20250109

‘Yes, and...’

Consensual Improv has made a name for itself in the Roaring Fork Valley, selling out comedy shows and teaching audiences to play with two magic words: “yes, and...”

Pictured here: Jack Trembath and Cassidy Willey performing during the recent holiday show at TACAW. Photo by Will Sardinsky

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Revisiting Carbondale newcomers

The following excerpts are from VOICES Radio Hour’s March 8, 2024 episode on KDNK, featuring stories from three Venezuelan newcomers. “Revisiting: Newcomers Think of Home” will air on KDNK on Friday, Jan. 10 from 6 to 7pm. Visit www.voicesrfv. org/voices-radio-hour to listen to the full bilingual episode and all previous “VOICES Radio Hour” episodes.

As we head into 2025 with much uncertainty, we at VOICES Radio Hour feel a call. Our beautiful valley has always been made up of a diverse community of U.S. born citizens and immigrants; it is a huge part of what makes living here so special. And in the fall of 2023, our community was joined by more than 80 unhoused migrants, many who were found to be living under or near the bridge at Highway 82 and 133. Our community responded and stepped up to the task in a variety of ways, and we were fortunate enough to spend some time with some of the newcomers and get to know them on a personal level.

None of us know what the future holds in terms of immigration. What we do know is that now is the time to remember the human beings at the center of this debate — many who traversed through terrain and circumstances most of us can scarcely fathom, in search of a better life.

My name is Benigno José Ricardo. I am from Venezuela; specifically from the state of Bolívar, San Félix. From my region, it is a two-day walk to Brazil. Firstly, it’s by the grace of God that everything happens ... I’m here because I want to move forward. I like to embark on ventures for a better tomorrow, for a future and to support my family. My family is in Venezuela. I have four adult children: two boys and two girls. Their mother died young and I managed through God’s grace. But I wanted to leave my country to seek another future, because my country fell into a system of decline.

OPINION

VOICES

We present to you a re-airing of our March 2024 episode: “Newcomers Think of Home.” And we ask you to listen to the voices of those who made their way to our town, were welcomed into our community and left a lasting mark on those they met.

Argenis is 40 years old and is a lawyer. Every day he is working toward a better future for his family.

My name is Argenis Marquez. I am from Venezuela — from El Llano, Portuguesa. I am a “llanero.” The daily life of a llanero is to wake up, have a cup of coffee and go milk the cows. After milking comes the cleaning of everything that is planted. The work goes until noon, then people return home to rest for the next day’s work. Coffee for the llanero is at five in the morning, without a doubt. And lunch, always at noon. That’s our culture.

If I could close my eyes and suddenly have any kind of food in front of me, it would be the “pabellón.” Venezuelan food is the pabellón criollo. It consists of rice, black beans, fried egg, “tajada” (a fried ripe plantain slice), cheese and shredded meat. That’s the pabellón. The beans are cooked, the egg is fried.

The happiest time with my family is in December when we gather and share for hours. We were always together. And the food! Christmas dinner with my family is the happiest time. My wife and kids are currently in Denver. My mom and my family are in Venezuela. I’m the warhorse. I have to go forward to keep on fighting for them.

Benigno is 55 years old and trained as a crane operator. He loves his family and cooking for them.

LETTERS

CORRECTION: There’s still time! The Town of Carbondale’s holiday tree recycling service across from Town Hall is operating through Feb. 2.

Re: Ps&Qs

Mrs. Perry opines all “Trumpublicans” foster a lack of opportunity, desperation and poverty for criminals. “They try to prevent education and acceptance.”

Jeannie paints the majority of the U.S. electorate sporting horns while “following our naked emperor.”

So angry and unhappy. So sad. Bruno Kirchenwitz Rifle

Sidewalk shoveling

Dear Friends and neighbors, if you’re going to be away from your abode for more than 24 hours, kindly make arrangements for your sidewalk(s) to be cleared of snow, ice and slush during your absence. Absence may make the heart grow fonder, but it doesn’t absolve us of the municipal

I like to play and laugh. When I was younger, I played baseball, soccer, practiced boxing, went swimming in rivers and went jogging. I was very into sports. I ran marathons up mountains. There are big mountains in my country, like five kilometers tall. I would jog with friends to the rivers, some places with hot springs too, and we would climb up the trees on the river banks and jump in. The rivers aren’t as cold as here!

Right now they’re celebrating Carnaval in Venezuela. In the neighborhoods of Venezuela, they surprise each other by throwing water — that’s the tradition. That’s how we know we’re in Carnaval. The girls dress up and the guys paint themselves with coal. At night, people start to run and dance. They enjoy their tradition. You see both young people and adults there. They hold hands. Even the police join in.

Ricardo is 34 years old. He is an aeronautical engineer and loves music.

My name is Ricardo Urbina and I come from Zulia, Maracaibo, located on the coast of Venezuela. I am “mestizo,” with both indigenous and Maracucho heritage. Maracucho culture, which is recognized worldwide (especially in terms of its gastronomy), is the most representative of my family. We enjoy dishes like pabellón and corn chicha. The corn chicha is made by grinding corn in a mill, soaking it in water, adding sugar and leaving it overnight. Another thing we have is a sauce we call “guasacaca,” made with mayonnaise, cilantro and yellow onions all blended together. The famous guasacaca! It’s the centerpiece of the table.

When we prepare food, there is always music playing. In Zulia, we have our own music, called the “gaita.” The gaita is music played with maracas, the Venezuelan cuatro (a smaller four-stringed instrument that belongs to the guitar family), the harp and timbales or other drums. Another really unique instrument used in the gaita is the “furruco,” a round drum with a stick attached to the top drum head that produces a deep bass sound when rubbed.

I’ve learned that one has to live joyfully every day and be happy. It’s said that laughing is good for your health. It’s good to be happy. That way, even in moments of sadness, a smile makes us forget about the sadness. Thank you very much for learning a bit more about our culture and beliefs.

responsibility to keep our sidewalks safe for pedestrians.

Appreciatively, Laurie Loeb Carbondale

Climate mess

Scientists Svante Arrhenius and Guy Callendar warned of the effect of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere on global warming in the early 20th century. In 1977, ExxonMobil scientists informed the board of directors of the detrimental ramifications of their products on the climate. Did Big Oil tell the world? Did they make immediate plans to switch to renewable sources of energy? No, the oil tycoons kept it a secret. When the secret got out a decade later, they commenced a disinformation campaign to refute the scientific findings. That may have been the capitalistic move, but it hardly served the common good.

So here, a quarter of the way into the 21st century, where are we? We’re dangerously close to crossing five of the eight

climate tipping points established by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and predicted to exceed the other three by 2030. The world isn’t on track to achieve the emissions reductions required to keep us below 1.5°C of warming by 2030 and current cutback plans are insufficient to get there.

The United States has just elected a president who believes global warming is a Chinese hoax designed to ruin America’s economy, has vowed to “drill, baby, drill” and revoke President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, the only significant piece of climate legislation ever passed nationally.

The way to see a path forward is often to examine the mistakes of the past. That’s why it’s prudent to view the film “The White House Effect” — a documentary about the battle to remediate the greenhouse effect during the George H.W. Bush administration in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Spoiler alert: the climate lost.

Editor Raleigh Burleigh 970-510-3003

news@soprissun.com

Contributing & Digital Editor James Steindler

Sol del Valle Editora Bianca Godina bianca@soprissun.com

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Frederic Kischbaum

Hank van Berlo

Proofreaders

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Todd Chamberlin 970-510-0246

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Board Members / Mesa Directiva

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Klaus Kocher • Kay Clarke

Donna Dayton • Eric Smith

Roger Berliner • Elizabeth Phillips

Jessi Rochel • Andrew Travers

Anna Huntington • Loren Jenkins

The Sopris Sun Board meets at 6pm on second Thursdays at the Third Street Center.

The Sopris Sun, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation with a mission to inform, inspire and build community by fostering diverse and independent journalism. Donations are fully tax deductible.

Sincerest thanks to our Honorary Publishers for their annual commitment of $1,000+

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ASPEN VALLEY HOSPITAL

SCUTTLEBUTT

Cookie incident

The Carbondale Police Department reported that two middle schoolers felt sick and tested positive for THC after eating homemade cookies they found in the community pantry located outside of the Carbondale Library. The food pantry was established in October 2024 for community members in need and has seen almost daily use. All food is provided by community members, not the library. Police are now investigating and library staff will monitor the pantry for potentially unsafe products.

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Aspen Valley Land Trust (AVLT), Pitkin County Open Space and Eagle County Open Space are heading full-steam ahead to acquire and conserve the 4,251-acre Three Meadows Ranch off of Cottonwood Pass in Eagle County. AVLT submitted an offer for $27.7 million on Dec. 19, which the sellers accepted the following day. The project is contingent on both the Pitkin and Eagle County commissioners approving funding requests for $7.7 million and $12.5 million, respectively. The Wexner family has contributed $7.5 million toward the project.

Gas prices decrease

Black Hills Energy residential customers can anticipate a modest decrease in their bills beginning this month. The average monthly bill for customers in our region will drop by 3.26% or $3.54.

GrassRoots hiring

GrassRoots Community Network is hiring part-time directors for its community government programming starting immediately. Part-time positions are available Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday in Aspen, Snowmass Village and Basalt. Applicants must have an interest in their local communities and be reliable, tech-savvy and creative. For more information, contact Station Manager Amy Gab at amy@grassrootstv.org

Eagle County job

The Eagle County Board of Commissioners is accepting resumes and letters of interest for consideration to begin the process to appoint a county clerk and recorder until the next general election (November 2026) following Regina O’Brien’s resignation. Details are available on the county website (www.eaglecounty.us) and application materials are due by Jan. 20.

Mental Health Fund

This time of year can bring out the blues, but it might be hard to justify paying for mental health services while juggling other expenses. HeadQuarters’ Mental Health Fund offers subsidized therapy for community members from Aspen to Parachute. In 2024 The Mental Health Fund allotted $160,000 toward 2,000 therapy sessions for individuals, 4 to 78 years old. To find out more or to donate toward the Mental Health Fund, visit www.headq.org/mentalhealthfund

Aspen Choral Society

Singers of all backgrounds are invited to try out for Aspen Choral Society’s upcoming production of “Children of Eden” by Stephen Schwartz with performances March 21-23. Solo auditions will take place Jan. 25 and rehearsals will begin Jan. 26 then continue every Sunday with additional dress rehearsals March 11, 18 and 19. If you are interested in participating email emma@aspenchoralsociety.org by Jan. 19 with your voice part (soprano, alto, tenor, bass) and any foreseen absences.

Preventing poaching

A consortium of conservation groups led by the Rocky Mountain Wolf Project is offering up to $100,000 for information leading to formal charges and a conviction pertaining to a wolf killed by a gunshot wound in August 2024. This adult male wolf belonged to the Copper Creek pack which was rounded up by state wildlife officials following a series of attacks on livestock in Grand County. “Regardless of your sympathies, you know that poaching is unethical, immoral and illegal,” said Courtney

Vail, Rocky Mountain Wolf Project board chair. The award works with an existing tip hotline established by Colorado Parks and Wildlife: 1-877-COLO-OGT.

5 Point dreams

5 Point’s Dream Project, a community outreach program that empowers high school students to make a difference in the lives of others, announced this year’s recipients, who will each receive $2,000 to help reach their goals. Karen Gonzalez-Machuca, a junior at Basalt High School, will use the Dream Project funding to better young women’s hygiene in her mother’s hometown in El Salvador. Nina Villafranco and Caitland Peterson, seniors at Colorado Rocky Mountain School (CRMS), plan to take a group of Roaring Fork Valley students to the State Capitol to lobby for environmental policy. Hazel Lazar, a junior at CRMS, will work with Roaring Fork Cycling to host girls-only mountain biking camps for local middle schoolers, turning the tables on the typically male-dominated sport.

They say it’s your birthday!

Folks celebrating another trip around the sun this week include: Anne Hillmuth, Rick Holt, Kay Jacobson and Jim Mitton (Jan. 9); Lorraine Escue, Mary Finley, Will Masters, Ron Razzore, Erica Sparhawk and Jake Strack-Loertscher (Jan. 10); Kim Anne, Emily Goldfield, Crystal Holley and Nick Penzel (Jan. 11); Betsy Bingam-Johns and Richard Vottero (Jan. 12); Marianne Ackerman, Chuck Bauer, Michael Hassig, Tracie Wright and Annemarie Zanca (Jan. 14); Crista Barlow and Frank Nadell (Jan. 15).

Kate Oldham, pictured here

graduated from

Rocky Mountain School in 2020 and is an alumna of Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club.

Photo by Jane Bachrach

Downtowner transit service approved through 2025

The Town of Carbondale has announced the continuation of its free, on-demand Downtowner ride service through the end of 2025. Following its successful six-month pilot program, which began on July 1, 2023, the Downtowner service was extended for another year with the approval of the Town’s 2025 budget.

Presentations about the Downtowner service and the WE-cycle bike-share program will be made at the Jan. 14 Board of Trustees meeting that includes ridership data and operational updates.

The Downtowner, a shared ride service operating seven days a week, has proven to be a successful addition to Carbondale’s transportation network. Running from 7am to 10pm on weekdays and 9am to 10pm on weekends, riders can book trips through the Downtowner mobile app or by calling the dispatch number. The mobile app also provides an estimated wait time and allows riders to track their driver’s arrival.

Funding challenges

Last year, Carbondale secured a Roaring Fork Transportation Authority (RFTA) grant to fund the six-month pilot program. The initiative required a 50% match of $181,500 from the Town of Carbondale, and took ridership usage and community feedback into consideration to extend the service into 2025.

While the service has been well-received, funding remains a critical concern. With operational costs nearing $1 million annually, Carbondale’s ability to sustain the Downtowner heavily depends on support from RFTA. “If RFTA isn’t helping pay for it, Carbondale is really not going to be able to afford it,” Carbondale Town Manager Lauren Gister explained. Discussions are underway within RFTA’s First/Last Mile Mobility Advisory Board Committee to explore dedicated revenue sources to secure the service’s long-term viability.

The Downtowner’s role in the Town’s multimodal transit strategy complements RFTA’s Carbondale Circulator buses and WE-cycle bike stations. However, seasonal challenges, such as shorter daylight hours and colder winter weather, amplify this service’s importance for those who want to avoid biking or walking long distances after dark.

Meeting community needs

Serving as a crucial link for residents, workers and visitors who rely on alternative transit options to navigate Carbondale, Downtowner users have shared positive feedback about the service. A Glenwood Springs resident who relies on public transportation to commute described the Downtowner as a game-changer. “Before it was available, I had to walk long distances to appointments or events. Now, I can

get where I need to go much faster,” she said.

However, the service’s popularity has also occasionally created longer wait times, with users and drivers suggesting the need for an additional van to meet demand.

Looking ahead

The extension through 2025 provides an opportunity to explore enhancements to the Downtowner’s fleet, including the potential addition of electric or hybrid vehicles. Additionally, town officials hope to involve the community in shaping the future of the service.

The WE-cycle program, launched in Carbondale in August 2023, complements the Downtowner by offering bikeshare options. However, as Gister noted, the colder months present challenges for cycling, making the Downtowner an ideal yearround alternative.

As the Downtowner continues to bridge transportation gaps, Carbondale’s leaders remain optimistic about its potential to enhance people’s quality of life. By offering accessible, sustainable transit options, the Town aims to reduce reliance on personal vehicles and foster a more connected community. “It’s kind of a conundrum. We have all these great opportunities, but how they get paid for on a long-term basis is important, too,” Gister concluded.

8am - 6pm (Walk-Ins

9am - 2pm 9am - 2pm 9am - 2pm 9am - 2pm 8am - 6pm (Walk-Ins Only) 9am - 2pm 9am - 2pm 9am - 2pm 9am - 2pm

Avon, Glenwood Springs, and Rifle Integrated Health Centers

Glenwood Springs Library

Avon Integrated Health Center

Rifle Integrated Health Center

Glenwood Springs Library

Avon, Basalt, Glenwood Springs, and Rifle Integrated Health Centers

Basalt Integrated Health Center

Glenwood Springs Library

Gypsum Integrated Health Center

Glenwood Springs Library

JEANNE SOULDERN Sopris Sun Correspondent

Steve, a driver with Carbondale’s Downtowner service, makes the rounds on a winter day. Photo by Jeanne Souldern

‘Pages of the Past’ to share stories of the storytellers

JAMES STEINDLER

Contributing Editor

For Carbondale Historical Society Vice President Will Grandbois, the upcoming Winter Speaker Series event is particularly near and dear to his heart. “Pages of the Past” will delve into The Roaring Fork Valley Journal — predecessor of The Sopris Sun. Besides Grandbois having been editor of The Sun, his mother, Rebecca “Becky” Young, started The Valley Journal with her then-boyfriend, Pat Noel, just shy of 50 years ago.

“There’s this tendency in history to look at what’s already recorded,” Grandbois told The Sun. “But somebody has to write those books. Somebody has to record history as it’s happening.”

Before The Valley Journal, there was not a consistent paper in Carbondale, and many stories went untold for a time. “I inherited an ethic [that] part of the job of the paper is to tell the now, and part of it is to tell whatever stories have been overlooked,” said Grandbois — an ethic he shares with his mom.

So, on Sunday, Jan. 19, Valley Journal alumni Lee Beck, Lynn Burton, Carol Craven, John Stroud and Noel will share what it was like to bring that paper to fruition week in and week out.

The early days

“I never studied journalism. I did journalism,” Noel recently told The Sopris Sun. And he started early, working as a carrier for The Denver Post in junior high and later starting a couple of “alternative” newspapers in Fort Collins. He did, however, go back to school at Colorado State University on the GI Bill, but never graduated. Early in college, Noel became the editor of the school’s daily newspaper, The Collegian, “which is where I met Becky,” then the photo editor for The Collegian, he said. Eventually, the duo left Fort Collins and moved to Longmont for a stint where Noel worked in the backshop of the Longmont Times-Call — where the arduous work of physically laying out a newspaper took place. Not feeling settled, they sent letters to everyone they could think of saying something to the effect of, “Power couple available: photographer, writer, graphic

artist, typesetter, backshop expert, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera,” recalled Noel.

Bob Sweeney, who owned the Craig Daily Press, heeded their call. Sweeney had recently bought The Sage Reminder, based in Glenwood Springs, and had the printing press in Craig. He offered Young and Noel $100 a week each to start a paper in Carbondale. They arrived on March 24, 1974 and the first issue of The Roaring Fork Review was due on April 1. They hit the ground running.

In 1975, Sweeney sold The Roaring Fork Review and The Sage Reminder to a Georgia-based investor who Noel and Young didn’t jive with. So, with a little help from their friends, they started The Valley Journal by June that same year.

“There was a newspaper war — a violent newspaper war — for a couple of months,” Noel quipped, but The Review didn’t last long. Peggy and J.E. DeVilbiss were their “silent” partners and, along with Bob Young of Roaring Fork Bank (Alpine Bank), helped buy out The Review. Gail Blinde was their first reporter and Cindy (Shepherd) Chapin became the ads manager.

In those early days, every Wednesday night, Young and Noel would take the flats to Craig for printing and bring back the papers to be distributed the next day. “We never slept on Wednesday nights,” said Young. For the first issue, they printed 1,000 copies.

The papers were delivered to people’s Post Office boxes. “We would label them all by hand,” said Young, on Thursday mornings — still having not slept the night before.

Young loved hearing people’s stories and capturing them in the moment. “It was simply the marvel of the kinds of lives of the people that were here. I thought, ‘This is bloody beautiful,’” she shared.

The Valley Journal earned a reputation for its cover photos. And because Carbondale was so small at the time, in the back of their minds they figured by a certain point everyone in the community would be featured.

When asked what it was like working at The Valley Journal in its heyday, Noel replied, “It was a family … it was home.” He added, “Carbondale was a different town [and] The Valley Journal was a paper for the times.”

The later years

John Stroud came over from the Glenwood Post (now the Post Independent) in 1996 and worked at The Valley Journal until its final printing. Lynn Burton was the editor when Stroud started, and Noel had “one foot out the door.” Before becoming editor himself in 2005, Stroud also worked with John Colson, one of a few editors after Burton.

By the time Stroud settled in, the production side of things was transitioning to the digital age, and the printing press wasn’t nearly as far as Craig. It became more manageable, but the spirit of The Valley Journal persisted.

In 2008, “We kind of saw the writing on the wall, because the recession had hit pretty big time,” said Stroud. Still, he was distraught when the publisher let him know the paper would be folding after the annual Color the Cover issue went to press on Christmas Eve. “It was a tough Christmas,” he said.

A lasting legacy

Today, The Sopris Sun continues to model The Valley Journal, from its staple cover shots to its own version of Color the Cover. Stroud now writes for The Sopris Sun and Terri Ritchie, who did ad graphic design for The Valley Journal, designs the editorial layout for the paper today.

Writing for The Sun inspires some nostalgia within Stroud. “I’m writing for the Carbondale paper again,” he said. “The Sopris Sun operates in the same way as the old Valley Journal … I just really enjoy and appreciate that.”

Digital archives

Bound volumes of The Valley Journal archives live safely at the Carbondale Library. Last year, the library connected with Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection, a service of the Colorado State Library, which hosts newspaper archives online. The library district paid to digitize the first 18 years of The Valley Journal (1975 through 1992). Only the 1975 to 1982 volumes are currently online, but archives through 1992 will be up later this year.

Having the only full set made Carbondale Library Branch Manager Tracy Kallassy, also a volunteer proofreader for The Sun, nervous. So, she set out to get the collection digitized. The library does not have funding set aside for the rest of the archives (1993 to 2008). So, it’s up to the community to make it happen. The first round cost $20,000, and $28,000 is needed to finish the job.

You can help by donating to the Garfield County Public Library Foundation, in person or online, and specifying it’s for The Valley Journal digitization project.

“History is always unfolding, and the only people who are consistently capturing it are the newspapers,” concluded Grandbois.

Carbondale Historical Society’s next Winter Speaker Series event, “Pages of the Past,” starts at 6:30pm on Jan. 19 in the Calaway Room at the Third Street Center. For more information, visit www.carbondalehistory.org

Pat Noel in The Valley Journal office on Main Street. Photo by Rebecca Young

The Valley Journal staff, December 1993. Valley Journal archive photo

Paonia Food Movement offers year-round,

KATE PHILLIPS Sopris Sun Correspondent

Local-vores rejoice! The Paonia Food Movement (PFM) is here to enliven and enrich the Roaring Fork Valley’s connec tion to local food. Created to be an essential bridge between farmers and consumers, PFM is a year-round delivery service that features à la carte boxes bursting with vibrant produce, nutrient-dense meats, creative goods and more, sourced from North Fork Valley farmers and producers.

Customers receive weekly boxes by ordering online before 6pm on Tues day. Then, on Friday, PFM founder Sarah Peterson delivers the goods at predeter mined times and locations from Aspen to Glenwood Springs and Marble.

Founded in 2024, PFM’s mission is three-fold: support local farmers, strengthen the food supply and help customers experience the benefits of eating local food. Emphasizing that food is an important part of our lives, Peterson said that when people are more connected to their food it helps them feel healthier and more grounded — ultimately, foster ing a more holistic community that also enhances the local food economy.

“This has been a good way to connect with my community and to support farm ers which is a huge part of why I’m doing what I’m doing,” said Peterson. “This valley is rich in food, but it can be hard to make a living here. Being able to put resources in the pockets of the farmers is really incredible.”

Home to Paonia, Hotchkiss and Craw ford, the North Fork Valley is situated in

Nordic Gardens upholds a legacy

JENNY BATTLESON Sopris Sun Correspondent

On the banks of the Crystal River, hidden behind large gates and a spectacular spruce hedge, is a Carbondale gem. Founded in 1988, Nordic Gardens established a reputation for its gardenly approach and sense of whimsy. In 2005, Heather Becker joined Nordic as the garden manager. In 2017, she and her husband, Bryan, purchased the company. They have since made it theirs, and it’s so much more than a garden center.

Shortly thereafter, they were able to move their landscape yard and nursery from County Road 100 to a three-acres property on Highway 133 just south of Carbondale, before the fish hatchery. Now more accessible to “the neighborhood,” word of mouth is spreading.

Nordic Gardens is also a family compound where they’re raising their two daughters, 9 and 11, and, based on the view from their holiday shop, apparently, goats.

“I grew up on a farm,” Heather chuckled. “One of my things is to have this for the community. We have three goats. We have peacocks and chickens, farm fresh eggs and bunnies. We have three cats that run around outside — it’s nice! They get the mice and voles. That’s how

we protect the perennials and shrubs; we don’t use poisons because of the animals.”

Family owned and operated, that value system is a throughline. They treat staff as extended family. In addition to landscape installation and garden care, snow removal, capital improvements and planning for the next year keep the core team busy year-round.

“We work on new layouts for the yard every winter,” said Heather. “It’s kind of what we do: figure out how to make this work better. Figure out how to make our client properties better. Every year we add on and do more.”

The first year on the Crystal, they built “The Twins,” two 75-foot greenhouses.

“One of The Twins is strictly for clients’ annual pots, and we usually start those in March,” Heather explained. By June, they are opulent, just in time for delivery to client homes. “The other Twin and the high tunnel are all filled with annuals.” Retail therapy!

Bryan’s contributions continue the Nordic legacy of whimsy and creativity. A downed spruce tree became the main support to a cantilevered deck for customers to relax and unwind. It overlooks the nursery, the river valley, all the way to Sopris. Another year, he built the gates on the highway that keep their animals in, after

hours. This past year they built a new high tunnel greenhouse. There’s also barn maintenance to do: containment and shelter for their menagerie.

“So many people pull in, and they don’t realize we have all this stuff down below,” Bryan said.

Heather then described plans for a sunflower hillside, guiding customers to the lower nursery.

“We have a small veggie house down below,” she continued. “The outer perimeters are where we do perennials — we have a shade structure down there for shade perennials. We have a section for container trees and shrubs.” With container trees, customers can haul, lift and plant trees themselves if they want to.

Unlike big box stores, the Beckers don’t sell species from other climates that won’t survive Colorado’s unique conditions.

Heather studied landscape horticulture and construction.

Bryan studied landscape architecture and design. Prior to Nordic, Bryan worked at Eagle Crest Nursery. Starting out on a planting crew, he developed an intimate knowledge of the regional plant palette and micro-climates. Then, as tree and shrub manager, Bryan traveled with Eagle Crest’s original owner, George Robinson, on buying trips around the West. The nursery stock at Nordic Gardens,

whether flower or tree, is the culmination of the Beckers’ 20 years of local landscape horticulture.

Nordic’s primary customer base is in Carbondale. The Beckers smile over stories of their RVR regulars. Word has spread however and visitors are regularly coming from Glenwood Springs and Basalt these days.

The earnestness of this family business is refreshing and inviting.

Touring the grounds, trailed by their Great Pyrenees-Andalusian mix, a squat corgi and a cat, feels like arriving home — an adventurous one that rekindles the joy of discovery and sense of wonder that brought people to gardening in the first place.

For more information on Nordic Gardens and to plan for 2025, visit www.nordicgardens.co

Heather and Bryan Becker purchased Nordic Gardens in 2017 and have since moved the business to their property on Highway 133, just south of Carbondale.

Courtesy photo

Consensual Improv — collaboration, laughs and Dolph Lundgren

MYKI JONES

Sopris Sun Arts Correspondent

Consensual Improv, the Roaring Fork Valley’s very own improv comedy troupe, has been bringing laughs to local audiences since 2016. The troupe saw a remarkable turnout for their two-night special holiday shows at TACAW this year. Each show was jam-packed with original sketches plus video content and, of

course, a series of improv games where the group took live suggestions.

“I certainly love the variety of comedy we do at the holiday show,” said Emily Henley, who joined the group in 2021. “I was really fortunate to be able to help with directing this year. It’s wonderful to bring a variety of theatrical qualities into our shows, and it gives the audience a fun taste of so many different styles of comedy.”

The names and faces of the group have changed over the years, though often consist of local theater icons. Current members include Cassidy Willey, Mike Monroney, Gerald DeLisser, Jack Trembath, Miller Ford, Ryan Honey, Nina Gabianelli, Zoë Rom and Kristen Carlson.

“I think what is so special about this group is that we are not only improvising on stage — we’re improvising this group, constantly,” Jeff Patterson said. “Everyone jumps in and serves in so many different ways.” Patterson is credited with starting the group back in 2016.

He continued with examples of how members have served the group in their own ways, such as Henley’s marketing efforts, Honey’s community building skills, Ford’s push to write more scripted materials and Gabianelli’s bookkeeping. He described Willey as a “huge leader” in pulling together logistics.

“[The holiday show] is very different from our normal improv show format because

it is a multimedia experience,” Willey described. “We do sketch comedy, which we don’t delve into throughout the year. We write all of these sketches each fall. We come to the table with ideas and come back to the group and try the ideas out. Each year, we’ve had fresh sketches written by members of our group, which is exciting.”

Ford piggybacked off this comment, saying the holiday show is something he looks forward to for many reasons, with the standout being creation time before the performances where the brainstorming magic happens with the crew.

— getting these ideas out and having them come to fruition. It’s been an absolute pleasure and a joy to share it with the family we’ve created,” he stated.

One of these creations came from an idea Honey pitched a little over three years ago about 1980s action movie star Dolph Lundgren, now a staple running joke in a lot of the group’s musical and sketch comedy pieces. Willey described this running bit as one of many examples of how the group brings the audience into the jokes.

“I do think we’ve created something around this whole Dolph Lundgren bit which brings the audience in on the joke. I think that is a huge part of what’s fun about improv, watching people laugh and connect on stage, and feeling like you

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Consensual Improv’s holiday show brought cheers and tears (of laughter) to audiences in December. The comedy troupe has grown formidably since 2016. Photo by Will Sardinsky

Dolph Lundgren watches on as the Consensual Improv crew performs a sketch in his honor.

Photo by Will Sardinsky

Carbondale-Congo connection brings rainwater collection to flood-ravaged African region

JOHN STROUD

Sopris Sun Correspondent

Mark Weinhold recalls a moment while standing at the edge of a large ravine carved by massive flooding along the Congo River in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, surveying the creeping erosion that was threatening nearby homes.

“This older man walks out of his house and sees us. And, when you see people who are not Congolese that far out of downtown, you know something is happening,” said the Carbondale resident and longtime U.S. Forest Service employee who works for the agency’s National Stream and Aquatic Ecology Center out of Fort Collins.

Indeed, something was about to happen.

It was October 2018, and Weinhold was part of a team of hydrologists and water engineers assembled to go to the central African country and offer advice on ways to control urban flooding and limit erosion during monsoon season.

Their presence signaled hope for the man who was about to lose

his home, though Weinhold knew based on his assessment that this particular house was already too close to the precipice and wouldn’t survive another year.

Yet, he also knew there was an opportunity to do something to prevent that situation from playing out in other parts of the city, and across the river in the Democratic Republic of Congo city of Kinshasa. Together, the two capital cities are home to more than 17 million people.

From that visit was born a new nonprofit organization founded by Weinhold, the Terra Firma Rainwater Collective. With support from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and World Bank, Terra Firma began mobilizing. They now work with local organizations on the ground to educate and assist residents in building rooftop rainwater collection systems, and to revegetate their surroundings to help prevent flooding and erosion.

Weinhold notes that, based on 15 years of data, one in three rainstorms in the region during the monsoon season produces at

least 1 inch of rain, and one in nine storms produces 2 inches of rain.

“This tremendous rainfall intensity is not uncommon there, and when you have an urban landscape that’s covered with roofs and roads, it just has nowhere to go,” he said. “That is going to be pushed in a bad direction by climate change, because what’s being experienced is even higher intensity rainfall and then drier dry seasons.”

Rather than a macro solution that an under-resourced and often corrupt government wasn’t going to be able to fund, Weinhold and his team began focusing on a micro solution.

“The problem of urban flooding is imminently solvable,” he said. “We know what causes it; we know how to treat it. But you’re not going to do it with a billion-dollar infrastructure system like New York City would have, for example, to take all that storm water to a safe place.

“What you can do is treat it at the household scale, and manage that water so it doesn’t leave the parcel.”

continued on page 18

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Community members come together to construct a rainwater collection tank in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Courtesy photo

A ravine cut by flood water making its way to the Congo River threatens a home. Courtesy photo

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Learn metal fabrication techniques for small objects. Wed., 5:10-9:30pm, 1/15-4/30

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 9

SOL AUDITIONS

Youth theater company SoL holds auditions for “Junie B. Jones The Musical JR” today through Saturday. Sign your child up at www.soltheatrecompany.org

GERI-FIT

The Carbondale Library hosts an older-adult fitness class every Thursday through Feb. 27 at 12:15pm. Call 970-625-5282 ext. 3084 to register.

TEEN LIBRARY COUNCIL

Students in grades six through 12 are invited to advise the Basalt Library on topics including books, moves and programming from 4 to 5pm.

NATURALIST NIGHT

If you missed Auden Schendler’s Naturalist Nights presentation at the Third Street Center on Jan. 8, you can catch a reprisal at the Pitkin County Library tonight at 6pm.

CRYSTAL THEATRE

“A Complete Unknown” continues at the Crystal Theatre tonight, tomorrow, Saturday, Wednesday and Thursday at 7pm. The Sunday show at 5pm is captioned.

PATIO NIGHT LIVE

Aspen Film partners with Patio Night Live Comedy for a night of stand-up at the AF Isis Theatre, featuring local comedians Louis Beck, Matt Cobos, Beth Brandon, Miller Ford, and Jordan Lowe, at 8pm. Tickets at www.aspenfilm.org

FRIDAY, JANUARY 10

NORTH STAR SKI

Megan Ballard guides a Nordic ski tour at the North Star Nature Preserve, covering the area’s history, wildlife and more, starting at 11am. Registration and more info at www.tinyurl.com/ NorthStarSki

BALANCING OLD AGE

Seniors are invited to learn strategies to maintain balance, improve coordination and navigate around obstacles at the Glenwood Springs Library every Friday through Feb. 28 at 1:30pm. Call 970-625-5282 ext. 3084 to register.

TRUE NATURE RETREAT

True Nature hosts a winter retreat beginning with an “Attune to Winter” ceremony today at 1:30pm and wrapping up midday Sunday with a farewell circle. More info at www.truenaturehealingarts.com

AERIAL GALA

Sopris Soarers celebrates 10 years with an “Illusions Aerial Gala” at Thunder River Theatre from 6 to 8pm tonight and tomorrow. Tickets at www.soprissoarers.com

BANK & HARRIMAN

Chris Bank and Hap Harriman play at Heather’s in Basalt from 6:30 to 9:30pm.

STEVE’S GUITARS

Angel Corsi and Ingrid Avison perform at Steve’s Guitars at 8pm. Tickets at www.stevesguitars.net

THE MOTET

TACAW gets funky with The Motet at 8pm. Tickets at www.tacaw.org

SATURDAY, JANUARY 11

RAT RACE

ASPEN CHAPEL GALLERY

The Aspen Chapel Gallery shows art from five local high schools through Feb. 8 with an opening reception today from 2 to 4pm. Rather than purchase, patrons can “adopt” an art piece for $25 and 75% of the proceeds will benefit local high school art departments. You can also view the show at www.aspenchapelgallery.org

URBANE COYOTE

Urbane Coyote performs at Heather’s in Basalt from 6:30 to 9:30pm.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 12

GAY SKI WEEK

Aspen Gay Ski Week enters its 48th year today. Visit www.gayskiweek.org for a list of events through Jan. 19 and more info.

SOUND FREQUENCY

Katie Smith shares her ability to transmit high-frequency energy through codes, art, movement and sound in Room 31 of the Third Street Center at 10am.

MONDAY, JANUARY 13

AYURVEDIC YOGA

The Basalt Library continues its “Seasonal Ayurvedic Yoga Series: Yoga is Medicine” each Monday at 10:15am through the end of the month. More info at www.basaltlibrary.org

NEW YEAR, NEW HOBBY

The Basalt Library invites teens to discover a potential new hobby every Monday this month from 4 to 5pm. This week’s hobby workshop: crocheting. More info at www.basaltlibrary.org

HALLAM SOUND BATH

Megan DiSabatino guides a naturebased, restorative sound journey at Hallam Lake from 5:15 to 6:30pm. Register at www.aspennature.org

TUESDAY, JANUARY 14

OPEN STUDIO

Tish McFee hosts open studio hours for painters from 1 to 4pm every Tuesday through Feb. 11 at The Art Base. Register for one or all sessions at www.theartbase.org

INTERNET STORAGE 101

Learn the basics of storing and sharing files on the internet at the Basalt Library at 2:30pm. More info at www.basaltlibrary.org

PAWS TO READ

First to third graders are invited to read with a canine friend for 15 minute intervals at the Basalt Library between 3:45 and 4:45pm. Register your child at www.tinyurl.com/PawstoreadBasalt

LINCOLN CREEK

Roaring Fork Conservancy presents “What’s the Big Deal with Lincoln Creek?” delving into the reasons for monitoring the stream at 10,000 feet and recent concerns, at the Basalt Library at 5pm. Register at www.roaringfork.org

CLIMATE FILM

Join 350 Roaring Fork for a free viewing of “The White House Effect” at 6pm. This film documents efforts by the George H.W. Bush administration to remediate the greenhouse effect in the late ‘80s and early 90s.

‘FIRST DRAFT’

The Mt Sopris Nordic Council hosts the Rat Race at Spring Gulch with 10K and 5K divisions for adults and 1K and 3K for youth. The first race starts at 10am. Find registration details at www.skireg.com/ratrace

Mitzi Rapkin hosts her podcast, “First Draft: A Dialogue on Writing,” featuring author Sarah Gerard speaking about her new investigative book, “Carrie Carolyn Coco: My Friend, Her Murder, and an Obsession with the Unthinkable,” at TACAW at 6:30pm.

The High Fives Foundation, providing need-based grants to individuals who have experienced life-changing injuries while pursuing outdoor adventure sports, has streamlined its grantmaking process. The revamped system offers two application windows per year, with the first ending Jan. 31. Apply to receive up to $25,000 toward adaptive sports equipment, medical care and participation in adaptive sports programs at highfivesfoundation.org/ grant-application. Courtesy photo

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 15

CHEYENNE JACKSON

Emmy and Grammy nominated actor Cheyenne Jackson performs in concert at the Hotel Jerome tonight and Friday at 8pm. Tickets at www.theatreaspen.org

SPECIAL EVENTS MEETING

The Town of Carbondale hosts a Special Events Task Force meeting covering proposed 2025 events at Town Hall from 5:30 to 7pm.

COMMUNITY GATHERING

Join community members concerned with fighting fascism at the Carbondale Library for a potluck at 6pm followed by a facilitated discussion at 7pm.

HEALTHY DIET

Dr. Greg Feinsinger, founder of the Center for Prevention and Treatment of Disease Through Nutrition nonprofit, offers a free presentation on the optimal diet for human health and health of the planet at the Third Street Center at 7pm.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS

The Meeting Place in Carbondale (981 Cowen Drive) offers “Hole in the Donut AA,” Monday through Saturday at 6:45am, plus “Daily Reprieve” at noon on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Find a full schedule at www.meetingplacecarbondale.org

AIKIDO

Crystal River Aikikai offers aikido training at 13 Moons Ranch for adults and teens on Mondays from 5:30 to 6:30pm and Wednesdays from 6:30 to 7:30pm. Kids classes are on Mondays from 4 to 5pm and Wednesdays from 4 to 5pm. Get your first class for free with an RSVP at www.crystalriveraikikai.com

ENGLISH IN ACTION

Volunteer English tutors and developing learners meet for informal conversational practice at the Carbondale Library every Monday at 6:30pm.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 16

BANNED BOOKS CLUB

The Banned Books Club discusses “Maus: A Survivor’s Tale” by Art Spiegelman at the Basalt Library from 4 to 5pm.

WINTER FISHING

Swing by The Tipsy Trout for an informal gathering of anglers talking about winter fishing from 6 to 7:30pm.

COMEDY NIGHT

Steve’s Guitars presents “Comedy Night” with Beth Brandon, Miller Ford, Don Chaney and Landon Bates at 8pm. Tickets at www.stevesguitars.net

GREAT DECISIONS

The Aspen Institute kicks off an eightweek series inviting participants to engage in meaningful discussions regarding foreign policy every Thursday through March 6 from 6 to 8pm at the Aspen Institute. More info at www.aspeninstitute.org/series/ great-decisions-series

Interested in becoming a tutor? Email angela@englishinaction.org or call 970-963-9200.

MONDAY MEDITATION

Roaring Fork Insight guides a weekly meditation group meeting at the Third Street Center (Room 31) from 7 to 8:30pm.

CRIBBAGE Whether you’ve played for years or are looking to learn, stop by the Carbondale Rec Center from 4 to 5pm Tuesday nights. Bring snacks or non-alcoholic drinks to share! Visit www.carbondalerec.com for more info.

YARN GROUP

Basalt Library hosts a weekly yarn group on Tuesdays at 5pm. All are welcome.

TAI CHI

Garfield County Human Services is

SMOKIN’ & ROCKIN’

Smokin’ Joe Kelly and Rockin’ Randall perform at Heather’s in Basalt at 6:30pm.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 17

VALLEY VISUAL

Carbondale Arts hosts an opening reception for the 46th Annual Valley Visual Art Show, featuring dozens of works by local artists, at the Launchpad from 5 to 7pm. The exhibit will remain on display through Feb. 20.

‘RILEY’

Aspen Film partners with Aspen Gay Ski Week to present “Riley” at 6:30pm at the AF Isis Theatre.

offering Tai Chi for Arthritis at the Carbondale Library, Tuesdays from 1 to 2pm and Thursdays from noon to 1pm. For more info, call 970-963-2889.

BIKE PROJECT

The Carbondale Bike Project Shop helps people repair their bicycles on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2 to 6pm and Sundays from noon to 6pm on the east side of Third Street Center.

SENIOR LUNCH

Every Wednesday at noon, Garfield County Senior Programs provides a nutritious meal for seniors at The Orchard. To reserve a place at the table, call 970-665-0041.

COSECHA TEXTILES

Textile enthusiasts are invited to a monthly workshop at Cosecha Textiles (95 Red Dog Road) every first Wednesday from 4 to 9pm. Register at www.cosechatextiles.com

LATE NIGHT RADIO

TACAW invites you to dance, dance, dance with Late Night Radio at 8pm. Dale Birch and pheel. will perform the warm-up acts.

SATURDAY,

JANUARY 18

PEOPLE’S MARCH

The Pitkin County Democrats organizes a People’s March in Aspen with the slogan “we won’t go back.” Demonstrators will gather at Durant and Hunter at noon then march to Paepcke Park for a Women’s Speaker Event at 1pm. This local event is part of a national feminist-led action. For more information, visit www.peoplesmarch.com

ASK A LAWYER

Alpine Legal Services offers a hotline clinic on Wednesdays from 5 to 7pm. Call 970-368-2246 and visit alpinelegalservices.org for the schedule of dates by legal topic.

UNDER THE SUN

Join Sopris Sun correspondents and guests for “Everything Under The Sun,” airing every Thursday on KDNK at 4pm.

GROUP RUN

Independence Run & Hike leads a weekly group run on Thursdays departing from the store’s location, next to the Carbondale City Market, at 6:30pm.

COFFEE WITH THE MAYOR

Carbondale Mayor Ben Bohmfalk posts up at Bonfire every Friday from 8 to 9am, and everyone is welcome to stop by to chat.

Rams girls basketball enters new year with another win, top-5 state ranking

JOHN STROUD

Sopris Sun Correspondent

The Roaring Fork High School girls basketball team wasted little time shaking off the holiday cobwebs to dismantle the Basalt Longhorns 75-16 on Saturday, Jan. 4.

Still undefeated at 8-0, the Rams carry a Class 3A state ranking of sixth in the Colorado High School Activities Association weekly poll, are ranked fifth in the latest Colorado MaxPreps poll and have a RPI power ranking of eighth.

middle for us with her rebounding, shot blocking and outlet passing. She keys our fast break.”

Tardiff finished the game with 13 points and 13 rebounds. Senior Carley Crownhart had 22 points, sophomore Riley Bevington had 15 points and 10 rebounds, and sophomore Hazel Jenkins had her best game of the season with 11 points coming off the bench.

The girls played very well considering they didn’t have a game in over three weeks. (Junior) Nikki Tardif continues to be an anchor in the middle for us with her rebounding, shot blocking and outlet passing. She keys our fast break.

- Coach Mike Vidakovich

The Roaring Fork boys didn’t fare as well in their game against Basalt, falling 65-43 to their mid valley rivals, and dropping to 5-3 on the season.

3A Western Slope League schedule against North Fork this Friday, Jan. 10, 5:30pm for the varsity girls, and 7pm for the boys.

Wrestling

Against Basalt, which now plays at the 4A level, the Rams came out hot, opening a 26-0 lead by the second quarter.

“The girls played very well considering they didn’t have a game in over three weeks,” head coach Mike Vidakovich said of the long break. “(Junior) Nikki Tardif continues to be an anchor in the

Junior Lucas Carballeira was the top scorer for the Rams with 12 points, and junior Kiko Pena had 14 rebounds. For the Longhorns, senior Elias Schendler dropped 19 points, supported by fellow seniors Taylor Hays and Luke Williams with 12 and 11 points, respectively.

Both Rams teams are at home to open the

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The Basalt boys and girls wrestling team, which combines student-athletes from Roaring Fork High, opened the post-holiday slate at the 25-team West Grand Invitational on Saturday, Jan. 4.

In the 20-team girls competition, Basalt senior Emely Mejia-Garcia won the 100-pound classification, taking down West Grand’s Heaven Vail in 1 minute, 46 seconds. Mejia-Garcia is undefeated thus far at 12-0. At 130 pounds, Basalt’s Sidney Hernandez was sixth.

Be a Big Buddy to a youth in your community!

And, in the 25-team boys competition, top finishes came at the 144-pound classification, where Roaring Fork senior Bronze Urfrig took second and junior Vaclav Hejda, a Rotary Exchange student from the Czech Republic, was third; at 150 pounds, James Opp took second and Luca Del Cid was third; at 175 pounds, Herberth Requeno took second; 113 pounds, Graham Rose placed fourth and Oscar Arroyo, fifth; 120 pounds, Aaron Arroyo, fifth; 132 pounds, Roaney Requeno, fourth, Colby Samuelson, fifth, and Waylon Applegate, sixth.

To learn more about our four youth mentoring programs or for more information about becoming a Big Buddy, visit www.buddyprogram.org Just a few hours a month can make a big difference in a young person’s life.

We have youth right here in our community who are waiting for a Big Buddy like you!

Learning to play, playing to learn. Rams basketballers practice on a weekday evening.

Photo by Sue Rollyson

O’Grady returns, lobbyist report, Martin still here

AMY HADDEN MARSH

Sopris Sun Correspondent

A new approach to constraining the Garfield County Library District took the stage during the first Garfield County Board of Commissioners (BOCC) meeting of 2025. Rifle resident Trish O’Grady Zoomed in to direct the BOCC’s attention to the library district’s budget, opining about how the library spends its money, based on information she said she found on the Library Research Service (LRS) website. LRS is an office of the Colorado State Library.

O’Grady also told her version of library executive director Jamie LaRue’s 2025 salary raise: “And here we have an executive director of the library being proposed to make $180,000 a year. When I brought this up to the library, and they did make some discussion about this, they compromised and his salary now for this coming year is now only going to be $166,000. They did give him a merit increase of 2% and a COLA [cost-of-living] increase of 3%, but I still question whether that $166,000 is even a fair amount based on the type of responsibilities he has.”

LaRue told The Sopris Sun in a Jan. 7 email that O’Grady is mistaken and that she had nothing to do with the amount of his pay raise. He said his salary for 2024 was $155,316, which increased to $180,115 on Jan. 1, 2025. “My current contract says that I receive the same adjustments the staff receives. So if that’s a cost of living increase of 3% for them, I get it too,” he explained. “But, in 2024, we did a wage and compensation study, paying a third party to compare our job descriptions and wages [to the Colorado market].”

He added that his raise is not based on performance. “It’s based on the wage and compensation study, which affected everyone’s pay and explicitly mine as covered by my existing employment contract,” he said. “The study is done every three to five years.”

O’Grady went on to ask the BOCC how they could take control of approving the library district’s budget. “If there’s any way you can dissolve their special district to take back, not just the advisory portion of the library budget, but to actually approve the budget.”

Commission Chair John Martin reiterated that the BOCC does not approve the library budget. “We only receive the budget and acknowledge that we have [it],” he explained. “The library board sets their budget and approves that budget.” He added that the BOCC can review her concerns and discuss them with the library board but they can’t control the library budget. Martin and Garfield County Attorney Heather Beattie reminded O’Grady that the special district was approved by voters. “The only way that you could dissolve the district is also [by] a vote of the citizenry,” he said.

You can listen to O’Grady’s testimony on the meeting recording at the Garfield County website.

“Next window.”

In other news, commissioners approved the consent agenda, including the new workers compensation insurance contract with Glenwood Insurance Agency and a contract with Waste Management Inc for trash and recycling services, a contract change order for the county landfill, a development plan for Vantage Aviation’s new fuel farm at the Rifle Garfield County Airport and Vantage’s concept plan for parcel A-7, also at the airport. An amendment to Holy Cross Energy’s land lease and operating agreement for the solar array at the airport was also approved as was the 2024 Highway Users Tax Fund county road inventory.

Robert Weidner, the county’s public land, environment and natural resources lobbyist in Washington D.C., phoned in from the nation’s capitol to update the BOCC on his work during the 2024 fourth quarter. “The 118th Congress was probably the least effective in my lifetime,” said Weidner. “I’m glad to be in a new Congress with a new opportunity to move forward on the agenda items that you’ve asked me to work on.” He offered an update on the nation’s $3.6 trillion dollar debt and appropriation bills on hold. “The budget system of the Congress is completely broken,” he said, adding that he would like to see Congress pass one appropriations bill at a time.

Weidner said that U.S. Senators Michael Bennett and John Hickenlooper have been supportive in some areas but not concerning access to federal land for extractive uses. “When he was the governor of our state, Hickenlooper was, I would say, somewhat sympathetic to our cause in oil and gas exploration,” said Commissioner Mike Samson. “He’s changed since he’s gone back to Washington, D.C.”

Samson hopes to meet with the senators on his trip to D.C. in March “to try to impress upon them the importance of the oil and gas industry [to constituents in Western Colorado],” he said. Samson added, “We were making such great strides [during] the first Trump administration. I’m really looking forward with hope and faith that the doors will be opened up again and that we can get things rolling again and help our economy here in Western Colorado.”

Weidner also talked about historic rights of way and Utah’s case before the U.S. Supreme Court about whether states can take jurisdictional control over federal land ownership, which Commissioner Tom Jankovsky is against. “In Colorado, that would just allow the state more places to release wolves,” he said. The county pays Weidner $7,500 per quarter.

Blue Lake Preschool invites interested General Contractors to bid on the expansion of Little Blue Preschool in Carbondale. Request a bid packet from: angela@confluencearchitecture.com or 970-963-9720.

Site Walk: January 14, 2025 at 10 a.m.

Bids Due: February 14, 2025 at 5:00 p.m.

Start of Construction: March or April 2025

Invitation to Bid on Little Blue Preschool Expansion

Frances Mikel Raley

October 21, 1944 - November 25, 2024

Frances Michael Smith Raley, who went by Mike and Mikel, was born to Helen Grace Savage Smith and Francis Michael Smith on Oct. 21, 1944, in Nassawadox, Virginia. She passed away on Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, from old age with family by her side and an Irish ditty on the radio.

She is survived by her children, Wendra Beth Raley-Gonzalez, Shellen Dawn Raley-Masterman, Wade, and grandchildren, Fionna Skye Raley-Theberge, Lorenzo Antonio Gonzalez and Saredhiel Moon Raley Masterman.

Mike attended Berklee College of Music for jazz singing and first performed in public on The Horn and Hardart Children’s Hour show at age 8. Later, she moved to New York City and sang in Manhattan’s night scene.

Mike graduated from the University of Delaware with a BA in English while raising three young children as a single mother, then later packed up those three children and moved to New York City with little else but a dream. She published two poems in New York’s Just Pulp Magazine and an original play was produced and performed in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

In her spare time, she watched shows about the cosmos. Knowing that “energy can’t be created or destroyed,” she would say, “When I die, my energy will transform. What’s important is what kind of energy you send out to the universe. Make it good.” Mike was an animal lover and rescued many (including insects).

Her smile lit up a room; her passion was a guiding light for all who knew her. Her legacy will continue to inspire and guide us. As we grapple with losing her physical presence, we know that her spirit lives on through her music, poetry, curiosity and love for life.

An Ocean of Love

By Mikel Raley

An ocean of love

We give to you in Starry vault above

Not to be contained within Now, elegies and love

For you must fly, Into the sky Into eternity

Beyond all time, A song sublime

To live, and breathe and be…

A melody to drift upon The moonbeams shining through The misty curtain

Of the night

That we here spend with you

The morning sun Will bring us joy

And happiness that lasts Through sleet and hail and Wintry gale

Once the storm has passed

And so you see, It’s meant to be Our love is forever true So dream, be free Beyond the sea

And we will be with you And we’ll soon be with you

PAONIA

“We’re so excited to be part of PFM,” she shared. “Sarah has so much enthusiasm and she’s really passionate about connecting local consumers to their local producers.”

As the farmers and producers gain momentum, Peterson and Neil said it’s also important to build a more resilient food supply. Noting its fragility, and ultimate breakdown during the pandemic, Peterson said our food system is precarious and we need to invest in farmers to know where and when our food is coming.

“I think seeing the fragility of our supply chains and infrastructure really drove home how quickly that can be cut off,” Neil added. “People started turning to local producers and establishing relationships. It’s been beautiful to see them turning back to [their] own communities to really take care of each other.”

While Peterson is driven to have a positive impact, her greatest joy comes from building the cyclical relationship between farmer, consumer and the land.

“I love people and I love connecting with people,” said Peterson. “This gives me an outlet to be social and to do a service for both valleys that I love. I love the North Fork Valley, and I have a lot of love for my home valley. It’s the community and its relationship.”

CONSENSUAL IMPROV

from page 8

and the audience are part of that connection and part of that joke, that you’re in on it together. It feels really inclusive,” she stated.

In addition to the connections the comedy troupe forms with audiences, it also offers opportunities to play for private events and parties, corporate and company trainings, school events and improv workshops where attendees can gain the improv skill of saying “yes, and” in their everyday lives.

“I think it is such a magical thing to have our group that is so focused on serving our community with laughter,” Henley told The Sopris Sun. “Especially around the holidays and with everything happening in the world, just being able to be a part of creative endeavors where the sole purpose is to laugh, play and find joy is such an important tool in our society,” Henley told us.

For updates, bookings or to catch the next Consensual Improv show, follow @consensualimprov on Instagram or visit www.theconsensualimprov.com

Questioning housing capacity in the Roaring Fork Valley

A few months ago, Habitat for Humanity RFV President Gail Schwartz raised the issue of “carrying capacity” in one of her editorial columns in the Aspen Daily News. This is an issue I have been contemplating for the past several years. I am writing this column to encourage a community-wide discussion of the topic, as our population continues to grow.

While I understand the desire for more affordable housing, I am also concerned about over development and severely damaging our quality of life. I do not purport to have easy answers to the affordability issues facing our valley (and all of Colorado), but I do not believe we can build our way out of the situation.

What is the carrying capacity of our combined infrastructure, including: roads, schools, daycare centers, medical facilities, grocery stores, the power grid, law enforcement and, perhaps most critical in the long term, our water supply?

Highway 82 is already dysfunctional at certain times of day; wildlife is killed constantly along the road and we have seen several fatal crashes in recent years. What impact does the gridlocked traffic we already are experiencing have on our air quality?

I do not think we are taking seriously enough the safety concerns from daily traffic on Highway 82, much less the possibility for total gridlock on the roads in the event we need to evacuate due to an emergency — such as a

wildfire. Could we find ourselves in a situation like Maui in the event everyone from Carbondale to Glenwood Springs has to evacuate?

This, of course, is a large part of the reason for the proposed South Bridge project outside of Glenwood Springs, but which has been more than 20 years in the making. And will it be a sufficient evacuation route once completed if the population continues to boom?

Daycare options are quite limited and newborns already have to be put on lengthy waiting lists in hopes of eventually securing a spot. How many more children can the system handle? How is our current student-teacher ratio holding up in our schools?

products are in limited supply, and the parking lot can be dangerous.

Do we have enough law enforcement to handle our current population, much less additional growth? Simple issues like speeding on Highway 82 seem to go completely ignored at times. Is this due to a lack of personnel leading to prioritizing more serious issues at the expense of low level issues? At a recent public meeting in Carbondale, we learned there are only two officers on duty during a given shift — is that sufficient?

GUEST OPINION

by Siri Olsen

Our medical system is struggling to handle our current population and in many cases relies on traveling nurses and doctors to provide care. How many more patients can the system safely handle?

How many more customers can our grocery stores handle? Anyone who shops at the Glenwood Springs City Market knows that it is no longer a pleasant shopping experience. Despite heroic efforts by the employees at the Glenwood Springs store, check out is often slow and you regularly have to do it yourself. Shelves are frequently empty or

Do we truly have a collective understanding of our water supply? How many more water/sewer taps can we handle before we find ourselves in a situation like in Arizona — where developments were approved but then halted due to a lack of water?

Regarding the “need” for new housing, I see references to studies indicating we need a certain number of new units. How many units have been built in the last five years to reach that “needed” number? In 2023, I asked the Garfield County Planning Department that very question, but they could not provide an answer and referred me to the census website — which I tried. Unfortunately, the census data at that time was two years out of date, with figures that only

ran through 2021.

If we do not know how many units have been built, how can we say we “need” more? Without firm numbers it seems it will be an endlessly moving target. Additionally, how many non-primary residential units should we be adding? Second homeowners put pressure on all the infrastructure and may also utilize their property as rental units. Should we encourage or discourage more of that type of housing?

I know I will be criticized with the phrase that I want to “shut the door behind me.” That is not the genesis of these concerns, however. I truly believe there is a breaking point for the level of growth we can handle and still ensure our own safety, protect our wildlife, ensure conservation of our open spaces and protect our quality of life. Unfortunately, not everyone who wants to live here or have a second home here (or anywhere in the West) can do so if we wish to protect our limited resources and be proper stewards of our lands. Perhaps we need to pause and grapple with these questions before it is too late and we come to regret the irreversible changes we are making in our valley.

If you are interested in addressing some of these questions in a community setting and evaluating the impacts of growth in the Roaring Fork Valley, please send an email to rfvgrowth@gmail.com

Aspen Daily News

Mi Chola

Aspen Valley Hospital

Snowmass Market

The Aspen Store

Box on Hyman Avenue

Pitkin County Library

BASALT

Basalt Quick Lube

Basalt Regional Library

The Basalt Store

Alpine Bank Basalt

Timbos

7/11

Jalisco Grill

Big O Tires

CC Cafe

WILLITS/EL JEBEL

El Jebel Mobile Offices

Midvalley

Glenwood Springs celebrates Noon Year’s Eve

FELIPE PEREZ Sol del Valle

The Glenwood Springs Community Center once again served as the vibrant setting for a joyous celebration: Noon Year’s Eve. What a gift from the City of Glenwood Springs to its residents, who enjoyed an afternoon packed with fun, recreation and artistic activities! This free event, held on Saturday, Dec. 28, only required attendees to show up, bring their families, and put on a big smile.

Hope for the new year arrived amidst magicians, jugglers, ice sculptors, children’s entertainers, bounce houses and all the amenities of the Community Center, which were open to the public free of charge. These included the climbing wall, the pool and the ice-skating rink.

Silt Roundabout

The spirit of togetherness was palpable throughout the event, as the organizing committee provided a recreational space for children during their holiday break and welcomed local artists to engage with attendees of all ages. The joy of participants was contagious, to the point that the three hours of

festivities flew by in the blink of an eye.

Patrick Davis, recreation coordinator at the Glenwood Springs Community Center, remarked, “We bring the community together. We unite the community with our special events and hope that everyone takes something unique away from the experience. Maybe they’re inspired to join a local aerial acrobatics team, discover a love for the climbing wall, or simply enjoy popping balloons.”

Without a doubt, initiatives

like this one from the City of Glenwood Springs exemplify how communities can celebrate together, breaking down barriers and simultaneously supporting local talent while fostering a culture of inclusion and well-being for all ages.

Truly, an event that leaves a

lasting impression and one many eagerly look forward to next year!

Don’t miss events like this one by visiting the City of Glenwood’s website at www. cogs.us or following them on social media as “City of Glenwood Springs.”

Nachos Mexican Dining

ProMex Bakery

Tutty

Follow Leonardo Occhipinti’s “Nuevo Mundo” in Sol del Valle every week in Spanish.

Photos by Joe Van Wyk for the City of Glenwood Springs

Share your works in progress with readers by emailing illustrations, creative writings and poetry to fiction@soprissun.com

Comparte tus proyectos creativos aún en proceso con nuestros lectores. Puedes enviarnos un correo electrónico con tus ilustraciones, creaciones literarias y poesía a fiction@soprissun.com

I am Frankie’s big monkey

By Fred Malo Carbondale

Most of the people I know who live with a cat think they own the animal. Nobody owns a cat. They won’t come, sit, beg, roll over, speak or lick your face. They’re their own boss.

I’m an average sized man, but considerably larger than Frankie. Good thing. If I was his size, he would probably kill and eat me. And anybody who’s been to the monkey house at the zoo has to see the similarity between ourselves and the primates.

It’s my job to feed Frankie. He once ate only dry cat food, but his 18-year-old teeth can’t chew that anymore. So, it’s canned, wet cat food now — and when he wants it, he wants it now. Frankie never finishes his bowl, as if he doesn’t trust me to keep feeding him. Frankie doesn’t need to worry about that. Past experience has taught me when a cat quits eating, it’s ready to check out.

It’s my job to make a lap for Frankie. This is also an opportunity to flip on the tube and watch a ball game. Once he jumps up into the chair, Frankie demands to be petted. Judging by the low, rumbling purr that comes from him, Frankie must like that.

No doubt it reminds him of when his mother would lick him clean. The difference is, with her suctioned-cupped tongue, Frankie’s mother really was getting him clean. My naturally oily hands only make him dirtier. Have you ever noticed when you’re done petting a cat, they lick the very area you just stroked? It’s my job to clean Frankie’s cat box. I’m 75. Frankie and I are growing old together. We both use the bathroom a lot more than we used to. Frankie used to be an outdoor-only defecator, but advanced years have taught him

the cat box is much more comfortable. Frankie’s visits to the great outdoors last less than a minute nowadays. I no sooner sit down in my easy chair after letting him out than Frankie’s crying to come back in. So what if cleaning the cat box is an unpleasant task for the big monkey; his sole purpose in life is to serve my convenience.

A lotta people hate cats. They hate ‘em for the same reason I love ‘em. I love their independence, aloofness and the FU attitude they have for big monkeys.

I’m prepared for when Frankie reaches the end of the trail before I do. Been there. Done that. Frankie is my third cat. All of them have reached at least 13-years-old. Got Frankie when he was nine-monthsold. Been together a long time. It’s said Siamese live a long time. Twenty years isn’t uncommon, but he won’t live forever.

I’ll get that empty feeling in the pit of my stomach. I’ll cry. I’ll spend a few lonely, sleepless nights in bed wondering where my warm, little snuggle partner is. Then, I’ll make moves to get another cat. I’ll immediately fall in love with it and it’ll love me as much as a cat can.

On the Metro in St. Petersburg

BY KITTY RILEY Carbondale

I met a stranger the other day

On a train underground

Differences were all I could see Were all that I found

We sat across from each other Opposite sides of the aisle

Saying not a single word

Mile after mile

His hair was not like mine

His eyes nor his clothes

The book he read was written in

A language I did not know

But when an apple someone dropped Rolled towards our feet

It slid from side to side

And underneath my seat

I felt a tickle in my throat

A giggle wiggled free

A chuckle came from the other side

As the stranger laughed with me

We smiled at each other then And nodded a hello

He even gave a little wave

When he had to go

I realized I had been looking Through eyes completely wrong I should have seen our shared Humanity all along

from page 9

It’s an approach that incrementally helps with flood control, and it’s a way for families to collect and store water on-site for non-potable domestic use. As it is, they must make regular trips to the nearest public water well with large containers

It’s a routine Lise-Olga Makonga of Kinshasa is all too familiar with. The naturebased solution put forward by Terra Firma was something the environmental organization she works with could embrace.

Makonga is the local project coordinator for Eco Ecole and CEEDD, or the Centre d’Etudes Environnementales pour le Développement Durable in French, the national language of Congo (Center for Environmental Studies for Sustainable

She has been staying in Carbondale since late summer after coming to the United States to study English. She was recently accepted into a graduate program in South Dakota, and will be in the U.S. through the spring before head-

Makonga’s job there is to meet with and select families who are affected by the erosion and suggest the rainwater collection technique as a way to improve

“We explain that this water can be used for all their jobs at home, and small agriculture activity. Some people can even sell

Often, it’s the women and children who fetch the water from sometimes far-removed public water wells. That can take hours, and for the children can mean time

Makonga’s father once had a water source on his compound, but the infrastructure was washed away in the flooding. That can also happen with the many neighborhood water wells that exist throughout the city.

“When we offer this solution, most of the time they agree and they appreciate our method, because it’s an innovation,” Makonga said.

Part of that innovation was the creation of a thermoplastic clipping mechanism that’s used to attach gutters to the wavy, corrugated metal roofs that are common there.

Terra Firma paid for an injection mold and got the patent, and the clips can now be manufactured for about 85-90 cents each.

“When you drive around Kinshasa you’ll see people selling sections of gutter,

but there’s no real way to attach them,” Weinhold said.

The clips have a mechanism that adjusts and rotates to fit on any roof of that type.

They’re used on the official Terra Firma/CEEDD projects, now totaling about 120, with storage capacity ranging from about 5,000 to 10,000 liters.

The clips are also becoming a hot commodity, making it into the marketplace and naturally multiplying the use of gutter-collection systems.

“As soon as someone has a gutter and all that water is coming to one point, they put a bucket under it, and then a bigger bucket, and the idea just grows,” Weinhold said.

”So, 120 doesn’t sound like a big number in a city of 17 million people, but it’s a big number when you think about what we have learned over the last couple of years and how we’ve created processes to do it efficiently.”

The CEEDD also works with local residents to help them revegetate and stabilize the sandy soil that’s prone to erosion.

In addition to helping people access electricity and water, there’s an educational aspect to their work, especially among the younger generations, Makonga said.

Certain superstitions still exist, she said.

A common practice in urban development has been to clear-cut all of the trees and remove the grass and flowers, because they can attract snakes and other animals that are viewed as signs of evil, Makonga said.

“We have to teach people that the grass is important to help with erosion, and that when you see a snake that it’s normal and healthy,” she said.

Erica Borum, another Forest Service water engineer from Carbondale who works with Weinhold, is on the Terra Firma board of directors.

She helped design the prototype water tank in Weinhold’s driveway during the pandemic years, and worked on the funding and legal aspects to obtain the patent for the gutter clip.

She’s now focused on fundraising and other resources to expand their efforts across the river to Brazzaville.

“It’s not as big of a city, but it’s a different country so there are different politics at play there,” Borum said.

“We’re trying to think of it as an investment,” she said. “Like with solar, there is an investment up front, but in the end it will pay for itself.”

Terra Firma Rainwater Collective founder Mark Weinhold, center, with board member and fellow U.S. Forest Service water engineer, Erica Borum, right, and Lise-Olga Makonga, Rainwater Collective project coordinator in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, pictured next to Weinhold’s backyard rainwater collection tank in Carbondale.

Photo by John Stroud

The lesson is capitalists won’t engage in the efforts to combat climate change until they’re convinced it’s profitable. We must persuade them there’s no long-term financial gain in destroying our planet’s climate.

350 Roaring Fork is presenting “The White House Effect” at the Carbondale library Tuesday, Jan. 14 at 6pm. Come and see how our past can guide our future.

Fred Malo Jr. Carbondale

DAPL

With just weeks left before Donald Trump returns to the White House, we are running out of time to lock in protections for our climate and communities. One critical action President Biden can take right now is to permanently shut down the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL).

The pipeline is currently operating illegally, even as the ongoing legal battles surrounding it are reaching a critical point. The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe continues to fight against corporate and state interference to protect their sacred land and the safety of surrounding communities.

In 2020, concerned citizens urged President Biden to cancel the Keystone XL pipeline, and he listened. Now, we must continue to press him to take immediate action on DAPL before Trump takes office. The risk of further environmental harm and disruption to Indigenous land is too great to ignore.

President Biden must prioritize the permanent shutdown of DAPL in his final days in office. The fight for a cleaner, safer future is in our hands, and we cannot afford to miss this opportunity.

Evan Michael Glenwood Springs

Library board

It is deeply disheartening to see the Garfield County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) appoint far-right conspiracy theorist and outspoken anti-LGBTQ+ advocate Stephanie Pierucci to the Garfield County Library Board as Carbondale’s representative. This decision feels especially troubling given the BOCC’s refusal just last year to appoint Hanna Arauza to the board on the grounds that her views didn’t reflect her Rifle community.

A quick glance at Pierucci’s public Facebook page reveals views that are alarmingly out of step with the Carbondale I know — a town that values inclusivity and diversity. While Pierucci’s posts cover a range of conspiracy theories, I’ll focus on her comments about the LGBTQ+ community, which are particularly concerning.

Pierucci has publicly stated:

• “Pride has been perverted. It’s not about love.”

• “(The Pride) movement all together is abuse of kids, especially girls.”

• “There are TWO SEXES. Psychological gender dysphoria isn’t normal.”

• “Stop celebrating drag shows. Cut out the incessant Pride parades and drag story hours.”

Pierucci claims expertise on these matters, citing her employment of a trans man and her relationships with LGBTQ+ individuals. Yet her statements perpetuate harmful stereotypes that are damaging to the LGBTQ+ community and not reflective of Carbondale’s values.

The library board plays a crucial role in shaping a public resource meant to serve everyone. Appointing someone who openly disparages marginalized communities sends a damaging message. Carbondale deserves a representative who fosters inclusion, not division.

It’s vital that our community stands up for its core values. We cannot allow such extremist views to go unchallenged. Let’s ensure that Carbondale remains a place where all people feel seen, supported and celebrated.

Ashley Stahl New Castle

Giving thanks

The Holiday Baskets Program, run entirely by volunteers, was once again a joyful community effort. For 43 years this program has provided new toys, gifts, clothing and food for people in need in our valley. This past holiday we served 264 families — 1,043 individuals!

We are so grateful to the more than 300 volunteers who purchased individual gifts, shopped for entire families, sorted, wrapped and transported gift bags. And we certainly appreciate those who made monetary donations which enabled us to give over $50,000 worth of food and other gift cards.

In addition to all our volunteers, I especially wish to thank our steering committee, Elaine Bonds, Marsha Cook, Kathy Dreher, Suzi Jenkins, Elizabeth Parker and Bobbi Teliska, who spent countless hours and lots of energy matching families with Holiday Angels and making sure all the gift bags were ready on pick-up day. We also thank the 13 agencies who referred the families and delivered their gift bags. We are extremely grateful to Mike Garbarini who developed an online system allowing us to go paperless. Mike carefully monitored the applications and assisted the agencies and volunteers. We greatly appreciate the Aspen Chapel Gallery for serving as a drop-off site for gift bags and wrapping and St. Peter’s church in Basalt for providing space in which to coordinate and distribute the thousands of gifts and gift cards.

It was truly a joyful experience to witness the generosity and caring of so many members of our community!

Anne Blackwell Holiday Baskets Program

LETTERS POLICY: The Sopris Sun welcomes local letters to the editor. Shorter letters stand a better chance of being printed. Letters exclusive to The Sopris Sun (not appearing in other papers) are particularly welcome. Please cite your facts and include your name and place of residence or association. Letters are due to news@soprissun.com by noon on the Monday before we go to print.

Sharing is caring … but not all the time!

Most horses in Missouri Heights don’t have the option of deciding that they don’t want to share their meals with the deer. Because it’s more difficult for the deer to find food this time of year, chowing down with the horses during breakfast and dinner is a daily occurrence, if they’re being fed out in the pastures. In this photo it appears as if Chiquita doesn’t mind sharing her hay with this doe and her teenage daughter. Photo by Jane Bachrach

CABIN WINETASTINFEVERG

Thursday Feb 20th 5-8pm

16th Birthday Celebration