The Durango Telegraph, Dec. 8, 2022

ORIGINAL

elegraph

the durango

The fight continues Area monuments in the thick of legal battles

Snow what? Snowtography latest tool to help monitor snowpack

The in-between Local artist draws inspiration from life on the Dryside

Monumental fight

Bears Ears, Grand Staircase-Escalante in the thick of legal battles by Jonathan Thompson

Artistic oasis

Local designer finds inspiration from the dryside of the county by Stephen Sellers

EDITORIALISTA:

On the cover Grove of oaks on the Spur Line Trail near Three Springs./ Photo by Missy Votel

E. 2nd Ave., Ste E2 Durango, CO 81301

Ear to the ground:

“I had a dream last night where I was flirting with Boebert. Does that make me a Nazi?”

– The mysteries of the subconscious mind are truly perplexing

Significant shrinkage

No, you’re not imagining things. This week’s Telegraph is a few inches shorter than normal. But we swear it has nothing to do with shrinkflation or a desperate attempt to cut corners.

Rather, it has to do with the never-ending saga of print media in a digital age. See, while yours truly is healthy as a horse, or at least scrappy as a raccoon, it’s no secret that print newspapers have been struggling in recent

tributed in the finest and most dis cerning locations throughout the greater Durango area.

years. And the big dogs of the print world are no different. Gannett, which owns the Farm ington Daily Times where we have been printed for the last several years, has decided to shut down its printing press in Farmington amid declining …uh, well we don’t really know be cause no one told us.

But enough of the economics lesson – back to the shrinkage (we prefer “petite”). With the Farmington press closed, that leaves our print ing options few and far between. So, starting this week, the Telegraph, along with a handful of other regional papers, is being printed in the Arizona Republic’s press in Phoenix (also part of the Gannett chain). And a kind group of newspaper angels has offered to drive it up here every week for us. I guess you could say it’s kind of like a Christmas miracle.

We know, some are not going to like this new, more compact Tele, but we think it will just take some getting used to. Think of the upsides, like fewer murdered trees, and better aerodynamics and symmetry. Plus, with the move to the new press, we expect the quality to be much improved over the Farmington press, which we’re pretty sure belonged to Guttenberg himself. And for those who just steal the paper to burn – first, shame on you! – we expect our high-bright stock to burn even better.

So sit back and enjoy the new streamlined Tele, which is still jam-packed with all the same content you deserve and expect, just in a smaller package. And we all know size does n’t matter anyway.

Burn down Nothingtown

It was a crisp late autumn afternoon. No one else was driving on the lonesome southern Utah highway lined by the last golden cottonwood leaves clinging on to their branches. In canyon country, the first freeze signals a mass exodus of tourists, when it is deemed too cold to explore the sexy slot canyons. Second homeowners flock south, seasonal workers roam elsewhere, and locals tend to hibernate.

The abrupt seasonal shift felt heavy. Aaron leaned his cheek against the window and stared out. We met serendipitously during the summer, when monsoon storms and the pulse of traffic – a few cars passing through town at a time – electrified the desert. Within an hour of meeting, we were off on a walk, and I sup pose we never stopped. Our summertime hikes in the desert shifted into autumnal waltzes through blankets of golden aspens. After the first snow, local businesses prepared to shutter. People began to flee town. But neither of us had a plan for the winter – no reason to stay, but also no reason to leave.

To quell the gnawing uncertainty, we were heading up onto the mountain to cut firewood for some lively Sunday afternoon entertainment. With temperatures plummeting, we would need wood to stay warm, whether for two more weeks or three months. “Town is dead,” Aaron lamented in the passenger seat. “Noth ing’s goin’ round here in winter, you’ll see.”

Suddenly, as if in divine orchestration, a flaming red orb burned down from the sky, flew in front of the windshield and then vaporized before hitting the ground. Nothing indeed.

Aaron and I looked at each other in wide-eyed con firmation. No words were exchanged. What is there to say about a near miss with a burst of space fire?

In the rearview mirror, no smoke emanated from the sagebrush to signal where the phantom object may have landed. Without cell serv ice, there was no way to call the event in. Who would we call? The only sensible thing to do was pull over and walk deep into the woods. The direction, irrelevant.

For several hours we walked through the forest in small circles, looking for our desired trees. Aaron pulled out a chainsaw to cut down the first cedar, better known as a Rocky Mountain juniper or Juniperus Scopulorum to folks outside this part of Utah. I remained powerless to retract my gaze from the sky until he made the first cut, opening the bleeding magenta heart of the tree. At the center of the trunk was a red burst of past life, not unlike the unidentified pyrotechnics dropped from space over the highway.

Thumbin’It

The Southern Ute Indian Tribe re ceiving $44 million to connect 1,800 households to high-speed broadband internet, helping close the digital gap in a rural part of La Plata County.

Colorado expanding a program to give electric bicycles to low- and moderate-income residents.

The state of Georgia sparing us from electing Herschel Walker to the U.S. Senate. Still, more than 1.7 million people voted for a man who... let’s say... is completely effin’ nuts.

Without knowing the meaning of these events, the experience heightened my senses that day. I lifted a round of rose-colored wood to my nose and inhaled its spiced woody fragrance. The pink cliffs of the 50 million year old Claron Forma tion towering above whispered the slow pace of deep time – the instant replay of the fireball in my mind staccatoed just how immediate nature can enforce change.

I inhaled the thin air and kissed the ground underfoot with my wiggling toes, understanding in a different light, what a miracle this all is.

***

Of course, although this experience ignited much existential pondering, my curiosity itched to know what the hell happened out there. At home, I pushed a split log of the cedar into the wood stove and watched the reddened center smolder slowly in the flames. I pulled out my laptop and began to Google, “Fireball in southern Utah on November…” and shut my laptop before I could press enter. A quick text mes sage sent to my friend Natalie, an astrophysicist, re sulted in a reply almost as rapid as the sky pyrotechnics. She declared it likely to be a piece of de bris from the path of the Taurid meteor shower. NASA reported more fireballs than usual during this year’s rendition of the annual event. The space fireworks are actually flaming pieces of debris from the Comet Encke that hits the earth’s atmosphere at 65,000 miles per hour before burning up.

Natalie completed her response with, “Cool! Thank goodness you weren’t any closer.”

***

The temperatures continued to plummet in the high desert from that day onward. As people left town, one by one, Aaron and I burned more fireball wood to warm a little trailer. But it didn’t feel the same to be inside after that. This was supposed to be the winter I finally holed up in a room of my own, after having found myself living out in the snowy canyons for the last five years. I’ve rationalized the reasons I’ve done this and said it’s the last winter like this every winter. But the truth is, I quite like the desert at its coldest. When the thinaired silence slices through the finicky worries of our mind, and the simple task of tending a fire, warming muscles with long walks and hibernating overtakes the pretend bustle of modern living. Nothing is happening in here, in town, or in any where – it’s all out here. The sky proved it to me.

We packed up the truck, loaded up the back with a hearty pile of the magical purple-heart cedar, and headed out to walk among the lizards and the coyotes.

– Morgan Sjogren

SignoftheDownfall:

Methitation

The U.S. Men’s Team getting knocked out of the World Cup. Alright, think we’ve had enough, see you again in four years, soccer!

What appears to be another use of humans as political props after 100 migrants showed up overnight in Denver.

Putin calling nuclear weapons a tool of “deterrence” in Ukraine. I guess that’s one way to talk about a weapon that could wipe out the one and only planet we have?

Stop me if you’ve heard this one: three monks and an abbot walked into a temple in Phetchabun, Thai land, and then all four were fired for doing meth, thereby leaving the temple vacant.

Thailand’s government has been cracking down on the drug lately following a mass shooting carried out by an ex-cop who was high on meth. The four Buddhists were the latest arrests. And now, local villagers can’t do “merit making,” which is worshiping via donations to the monks, because the monks they had were defrocked up.

QSaori

SoapBox D-Tooned/

Be outraged

Three of our wolf pups that crossed the border of northern Colorado into Wyoming were killed by Wyoming hunters. Is this what should happen to an animal that was endangered, and also known to be a keystone species in improving the health of an ecosystem? Aren’t you outraged?

How can we reintroduce wolves in Colorado if this happens in Wyoming, as well as Montana and Idaho? Also, people are using horrid methods to kill wolves, which are allowed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (although a judge in Montana outlawed snaring). In Idaho, any wolf can be shot on sight. If this is to be the fate of Colorado wolves, I would ask that we vote again on wolf reintroduction. I am an ecologist and voted for wolf reintroduction, but now that I see the fate of wolves I do not want any introduction.

Use social media to protest. Take ac tion and donate to Western Environ mental Law Center, Defenders of Wildlife and/or the Endangered Species Coalition. Also, contact U.S Secretary of the Interior Deb Halaand, the U.S. Fish

and Wildlife Service and President Joe Biden to stop the slaughter. Contact Wyoming, Idaho and Montana’s fish and game departments. Write editorials in newspapers in these states, including statements that you and others will not visit these states until they stop the slaughter. Tell Colorado Parks and Wild life not to go ahead with their plan to kill any wolf that kills livestock. Instead, ranches should have dogs bred to deter wolves, as they do in France.

– Margaret Mayer, Durango

Dropped the ball

On Oct. 9, the City of Durango inad vertently posted on its Facebook page “Happy Columbus Day” instead of Happy Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Within an hour it was taken down and re placed. An informal apology was issued. Shortly thereafter, the Community Relations Commission (CRC) requested that the City Council issue a formal apology over this incident. The City Council refused to do so. What a missed opportunity to build understanding and trust between the City Council and the CRC. Even if the City Council did not

by Rob Pudim

really want to apologize formally, what could it have hurt to do it anyway?

Instead, I was left with the impres sion that the City Council didn’t care, refused to accept responsibility and/or just wished to ignore the incident. Really? Again, this was an opportunity for the City Council to demonstrate thoughtful leadership, as well as sensi tivity, to the multicultural environment in which we live. Had they put a little more thought into the situation, taken a moment or two to “walk in another’s shoes,” they might have better under stood the value of a formal apology. In stead, the CRC was told no apology would be issued, so four of the five CRC members resigned.

What does this say about the City of Durango and its cultural and com munity awareness? It is quite sad. We need you, City Council, and we need the Community Relations Commission as well. How are you going to go about repairing this situation?

– Lissa Paak, Durango

Trump, the dictator

After spouting out more than 30,000 publicly documented lies, Don ald Trump has finally told the truth to

the American people.

By advocating the “setting aside of the United States Constitution,” Trump is saying, truthfully and unarguably, that he wants to become a dictator.

It is as simple and as disturbing as that. “Setting aside” constitutional gov ernment in favor of dictatorial rule is what defines dictatorship.

The 75 million people who voted for Trump in 2020 owe the rest of us a deep, heartfelt apology. And some who voted for him should also apologize for supporting Trump’s Big Lie: that he was cheated out of a 2020 election vic tory. That lie has been defeated in the courts, as well as in all public arenas. That lie fizzles out when held up to the lamp of truth.

That is Trump’s most damaging lie. It has called, untruthfully, into question the cornerstone of our government: free, fair and honest elections. That lie besmirches the honesty of the brave, dedicated elec tion officials and volunteers at every level and at every step of the campaign and election process. Many of those people risked their lives to participate.

Such a lie is like a cancer that eats at the heart of the Constitution and at our governing principles.

Much later than it should have hap

pened, most of the rank and file of the Republican Party have now come out strongly against Trump’s outlandish request to “set aside the Constitution.” Far too late; but, welcomed never-theless.

In my opinion, Trump is what mental health experts informally (back in the old days) used to call a Freudian Delight. He displays a real “bouquet” of pathological symptoms, cutting across and encompassing a number of pathological classifications. Many highly respected psychopathologists have publicly ascribed pathology labels to Trump.

Trump is far, far more dangerous, as the number and range of former and still current adherents attests, and because he is also shrewd and resourceful, as socio paths and psychopaths commonly are.

By advocating the dictatorial step of setting aside the Constitution, Trump should at last have disqualified himself from standing for election to any office at any level.

The Republican Party, its formal offi cials and every Republican office holder and office seeker should declare that im mediately.

– Hal Mansfield, Green Valley, Ariz.

There is a way

A few months ago, I was purposely smashed into while driving my car. The car was totaled, and I started using the buses here extensively. For the most part, the buses are good and usually ar rive on time.

The only problem is the lack of driver authority to kick off some of the more odious folks who use the bus regularly. Sometimes it’s just obnoxious smell ing. This can be fixed, as programs all over the country have shown, by mak ing soap and showers readily available to people.

We could have a warming center if the City Council would just get the hell out of the way. The Durango Catholic Worker, of which I am part, would happily make showers, food and beds available, but we need funding, and a lot of it. Mental health can be nonvio lently treated, and it’s time to help Dis trict Attorney Christian Champagne back onto the golf course.

I’ll gladly run for office as a Democrat and help institute nonviolent treat ments, and get enough showers and food sources to help people get to work, into some kind of housing and find sup ported care in the community.

– Christa Turnell, Durango

The battle continues...

Bears Ears, Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments in the thick of it

by Jonathan Thompson

THE NEWS: The Hopi Tribe, Navajo Nation, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe and Pueblo of Zuni – along with several con servation groups – moved to intervene in two lawsuits seeking to re move protections from Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national mon uments in southern Utah. Mining and ranching interests, a motorized recrea tion advocacy group, two counties and the state of Utah filed the suits against the Biden administration in August. The

tribal nations are seeking to defend Biden’s restoration of the national mon uments’ original boundaries, which had been drastically diminished during the Trump-era.

THE CONTEXT: Sometimes it seems like Utah’s political leaders just don’t get it. I mean, the state’s greatest assets (in more ways than one) are the cultural and natural landscapes found in Can yon Country – the homeland of several tribal nations.

Most of those lands are designated public lands (which is to say, they were

stolen from Indigenous peoples, put into the public domain and were not homesteaded or “claimed” by settlers or miners, leaving them under federal management). And over the years, var ious presidents have added layers of pro tection to portions of that land by wielding the 1906 Antiquities Act to designate national monuments, includ ing: Arches (1929); Zion (1909); Capitol Reef (1937); Hovenweep (1923); Can yonlands (1964); Bears Ears (2016); and Grand Staircase-Escalante (1996). Many of

through acts of Congress.

Now, thanks in large part to aggres sive marketing by the state of Utah, these national parks and monuments, along with the public lands surrounding them, draw millions of visitors each year and fuel the economies of many a southeastern Utah community.

So it just seems bizarre that the state and some of those same communities would try not only to remove national monument protections from those land scapes, but also to eviscerate the Antiq uities Act altogether, simply because

these later became national parks

Bears Ears National Monument, pictured here, along with Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, have been the focal point of fierce public land battles in recent years./ Photo by Jonathan Thompson

they feel like the monuments are too large. They even rely on that worn-out, coastal trope of comparing the monuments’ sizes to East Coast states. As though that means anything. Really, Utah?

And what happens when you protect that much public land? According to the lawsuit:

“While they may come from diverse backgrounds, every plaintiff faces the common prospect of President Biden’s pro clamations destroying their livelihoods and upending their lives. The Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears Monu ments have hurt local business, hollowed small towns, and separated Utahns from their family histories and religious traditions.”

OK, that is sad. But it’s also false. The plaintiffs’ dec larations are filled with tales of woe about how worried they are about the potential impacts the national monuments may have on ranching or off-road-vehicle access or, well, religious traditions, whatever that means. Some say they have experienced them, but there are virtually no facts to back them up.

One motorized recreation advocate, for example, declared in regards to Bears Ears:

“Roads and trails are being closed, denying access. Favor ite camping spots are being closed. Grazing permits are in jeopardy. Access to Elk Ridge, one of the community’s favor ite destinations, seems likely to be closed or diminished.”

Actually, none of this has happened – the monu ment’s management plan is still being formulated. Camp sites have not been closed as a result of the na tional monument designation. The monument procla mation grandfathers in existing grazing leases and leaves open the possibility of new ones, so no jeopardy

there. And there is simply no basis for the absurd notion that monument managers would shut off access to Elk Ridge.

Another plaintiff claims that Grand Staircase-Esca lante National Monument has destroyed local com munities by making ranching untenable. But the fact is, the monument has had very little effect on grazing, aside from steering it away from a few sensitive riparian areas. And, the populations of Kane and Garfield counties have grown steadily and substantially over the past three decades, for better or worse. Yes, there are costs to transitioning from extractive and agricultural economies to amenity, tourism and recreation-based economies. But to blame the transition on (or credit it to) the monument designations just doesn’t work.

Furthermore, Bears Ears’ boundaries, especially, were drawn in such a way as to leave out the most vi able oil and gas and uranium mining areas. Harts Point was left out, for example, as was Wingate Mesa south of White Canyon. And there are still millions of acres of federally managed land in southeastern Utah that don’t have special protections and where just about anyone can stake a 20-acre mining claim for a couple hundred bucks.

The tribal nations, by contrast, argue that the na tional monuments should be retained, writing in their motion to intervene:

“For thousands of years, the tribal nations living in the southwest, including intervening Tribes, have cherished the Bears Ears National Monument region and held it as a sacred place. To this day, the Tribes use the region for many purposes: collecting plants, minerals, and waters for religious

and medicinal purposes; hunting, fishing, and gathering; conducting ceremonies; and making offerings at archaeologi cal sites. Indeed, some ceremonies use items that can only be harvested from Bears Ears. Bears Ears has long been and re mains a home to the Tribes. Because of this importance, in 2015, the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition was formed, which includes the Tribes here. The Coalition advocated for the Bears Ears region and the thousands of objects of unique historical, cultural, spiritual, and scientific importance therein to become a National Monument.”

The national monument has to be the size of some East Coast state and should be even larger, to adequately protect the “antiquities” contained therein. They are not discreet sites placed upon the landscape, but cultural threads of community woven into the landscape. If you tried to simply draw a line around each cultural site individually, as the plain tiffs seem to suggest, the end result would be the same, since there are literally hundreds of thousands of such sites, which include villages, granaries, kilns, fields, shrines, roads and plazas. So instead of just one monument covering a million acres, you’d have a million monuments covering a million acres (all theoretical, of course).

The case is likely to drag on for months or even years. In the meantime, the Tribal Coalition and fed eral land managers will continue working on the man agement plans.

The Land Desk is a newsletter from Jonathan P. Thomp son, longtime journalist and author of River of Lost Souls, Behind the Slickrock Curtain and the newly released Sage brush Empire. To subscribe, go to: www.landdesk.org

Upping their game

Water managers turn to snowtography to better understand snowpack

by Jonathan Romeo

Amid the worst drought in more than a thousand years, the need to understand how the West’s forests and snowpack interact has become one of the most pressing issues for water man agers in a world with less water.

That’s why some researchers and water managers are excited about the prospects of a new monitoring tech nique – called “snowtography” – which is about to expand in the forests of the San Juan Mountains.

“Our largest reservoir in the western U.S. is not Lake Mead, it’s not Lake Pow ell,” Jake Kurzweil, associate director of Mountain Studies Institute’s Water Pro gram, said. “It’s our forests.”

It’s no secret that the effects of climate

change are drying out the West at an alarming rate. In response, water officials have been researching how to not only better understand snowpack in the mountains, but also how it might be pos sible to better manage forests to maxi mize snow retention.

In steps the new word we all just learned – snowtography (kinda sounds like how you’d mispronounce Snowdown at the end of a long Snowdown night). But in reality, snowtography is a relatively new and novel way of tracking snowpack in parts of the landscape not previously studied, and hopefully, will lead to better forest-management practices.

“It fills in the gap for measuring snow pack in those lower-to-mid elevations,”

Joel Biederman, a research hydrologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture,

said. “And it’s in those areas where we’re seeing the most change in our forests.”

Filling a gap

For years, the go-to monitoring method for tracking snowpack in the West has been a network of weather sta tions, known as SNOTEL sites. But the system has limitations, with only 730 or so sites across the entire West. And, SNO TELs are usually in the same terrain – at high elevations in areas exposed to the elements – which doesn’t provide the full picture of how snowpack is working ac ross the landscape.

In fact, most of the West’s snowpack is in forested areas, which haven’t had as robust of monitoring systems in place. So, a few years ago, researchers in Arizona, wanting to better understand the water sheds Phoenix relies on, devised a more

inclusive method of tracking snow, said Marcos Robles, a lead scientist for The Na ture Conservancy.

First, a location is identified that has varied landscape features – areas with and without tree cover, different slopes, den sity of trees, etc. Then, stakes are placed into the ground, creating a transect through the areas, each with equipment that tracks snow depth and soil moisture, and a game camera. Just one transect can have 40 individual data points.

The overarching goal, Robles said, is to understand how different forest struc tures affect snowpack and, therefore, water supply.

“Ultimately, how much snow melts and ends up in our streams is a product of the forest setting, but also what’s hap pening with the climate,” Robles said.

Crews make a transect of snowtography sites, which include equipment to monitor snowpack and soil moisture, as well as a game camera. Installed at mid- to low-elevations, the sites fill a major gap in snow monitoring./ Courtesy photo

“And snowtography will provide more context for what’s happening in the for est.”

A new standard

It’s too early in the snowtography project to draw any conclusions just yet.

On the ground, however, the long-term information taken from snowtography sites could be vital to adapting to a West with far less water than in the past.

One impact of the warming tempera tures already affecting the West is earlierthan-normal snow run-off. As part of the snowtography project, researchers are try ing to understand to what extent land management decisions, such as pre scribed burns, forest thinning or timber harvesting, may have on snowpack. So, for example: if snowtography finds ev idence that X amount of trees in X amount of acres leads to better snowpack retention, land managers could set those standards for a project like a timber sale.

“Forest structure can dramatically im pact snow accumulation,” Kurzweil said. “So, we’re trying to find out, what is the best spacing between trees to accumulate and retain snow? Can we understand how our forests are set up to best opti mize our water systems to be resilient?”

Also, the snowtography sites can help water managers predict how much runoff can be expected in a given season. In re

cent years, even during winters of average snowpack, a parched landscape has led to significant amounts of melting snow being sucked up by the soil. This means less water in rivers and reservoirs. With the sites, researchers can better account for where the snow is going.

“The science could help understand the soil moisture issues that we don’t have perfectly down yet,” Ken Curtis, general manager of the Dolores Water Conservancy District, said. “Soil moisture is tough to measure, but it appears to be more important now than ever, and we’re trying to up our game on it.”

Natural lab

The first snowtography site outside of Arizona was installed last year in the Chicken Creek area, north of Mancos. This year, two more were installed, on Li zard Head Pass and near McPhee Dam.

Currently, efforts are afoot to install several more sites in the San Juans this upcoming spring, near Silverton and Pa gosa Springs.

“We’re trying to understand our mountains better,” Jeff Derry, executive director of the Center for Snow and Ava lanche Studies based in Silverton, said. “And the San Juan Mountains are a rich natural laboratory because we’re at the headwaters of several watersheds, so what happens here really helps inform all the

surrounding watersheds.”

The long-term plan for the snowtogra phy project, however, is to have a re gional network all around the West for a richer picture of snowpack conditions in as many diverse landscapes as possible.

“We just don’t have a good perspective on what’s happening in lower- to mid-el

evation forests,” Michael Remke, a lec turer of biology at Fort Lewis College, said. “We’re actively manipulating for ests, and we don’t fully know the unin tended consequences that has on snow, whether good or bad. The only way to understand that is a network of study sites like snowtography.” ■

By placing snowtography sites around the West, water managers and research ers can get a better understanding of how snowpack interacts with forests in different landscape types./ Courtesy photo

Access to e-bikes

State accepting applications for low-income e-bike programs

by Sam Brasch Colorado Public Radio

As it tries to cut traffic and improve air quality, Colorado is expanding a program to give electric bicycles to low- and moderate-income residents.

The Colorado Energy Office opened applications for its  community access e-bike program on Dec. 1. It will award $910,000 in grants to up to 10 organizations with plans to provide e-bikes to income-qualified workers. Tribal governments, local governments and nonprofits are all eligible to apply.

“Most Americans, their vehicle trips are 10 miles or less,” Sarah Thorne, a senior program manager for the Colorado Energy Office, said. “E-bikes offer a great op portunity to change commuting habits.”

Climate-minded governments across the country are betting on e-bikes as a low-carbon alternative to cars. Denver  kicked off the trend last spring, offering discounts for e-bikes purchased at local bike shops. It paused the rebates until next year after rabid demand exhausted the city’s available funding.

The state plans to launch its own $10 million rebate program next spring. Details are thin, but Thorne said the point-of-sale discounts would be available to all state residents below a certain income threshold.

Community access grants take a more targeted and tested approach to e-bike adoption. After the pandemic shut down public transportation, the Colorado Energy Office launched a mini-pilot program to provide e-bikes to 13 essential workers. It followed up with a full-fledged pilot program to fund projects at five community groups across the state.

Participants tracked their commutes and grocery runs through a smartphone app developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.  Early data show partici pants are using their e-bikes for between 20 and 50 per cent of their total trips, depending on the program and time of year.

The new grants will build on that effort. Applicants can either provide free e-bikes – along with helmets, locks and other equipment – or establish programs to lend out e-bikes.

In either case, Thorne said organizations should ex plain how e-bikes would help a specific set of employees – like teachers or hospital workers – avoid solo vehicle trips. She noted one pilot program in Durango gave ebikes to 16 low-income restaurant employees without

regular access to personal transportation, like a car. Called the “Roll to Restaurants” program, it was spearheaded by the 4 Corners Office of Resource Effi ciency with the help of the $50,000 grant from the Col orado Energy Office. The goal of the program, which kicked off in the spring of 2021, was to help the state meet its climate goals while also providing low-emission transportation to restaurant workers who were appre hensive about talking public transit during the height of the pandemic.

Initial concepts are due by Dec. 15 and final applica tions must be submitted by Jan. 4, 2023. The state plans to notify winners in February 2023.

The grants and upcoming rebates are funded by  air quality legislation approved this year. That money runs out after two years, but there could be an appetite to ex tend the state’s e-bike efforts.

“We’re hoping there might be some additional legis lation this next session,” Thorne said.

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

The State of Colorado opened applications Dec. 1 for its  community access e-bike program, which will give electric bicycles to low- and moderate-income residents. The program will award $910,000 in grants to up to 10 organizations with plans to provide e-bikes to income-qualified workers. Tribal governments, local governments and nonprofits are all eligible to apply./ Photo by Hart Van Denburg, CPR News

BetweentheBeats

Living in the in-between

Local designer finds inspiration in water-strapped western La Plata County

by Stephen Sellers

Nestled between the desert sage blooms of New Mexico and the boundless San Juan Mountains is the “Dryside,” a local term of endear ment that describes the southwest cor ner of La Plata County. The Dryside is an area rich in cultural heritage, sparsely populated and scant of natural water. It’s a maze of county roads stretching ac ross wide-open prairie – the no man’s land of Southwest Colorado.

For local designer Jake Polster-Sadlon, the region is a sacred liminal space between scarcity and abundance. The land serves as the wellspring of inspiration for both his Dryside Design services (think branding and logos) and Dryside Supply Co. (think shirts, hoodies and a whole lot more).

For its 2nd birthday, Polster-Sadlon’s company got a beautiful, brand new downtown location at 145 East College Drive. The store itself is full of wares and sundries from the intersection of traditional Americana and Southwest modernism. In a sea of dozens of downtown t-shirt shops, what’s happening at Dryside is something our town can truly be proud of. I recently sat down with Polster-Sadlon to learn more about his story and the Dryside.

Where did you grow up?

My family moved to Durango at the end of 1992 from San Francisco, and I grew up here. I consider Durango home, for sure. I graduated in 1999 from Durango High and did two years at Fort Lewis. And then I finished at Colorado State in 2005.

I had two good friends who moved to San Diego, and I ended up moving out there and that’s when I started my career in account management and sales for four- and five-star hotels. It was a lot of contract work. A lot of sales work. A

lot of meetings. By the end of an 11-year run, I was flying about 80,000 air miles a year. Suit and tie. On the road. In and out of airports every 48 hours or so.

How did you find your way into design?

I was always exposed to the brand teams of these luxury hotels. I was really attracted to the power of the global brand, what’s possible in the branding world and how it goes from one small core team of people to spreading across a couple hundred properties in a cohesive way. I just thought that the creatives behind that, the depth of conversations that had to happen to execute those kinds of strategies, was always really fascinating to me. I think branding is a really powerful thing. It can live forever if you do it right.

I ended up cashing out and explored creative things, leaning on photography, teaching myself web development, doing some promotional design and packaging design, and doing what I hoped would lead me to a creative career.

Tell us about Dryside, both your graphic design service and your store.

The design side and the store side are really intertwined. After about five years of helping clients develop identities, I felt confident in my process, and I felt like I also needed to scratch my creative itch for myself. So, in 2020, we all found ourselves with some extra time on our hands. I had a buddy who was moving to the Oregon Coast and gave me some screen printing equipment, and that’s how Dryside Supply Co. was started. It’s been a cool, natural evolution – starting with a couple of shirt designs, selling them online, putting money back in the business and eventually being able to afford a 300square-foot-space.

The brand itself is a local reference to the southwest corner of this county. It’s where my parents live. It’s always felt like this in-between place. North of that area we have insane economic wealth and natural abundance, whereas south of that area we have incredible poverty and a pretty harsh desert. However, it’s surrounded by amazing cultural heritage, but we’re in this town where those traditions don’t mean too much. It’s important because it’s a really rich story that people across the country can relate to. The story of being in between. What’s been the biggest surprise for you since opening Dryside?

The thing I least expected was community. Meeting people. A physical space where you get to meet people from all over the place. As you meet people and get to share your story and learn theirs, it creates a cool relationship, whether that’s a five

minute relationship or an ongoing relationship and that breeds deeper community.

What makes a good logo?

Memorability. Simplicity in the way the design can be scaled. There needs to be some cohesion between a logo and a product or service that a company is offering. The logo for Dryside, that was a logo that came from an exploration of mine, and it carried this particular graphic energy. Almost streetwear, almost cryptic.

What are your hopes for Dryside?

To give the community something it can be proud of. And, actually make a tangible, measurable impact on issues we have in our area, like water. It seems like a very natural next thing.

Visit www.drysidedesignco.com and www.drysidesupplyco.com to learn more.

Jake Polster-Sadlon

Nature’s Xmas ornaments

Pomegranate seeding made easy to brighten up any winter dish

by Ari LeVaux

As we head into winter, fresh produce is starting to feel like a faded memory. Toma toes are mealy and lettuce has jet lag, but the pomegranate harvest has just begun. Don’t take this lovely fruit for granted.

The bright red orbs dangle brightly from the bushy plants like Christmas tree ornaments. The fleshy seeds are like juicy rubies and can turn the average cook into a culinary magician. Grab a handful and fling them at your food, as if gesticu lating the words “hocus pocus.” Cast the seeds on salad, soup, steak, breakfast and everything in be tween. Today’s recipe, linguini with mushroom cheese sauce, ends with a generous dusting of pom seeds. Their sharp sweetness adds a doubleedged sword of flavor, balancing sweet and savory with their tartness, like sips of a lusty red wine.

Native to Iran, Afghanistan and the Hima layas, pomegranates have inserted themselves in extricably into the local cuisines and cultures. In modern times, they have found homes on the warm edges of tem perate climates around the world. The trees are tolerant to high heat and low precipitation, are generally easy to grow and can produce huge crops. The fruits can be stored for months and shipped slowly, helping to make pomegranates climate-friendly and adapted to a warming planet. This adaptability, coupled with growing demand for the fruit, have caused a surge in pomegranate trees being planted. Pomegranate orchards are replacing apple orchards in parts of India that are now too hot for apple growing. Meanwhile, pomegranate trees thrive in many of the same areas that sup port opium poppies, like Afghanistan and Mexico, which means a pomegranate heavy diet could help steer rural econ omies away from narcotics.

Extracting the seeds can be messy if your technique is off. But if you score the peel around the equator, pull the fruit in half, and tap gently, the seeds rush out like Black Fri day shoppers storming the gates of Walmart.

The technique comes from Turkey, where a food writer named Robyn Eckhardt once sat down with a group of women, some pieces of plastic pipe and 100 kilos of fresh pomegranates. They spent the day liberating pomegranate seeds, with which they would make pomegranate molasses. Eckhardt emailed me the technique they used.

“Gently squeeze one pomegranate half, cut side down, over a wide deep bowl to loosen the seeds. Place it cut side down in your nondominant hand. Spread your fingers to create a ‘sieve’ through which the seeds can fall. With the handle of a wooden spoon or spatula, tap the pomegranate all over; dislodged seeds will fall into the bowl (the bits of bit ter white membrane will remain in your hand). Continue tapping, turning the pomegranate in your hand, until most of the seeds are dislodged. If any white membrane has fallen into the bowl, pick it out.”

The fruit’s life can be extended for months by wrapping them in paper towels and storing in a paper bag at the bottom

of the fridge, explained my other pomegranate advisor, chef Ray Risho, an expert in Old World cuisine. You want to leave the wrapped pomegranates unbothered, with as few vibrations as possible. “Like bottles of fine wine,” he explained, “the less the pomegranates are disturbed, the better.”

Risho gave me his recipe for Linguini con Funghi e Form aggio, which owes its magic in part to its garnish of pomegra nate seeds. In addition to the pomegranate seeds, this recipe depends on a mix of mushrooms and not adding too much cheese. I like to use shiitake or oyster mushrooms because those varieties add nice texture.

Linguini con Funghi e Formaggio

4 servings

1/2 lb. linguini (a thick-but-not-enormous handful)

3/4 cup mix of fresh basil, oregano and parsley

1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan and Romano cheeses

5 cloves garlic, mashed

2 cups mushrooms

1 Tbsp. butter

3 tsp. olive oil

¼ cup pine nuts

1 lemon

1 cup pomegranate seeds

Heat 2 quarts of water with 2 tablespoons salt. Add the pasta when it reaches a boil. While cooking the pasta, chop the herbs, grate the cheese, mash the garlic and slice the mush rooms. When the linguini is al dente, remove noodles and toss generously in olive oil. Set aside.

In a large skillet, combine butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil on medium heat. Add pine nuts and mashed garlic. Toss the nuts just until they start to brown. Don’t overbrown.

Add the mushrooms and stir/toss them in. Season with 1/4 teaspoon of fresh ground pepper and a “kiss of salt.”

When the fungi starts to brown, toss in the herbs, then the pasta, then add the lemon juice.

Transfer the fragrant mixture onto a large plate, garnish with handfuls of pomegranate seeds, the rest of the grated cheese, and squeeze a quarter lemon over the loaded plate.

Stuff to Do

Thursday08

Artist Reception: Gregg Deal, 4:30-6 p.m., FLC’s Art Gallery.

Bingo Night, 5 p.m., Fenceline Cider, Mancos.

Live music, 5 p.m., The Office & Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

A Comedy Gala, 5:30-7:30 p.m., Double Tree Hotel, 501 Camino del Rio.

Robert Webster plays, 6-9 p.m., 11th St. Station.

Trivia Night, 6:30 p.m., Powerhouse Science Center, 1333 Camino del Rio.

Friday09

Artist Reception: Nate Osgood, 4 p.m., Fenceline Cider, Mancos.

Free Legal Clinic, 4-5 p.m., Ignacio Library, 470 Goddard Ave.

Durango Youth Theatre presents “We Will Rock You,” 7 p.m., Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave.

State Street Ballet’s Nutcracker, 7:30 p.m., FLC Community Concert Hall. www.durangoconcerts.com

Saturday10

Homebuyer Education Class, 8:30 a.m., FLC’s Sitter Family Hall Room 710.

Durango Farmers December Holiday Market, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m., La Plata County Fairgrounds, 2500 Main Ave.

The Bizarre Bazaar, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Studio & Art Gallery, 1027 Main Ave.

“Forest of Fables,” performances at 10 a.m. & 12 noon, FLC’s Gallery Theater. Presented by FLC Theatre for Young Audiences.

Holiday Exhibition & Market, 10 a.m., The ArtRoom at Smiley, 1309 E. 3rd Ave.

Salsa Dance Night, 6:30 p.m., Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave.

“A Christmas Carol,” 7 p.m., FLC’s Main tage Theatre. Presented by Durango Theatreworks.

Second Saturday Series: Cousin Curtiss & Delaney Davis play, 7-9 p.m., The iNDIGO Room, 1315 Main Ave.

Durango Youth Theatre’s “We Will Rock You,” 7 p.m., Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave.

State Street Ballet’s Nutcracker, 7 p.m., FLC Community Concert Hall. www.durangoconcerts.com

Maddy O’Neal, Beat Kitty & Omega play, 8 p.m., Animas City Theatre.

Silent Disco w/DJ Squoze, 9 p.m.-11:30 p.m., 11th Street Station.

Sunday11

The Bizarre Bazaar, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Studio & Art Gallery, 1027 Main Ave.

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

The Bizarre Bazaar, 5-9 p.m., Studio & Art Gallery, 1027 Main Ave.

Gingerbread House Competition, 5 p.m., Animas Chocolate & Coffee Co., 920 Main Ave.

Live music, 5 p.m., The Office, 699 Main Ave.

Jack Ellis & Larry Carver play, 5:30 p.m., Diamond Belle, 699 Main Ave.

Bluegrouse plays, 6-9 p.m., 11th Street Station.

Jam Session, 6 p.m., Starlight Lounge, 937 Main..

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

Delaney & Valorie play, 6 p.m., Fenceline Cider, Mancos.

Holiday Concert, 6:30 p.m., Durango High School.

Ecstatic Dance, every Friday, 6:30-8:30 p.m., American Legion, 878 E. 2nd Ave.

“A Christmas Carol,” 7 p.m., FLC’s MainStage Theatre. Presented by Durango Theatreworks.

Elder Grown and Graham Good & the Painters play, 7 p.m., Animas City Theatre.

“The Hours,” film showing, presented by Metropolitan Opera, 10:55 a.m., FLC’s Student Union Vallecito Room.

“Early Durango Churches,” presentation by Animas Museum, 1 p.m., register at animasmuseum.org/events.html

Army vs. Navy Game Party, 1 p.m., VFW Post 4031, 1550 Main Ave.

Durango Youth Theatre presents “We Will Rock You,” 2 p.m., Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave.

State Street Ballet’s Nutcracker, 2 p.m., FLC Community Concert Hall. www.durangoconcerts.com

Terry Rickard plays, 5 p.m., Mancos Brewing.

Live music, 5 p.m., The Office, 699 Main Ave.

Live music, 5 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

Basilaris plays, 6-9 p.m., 11th Street Station.

High Altitude Blues plays, 6-9 p.m., Weminuche Woodfire Grill, Vallecito.

Community Yoga, 6-7 p.m., Yoga Durango, 1485 Florida Rd. Donations accepted.

“A Christmas Carol,” 2 p.m., FLC’s MainStage Theatre. Presented by Durango Theatreworks.

iAM Music Student Showcase, 2-7 p.m., The iNDIGO Room, 1315 Main Ave.

Durango Youth Theatre’s “We Will Rock You,” 2 p.m., Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave.

State Street Ballet’s Nutcracker, 2 p.m., FLC Community Concert Hall. www.durangoconcerts.com

Feed the People! free mutual aid meal & winter gear drive for homeless community members, every Sunday, 2-4 p.m., Buckley Park.

San Juan Mountain Boys play, 5 p.m., Weminuche Woodfire Grill, Vallecito.

Live music, 5 p.m., Diamond Belle & The Office, 699 Main Ave.

Dave Mensch plays, 5:30 p.m., Mancos Brewing.

Sunday Funday, featuring games and prizes, 6 p.m., Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave.

Monday12

Live music, 5 p.m., Diamond Belle & The Office, 699 Main Ave.

AskRachel

Big Brother face-off, dis’ad’vantage and reindeer games

Interesting fact: Not only are AI illustrations a thing, but we now have AI “culinary research assis tants,” which I trust less than a skinny chef.

Dear Rachel, Out of nowhere I’m seeing all these AI art things (paintings? drawings? renderings?) my friends are doing. It’s like look, here’s my air brushed face as a medieval wizard! As an en lightened being! As a dark seductress! And I just don’t understand the appeal. I guess it’s like getting your caricature done at the fair? But it feels like something more insidious.

– Art-ificial Intelligence

Dear Right No-brained, What could be insidious about letting a strange computer analyze your face and create things from it? I mean, other than the obvious potential for data har vesting, incidentally signing away rights to your like ness and your friends’ likenesses and your identical twin’s likeness without any of their express written consent, which is weird because it’s legally easier to sign away your life than it is to record an NFL game for later.

– Say cheese, Rachel

put ads in the paper due to the cost and ev eryone has a computer now. Hell no, they don’t. They said they are saving money and people don’t read the newspaper anymore. “Too bad, so sorry, but CEO did it, don’t blame me.” What about the old people who don’t do digital or even have a PC? And City Market wants to buy Albertsons. People need to protest. I don’t think City Market will cut prices with the savings from not running their ads, and the Herald is loosing moneys. Your thoughts on this please.

–

Cheap Shopper

Dear Skating Cheap, Noooo, we can’t have anyone loosing moneys! Not even our mortal enemies at the other newspapers! Or you! So just go shop at Albertsons if paper coupons matter so much to you. With all your savings, per haps you can buy out City Market yourself.

– Cash value 1/20 of one cent, Rachel

Email Rachel: telegraph@durangotelegraph.com

Dear Rachel,

I get the Herald for the Albertsons and City Market ads on Wednesday, but the last time, the City Market ad was missing. A worker bee ay City Market said they don’t

Happy Hour Yoga, 5:30 p.m., Ska Brewing, 225 Girard St.

Meditation w/Erin Treat, 5:30 p.m., Durango Dharma Center, 1800 E. 3rd Ave, Suite 109.

Ladies Game & Poker Night, 6 p.m., 11th St. Station.

Comedy Showcase, weekly, 7:30 p.m., Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave.

Tuesday13

Live music, 5 p.m., The Office, 699 Main Ave.

Jason Thies plays, 5:30 p.m., Diamond Belle, 699 Main Ave.

Open Mic Night, 7:30-9:30 p.m., Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave.

Wednesday14

Cookies & Cocoa w/Santa, 3 p.m., TBK Bank, 259 W. 9th St.

Paint & Sip Night, 5:30 p.m., Starlight, 937 Main.

Dear Rachel, We’re doing an optional Secret Santa at work, and what I don’t get is why the nonChristians feel so free to participate. I’m all for welcoming people into other religious cer emonies, I just don’t think I would take part. My coworker thinks I’m a bad word for this, but I think it’s just respectful. What do you think?

– Spirit of the Season

Know Before You Go Avalanche Workshop, 6-8 p.m., Powerhouse Science Center. Sponsored by Friends of the San Juans.

Trivia Night, 6 p.m., Zia’s north, 2977 Main Ave.

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

Karaoke Roulette, 8 p.m., Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave.

Ongoing

“Life in Small Moments” art exhibit, Dec. 1-March 1, FLC’s Center for Innovation, Durango Main Mall, 835 Main Ave.

Patische Art Exhibit, featuring seven local women artists, Smiley Café, 1309 E. 3rd Ave.

“Wild Kratts: Ocean Adventure! And Creature Power!” hands on STEM exhibits for children ages 3 to 9, runs until Jan. 7, Farmington Museum, 3041 E. Main.

The Hive Indoor Skate Park, open skate and skate lessons. For schedule and online waiver, go to www.thehivedgo.org

Dear Outed Santa, Ah yes, the underquoted “Book of Nicklaus,” in which Jehovah of Old Testament wrath decreed unto His children, “Go forth! And collect the bounty of this land and the fruit of these trees, to gift upon thine neighbors. But letteth them not know who gifted these bounties upon them, for all these offer ings are in Nicklaus’ name, not the work of Man but of the Jolly Old Elf.” Tis the season of giving, and I’d prefer artificial intelligence to artificial compassion any day.

Upcoming

Bar D Wranglers Christmas Jubilee, 7:30 p.m., Dec. 15, FLC Community Concert Hall. www.durangoconcerts.com

“A Christmas Carol,” Dec. 16 & 17 at 7 p.m., Dec. 17 & 18 at 2 p.m., FLC’s MainStage Theatre. Presented by Durango Theatreworks.

Sing-a-Long “Sound of Music,” Dec. 17, 7:30 p.m., Smiley Café, 1309 E. 3rd Ave.

Cancelled & The Mommy Milkers play, Dec. 23, 7:30 p.m., The Hive, 1150 Main Ave.

Charles’ Dickens “A Christmas Carol,” 7:30 p.m., Dec. 23, Farmington Civic Center. fmtn.org/shows

Deadline to submit items for “Stuff to Do” is Monday at noon.

E-mail your stuff to: calendar@durangotelegraph.com

– Ho no no, Rachel

FreeWillAstrology

by Rob Brezsny

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky wrote, “To be free, you simply have to be so, without asking permis sion. You must have your own hypothesis about what you are called to do, and follow it, not giving in to circumstances or complying with them. But that sort of freedom demands powerful inner resources, a high degree of self-awareness, and a con sciousness of your responsibility to yourself and there fore to other people.” That last element is where some freedom-seekers falter. They neglect their obligation to care for and serve their fellow humans. I want to make sure you don’t do that as you launch a new phase of your liberation. Authentic freedom is conscientious.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): The term “neurodiversity” refers to the fact that the human brain functions in a wide variety of ways. There are not just a few versions of mental health and learning styles that are better than all the others. Taurus musician David Byrne believes he is neurodiverse because he is on the autism spectrum. That’s an advantage, he feels, giving him the power to focus with extra intensity on his creative pur suits. I consider myself neurodiverse because my life in the imaginal realm is just as important to me as my life in the material world. I suspect that most of us are neu rodiverse in some sense – deviating from “normal” men tal functioning. The coming months will be an excellent time to explore and celebrate your own neurodiversity.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Poet Jane Hirshfield says that Zen Buddhism is built on three principles: 1. Everything changes. 2. Everything is connected. 3. Pay attention. I hope you will focus on the last two precepts in the coming weeks. If I had to summarize the formula that will bring you the most interesting experiences and feelings, it would be, “Pay attention to how everything is connected.” Here’s my secret agenda: I think it will help you register the truth that your life has a higher purpose than you’re aware of – and that the whole world is conspiring to help you fulfill that purpose.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Author Flan nery O’Connor wrote, “You have to cherish the world at the same time that you struggle to endure it.” Let’s make this one of your in spirational meditations in the coming months, Cancerian. I suspect you will have more power than usual to transform the world into a better place. Get started! (PS: Doing so will enhance your ability to endure and cherish.)

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Many sports jour nalists will tell you that while they may root for their favorite teams, they also “root for the story.” They want a compelling tale to tell. They yearn for dramatic plot twists that reveal entertaining details about interesting characters performing unique feats. That’s how I’m going to be in the coming months, Leo, at least in relation to you. I hope to see you engaged in epic sagas, creating yourself with verve as you weave your way through fun chal lenges and intriguing adventures. I predict my hope will be realized.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Venus is too hot and dry for humans to live on. But if travelers from Earth could figure out a way to feel comfortable there, they would enjoy a marvelous perk. The planet rotates very slowly. One complete day and night lasts for 243 Earth days and nights. That means you and a special friend could take a romantic stroll toward the sunset for as long as you wanted, and never see the sun go down. I invite you to dream up equally lyrical adventures in to getherness here on Earth during the coming months, Virgo. Your intimate alliances will thrive as you get imaginative and creative about nurturing togetherness.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): As far as I’m concerned, Libran Buddhist monk and au thor Thích Nhất Hạnh was one of the fi nest humans who ever lived. “Where do you seek the spiritual?” he asked. His an swer: “You seek the spiritual in every ordinary thing that you do every day. Sweeping the floor, watering the vegetables and washing the dishes become sacred if mindfulness is there.” In the coming weeks, Libra, you will have exceptional power to live like this: to regard every event, however mundane or routine, as an opportunity to express your soulful love and grat itude for the privilege of being alive. Act as if the whole world is your precious sanctuary.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): A reader named Elisa Jean tells me, “We Scorpio allies admire how Scorpios can be so solic itous and welcoming: the best party hosts. They know how to foster social situations that bring out the best in everyone and provide con vivial entertainment. Yet Scorpios also know every one’s secrets. They are connoisseurs of the skeletons in the closets. So they have the power to spawn dis cordant commotions and wreak havoc on people’s reputations. But they rarely do. Instead, they keep the secrets. They use their covert knowledge to weave deep connections.” Everything Ella Jean de

scribed will be your specialties in the coming weeks, Scorpio.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Of all the signs in the zodiac, you Sagittarians are least likely to stay in one location for ex tended periods. Many of you enjoy the need to move around from place to place. Doing so may be crucial in satisfying your quest for ever-fresh knowledge and stimulation. You understand that it’s risky to get too fixed in your habits and too dogmatic in your beliefs. So you feel an imperative to keep disrupting routines before they become deadening. When you are successful in this endeavor, it’s often due to a special tal ent you have: your capacity for creating an inner sense of home that enables you to feel stable and grounded as you ramble free. I believe this superpower will be extra strong during the coming months.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Capri corn author Edgar Allan Poe made this mysterious statement: “We can, at any time, double the true beauty of an actual landscape by half closing our eyes as we look at it.” What did he mean? He was referring to how crucial it is to see life “through the veil of the soul.” Merely using our physical vision gives us only half the story. To be receptive to the full glory of the world, our deepest self must also participate in the vi sion. Of course, this is always true. But it’s even more extra especially true than usual for you right now.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Aquarian theologian Henri Nouwen wrote, “I have discovered that the gifts of life are often hidden in the places that hurt most.” Yikes! Really? I don’t like that idea. But I will say this: If Nouwen’s theory has a grain of truth, you will capitalize on that fact in the coming weeks. Amazingly enough, a wound or pain you experienced in the past could reveal a redemptive possibility that inspires and heals you.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Piscean novelist Viet Thanh Nguyen says it’s wise to talk to yourself. No other conversational partner is more fascinating. No one else listens as well. I offer you his advice in the hope of encouraging you to upgrade the intensity and frequency of your dialogs with yourself. It’s an excel lent astrological time to go deeper with the questions you pose and to be braver in formulating your re sponses. Make the coming weeks be the time when you find out much more about what you truly think and feel.

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 on line: durangotelegraph.com. Prepayment is required via cash, credit card or check. (Sorry, no refunds or substitutions.) Ads can be submitted via: n www.durangotelegraph.com n classifieds@durango telegraph.com n 970-259-0133

n 679 E. 2nd Ave., #E2

Approximate office hours:

Mon-Wed: 9ish - 5ish

Thurs: On delivery

Fri: Gone fishing; call first

Announcements

Mind Body Spirit Fair

VFW Durango, Jan 21 & Apr 22. 105. Looking for holistic healers, readers, healing products, chair massage, etc. CJ Marten weipcj@gmail.com

Free Three Sweet Indoor Cats

Need a new home because their owner passed away unexpectedly. Ideal home has no dogs and someone who is home often. Please call if you can take one or all. 970-903-8058.

Classes/Workshops

HelpWanted

Durango Montessori is Hiring!!

Durango Montessori School is hiring an Assistant Teacher starting Jan. 2nd. The full-time position is in the Lower Elementary Classroom, working w/ 1st and 2nd graders. Contact the Directorat director@durangomontessori.com for more information.

dish/glassware. Retro cocktail glasses and decanters, Crate & Barrel dishes … 572 E. 6th Ave. Open Mon.-Sat. 385-7336.

Generac Whole House Generator

Generac 7171 10kw air cooled standby generator with aluminum en closure. Battery heater & oil heater. Only used for 1 year. $2800 Call 970884-6012

HaikuMovieReview

’Bullet Train’

Fate and luck battle it out in this funny and violent joy ride

– Lainie Maxson

The Perfect Gift

Ski / Snowboard Rental Tech

Performance Sports at Cascade Village has openings for experienced and entry level rental ski & board technicians. We offer the best pay in the industry, an awesome work environment, great deals on equipment and your own season pass to Purgatory! Please email durangoski rentals@gmail.com to apply.

CommercialforRent

Crusher Fat Bike

2015, Sun Bicycles 7-speed, in excel lent condition. Barely ridden with maybe 20 miles on it. Basket and kick stand. Makes a great holiday gift. MSRP: $530, asking: $450, firm. 970-903-0005.

Services

Marketing Small/Local Businesses

A therapeutic massage is the perfect gift. Buy 4 get $40 off. Also offer Mobile Service. Call 970-799-8950, email char lotte_lenssen@yahoo.com

Mtn Medicine

Acupuncture Bonds

Recalibrate Commitment to Self

4-week intensive to help you iden tify deeper body challenges, empower yourself, create new habits. Jan 2-23rd, 2023. Call 970-799-8950, email char lotte_lenssen@yahoo.com

West Coast Swing Dance

6-week class starts January 4. Learn the basics of West Coast Swing. Reg istration is required at www.westslope westies.com.

Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Presentation

Presented by Colorado Legal Services Tuesday, December 13th from 5:30 PM - 7:00PM Please call 385-7378 ext 251 for details on how to attend or visit www.durangovap.org/events

1100-sf Office/Retail Space in Bodo Ground floor with open-front floor plan & back-of-house space + 1/2 bath & kitchenette. Wheelchair access & onsite parking. Short- or long-term lease avail. $1600 a month. 970-799-3732

Wanted

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

ForSale

Reruns Home Furnishings

Warm up your space with quality preowned furniture and décor. Vintage

Media, website building and content editing, copywriting and editing, news letters, blogs, etc. for small, local, inde pendent or startup businesses. Visit our website at www.thesaltymedia.com or email jnderge@gmail.com

Harmony Cleaning and Organizing

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

Lowest Prices on Storage!

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

BodyWork

Massage by Meg Bush LMT, 30, 60 & 90 min., 970-7590199.

Holiday wellness gifts to yourself, friends, employees or underserved lo cals in need. 5 sessions for $350; 10 ses sions for $600; 20 for $1100. 970-247-1233

In-Home Fitness Training

Free Consultation. Diane Brady NSCA-CPT. 970-903-2421.

Lotus Path Healing Arts

Now accepting new clients. Offering a unique, intuitive fusion of Esalen massage, deep tissue & Acutonics, 24 years of experience. To schedule call Ka thryn, 970-201-3373.

CommunityService

Durango Adult Education Center

Winter Graduation

Ceremonies will be held in Cortez (Turquoise Raven) and Durango (Rec Center) on Dec. 15 and 16 respectively.