mannix and Shan Wells

MAILING ADDRESS: P.O. Box 332 Durango, CO 81302

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

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

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

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

PHONE: 970.259.0133

telegraph

Safety meeting Some of Durango’s more notorious Class V crossings could be getting a little tamer. The City of Durango recently received nearly $1.1 million in grants from CDOT for implementation of what is being called that College and 8th Safety Project.

This project, which is identified in the City’s Multimodal Transportation Plan, applies to the Lshaped corridor of College Drive, from E. 3rd to 8th Ave., and 8th Ave., from College to 2nd Street.

Just how the money is spent will be the topic of an open house from 5 – 7 p.m., Wed., Sept. 12, at the Durango Recreation Center. At the meeting, city staff will present plans for the project and interactive stations will be set up to provide information on the project’s various features. Ideas include “Calming traffic” by reconfiguring lanes and bringing sidewalks and transit stops into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The open house will also detail a traffic study conducted along the corridor in 2016 which analyzed the feasibility and potential impacts of new lane configurations. Russell Planning & Engineering is conducting the first phases of design, and construction is slated for 2021.

For more information, go to: www.durangogov .org/collegeand8th.

Sept. 6, 2018 n

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opinion

LaVidaLocal 99 problems but a poodle ain’t one Let’s just pick up right where we left off: biking and climbing.

Tim and I had struck a compromise in our bromance, and we decided the other Saturday we’d go biking in the morning, and climbing in the afternoon. A match made in heaven. But, things had gone awry before we even left the parking lot. It all started with this poodle.

The poodle’s owner showed up, and being parked next to each other and all, we exchanged pleasantries. You know, phrases like “it’s beautiful day,” “we’re so lucky to live here” and “my poodle is not an ordinary poodle, it’s an outdoor poodle.”

Then all of a sudden: “No… No… NOOOOOOOOOOOO … stop,” from Tim. I look over, and the poodle is peeing on our gear. Golden poodle showers all over my rain jacket and backpack.

The owner looks over and apologizes, but does not discipline the dog. That’s when I lost my shit, but in a slow motion sort of way. The anger built, and by the time the owner of the Lamest Dog in Durango is gone, I’ve finally thought of the right explicative to say to the guy.

My anger was necessarily not with the peeing poodle, but rather the owner’s lack of discipline to the dog. Isn’t that in the 10 Dog Commandments, “thou shall not let your dog pee on other people’s things and get away with it?”

These are the same dog owners that leave the plastic bags of poop on the side of the trail and never come back to pick them up. As if there’s some magical “poop patrol” division that comes along with a drone and snags that poop and disposes of it properly.

How much can I vent about bad dog owners? Other than the pee incident, Tim and I had a magnificent day, 10 miles of biking and some great pitches of climbing in Cascade Canyon. For some people, this is a vacation, for us Durangatangs this is just a Saturday.

I’m over the pee, but back to the anger. I am someone who is motivated by anger. It fuels the fire in many ways. I’ve experienced a daily anger whenever I read the latest actions and comments from our president. It makes me angry that we know he’s complicit in crimes, and quite possibly crimes that allowed him to be elected president. Yet, he still gets to make the next Supreme Court appointment and continue to shape our nation’s future even though we know he is a criminal.

That situation, ultimately, is out of my control. But, the anger over Trump is still as present as it was that fateful day when he was elected. Ultimately, I felt drawn to do something, to become a more active citizen. I’ll admit, I felt more drawn to act based on the anger I felt about Trump than

the inspiration I felt from Obama. Although, when Obama got elected, I’d just lost my job in the aftermath of the economic crisis and was more worried about putting food in my stomach and gas in the old car.

So what’s a writer-climber-sometimes biker to do when he wants to be a better citizen? For me, it was becoming more active in the local and regional climbing community. I know it sounds like a stretch, but after consulting everyone I know in politics and the nonprofit activist world, and soul searching, it seemed like the most reasonable and attainable action.

Of course, the Bears Ears National Monument issue has received a lot of attention after the president rescinded the designation earlier this year. I just ran into Josh Ewing, the director of Friends of Cedar Mesa, and the group is about to unveil the Bears Ears Education Center in Bluff later this month. This is one of those “we the people” moments: the government wasn’t going to follow through with protecting this land, so they decided to educate folks visiting and curious about America’s newest national monument. Of course, the ultimate fate for Bears Ears will lie in the court system – several entities have sued the U.S. government charging that it is illegal to rescind this designation.

On the home front this year, I’ve focused more energy on our local Climber Beer Nights at Carver’s and creating a new climbing advocacy group called the Durango Climbers Coalition.

Climber Beer Night started out of a simple statement an old climbing partner made one day after an online debate got out of control, “You know there’s so many climbers here that don’t know each other, it would be cool to do something to bring everyone together.”

I teamed up with Tim Foulkes (that overstoker biker guy) and power couple, Eric Dixon and Brooke Ingle. With the support of the Carver’s team, we’ve created a quarterly get together for five years running now which has also raised a few thousand bucks for a variety of nonprofits. The next one will be this Tues., Sept. 11, and we’ll be raising money for the Range of Motion Project (ROMP). It starts at 6 p.m. and is always a good time.

That night we’ll also announce the Durango Climbers Coalition and why we’re starting it. In short, there’s a strong need in around here to maintain and preserve our climbing areas and be a positive collaborator with the government agencies that manage these gems.

So if you’re of age, please come down and have a beer with us on Tuesday – just leave the poodle at home!

– Luke Mehall Luke Mehall is the publisher of The Climbing Zine and author of American Climber. If you’d like to learn more about the Durango Climbers Coalition he can be contacted at luke mehall@gmail.com.

This Week’s Sign of the Downfall:

Thumbin’It

4 n Sept. 6, 2018

4CORE attempting to get more drivers aboard the electric vehicle wave by hosting a free electric car drive event his Saturday at the fairgrounds

A sad state of affairs for the local fishery, with a recent fish count finding the Animas River’s numbers severely depleted due to drought and ash/debris flows

Genetic testing leading to the discovery of a San Juan River Basin strain of Colorado River cutthroat, unique to Southwest Colorado and previously thought extinct

A recent report from the Pew Charitable Trust that found Colorado could exist for only 21 days on its “rainyday” reserves in the face of another recession

Mancos’ burned-down excelsior mill planning to rise from the ashes and reopen as Aspen Wood Products, employing 17 people

The tragic and continued failure of the justice system to protect Native American women, with an unprecedented number of them disappearing every year in amounts much higher than the general population

telegraph

“Egg Socials” First came the Tupperware party, then the Mary Kay party, and now … egg freezing parties. That’s right, direct marketing has made it into the uterus. Ladies who are too busy to have babies can get together, sip wine, and chat about “oocyte cryopreservation” as if it were a lipstick color. The busybody who hosts each party qualifies for a discount when her eggs are harvested, and another one when they’re thawed, because nothing embodies the magic of reproduction like a good ol’ pyramid scheme.

WordontheStreet With hurricane season heating up, the Telegraph asked,

Q

“If you could name a hurricane, what would you call it?”

Alma Evans

“Circe, after the siren.”

“Billy”

“Hurricane Manson.”

Jason Thompson

“Hurricane Lisa, after my ex.”

“Scooter”

“Hurricane Scooter – watch the ef out.”

Pablo Saldivar

“Hurricane Pablo El Chapo.”

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Sept. 6, 2018 n 5

SoapBox

ReTooned/by Shan Wells

Insurers only serve the bottom line To the editor, Colorado gubernatorial candidate Walker Stapleton is among the political right who incorrectly characterize national single-payer health insurance as a “government takeover of health care” or “socialized medicine.” Nothing is further from the truth. Health insurance (financing) should not be confused with health care delivery.

U.S. health care delivery is not socialized (except the VA).

People desire full choice of health care providers, not choice of multiple costly for-profit commercial insurances. Only the original Medicare single-payer model offers full choice of public and private providers. Multiple private insurers continually shrink their provider networks to benefit their bottom line – limiting choices to cut costs. Studies report the possibility of huge annual administrative cost savings averaging $500 billion with a single federal insurance model covering all, contrasted with fragmented costly multiple commercial insurances.

– Michele Swenson, Denver, via email

Hamby will enforce homeless laws To the editor, I have been following the continual coverage and letters to the editor about the homeless issue in Durango.

Now the ACLC wants to become involved. The current sheriff’s solution to the homeless problem is to attempt to shift the responsibility to the city which, after attempting to address the demands of the homeless, has decided to do no more.

We need a strong, committed sheriff who will enforce the homeless laws that are already on our books. That person is sheriff’s candidate Charles Hamby. Please4

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6 n Sept. 6, 2018

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join me in voting for Charles Hamby for sheriff in November so our community can move on to dealing with more pressing issues.

– Pat Wainwright, Hesperus

Trump plan worth grousing about To the editor, A deal is a deal, but the Trump administration isn’t seeing it that way when it comes to hard-won plans to protect the greater sage grouse and its habitat in Western states.

As the Democratic nominee for Colorado’s Third Congressional District, I support our existing Colorado plan for the greater sage grouse. I will also hold the federal government responsible for upholding, not overturning, the reasonable deal we struck together over many years of local, regional and state partnerships.

In the 1990s, many stakeholders in my home county were increasingly concerned about greater sage grouse habitat and the possibility of the bird being listed under the Endangered Species Act. Stakeholder groups came together and included ranchers, biologists and bird specialists, local governments, local ag and conservation nonprofits, the Colorado State Division of Wildlife, and interested citizens.

This joint effort to restore habitat was successful, and the State of Colorado has since continued to bring people together for habitat conservation. We even have a shuttle ambassador to D.C. – John Swartout, a Republican – who has made groundbreaking and consistent progress. Then, in 2011, Colorado leaders and other Westerners engaged in an even larger-scale, cooperative approach to public policy by crafting state-level plans for protecting the greater sage grouse and its habitat. Ranchers, biologists, hunters, energy industry representatives, local governments, conservation groups and Western governors met for years with federal officials. They developed state-by-

state plans that would protect the bird and its habitat and avoid an endangered species listing. These plans are great examples of public-private partnerships.

Now, rather than giving these bottom-up plans a chance to work and waiting for the built-in review in 2020, the Trump administration appears to be intent on halting these plans with a top-down approach as quickly as possible. Claims that this will give “more local control” make no sense. This is ideology masquerading as policy.

The BLM, which controls vast swaths of greater sage grouse habitat, is now revising each state’s plan and is issuing one-size-fits-all directives that erode their effectiveness and ignore protections for bird habitat. This latest BLM directive, which severely limits an innovative landswap provision that helps BLM work with private landowners to compensate for damages to sage grouse habitat, is opposed by Gov. John Hickenlooper and the governors of Utah, Nevada and Oregon.

On top of that, the agency is ignoring a key provision of the 2015 plan that requires it to back off from issuing oil and gas leases on priority greater sage grouse habitat.

The BLM has already offered more than 1 million acres of key habitat in the West for oil and gas leases in 2018 alone, and now its revised plan for Colorado would lease an additional 224,200 acres of greater sage grouse habitat for development.

Simply put, the Trump administration is putting politics over science. The BLM’s draft revised plan cuts out the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service entirely and limits Colorado Parks and Wildlife to a consulting role only. If these latest changes are affirmed, the BLM will have no science-based constraints on allowing exceptions for drilling within greater sage grouse habitat. Truly, the fox is guarding the hen house.

This directive actually accelerates the risk to greater sage grouse and sagebrush habitat and will lead to what Westerners were initially trying to avoid: an endangered species listing. The Trump administration’s attacks are a betrayal of the honest, good faith compromise reached in 2015 by

telegraph

Western citizens, communities and industries and all the hard work at the local level from the 1990s - 2015.

As your congresswoman, I will stand firmly in support of the 2015 plans. I oppose the Trump administration’s policies that undermine the success of a local, bottom-up democratic process; substitute a bureaucratic, top-down, one-size-fits-all process; give unfair advantage to energy development on our public lands; and pose grave threats to both the greater sage grouse and to family ranches.

We need to stick with the existing plans, let them work, and remember that a deal is a deal.

– Diane Mitsch Busch, candidate, Colorado’s Third Congressional District

John McCain, a true American hero

To the editor, John McCain was shot down over Vietnam in October 1967 after completing over 20 missions. He was a prisoner of war until 1973. While McCain fought in Vietnam, our fearless president got four college draft deferments.

After graduating in 1968, Trump visited a doctor who provided him with a letter stating he had bone spurs in a heel that enabled him to get a medical deferment from the draft. He later said the bone spurs were “minor.”

Capt. McCain’s passing brings back memories of my Naval service which culminated in June 1967, and I recall McCain was almost killed in July 1967.

On July 29, 1967, an electrical power surge occurred in a Phantom F-4B parked on the aircraft carrier USS Forrestal operating off Vietnam. A Zuni rocket shot across the flight deck and struck an external fuel tank of an A-4 Skyhawk piloted by Lt. Cdr. White or McCain. McCain and the other pilots were able to escape from their planes as jet fuel spilled across the flight deck, ignited and triggered a chain-reaction of bomb explosions that killed 134 sailors and injured 161.

It was one of the worst Naval accidents since WWII. – Donald Moskowitz, Londonderry, N.H.

Sept. 6, 2018 n 7

TopStory

The off-highway vehicles with side-by-side seating can be found everywhere around Silverton. These types of OHVs have opened up the world of off-roading to a lot more people because, unlike single-seater ATVs or motorcycles, the whole family can now fit into a vehicle capable of traversing the San Juan Mountains like never before./Photo by Stephen Eginoire

Rise of the machines Increasing popularity of OHVs leaves mark on local loop

by Tracy Chamberlin

T

hese days a drive along the Million Dollar Highway includes something besides the remnants of old mining activities and tourists taking pictures at scenic spots. Everywhere you look, trailers and trailheads are packed with OHVs, or off-highway vehicles.

They are wonders of modern recreation and come in all shapes and sizes – side-by-sides, single seaters, ATVs, motorcycles, snowmobiles, even jeeps or SUVs can fall into the OHV category.

But, the one getting the most attention today is the sideby-side.

This type of vehicle gets its name because two people can sit side-by-side, instead of single file like on a motorcycle. They have opened up the world of off-roading to a lot more people because, unlike single-seater ATVs or motorcycles, the whole family can now fit into a four-seater that’s got the ability to traverse the San Juan Mountains like never before.

Side-by-sides are easier to handle than other OHVs, have shorter wheel bases, plenty of ground clearance, aggressive tires and more horsepower than many of our first cars. They can be as fast as cars (easily topping 60 mph) and as comfortable, with some of the latest styles adding AC and heat.

Their recent rise in popularity isn’t about being a new technology – they’ve been around for decades, albeit with-

8 n Sept. 6, 2018

out all the bells and whistles. It’s not about cost, either. In fact, it’s easy to spend $20,000 or more on a new OHV. The reason for the ever-increasing number of sightings across the San Juans, according local law enforcement, is the fact that the secret is out.

“The Alpine Loop has really been discovered in the last few years,” San Juan County Undersheriff Steve Lowrance said. “Once you have folks that have great experiences, they’re going to tell others.”

The Alpine Loop is more than 60 miles of four-wheel drive roadway running across Engineer and Cinnamon passes, through several mining ghost towns, around a few famous Colorado fourteeners, and encompassing Silverton, Ouray and Lake City.

Every time someone experiences the Loop and the San Juan Mountains, they can’t help but share their stories.

Whether it’s a recommendation on an OHV forum, a posting on Facebook, Instagram shot with remarkable views, or just a shared story about an epic vacation, people all over are talking about the Alpine Loop.

“Certainly, word is out,” Hinsdale County Undersheriff Justin Casey said. “The people I talk to say they got their information off the internet.”

And every year, more and more come to experience it for themselves.

According to Lowrance, San Juan and Hinsdale counties share the cost for upkeep and maintenance of the roadway,

telegraph

which is getting harder and harder. The aggressive tires common on today’s OHVs have deeper grooves, angled tread designs, harder compounds and other features that give them better grip and stability for off-roading.

They also tend to cause more wear and tear, and this means more upkeep.

“People are looking for ideas to help us fund more road and bridge damage because a lot of (the OHVs) can really tear up the road,” Lowrance explained.

The idea of charging an entrance fee along the Alpine Loop has been floated by local leaders for a few years but, according to Casey, the Loop is a public road and charging to use it might not be an option. He said the Hinsdale County attorney counseled commissioners against the idea.

Unfortunately, maintenance isn’t the only thing these local municipalities have to pay for. They’re also responsible for setting the safety regulations and funding enforcement.

Currently, there’s only one person actively patrolling the Alpine Loop, Alpine Ranger Alan Rae. He travels up and down the loop, between Silverton and Lake City, helping local law enforcement with medical emergencies, giving visitors directions, letting them know the rules and answering any questions that come his way.

The Alpine Ranger program (which is funded by Silverton, Lake City, and San Juan and Hinsdale counties) has been around for almost a decade; and, Rae’s been in the ranger seat for the past three years. Although he enjoys 4

the job and the people, it’s a lot of ground to some of its downtown streets. One of the cover for just one person. pros was that it allows visitors to spend more Rae’s not the only one who would weltime – and more money – tooling around come another ranger. “A lot of us feel it’s intown and checking out the local scene. evitable this ranger program will have to be It also means possible issues with parking expanded,” Lowrance said. in the wrong spot or failing to obey the same Lowrance, Casey and Rae all said that San safety rules as other vehicles on the roadway.

Juan and Hinsdale counties have worked Another concern was that OHV users would well together over the years, keeping the feel free to take their vehicles just about anyAlpine Loop maintained and its users in where. check. But, they’ve also come together to set San Juan County Sheriff Bruce Conrad’s the actual rules of the road. recurring blotter in the Silverton Standard can Over the past few years, the two counties be entertaining, but it’s also an example of have been able to create complimentary rules what can go wrong. Almost every day, the and regulations for OHVs along the loop. It sheriff logs at least one OHV encounter – makes it easier for users to traverse the length some are friendly warnings to obey the rules, of the Alpine Loop without having to find out some are not-so-friendly warnings, tickets, what the new rules are whenever they enter a citations or even accidents. different town or county.

Most recently, the town was on the hunt These rules include requiring OHV drivers for motorcyclists who took a joyride through to have a valid driver’s license and liability pristine alpine tundra outside of town, an ininsurance, making sure any passenger under cursion locals were not happy about. After 18 years of age wears a helmet, and having the San Juan County sheriff posted the persmaller children secured with seat belts or a Several years ago, Silverton chose to allow OHVs on some streets. One of the pros petrators images on Facebook, they quickly restraint system. was it allows visitors to spend more time – and more money – tooling around town. turned themselves in.

“A lot of people are looking to us to be But, it also has its downsides./Photo by Stephen Eginoire According to the Standard, they just as the pioneers,” Lowrance explained. “In quickly asked the sheriff to remove the posting fact, a lot of the rules are now being passed at the state Silverton last year, in which they now require seat belts and because they had been getting death threats. restraint systems for children, there has been an increase level.”

As much as locals and visitors enjoy being able to get After joining Rae on his patrols along the Loop and talking in compliance and a significant decline in serious injuries. out into the San Juan Mountains, everyone agrees the pop“Because of these new rules and compliance, I guarantee ularity of the Alpine Loop will only increase in the coming to local law enforcement, State Rep. Barbara McLachlan brought a bill to the capitol this past spring called HB18- you we have saved lives,” he added. years. Like many other natural wonders across the nation Casey explained the same is true for Hinsdale County. – including Yellowstone National Park or the Grand 1103, or Local Government Off-highway Vehicle Regulation.

When they first started requiring OHV drivers to have a Canyon – this popularity can begin to wear on the enviIt passed both houses and was signed into law March 29.

It makes many of the rules along the Loop – like helmets valid driver’s license, which was about five years ago, the ronment it celebrates. and safety belts – a requirement statewide. Other things – number of OHV crashes in Hinsdale dropped dramatically.

“We’re seeing more people every year enjoying the sce“Our primary concern is the safety of all of our visitors,” nic views that we have up here … it’s starting to become like needing a driver’s license – are left up to local governLowrance said. ments to decide upon. well known throughout the country,” Rae said. “And they Several years ago, Silverton chose to allow OHVs on all say, they’re coming back.” n Lowrance said since the newest ordinance was passed in

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Sept. 6, 2018 n

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LocalNews

DNA test leads to discovery of San Juan cutthroat

by Missy Votel

A

rare subspecies of cutthroat trout, thought to be long extinct, has risen from the waters of Southwest Colorado.

The fish, a unique San Juan Basin lineage of the Colorado River cutthroat, was identified this summer in headwaters in the San Juan Mountains thanks to the wonders of modern genetic testing.

“Anyone who just looked at these fish would have a difficult time telling them apart from any other cutthroat; but this is a significant find,” Jim White, aquatic biologist for CPW in Durango, said. “Now we will work to determine if we can propagate these fish in our hatcheries and reintroduce them into the wild. It’s a great conservation effort and a great conservation story.”

Four strains of native cutthroat exist, or have existed, in Colorado: Colorado River cutthroat; greenback cutthroat (endangered); Rio Grande cutthroat; and yellowfin cutthroat, which went extinct in the early 1900s.

However, in 2012, the San Juan River Basin strain was identified in a genome-sequencing project led by CU-Boulder researcher Jessica Metcalf. The study was based on DNA samples from cutthroat specimens that were preserved in ethanol dating back as far as 150 years. The team stumbled on the San Juan Basin subspecies when testing a cutthroat collected in 1874 in the San Juan River near Pagosa Springs.

It is housed in the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. Metcalf and her team assumed the strain had long since vanished from the area’s waters. That is until White and other CPW biologists got involved. Armed with the trout’s genetic “fingerprints,” they set out to test all cutthroat trout

A specimen in the Smithsonian from 1874 was used to identify a previously unknown subspecies of Colorado River cutthroat unique to SW Colorado./Courtesy Photo populations they could find in the basin in search of any relic populations. Eight small populations were found in the area, both within the San Juan National Forest and on private property. The populations are in isolated habitats and sustained through natural reproduction.

But, no sooner had the fish been brought back from the brink then it faced another threat: fire and ash from the 416 Fire. In August, crews from CPW and the Forest Service removed 58 of the San Juan cutthroats from two remote creeks north of Durango. According to CPW spokesman Joe Lewandowski, the fish are now in what’s called an "isolation unit" at the Durango Hatchery to ensure they don't pick up any diseases from other fish.

“In the spring, hopefully, we'll be able to spawn them and start developing a population,” he said.

Developing a brood stock of these trout to be reintroduced into the San Juan River headwaters will be a key strategy for their long-term survival. Protecting them from disease, non-native fish, habitat loss and over-harvest are other factors the CPW will consider in a long-term conservation plan for the fish.

“We always ask ourselves, ‘What if we could go back to the days before pioneer settlement and wide-spread nonnative fish stocking to see what we had here?’” White said.

“Careful work over the years by biologists, finding those old specimens in the museum and the genetic testing gave us the chance, essentially, to go back in time. Now we have the opportunity to conserve this native trout in Southwest Colorado.”

Cutthroat trout originated in the Pacific Ocean and are one of the most diverse fish species in North America, with 14 subspecies. However, native Colorado cutthroat populations have dropped precipitously over the years due to a variety of issues, including low flows, competition with non-native species, poor water quality and riparian habitat alterations. In an effort to save native cutthroat, CPW has been stocking the species in high lakes and headwaters since the mid-1990s. CPW has also worked to remove and prevent upstream migration of non-native trout, such as in the Hermosa Creek drainage, to protect the Colorado River cutthroat found there.

The CU-Metcalf study was funded by the Greenback Cutthroat Trout Recovery Team, which includes U.S. Fish and Wildlife, Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service and Trout Unlimited. n

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it lasts longer.

Some of the amazing photos you see in the Telegraph are now available to purchase online, in digital or print. (*for personal enjoyment and use only.)

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To find out more, go to durangotelegraph.com and click on “buy photos.”

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MountainTownNews 30 years ago Yellowstone was ablaze JACKSON, Wyo. – Reddish plumes of smoke barreled skyward from Yellowstone National Park 30 years ago this week as a nation wondered: What had gone wrong? Who had lost this cherished national treasure?

The fires had started in June after two years of drought. At first, there were no worries. These small fires were mostly caused by lightning. The National Park Service let them burn. Before the late 1960s, fires were generally believed to be detrimental for parks and forests, and management policies were aimed at suppressing fires as quickly as possible, notes the Wikipedia entry on the Yellowstone fire. However, as the beneficial ecological role of fire became better understood, the let-burn policy was adopted under controlled conditions.

Fires had their own mind. Yellowstone was overdue for a big one. The small fires merged, then leaped-frogged across the forest.

Still, 25,000 firefighters made enough progress that by early August the Park Service announced the fires were contained.

Then the fires roared back to life. On one day in August, flames covered 150,000 acres. Joan Anzelmo was spokeswoman for Yellowstone during that summer. She tells the Jackson Hole News&Guide that she remembers that day vividly. “It looked like the world was coming to an end,” she says.

The world didn’t end, but there was another scare in early September when strong winds in a cold front fanned flames. Old Faithful Inn itself was threatened. The historic, knotty-pine lodge had been built in 1903-1904, the very essence of parkitecture comfort and leisure.

Bob Barbee, then the park superintendent, referred to the inn as the “Sistine Chapel” of the park, and vowed not to, under any circumstances, lose it.

The hotel survived as did all but 19 of the 400 or so buildings in the Old Faithful complex. Then, a few days later, on Sept. 11, rain and snow arrived. On Nov. 18, the fire was declared totally extinguished. Nearly 800,000 acres, or nearly a third of the park, had been blackened.

There had been huge fires before. Three million acres in Idaho and Montana burned in 1911. Timothy Egan’s book, The Big Burn, told part of that story. In British Columbia, the Kech Fire in 1958 burned 558,000 acres, a figure not eclipsed in that province until 2017.

But yet, if fire is somewhat periodic, the trend since Yellowstone has been clearly toward more frequent and larger fires, what some now call megafires. The News&Guide points out that wildfires in the 1970s burned on average 3 million acres a year in the United States.

The number of fires has not increased, but the scale has: a record 10 million acres burned in 2015.

A warmer climate is one reason. Fire season in western North America has lengthened an average of 78 days between 1970 - 2015.

Night temperatures, when fires tend to quiet down, have remained higher – a phenomenon noted this summer. And overall temperatures have increased. July was the warmest month in California history, climate scientist Daniel Swain noted in his weather blog. It was, he added, a month of unprecedented early season fires in the Golden State.

Andrew Norman, a wildfire specialist in the Bridger-Teton National Forest who was at the Yellowstone fire in 1988, told the News&Guide that he and others used to joke that they had lived through a oncein-a-lifetime experience. “Now a lot of us have had quite a few other once-in-a-lifetime experiences since then,” he said.

Gauging forest attitudes a decade later BRECKENRIDGE – In 2007, researchers from the University of Colorado’s Institute of Behavioral Science arrived at Colorado’s Summit County to gauge residents perceived risk in response to the bark beetle epidemic.

The epidemic had started in 1996 or thereabouts in nearby Grand County. Then, after several warm and extremely dry years, the beetles proliferated. The peak was 2007. Entire mountainsides of lodgepole pine, infested by a fungus carried by the beetles, turned red and died.

Researchers are returning to Summit County, this time to gauge how community perceptions have changed, reports the Summit Daily News.

“We’re very interested in understanding … how communities have responded, how it may have affected relationships between residents and their government agencies, as well as people’s per-

ceptions of forest management,” Jamie Vickery, a research associate at the Natural Hazard Center, said.

Vickery said the study will try to dive into how much people relate to their environments, but also how the local environment can affect local opinion and decision-making.

The study may reveal how different communities perceive forest management practices, such as wildfire mitigation.

“Context is critical,” Vickery said. “Tree thinning and mitigation may be acceptable in one community, but another community might be up in arms. Different areas may respond differently to the same disturbance.”

Dark skies that are closer to heaven KETCHUM, Idaho – “Can’t go to space? Try Idaho,” Time magazine advises in its “World’s Great Places 2018” list.

The International Dark-Sky Association last year designated a 1,400-square-mile region of the state as the first Dark Sky Reservation in the United States. The area includes Ketchum and Sun Valley.

To meet the eligibility criteria, the communities fine-tuned their lighting pollution ordinances to prevent street and other lights from going upward when their use is on the ground.

In Canada, a different group, the Royal Astronomical Society, designated Jasper National Park a Dark Sky Preserve in 2011 due to its limited light pollution.

Sweden had two spots among the top 100, both for overnight accommodations. Treehotel has seven cabins built in the trees – meaning considerably high off the ground – available for rent.

Then there’s Icehotel 365, where rooms are kept cold year-round by solar electricity.

Rock-throwers advised not to do it BANFF, Alberta – It’s not the first time that hikers have hurled rocks off the top of mountains. But this time, on a prominent mountain near Banff National Park, the bravado was videoed and posted on social media.

No maliciousness was intended, and the hikers have apologized on social media. But it’s never a wise thing to do, reminded public lands officials, given that there might be hikers or climbers below.

Good-sized Aspen solar farm in works ASPEN – Aside from some relatively small-scale hydro and rooftop solar, little renewable energy production occurs in or within the immediate vicinity of Aspen. That may change.

Renewable Energy Systems, an international developer of renewable projects, has submitted a proposal calling for a 33-acre solar farm of 18,000 solar panels west of Aspen. At maximum production, the farm could generate 5 megawatts of electricity.

The Aspen Daily News says the site was used from 1974-2005 by the Aspen Consolidated Sanitation District for spreading disposable biosolids. The other uses were light industrial and transportation related. The closest homes are 800 to 1,000 feet away, and the location below the flight path for Aspen’s Sardy Field makes the land incompatible for further residential uses.

Just the same, the Woody Creek Caucus has concerns: “The majority of our members are concerned that this solar farm constitutes an industrial operation, and at 233 acres is very large and may not be compatible with the rural nature of Woody Creek,” they say in a letter submitted to the county.

Few employees on either side of border WHISTLER, B.C. – On both sides of the 49th latitude, the border of Canada and the United States, come calls for wider doors for immigrant labor.

In Canada, the Whistler Chamber of Commerce has elevated its advocacy of loosened immigration restrictions.

“The Chamber is an avid supporter of hiring Canadians first,” a recent letter submitted to federal labor officials stated. “Unfortunately, despite significant efforts to hire Canadians, this has not filled our labour gap, and businesses are struggling.”

Melissa Pace, chief executive of the business group, told Whistler’s Pique that the shortage of workers has left owners and managers distraught “about the possibility of closing their doors, their staff being completely burned out, and no ‘bodies’ lined up for work.”

– Allen Best

telegraph

Sept. 6, 2018 n 11

dayinthelif

Gone to Press

by Stephen Eginoire

A

s crisp mornings give way to shorter days vest season has begun. In Montezuma Co this year’s apple crop has been remarkable. more fruit than can be harvested, orchard owners their hands full keeping up with the yields of a h productive growing season. Among those taking fu vantage is Mancos’ Outlier Cellars, pressing a around the clock in an attempt to put a small de this year’s bumper crop. Curious about experiencin complex flavors of rural SW Colorado in cider Outlier Cellars is open for tastings in downtown cos. Here’s a look:

Sarah Miller, of Miller Orchards in Mancos, clears the line.

12 n

Sept. 6, 2018

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s, harounty, . With s have highly ull adapples ent in ng the form?

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Luna helps with clean-up.

Perfectly ripe Idared apples on their way to the press.

Delicious amber apple juice drips from the racks during a press.

Andrew Angle elbows-deep in a rack full of apple pulp.

Miller scoops loads od asper jelly crabapples on deck to the press.

Sept. 6, 2018 n 13

thesecondsection

A (little more than) 3-hour tour San Juan Odyssey takes participants on land voyage through mining’s past

by Missy Votel

I

t took Odysseus 10 years to make it home from Troy. Fortunately for fans of the San Juans, there’s a muchshorter option. On Sat., Sept. 15, the Mountain Studies Institute is hosting its second annual San Juan Odyssey. The event will take participants on a daylong voyage to the far reaches of the San Juan Mountains, the nooks and crannies not easily accessible by mere landlubbers or every-day schooners.

“We’re trying to create an eco-tour event to get folks out into the high country to see things they normally couldn’t see on foot or in a regular car,” Odyssey cruise director and MSI outreach coordinator Priscilla Sherman said.

The guided tour will take place via two 12-passenger off-road vehicles (which will stay on the road, hence the “eco” part) provided by Switzerland of America, out of Ouray. “The focus is to learn history and generally get into the high country, and do it with the least footprint,” Sherman said. “The tour is a historical journey designed to share our passion for and knowledge of the mountains while offering participants a sense of adventure, exploration and learning.”

For the adventure and exploration part, this year’s tour, which starts in Silverton, will focus on two historical areas: the Sunnyside Basin and Picayune Gulch. For the learning part, Red Mountain 1 and 2 dominate the skyline in this view from last year’s San Juan Odyssey. The intent of the annual ecoMSI is providing interpretive guides in- outing, which takes place Sept. 15, is part sightseeing, part historical fact-finding mission./Photo courtesy Priscilla Sherman cluding Fort Lewis College history professor Andrew Gulliford and Bev Rich, a Silverton head west, just past Animas Forks, to Picayune Gulch, native and chairwoman of the San Juan Historical So- home to the newly restored Sound Democrat mill. Built in 1906, the structure is the only amalgamation stamp ciety The first stop will be Sunnyside Basin, which lies mill, which used giant stamps to crush rock into a about seven miles northeast of Silverton. Besides being paste, left standing in the country. Although it’s a key home to the eponymous mine, it is also home to the piece of mining history, it’s most notable in that the storied American Tunnel (which connects to the Gold original equipment is intact, right where it was a cenKing Mine) and the Bonita Peak Mining District (and tury ago. In fact, one can’t help but wonder if, with a soon-to-be EPA clean-up site.) And while the area is per- little juice, the stamps would fire back to life.

And if not that, then at least haps best known for its most rethe imaginations of the tour atcent “Oh crap!” mining disaster Justthefacts tendees will be stoked. Which, – 2015’s Gold King Mine spill – What: San Juan Odyssey, hosted by Mountain according to Sherman, is part of it was also the location of anStudies Institute the goal for the day (that, and to other perhaps less-remembered Where: Silverton and surrounding mountains ogle some prime autumn fobut equally catastrophic one: When: 9 a.m. - 3 p.m., Sat., Sept 15 liage.) See, although mining is the collapse of Lake Emma in Register: $125 includes lunch, guides and part of our past, it’s also part of 1978. all-day adventure. www.mountainstudies.org. our future. “We all need the metIn that incident, miners purThe newly restored Sound Democrat mill will be als that come from mining,” she suing a promising vein of gold part of this year’s odyssey. /Courtesy photo bored a tunnel too close to the lake bed. Unable to said. “We just need to figure out a way to do it and to not appear on the horizon. withstand the pressure of the water above, the tunnel pollute.”

And what better way to move forward than by learn“Our goal is to bring everyone together and start a gave way, and Emma exploded into the mine, flooding the works with a million tons of water, mud and debris ing from the mistakes – and victories – of the past. conversation,” she said. and pummeling a 20-ton locomotive in her wake. The Fresh off last week’s Mining Innovation Expo, hosted Tickets to the San Juan Odyssey are $125 and include nearby American Tunnel spouted like Old Faithful, and by MSI in Silverton, Sherman is optimistic a balance lunch from the Brown Bag Deli in Silverton and the aforemenLake Emma was reduced to a crater the length of three can be found.

“Some amazing people were attracted to the expo,” tioned interpretive guides. And in case you were wondering, football fields. Fortunately, no one was killed in the collapse; the lake broke through on a Sunday afternoon, she said. “Geology is always going to be a problem, but MSI does not make any money on the event, which is actually when mine crews were at home, watching the Broncos. a lot’s being done, there are so many new standards cheap for an all-inclusive daylong tour, according to Sherman (plus, lunch. Did we mention that?) The Bent Elbow Hotel is (OK – that last part may be historical fiction, which is that make it a lot better.”

And as long as everyone is pulling – mostly – in the offering a 10 percent lodging discount for attendees. To regiswhere the interpretive guides come in handy.)

For the second part of the trip, the land flotilla will right direction, perhaps an end to the odyssey will soon ter, go to www.mountainstudies.org. n

14 n Sept. 6, 2018

telegraph

MurderInk

Cure for the end-of-summer doldrums Despite mundane title, Our House, by Louise Candlish, a fascinating read

by Jeffrey Mannix

domestic treachery. She tells her nearly unimaginable story in the serialized broadcasts of Season Two, Episode Three of ugust has been bleak on the “Murder Ink” floor of the “The Victim,” an acclaimed crime podcast where Durango Telegraph office in downtown Durango. The “Each episode tells the true story of a crime dinotable summer titles saved for halcyon beach days rectly in the words of the victim.” and hot, wasted Sundays on the porch have been reviewed Then there’s the ongoing, pathetic Word docin these pages – Waking Lions, The Shadow District, Night ument describing in installments the approachBlind, Under a Dark Sky, A Perfect Shot, A Stone’s Throw – ing suicide of her husband Bram, guilty and and every year, we wind up with the reader’s orphan month equally victimized, hiding from even himself in of August. It’s time of year everybody could do without, in- Geneva. It’s a clever strategy, bringing the cluding publishers who can’t do without publishing some- reader back and forth from the inside of a thing to bridge them back to the profitable days of cold frantic event to witnessing calculated weather torpidity and book buying. narrations, meticulously rendered to As your humble servant, I have braved the document outrage. Interlaced bewretchedness of August heat and mosquitoes. I tween these peculiar avowals is have read my eyes bloodshot scrutinizing books the real-time swindle that inabout missing children, one after another; serial forms the public confessions. killers with creative aspects; unstable women Sounds crazy maybe, but it’s seeing things out the back window; tough, sexy, dazzling.

Candlish lonely, troubled policewomen headed for suicide.

Fiona and Bram live in a tony And among the dross and drek, Penguin Random section of London with their two young House has gone to England to find Our House, a very sons. Their marriage goes stale for reasons unimportant smart mystery by a very talented Louise Candlish. to the story, and they agree for the children’s sake to parOur House is a great book with a lousy title that shouldn’t ticipate in a “bird’s nest” parenting arrangement. Fi and deter you as it did me. As I threw my 10th August book Bram switch days in the home and in an apartment across the floor, I opened the remaining one with the repel- rented not far from home. Fi lives at home and sees to lant title, crestfallen and contemplating a career change. the dizzying routine of the kids during the weekdays, Our House is a rarity for more than just August. It is senswitching to the apartment on the weekends so Bram can sational, told through various unsettling narrations includmaintain continuity for the kids and share parenting. The ing that of 42-year-old Fiona Lawson, the primary victim of arrangement works, and rules are invoked about no recre-

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telegraph

ational sex in the homestead, which Bram was discovered doing in the garden shed with a neighbor and the reason for the divorce.

Fiona comes home early from a weekend at the spa with the girls to find a moving van outside her home and a woman answering the door with a quizzical expression and a “Hi-can-I-help-you?”

The house had been sold; the kids are safe with Fiona’s mother; Bram is missing.

The police come around, stumped about what to do. The new owners are sympathetic toward the hysteria overtaking Fiona.

The estate agent and buyer’s attorney are passing around real real estate documents, and a take-charge neighbor arrives to referee.

Candlish creates the most extraordinary and fascinating situation that includes infidelities, blackmail, death threats, bunco artists and unbelievable contradictions of human instincts.

Our House took a long time to write (it shows and we’re thankful). It’s been picked at by more than a few talented editors (again, thank you). It’s just the godawful title that will prevent this outstanding book from achieving the prizes and possibly even the readership it deserves. Don’t let the publisher’s one (big) mistake cause you to underestimate this book. Our House saved August and would even light up a luminous December. n Mention “Murder Ink” and get 15% off this and other reviewed titles at Maria’s Bookshop.

Sept. 6, 2018 n 15

FlashinthePan

Up to our ears

by Ari LeVaux

S

ugar is increasingly viewed by the public to be toxic in amounts that most Americans regularly consume, and many people are making efforts to curb their intake. But even as we shun junk food and other sources of sweetness, sugary snacks that are whole plant parts, like fruit and real baby carrots, get a pass.

Sweet carrots, at least, have fiber, and a hint of earthiness to go with that sweetness. A good piece of fruit, meanwhile, will be tart, which balances the sweet. But no fresh vegetable is so blindly praised for sweetness, and sweetness alone, as fresh sweet corn. As the name implies, and to the exclusion of almost any other flavor metric, sugar content is what determines quality in sweet corn.

As you may have guessed, I’m not a huge fan of the buttered cob, although I don’t fault anyone else. I appreciate the primal act of gnawing kernels from a seed head, but I prefer to get my daily sugar/fat in other ways. But every dish can generally stand at least a touch of sweetness, and sometimes sweet corn is a great way to add it. Compared to plain sugar, sweet corn is actually kinda interesting. It supposedly contains a hint of umami, and it does have a pleasant grassy flavor, like when you chew on a tender piece of grass.

Being a grass, an ear of sweet corn straddles the line between vegetable and grain, and has roughly the same amount of sugar as an apple. But this seasonal treat is a niche crop compared to its cousin field corn, which has less sugar and is dried before use, like a typical grain. Field corn is also America’s most planted crop and is tied with potatoes for the distinction of being the crop that delivers the most calories per acre – 15,000 – according to Washington Post columnist and field corn enthusiast Tamar Haspel.

But unlike potatoes, field corn can be dried and stored for years. It can be ground into masa for tortillas, or into polenta, or made into corn bread, corn meal porridge, and other such corn-based dishes, that feed billions of people around the world. In the U.S., unfortunately, high fructose corn syrup is the preferred corn-based dietary staple, but this misuse is hardly a reflection on the crop it-

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16 n Sept. 6, 2018

self. If anything, it underscores the ability of corn to harvest solar energy, as does the questionable pursuit of ethanol-based gas for our cars, or the debatable practice of feeding corn to delicious animals.

The reasons behind corn’s amazing capacity to convert carbon dioxide to sugar are multiple. The grass family is

one of the world’s most advanced forms of plant life, and about half of all grasses, corn included, have a special metabolic pathway called C4, which allows the plant to more efficiently use both carbon dioxide and water, making it more drought-resistant and tolerant of climate change. Corn is extremely malleable genetically, making it easy to breed into colorful and interesting heirloom varieties, like the 16-foot tall Peruvian field corn I once grew in my back yard from monster-sized kernels. I had to tie it down like a radio tower so it wouldn’t get blown down by summer thunderstorms. More recently, a similarly supersized field corn from Oaxaca was shown to

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telegraph

have self-fertilizing activity, like a legume.

Given that Mexico is the birthplace of corn, it’s no surprise that Mexican ways of using corn are the best. Tortillas and their derivative chips are the most common, but posole, atole and chicos, among other field cornbased delicacies, are enjoyed as well – not to mention corn smut, a delicious fungus that infects corn. Mexicans eat sweet corn too, on occasion, but as Haspel notes, field corn is where most of the action is.

If I am going to eat sweet corn, I prefer to add it to dishes that will benefit from that sweetness. I will leave you with one such recipe, which I call Migas Pie, in which both field corn and sweet corn are included. This recipe is a riff on the popular Native American dish, Frito Pie, in which corn chips are tossed with other ingredients to form a salad. My recipe employs the crumbs from the bottom of the corn chip bag, also known as Migas.

They are tossed with a medley of seasonal veggies including sweet corn, tomatoes, jalapeños and onions, as well as hot sauce and mayo, and wrapped into leaves – the more bitter, the better, like radicchio, endive or escarole.

This delicacy includes all of the known official flavors of salt, sweet, acidic, bitter and umami, as well as the aspiring flavors of fat and spice, and a range of crunchy textures. It’s a lively, fun dish to eat and prepare, and can be customized in all sorts of ways. If radicchio is too bitter for you, use lettuce leaves instead.

Migas Pie 1 ear sweet corn, kernels sliced from the cob 1 cup migas 1 cup cherry tomatoes, each one sliced in half ¼ cup minced onion 1 teaspoon fresh oregano, minced 2 tablespoons mayo Hot sauce to taste 2 teaspoons soy sauce 2 teaspoons vinegar 1 tablespoon olive oil Radicchio leaves (or alternative foliage), reserved for final step.

Combine all ingredients (except the leaves) in a bowl and mix. Taste, add salt or vinegar as necessary. Spoon into radicchio leaves and eat. n

TopShelf

Ska-nniversary, joining the circus & Twin Buttes bash

from microbrew aficionados who view the makers of Budweiser and Bud Light as an enemy that gobbles up shelf space at liquor stores, cutting back on the shelf space available to Mom & Pops ka Brewing’s 23rd Anniversary and Brewers Invitalike Ska and Steamworks. I certainly understand this argument. tional takes place from 4-9 p.m. Saturday at the World But I’m also friends with guys like Breckenridge marketing direcHeadquarters in Bodo Park. This year’s event, like each of tor Todd Thibault and his sidekick, Yeager Sharpe, and head brewtheir annual anniversaries, sold out months ago. The musical ofery Bob Harrington. They’re committed to their craft and to ferings include Big D & the Kids Table, the Doped Up Dolsupplying drinkers with outstanding products. Like me, they’re lies and the Nuns of Brixton. And while all three promise to fans of what’s poured at deliver raucous sets to a tiny breweries all over the drunked-up crowd, the state. I like to think there’s highlight of the event is room on the shelves for sampling the wares of 30beers from both camps; plus breweries that will be there certainly is in my on hand. beer fridge.

Ska’s own 23rd anniverMusic in the Mountains’ sary beer has been on the second annual Escape shelves for a couple of Room Tournament runs months already: MoSka from Friday through SunMule. Inspired by the popday, benefitting music eduular Moscow Mule cocktail cation programs in our that features vodka, ginger community. Teams of six beer and lime, MoSka Mule will have 45 minutes to is an ale brewed with ginsolve Conundrum Escape ger and lime. It’s slightly Room’s exclusively themed acidic, slightly sour and Music in the Mountains completely refreshing. At room. Imagine it’s the Roar6.1 percent ABV, it’s an ing ’20s at a famous jazz easy-drinking beer that club. Five musicians are pairs perfectly with long summer days and relaxing Clash cover band the Nuns of Brixton play for the sold-out 23rd Ska An- performing that night, but before the show starts, one niversary and Brewers Invitational this Saturday. cookouts. of them is found dead in One of the most excitthe dressing room. You and your team are the detectives who have ing parts of any beerfest – as the recent San Juan Brewfest proved to me – is finding hidden gems. Austin Lashley, the brewmaster at been called to the scene where only six people were when the murSilverton’s Avalanche Brewing, is one such gem. I’ve never had der happened. You must figure out the crime because the show must go on! Twenty-seven teams will compete. Find out more at a bad beer of his, but one of his offerings two weekends ago was simply stunning … a strawberry rhubarb gose. Strawberry rhubarb musicinthemountains.com.

Durango Aerial Arts & Acrobatics presents The Durango Circus’ pie is my favorite dessert in the world, and I consider myself a pie premiere appearance in Circus in Wonderland at 7 p.m. Satursnob. When the scent of this beer hit the back of my palate, my day at the Animas City Theatre. Based on Alice in Wonderland, nose was filled with the same scent of Grandma Aaland’s summer this kid-friendly event shows what would happen to your favorite pies. It transported me back to a time and place. The taste had Wonderland characters if they had run away to join the circus. hints of strawberry and rhubarb, and a mild sourness. Upon swalThe end of summer is always sad, especially when Lawn lowing, the strawberry and rhubarb scents and flavors reappeared.

Chair Kings play their final Balcony performance of the year.

I’m hoping Austin will be at Saturday’s Ska blowout and that he’ll Catch them from 5-9 p.m. Friday, rain or shine. There’s still time tap another keg of this wondrous concoction. But if he doesn’t, to enjoy a cold one under the hot sun.

I’ll surely find something from another craft brewer that will capFinally, the Twin Buttes Harvest Festival takes place this ture my imagination.

Friday from 4-8 p.m. Enjoy music from Afrobeatniks, a We were fortunate to have six breweries in Durango crafting “Chopped” culinary competition, hay rides, kids’ activities, treasan array of tasty offerings for the past few years. Unfortunately, ure hunt, Twin Buttes Farm tours, bike demos and more. TOAST though, we’re back down to five. Durango’s second oldest ale Mobile Lounge serves up the first drink free, plus there’s food for house, Durango Brewing, locked its doors, fired its staff and sale from Fired Up Pizza and Mountain Taco. moved operations to La Junta last month. The move has been The best thing I heard this week was actually three different years in the making, ever since a Denver holding company, virtuoso musicians on Reservoir Hill at the 23rd annual Four CorGold Buckle Brewing, purchased a majority interest in DBC. In ners Folk Festival: Jacob Joliff, Jon Stickley and Lyndsay September 2015, they closed the tap room for repairs, laying off Pruett. Stickley and Pruett are two-thirds of the Jon Stickley Trio, 11 employees. They reopened a few months later but moved on guitar and fiddle, respectively. I wrote that they’re the heir apmost of their brewing operations to La Junta, which no doubt parents to the David Grisman Quintet last week, which is both cut down on shipping costs to major Front Range markets. But misleading and limiting. Stickley & Pruett thrash on their instrumany of us remained skeptical of Colorado’s third oldest microments, best proven by their “Darth Radar” closing to their late brewery. Then came the news this August. I, like many, have night set. Metallica would approve of the energy and chops. But sipped my last DBC. Joliff is a much more subtle treasure. Best known as mandolin Instead, I’ll relish in the continued opportunity to enjoy Animas Brewing, BREW Pub & Kitchen, Carvers, Ska, Steamworks and player for Yonder Mountain String Band, he managed to prove he was the best eight-string picker at a festival that included the a host of regional favorites like Telluride, Avalanche, Pagosa, Botaforementioned Grisman & Sam Bush. Check out his solo album, tom Shelf and Mancos.

“Instrumentals Vol. 1” for proof.

At last weekend’s Four Corners Folk Festival, I had the pleasure of drinking several different Breckenridge offerings. A few years Vodka’s too rough, champagne costs too much? Email me at chrisa@gobrainstorm.net. n ago, Breck was acquired by Anheuser-Busch, prompting outcries

by Chris Aaland

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Sept. 6, 2018 n 17

onthetown

Thursday06

“next to normal,” an American rock musical, 7:30 p.m., show also runs Sept. 7-8; and 2 p.m., Sept. 9. Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave. www.durangoarts.org.

Yoga Flow, 8 a.m., Pine River Library.

Here to Hear: Office Hour with City Councilor Dick White, 9-10 a.m., Steaming Bean, 900 Main Ave.

Open Mic & Stand-Up Comedy, 8 p.m., El Rancho Tavern, 975 Main Ave.

Beginner Tai Chi, 9:15-10:15 a.m., Durango Senior Center, 2424 Main Ave.

Karaoke with Crazy Charlie, 8 p.m.-close, Wild Horse Saloon, 601 E. 2nd Ave.

​ aby Meetup Thursdays with Durango Café au Play, B 9:30-11:30 a.m., 2307 Columbine. 749-9607 or durango cafeauplay.org.

Durango Early Bird Toastmasters, 7-8:30 a.m., LPEA headquarters, 45 Stewart St. 769-7615.

Free yoga, 8:30-9:30 a.m., Lively Boutique, 809 Main Ave.

Toddler Storytime, 10:30-11 a.m., Durango Public Library.

Zumba Gold, 9:30-10:15 a.m., La Plata Senior Center, 2424 Main Ave.

Less Jargon, More eBooks & Audiobooks, 1-5 p.m., Ignacio Community Library. 563-9287.

Open Art Studio, 10 a.m., Ignacio Community Library. 563-9287.

Afterschool Awesome! for K-5th graders, 3:30 p.m., Pine River Library in Bayfield.

Lactation Support Fridays, 10 a.m.-noon, Prenatal Yoga, noon-1 p.m., Durango Café au Play, 1309 E. 3rd Ave., Room 201. 749-9607 or durangocafeauplay.org.

Submit “On the Town” items by Monday at noon to: calendar@durangotelegraph.com

Drop-in Tennis, all ages welcome, 4 p.m., Fort Lewis College courts. www.durangotennis.com.

Preschool Storytime, 10:30-11 a.m., Durango Public Library.

“Doc Swords,” PTSD Social Club for Veterans, 4-6 p.m., VFW, 1550 Main Ave.

Intermediate Tai Chi, 10-11 a.m., every Friday, Durango Senior Center, 2424 Main Ave.

Farmers Market, 4-8 p.m., Three Springs Plaza.

Ska-B-Q featuring Black Velvet Trio, 5-7 p.m., Ska Brewing, 225 Girard St.

Firkin Fridays, featuring “Palisade Punch” on tap, 3 p.m., Steamwork Brewing, 801 E. 2nd Ave. 259-9200.

Sitting Meditation, 5:30-6:15 p.m., Durango Dharma Center, 1800 E. 3rd Ave. durangodharmacenter.org.

STEAM Lab: Lego Club, build, explore, create and problem solve, 3:30-4:30 p.m., Durango Public Library.

Spanish Speaking Parents & Littles Fridays, 3:305:30 p.m., Durango Café au Play, 1309 E. 3rd Ave., Room 201. 749-9607 or durangocafeauplay.org.

Overview of Inner Resilience and Mindful SelfCompassion, free presentation, 6-7:30 p.m., Durango Public Library. Register at MyahMindfulness@gmail.com or 946-5379.

Twin Buttes Harvest Festival, featuring music, kids activities, hayrides, treasure hunt, bike demos, food and more, 4-8 p.m. twinbuttesofdurango.com.

Meet the Author featuring Thomas Lowe Fleischner, editor of Nature, Love, Medicine: Essays on Wildness and Wellness, 6:30 p.m., Maria’s Bookshop, 960 Main Ave. www.mariasbookshop.com.

Kirk James Blues Band performs, 5 p.m., Rusty Shovel Saloon, Vallecito.

Gary Walker performs, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Jean Pierre Restaurant & Wine Bar, 601 Main Ave. Powerhouse Pub Trivia, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Powerhouse Science Center, 1333 Camino del Rio. powsci.org.

Opening art receptions for “Junkyard Steamroller,” “The Silver Thread” and “Caught in the Mirror,” 5-7 p.m., Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave. www.durangoarts.org.

Community Acoustic Music Jam, 7 p.m., Pine River Library in Bayfield.

An evening supporting Wolfwood Refuge, 5-8 p.m., Four Leaves Winery, 528 Main Ave.

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18 n Sept. 6, 2018

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Family First Friday, celebration of local sheep culture, 6 p.m., Pine River Library in Bayfield.

Friday Night Funk Jam with Bootyconda, 6-9 p.m., Moe’s Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave. San Juan Citizens Alliance Fundraising Dinner and Celebration, 6-9 p.m., Ridgewood Event Center in Hesperus. www.sanjuancitizens.org.

Friday07

Baby Meetup, 9:30-11:30 a.m., Columbine House at Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 419 San Juan Dr.

The Lawn Chair Kings perform, 5-9 p.m., The Balcony, 600 Main Ave.

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5th annual Light Up the Night Glow Run, featuring 5K Glow Run and 1K Walk, 7 p.m., Student Union Plaza at Fort Lewis College. fortlewis.edu/glow.

Raven Narratives Live Storytelling, featuring the theme “water,” doors open 7 p.m., Grand Imperial Hotel Theatre in Silverton.

“Circus in Wonderland,” presented by Durango Aerial Arts & Acrobatics, opening night 7 p.m., show also runs Sept. 8, 21-22, and 9 p.m., Sept. 8 and 22, Animas City Theatre, 128 E. College. animascitytheatre.com.

Open Mic Night, 7-11 p.m., Steaming Bean, 900 Main Ave. 403-1200.

Blue Lotus Feet Kirtan, 7:30-9:30 p.m., Yoga Durango, Florida Road.

DJ P.A., 8:30 p.m., Blondies in Cortez. 739-4944.

Saturday08 Trailwork on Boulder Gulch, hosted by Silverton SingleTrack Society, Silverton. silvertonsingletracksociety.org.

Durango Farmers Market, featuring music from Bluegrouse, 8 a.m.-noon, First National Bank parking lot, 259 W. 9th St. www.durangofarmersmarket.com.

Drop-in Tennis, all ages, 9 a.m., Durango High School courts. www.durangotennis.com.

Writing Workshop with Mesa Verde Artist-inResidence Rick Kempa, 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Mancos Public Library. 529-4642.

Whole Expo, Four Corners showcase of holistic and ecological products, services and seminars, 10 a.m. - 7 p.m., La Plata County Fairgrounds.

Henry Stoy performs, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., Jean-Pierre Café, 601 Main Ave. 570-650-5982.

VFW Indoor Flea Market, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., 1550 Main Ave. 247-0384. 4

National Drive Electric Event, hosted by 4CORE and Durango Electric Vehicle Enthusiasts, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., La Plata County Fairgrounds. 259-1916.

La Plata County Democrats Picnic in honor of the Isgar family, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Register at laplatadems.org.

17th annual Reunion for former students and faculty of the Animas City School, 1-3 p.m., Animas Museum, 3065 W. 2nd Ave. 259-2402.

Picker’s Circle, all levels, 3-5 p.m., White Rabbit Books & Curiosities, 128 W. 14th St. 259-2213.

Community Picnic with Stillwater’s Soul What Band, featuring apple pressing, lawn games, silent auction, garden share table, 4-H bake sale, potluck and more, 3-6 p.m., Animas Valley Grange, 7271 County Road 203.

Black Velvet Duo performs, 5-9 p.m., Animas River Beer Garden at the Doubletree, 501 Camino del Rio. Pete Giuliani Band performs, 5-9 p.m., Balcony Bar and Grill, 600 Main Ave. Raven Narratives Live Storytelling, featuring the theme “water,” 7 p.m., James Ranch.

Comedy Cocktail open mic stand up, 8 p.m., Eno Wine Bar, 723 E. 2nd Ave. DJ Noonz, 8 p.m.-close, Moe’s, 937 Main Ave. “Circus in Wonderland,” presented by Durango Aerial Arts & Acrobatics, 7 and 9 p.m., show also runs Sept. 21-22, Animas City Theatre, 128 E. College Drive. www.animas citytheatre.com.

Raven Narratives dives into theme of ‘water’ What: “Water,” live storytelling with The Raven Narratives Where/when: 7:30 p.m., Fri., Sept. 7, Grand Imperial Hotel, Silverton; 7 p.m., Sat., Sept. 8, James Ranch, Durango More info/tickets: www.ravennarratives.org The Raven Narratives fly back into town this weekend for a Silverton-Durango double feature. The live storytelling event, originally scheduled for June but canceled due to the 416 Fire, will cover the always timely topic of “water,” in all its forms.

The stories get off the ground at 7:30 p.m. Fri., Sept. 7, at the Grand Imperial theatre (downstairs) in Silverotn before landing at James Ranch at 7 p.m., Sat., Sept. 8.

This latest round of storytellers includes a cross section of folks from both sides of the passes. Silverton storytellers Beverly Rich, Claudia Eiserman, Kim Grant, Nico Foster and David Swanson will share their lived-in-theflesh stories of orcas, avalanches, deep diving pools, gray rainbows and more. And form the south, Durangoans Katrina Blair and Brad Tafoya we well as John Chmelir, of Mancos, Trivia Night, 7 p.m., Blondies in Cortez.

Sunday09

Classic Movie Monday, 7 p.m., Pine River Library in Bayfield.

Whole Expo, Four Corners showcase of holistic and ecological products, services and seminars, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., La Plata County Fairgrounds.

Learn to Square Dance, with Wild West Squares, 78:30 p.m., Florida Grange, 656 Hwy 172. 903-6478.

Henry Stoy performs, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., Jean-Pierre Café, 601 Main Ave. 570-650-5982.

Blue Moon Ramblers, 7 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

Monday10 Yogalates, 9 a.m., Pine River Library in Bayfield.

Play days, 10 a.m., also Wed., Pine River Library.

Tuesday11 Yoga for All, 9 a.m., Pine River Library in Bayfield.

Twin Buttes Farm Stand, 3-6:30 p.m., Tuesday and Friday, Twin Buttes Farm, Highway 160.

Drop-in Tennis, all ages welcome, 4 p.m., Fort Lewis College courts. www.durangotennis.com.

Free presentation on neck and back pain, 5:30 p.m., Mercy Sports Medicine, 327 S. Camino del Rio. Meet and Greet with Sheriff Sean Smith, who’s running for re-election for a second term as La Plata County Sheriff, 5:30-7:30 p.m., Pine River Library.

Toddler Tuesdays, 9:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 4 p.m., Durango Café au Play, 1309 E. 3rd Ave., Room 201. 7499607 or durangocafeauplay.org.

Community Uke Jam, for all ages and levels, 6 p.m., Pine River Library in Bayfield.

Zumba Gold, 9:30-10:15 a.m., Durango Senior Center, 2424 Main Ave.

Monday Music, a half hour of instruments, rhythm and singing, 10:30 a.m., Durango Café au Play, 1309 E. 3rd Ave., Room 201. 749-9607 or durangocafeauplay.org.

Storytime, 10:30-11:30 a.m., Mancos Public Library.

533-7600.

La Plata County Thrive! Living Wage Coalition Meeting & Steering Committee Meeting, 5:30 p.m., Commons Building, first floor conference room, 701 Camino del Rio.

Smiley Farmers Market, 3-6 p.m., each Tuesday, Smiley Building, 1309 E. 3rd Ave.

Beginner Tai Chi, 9:15-10:15 a.m., Durango Senior Center, 2424 Main Ave.

Watch Your Step class, 10:15-11:15 a.m., Durango Senior Center, 2424 Main Ave.

Legos & Wii, 2 p.m., Ignacio Library. 563-9287.

will divulge their true tales of hiking from Durango to Silverton, Dark Canyon transformations and Alaskan helicopter adventures.

“The stories for this round are particularly poignant and powerful and connect the two communities of Silverton and Durango to one another,” organizer Sarah Syverson said. “The women in particular are telling some badass tales from their lives.”

To find out the test of the story, show up either Friday night in Silverton or Saturday at James Ranch. Better yet, support the fire-ravaged businesses and patronize one of Silverton’s fine eateries or grab a bite at James Ranch’s Harvest Grill beforehand.

“As with everyone, the 416 Fire disrupted so many plans in June,” Silverton Theatre Mine Artistic Director Daniel Sullivan told the Silverton Standard. “But Raven Narratives co-producers Sarah, Tom and I were undeterred and committed to bringing the storytellers together in autumn.”

Tickets are $13-$15 and can be bought at the door, Maria’s Bookshop or online at ravennarrativestickets.org.

Tuesday Crafternoons, 1 p.m., Pine River Library in Bayfield.

ICL Knitters, 1-3 p.m., Ignacio Community Library. 5639287.

Baby Storytime, 2-2:30 p.m., Durango Public Library.

telegraph

Rotary Club of Durango, presentation by Rotary District Governor Chris Peterson, 6 p.m., Strater Hotel.

Knit or Crochet with Kathy Graf, 6-7 p.m., Mancos Public Library. 533-7600.

Adult Board Game Night, 6-7:30 p.m., Durango Public Library. 375-3380.

Climber Beer Night, presented by The Climbing Zine and St. Mary Salve, 6-8 p.m. Carver Brewing, 1022 Main Ave.

More “On the Town” p.204

Sept. 6, 2018 n 19

AskRachel Interesting fact: The average indoor carpet is 4,000 times dirtier than a toilet seat (non-fraternity division), with about 200,000 bacteria per square inch.

Dear Rachel, Of all the college degrees in all the world, the one that makes the least sense to me is a master’s in poetry. It is more useless than a degree in art history, or in French. Those at least have some depth. But why do people need years of highlevel study to understand 16 lines of verse? Explain poetry to me, please, before my daughter goes off to grad school this fall.

- Poet? Don’t Know It

Dear Wordsworthless, You want me to explain to you an entire discipline, the densest and sparsest and oldest literary art form in the world, in less than 100 words? This is merely a newspaper advice column; it’s hardly up to the task. If you want to understand how the world works, in less space than it takes to write a grocery list, then you, my friend need poetry. Does that help?

– Let me count the ways, Rachel

Dear Rachel, Here’s a critical question for you: Why is carpeting done the way it is, with all these layers of foam and padding and everything that you can never access to clean? It’s like wearing underwear under pants you can never take off. I ask this

OntheTown from p. 19

question because the more pertinent question, regarding a puppy’s juicy accident, will be moot (I hope) by the time this question goes to print.

– Carpet Quandary

Dear Rugged Individual, Carpet is the devil’s way of entering our hearts and homes. It seems harmless enough, right? But you can NEVER clean it. Do you know how much not-deadenough bacteria live in your carpet? Neither did I, til I looked it up (see above). And that doesn’t mention dead skin cells, pollen, and your dog’s clearinghouse. Tear it up.

Tear it all up. Even if you’re renting, tear it ALL up.

– Besides, it doesn’t even match the drapes, Rachel

Dear Rachel, I’m in a predicament. I found what seems to be the Durango dream – free rent. But nothing’s ever really free. The house is offered in exchange for caretaking it. This could be easy peasy – call the plumber every now and again, mow the lawn, ta da! Or it could be a nightmare job: mutant rodents in the walls, no foundation whatsoever, yada yada. How can I weight the value of not paying rent against possibly giving up all my spare time?

– Mr. Fix It Dear Resident Handyman, Are you feeling lucky, punk? Because you’re gambling either way here. Nothing I can say will help you look inOpen Knitting Group, 1-3 p.m., Smiley Café.

Books Discussion, featuring Homecoming by Yaa Gyasi, 2 p.m., Pine River Library in Bayfield.

Folk Jam, 6-8 p.m., Steaming Bean, 900 Main Ave. DJ Crazy Charlie hosts karaoke, 6:30-10:30 p.m., Billy Goat Saloon in Gem Village.

Open Mic Night, 7 p.m., Blondies in Cortez.

Open Mic Night, 8 p.m.-close, Moe’s, 937 Main Ave.

Wednesday12 Morning Meditation, 8 a.m., Pine River Library.

Free Kids Yoga, ages 3-7, 9-9:45 a.m., Pediatric Associates, 1199 Main Ave., Suite 205.

StoryTime, 10-11 a.m., Ignacio Library. 563-9287.

Intermediate Tai Chi, 10:30-11:30 a.m., Durango Senior Center, 2424 Main Ave. Fired Up Stories, preschool children and families join Durango Fire, 10:30-11 a.m., Durango Public Library.

Storytime, 11-11:30 a.m., White Rabbit Books & Curiosities, 128 W. 14th St. 259-2213.

Member Appreciation Luncheons, 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., LPEA’s Durango Headquarters, 45 Stewart St.

Floor Barre Class, 3-4 p.m., Absolute Physical Therapy, 277 E. 8th Ave. 764-4094.

Free Trauma Conscious Yoga for Veterans and Families, noon-1 p.m., Elks Lodge, 901 E. 2nd Ave.

20 n Sept. 6, 2018

Karaoke with Crazy Charlie, 8 p.m.-close, Wild Horse Saloon, 601 E. 2nd Ave. Geeks Who Drink Trivia, 8:30 p.m., BREW Pub & Kitchen, 117 W. College Dr. 259-5959.

Ongoing

Tween Time: Tabletop Games, drop in activities for tweens and teens, 4-5 p.m., Durango Public Library.

“Studio Art & Communication Design Faculty Biennial,” thru Sept. 27, Art & Design Gallery, FLC.

Trails 2000 Trailwork Party, 4-7 p.m., Three Springs Trails. www.trails2000.org.

“Living with Wolves,” “Lummi Nation Bear Totem Pole” and “Riders of the West,” exhibits, thru Nov. 30, Southern Ute Museum.

Animas City Farmer’s Market & Night Bazaar, 5-7 p.m., 2977 Main Ave. Zia Town Series Ewing Mesa XC, hosted by Durango Devo, B Race 5:30 p.m., A Race 6 p.m.

Thank the Veterans potluck, Peter Neds and Glenn Keefe perform, 5:30-8:30 p.m., VFW, 1550 Main Ave. Durango Diaries: Local Authors, with Chuck Greaves, Scott Graham and Anna C. Swain, 6 p.m., Durango Library.

Pottery Handbuilding Basics, four-part course, 6 p.m., Pine River Library in Bayfield. Register at 884-2222.

Heartbeat Durango, support group for individuals affected by suicide, 6-8 p.m., La Plata County Fairgrounds, look for the Heartbeat sign. 749-1673.

Bluegrass Jam, 6-9 p.m., Steaming Bean, 900 Main Ave.

Pine River Valley Centennial Rotary Club, noon, Tequila’s in Bayfield.

Email Rachel at telegraph@durangotelegraph.com side those walls to see what you’re up against. Nothing I can do will determine your future house hassles, except that every house is a hassle. But you can ask one big question of the homeowners that will set you on the right course. If Montezuma ever took his revenge on a dog on the premises, hard pass. Nothing is worth that headache.

– Know when to fold ’em, Rachel

Yoga en Español, 7:30-8:30 p.m., YogaDurango, 1140 Main Ave. Karaoke, 8 p.m., Blondies in Cortez.

telegraph

Live music, nightly, Diamond Belle and Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave. Karaoke, 8 p.m., Thur-Sun, 8th Ave. Tavern, 509 E 8th.

Upcoming

“What’s Next?” 416 Fire Open House, featuring local experts and officials, Sept. 13, 5 - 8:30 p.m., La Plata County Fairgrounds.

Autumn Arts Festival, hosted by the Durango Arts Center, Sept. 15-16, E. 2nd Ave. durangoarts.org.

Deadline for “On the Town” submissions is Monday at noon.

To submit an item email: calendar@durango telegraph.com

FreeWillAstrology

by Rob Brezsny ARIES (March 21-April 19): Now is an excellent time to feel and explore and understand and even appreciate your sadness. To get you in the mood, here’s a list of sadnesses from novelist Jonathan Safran Foer: sadness of the could-have-been; sadness of being misunderstood; sadness of having too many options; sadness of being smart; sadness of awkward conversations; sadness of feeling the need to create beautiful things; sadness of going unnoticed; sadness of domesticated birds; sadness of arousal being an unordinary physical state; sadness of wanting sadness.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Do you have any feral qualities lurking deep down inside you?

Have you ever felt a mad yearning to communicate using howls and yips instead of words?

When you’re alone, do you sometimes dispense with your utensils and scoop the food off your plate with your fingers?

Have you dreamed of running through a damp meadow under the full moon for the sheer ecstasy of it? Do you on occasion experience such strong erotic urges that you feel like you could weave your body and soul together with the color green or the sound of a rain-soaked river or the moon rising over the hills? I ask these questions, Taurus, because now is an excellent time to draw on the instinctual wisdom of your feral qualities.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): “Close some doors today,” writes novelist Paulo Coelho.

“Not because of pride, incapacity or arrogance, but simply because they lead you nowhere.” I endorse his advice for your use, Gemini. In my astrological opinion, you’ll be wise to practice the rough but fine art of saying NO. It’s time for you to make crisp decisions about where you belong and where you don’t; about where your future fulfillment is likely to thrive and where it won’t; about which relationships deserve your sage intimacy and which tend to push you in the direction of mediocrity.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): To casual observers you may seem to be an amorphous hodgepodge, or a simmering mess of semi-interesting confusion or an amiable dabbler headed in too many directions at once. But in my opinion, casual observers would be wrong in that assessment. What’s closer to the symbolic truth about you is an image described by poet Carolyn Forché: grapes that are ripening in the fog. Here’s another image that resonates with your current state: sea turtle eggs gestating beneath the sand on a misty ocean beach. One further metaphor for you: the bright yellow flowers of the evening primrose plant, which only bloom at night.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): I want to make sure that the groove you’re in doesn’t devolve into a rut. So I’ll ask you unexpected questions to spur your imagination in unpredictable directions. Ready? 1. How would you describe the untapped riches in the shadowy part of your personality? 2. Is there a rare object you’d like to own because it would foster your feeling that the world has magic and miracles? 3. Imagine the perfect party you’d love to attend and how it might change your life for the better. 4. What bird most reminds you of yourself? 5. What’s your most evocative and inspiring taboo daydream? 6. In your past, were there ever experiences that made you cry for joy in ways that felt almost orgasmic? How might you attract or induce a catharsis like that sometime soon?

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): By volume, the Amazon is the largest river in the world. But where does it originate? Scientists have squabbled about that issue for over 300 years. Everyone agrees the source is in southwestern Peru.

But is it the Apurímac River? The Marañón? The Mantaro? There are good arguments in favor of each. Let’s use this question as a poetic subtext as we wonder and meditate about the origin of your life force, Virgo. As is the case for the Amazon, your source has long been mysterious. But I suspect that’s going to change during the next 14 months. And the clarification process begins soon.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): When Warsan Shire was a child, she immigrated to the UK with her Somalian parents. Now she’s a renowned poet who writes vividly about refugees, immigrants and other marginalized people. To provide support and inspiration for the part of you that feels like an exile or fugitive or displaced person, and in accordance with current astrological omens, I offer you two quotes by Shire. 1.

“I belong deeply to myself.” 2. “Document the moments you feel most in love with yourself – what you’re wearing, who you’re around, what you’re doing. Recreate and repeat.”

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): “Once in a while came a moment when everything seemed to have something to say to you.” So says a character in Alice Munro’s short story Jakarta.

Now I’m using that message as the key theme of your horoscope. Why? Because you’re at the peak of your ability to be reached, to be touched, to be communicated with. You’re willing to be keenly receptive. You’re strong enough to be deeply influenced. Is it because you’re so firmly anchored in your understanding and acceptance of who you are?

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22Dec. 21): In 1928, novelist Virginia Woolf wrote a letter to her friend Saxon Sidney Turner. “I am reading six books at once, the only way of reading,” she confided, “since one book is only a single unaccompanied note, and to get the full sound, one needs 10 others at the same time.” My usual inclination is to counsel you Sagittarians to focus on one or two important matters rather than on a multitude of semi-important matters. But in accordance with current astrological omens, I’m departing from tradition to suggest you adopt Woolf’s approach to books as your approach to everything.

Your life in the coming weeks should be less like an acoustic ballad and more like a symphony for 35 instruments.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Not many goats can climb trees, but there are daredevils in Morocco that do.

They go in quest of the delicious olive-like berries that grow on argan trees. The branches on which they perch may be 30 feet off the ground. I’m naming them as your power creature for the coming weeks. I think you’re ready to ascend higher in search of goodies. You have the soulful agility necessary to transcend your previous level of accomplishment.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): From 49-45 BC, civil war wracked the Roman Republic.

Julius Caesar led forces representing the common people against armies fighting for the aristocracy’s interests. In 45 BC, Caesar brought a contingent of soldiers to Roman territory in North Africa, intent on launching a campaign against the enemy. As the general disembarked from his ship, he accidentally slipped and fell. Thinking fast, he exclaimed, “Africa, I have tight told of you!” and clasped the ground, thus implying he had lowered himself on purpose in a ritual gesture of conquest. In this way, he converted an apparent bad omen into a positive one. And indeed, he won the ensuing battle, which was the turning point that led to ultimate victory and the war’s end. That’s good role modeling for you right now.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Below are sweet words I’ve borrowed from poets I love. I invite you to use them to communicate with anyone who is primed to become more lyrically intimate with you. The time is right for you to reach out! 1. “You look like a sea of gems.” – Qahar Aasi 2. “I love you with what in me is unfinished.” – Robert Bly 3.

“Yours is the light by which my spirit’s born.” – E. E. Cummings 4. “Tell me the most exquisite truths you know.” – Barry Hannah 5. “It’s very rare to know you, very strange and wonderful.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald 6. “When you smile like that you are as beautiful as all my secrets.” – Anne Carson.

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Sept. 6, 2018 n 21

classifieds

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

(Sorry, no refunds or substitutions.)

Ads can be submitted via: n classifieds@durango telegraph.com n 970-259-0133 n 777 Main Ave., #214 Approximate office hours: Mon., 9ish - 5ish Tues., 9ish - 5ish Wed., 9ish - 3ish Thurs., On delivery Fri., 10:30ish - 2ish please call ahead: 259-0133.

greeting walk-in clients, and processing payrolls. Candidate must have intrinsic customer service skills, be conscientious, and ready to learn! We offer a competitive wage, full benefit package, wellness program, outstanding company culture, and more! If you are interested in this amazing career opportunity, please email resume and cover letter to: tanyac@payrolldept.biz

Announcements

Classes/Workshops

The Perfect Gift for your favorite dirtbag. Literature from Durango’s own Benighted Publications. 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.

Healing Through Yoga 8 wk class for trauma survivors; starts 9/25; every Tues 7-8:45pm $35 per sess; sliding scale avail, pre-register. req. see www.thrivingtherapyyoga.com or call 970-946-1383

Pets Love Your Dog! At the Durango Dog Wash behind Liquor World in the Albertson’s parking lot. Open every day!

Wanted Turn Vehicles, Copper, Alum, Etc. Into Cash! at RJ Metal Recycle, also free appliance and other metal drop off. 970-259-3494.

HelpWanted Visiting Angels of SW Colo Is now hiring compassionate caregivers to do non-medical in home care in the Durango, CO area. We are the #1 agency in the nation, we encourage and build leaders, and we take pride in caring for the elderly. If you have a heart for this kind of work, we want you! We offer incentives, bonus program, flex schedules, paid training and much more! Call us today to become an Angel Caregiver.

LOVE....its what we do! Call 970-2645991 or go to visitingangels.com/south westcolorado to apply.

8 Week Mindful Self-Compassion 8 Tuesdays starting Sept. 11 5:30 - 8pm Smiley Building, #205 sliding scale fee: $250-450 payment plan available. Contact Myoung Lee, Certified Mindfulness & MSC Teacher: MyahMindfulness@gmail.com or 970-946-5379 Love Your Job! MountainHeart Massage School, Crested Butte! 11/27/18. 800-673-0539 www.mountainheart.org Intro to Meditation Class Five-week introductory meditation class on Wednesdays starting Sept. 19 at Durango Dharma Center. 1800 E. 3rd Ave. 6-7:30 pm. $20, durangodharmacen ter.org Yoga Classes Starting September 10 For students of all levels with Kathy Curran. New class offering: Yoga for Bone Health. Drop-ins welcome. Smiley Building, Room #32 259-4794. www.4corner syoga.com Mommy and Me Dance Class Come join the fun! Now registering for classes. Call 970-749-6456. mommyandmedance.com.

Services Payroll Distribution Specialist Responsible for the distribution of payrolls along with answering phones,

22 n Sept. 6, 2018

Pet/House Sitting Exp, very reasonable, exc references, all animals. Lisa 970-903-5396.

telegraph

Low Price on Storage!

Inside/outside near Durango, RJ Mini Storage. 970-259-3494. $60 for 60 Minute Massages!

Book a sixty minute massage with Sarah for Fridays during the rest of summer and only pay $60! Offer ends at the beginning of fall. Call Hair Fusion to book your appointment today! 970- 2590188.

Piano Lessons w/fun, expert teacher. Any level or age.

Lawrence Nass 769-0889.

Harmony Organizing and Cleaning Services Home and office 970-403-6192.

RealEstate Radon Services Free radon testing and consultation.

Call Colorado Radon Abatement and Detection for details. 970- 946-1618.

Garage/YardSale Multi-Family Garage Sale in Breen Lots of household items, furniture, utility trailer, treadmill, depression glass, car parts, misc. Sat/Sun 9/8-9/9, 7am-3pm 13557 CR 120 Hesperus.

ForSale

Spray Tans! Organic and Beautiful!

Meg Bush, LMT 970-759-0199.

Advanced Duct Cleaning Air duct cleaning specializing in dryer vents. Improves indoor air quality; reduces dust and allergens, energy bills and fire risk. 970-247-2462 www.advanced ductcleaninginc.com

BodyWork Myofascial Massage Therapy w/ Mel I look forward to helping you with your next great bodywork experience.

Downtown location. 970/238-0422 Insight Cranial Sacral Therapy Quiet, relaxing, deep. Don 970-7698389.

Back to School Massages!

Meg Bush, LMT 970-759-0199. massageintervention.life 25 years experience. Couples, sauna, cupping. Reviews on FB + Yelp. 970-9032984.

Massage with Kathryn 20+ years experience offering a fusion of esalen style, deep tissue massage with therapeutic stretching & Acutonics. New clients receive $5 off first session. To schedule appt. call 970-201-3373.

1981 Honda Cub Motorscooter Sweet vintage ride, fully refurbished by local mechanic. Only about 6,000 miles, 70 cc, manual, new tires and battery. It runs – just not currently. Needs small-engine jedi to get her up and on the road again. $1,300 OBO. 970-749-2595.

Colorado Paddle Boards Check out the Big Kahuna board at Durango Outdoor Exchange. Good for expeditions, multi-person cruising, whitewater, partying, yoga, and anything else you can think of on a very stable paddle board. Still fits in our custom backpack! Jules approved....

IPE Wood 10 yr old IPE wood decking; weathered; can repurpose for deck, doors, furniture; 452 linear ft or 225 sq ft of 1 x 6s, w/screw holes, 4 ft ~ 18 ft lengths. $600.

Must pick up. 970.317.8266 2013 Nissan Leaf All-electric, 29,000 miles. Durango 970-903-4755.

Hot Tub – New 6HP pump, 50 jets. Cost $8,000. Sell $3,650. 505-270-3104.

Reruns Home Furnishings Back-to-school – nice variety of furniture, lamps and rugs. 1950s table and chairs, dishes; kitchen items; bedding; tapestries and more! Unique treasures arriving daily. 572 E. 6th Ave. 385-7336.

ForRent Massage Space Available Oct 1 ground floor, free parking, internet treatment room + shared bathroom and waiting room no lease required utilities included $375 per month call 970-553-9297

CommercialForRent Very Cute Office to Share!

Affordable office at 19th and Main.

Email joy at drjoynd@gmail.com.

CommunityService Grant Funding Available The Durango Area Association of Realtors is accepting grant-funding requests from local nonprofit organizations. Qualifying organizations must be in La Plata or San Juan counties. Preference will be given

to housing and family support organizations. Deadline for submission is Sept. 30.

To fill out an application, visit www.surveymonkey.com/r/FLPGWXX. For more info, contact Audrie McGonigal at audrie@du rangorealtor.com.

Volunteers Needed for Durango Autumn Arts Festival As the Durango Arts Center’s most significant fund- and “friend-raising” event, the annual Durango Autumn Arts Festival benefits from the skills, generosity and enthusiasm of over 100 volunteers each year. The festival features over 90 incredible artists and craftspeople from our region and across the country, local food vendors, and live music all weekend on two stages. For more info contact Volunteer Coordinator Doug Gonzalez at 970-259-2606, ext. 13; or sign up at signup.com/client/invita tion2/secure/2390154/false#/invitation.

Opportunity for Local Students to Study Abroad Qualified high school students can spend an academic year, semester or summer holiday in Europe, Asia, North or South America, Australia or South Africa as part of the ASSE International Student Exchange Program. Students, 15-18, qualify with academic performance, character references; and do not need to know the language. Families abroad are carefully screened. ASSE also provides opportunities for families to host students – who are screened and selected students 15-18 years old – from Spain, Mexico, Germany, Great

Climb aboard.

Britain, France, Brazil, Thailand, Japan, and more. For more info about becoming a student or host family call 800-733-2773, visit asse.com, host.asse.com or email asseusawest@asse.com.

Stephen Ministry Program Open to Help People in Our Community The First United Methodist Church of Durango has an active Stephen Ministry program which offers one-to-one care for individuals experiencing a crisis like losing a job, losing a loved one, divorce or terminal illness. Stephen Ministers are available to all members of our community. Please note: Stephen Ministry is not mental health counseling. Please call 970-259-9293.

Free ADA Accessible Transportation to Durango Food Bank and Commodities for People with Disabilities, Seniors and Veterans – Southwest Rides, a program of Southwest Center for Independence, is pleased to provide free round-trip transportation from your home to the Durango food bank every Thursday and to Com-

modities distribution the third Monday of every month. Rides are available throughout La Plata County. This service is offered on a first-come-first-served basis and seating is limited. For more info contact Angel at 970-946-0232.

Volunteer-Powered Program Offers Hope SASO seeks compassionate, caring people to become advocates on our 24-hour crisis hotline. Provide sexual assault survivors with support and resources to promote healing. Call Laura, 259-3074 for information about our free upcoming training!

HaikuMovieReview ‘Annihilation’ Extravagantly insipid existential manifestation – Lainie Maxson

Get in the Guide!

Durango Telegraph Dining Guide listings include a 50-word description of your establishment and your logo for the screaming deal of just $20/week.

For info, email: lainie@durangotelegraph.com

Drinking&DiningGuide Himalayan Kitchen 992 Main Ave., 970-259-0956 www.himkitchen.com Bringing you a taste of Nepal, Tibet & India. Try our all-you-can-eat lunch buffet. The dinner menu offers a variety of tempting choices, including yak, lamb, chicken, beef & seafood; extensive veggies; freshly baked bread. Full bar. Get your lunch punch card – 10th lunch free.

Hours: Lunch, 11am-2:30 pm & dinner, Sun. - Thurs., 5-9:30 p.m., Fri. & Sat. ‘til 10 p.m. Closed 2:30 to 5 daily $$ Crossroads Coffee 1099 Main Ave., 970-903-9051 Crossroads coffee proudly serves locally roasted Fahrenheit coffee and delicious baked goods. Menu includes gluten-free items along with bullet-proof coffee, or bullet-proof chai! Come in for friendly service and the perfect buzz!

Hours: Mon.- Fri., 7 a.m. – 4 p.m. $

Issue 4 is out!

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

To find out about advertising opportunities, email steve@gulchmag.com

BREW Pub & Kitchen 117 W. College Drive, 970-259-5959 www.brewpubkitchen.com Experience Durango’s award-winning brewery & restaurant featuring unique, hand-crafted beers, delicious food - made from scratch, and wonderful wines & cocktails. Happy Hour, Mon.- Fri. 3-6 pm & all day Sunday with $2 off beer, $1 off wines & wells & 25% off appetizers. Watch the sunset behind Smelter Mountain.

Hours: Sun.-Thurs.11 a.m. - 9p.m., & Fri. & Sat.11 a.m. to 10 p.m. $$

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