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una nueva publicación semanal con noticias Volume 13, Number 15| May 20-26, 2021 locales en español.

Restoring Rifle habitat

By Will Sardinsky Sopris Sun Correspondent

As mountain meadowlarks called out, Lisa Tasker buzzed about Rifle Creek’s banks among a sea of small pink flags emerging from the ground. She delivered cottonwood, willow, rose, serviceberry, sumac sage, and oak saplings to be planted at each flag to about 30 shovel-bearing volunteers organized by Middle Colorado Watershed Council and Wilderness Workshop. These volunteers were instructed to dig holes of the right depth and gently surround each plant with the correct amount of soil so air pockets won’t rot the roots. These plants will help return the creek to a native riparian ecosystem – one with nutrient-rich waters conducive to macro invertebrates, fish, birds and maybe, someday, beavers.

“Agriculture is the biggest impact to our native systems on the planet, bar none,” said Tasker, an ecologist with the Colorado Natural Heritage Center, “because we literally go in and erase them to install simplified systems with little to no diversity.” One factor is overgrazing of livestock on a particular area, another is planting a monocrop which strips the soil of one nutrient without other plants that help replenish it. Here, along Rifle Creek, the banks have also been sharply eroded due to the upstream dam. Sitting still behind the dam, the sediment drops out of solution.

Then, when the water passes through the dam it grabs at the banks replacing previously lost sediment to return to equilibrium. Despite all this, Tasker emphasized, “You can do agriculture and leave natural habitat alone.”

During the first two years of the project, she worked with landowner and steward John Powers to fence off the riparian zones from the agricultural fields, removing invasive plants like tamarisk and Russian olive, and conducting a “bioblitz,” a comprehensive survey of all existing species. Powers, noting the importance of this baseline data, said, “It’s necessary to find out where you’re starting before you make changes. What are you changing? You won’t know.”

Now, they are in the third and final year of guiding a plethora of volunteers in planting what will amount to nearly 10,000 new individuals of 28 native species along the .8 miles of the creek that runs through Power’s property. Most of the seedlings were sourced from regions of Colorado with lower elevations and warmer climates than Rifle. Some were even from the desert region surrounding Moab, Utah. Tasker explained, “With warming climate in Rifle, we’re hoping that they will do better maybe than the ones that are already existing here… we’ll see. It’s all a big experiment.”

Whether as an educational resource, an example for other private landowners, or a display of different groups of people working together, “a rarity nowadays,” Powers noted, this relatively small project on one piece of private property serves as an example that reaches outside of Power’s acreage, and could serve past his lifetime. “It’s always struck me when someone says, ‘your property.’

Well, I’m temporary, right? The property is going to be here after I’m gone or any of us are. You know, I’m transient, I’m mortal. So it’s challenging when people say, ‘Oh, look what you’re doing on your property.’ No, I’m just a steward, as a temporary, and this land is going Lisa Tasker along the banks of Rifle Creek (bottom left). Volunteers work to plant a native seedling next to every flag (bottom right). to certainly exist long after I’m gone. So maybe it’s an example for people yet to come, we’ll see.”

Photos by Will Sardinsky.

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OPINION

By Paula Mayer In honor of May as Mental Health Month, The Sopris Sun is running a series of personal columns by regular contributors.

We have all seen the news and read the papers: interpersonal violence and mass shootings over the last few months are escalating.

At the same time, Garfield County Overall Covid-19 Score is green and 45% of its eligible population is fully vaccinated (garfield-county.com).

On May 13, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention relaxed their recommendations for wearing a mask and social distancing, both inside and outside, for anyone who is fully-vaccinated. With such positive information, why do people feel as if they are unraveling now?

Before moving to Colorado, I was a clinical social worker at Boston Children’s Hospital. As part of the heart transplant team, I provided psychosocial support to pediatric patients and families undergoing heart transplant. Once

Why am I cracking up now? listed for transplant, the child and their parents lived in suspended reality, wondering when a heart would be available and whether they would still be healthy enough when the time arrived to receive it. A child could be hospitalized for months as their native heart function declined.

This usually meant one parent lived at the hospital while the other took care of responsibilities at home.

Families lived day after day like this, with no idea when the situation would change, whether their family would remain whole, whether they could emotionally and financially survive the marathon.

Earlier this year, when COVID-19 vaccines were only available for category 1A, “the wait” for good news felt interminable.

According to the CDC’s Household Pulse Survey dated April 2, 2021, “During August 2020–February 2021, the percentage of adults with recent symptoms of an anxiety or a depressive disorder increased from 36.4% to 41.5%.” An individual can maintain “survival mode” for an extended period of time while they are “in battle.” However, when the end is in sight and the tide turns toward relief, two things happen: we are no longer in fight-or-flight mode and our hormones are no longer secreted in overdrive. This can leave us utterly depleted while facing the reality of moving forward.

When providing psychosocial support, I found much of the work was helping people understand why their bandwidth, or their ability to

absorb daily unexpected challenges, had shrunk so drastically that something which would previously not have been an issue could now derail them. Here’s an example: before the pandemic, a person might wake up one weekday and realize they are out of coffee, so they have to leave for work early and stop somewhere. On the way to the coffee shop, a low-fuel warning registers on the dashboard, creating concern. As the morning rush hour creeps forward, the car in front unexpectedly stops short, creating a chain reaction of fender benders.

This is a terrible day to be late for work because your boss called an early meeting to announce budget cuts and probable downsizing.

And you’re not even properly caffeinated yet! On any given day, this series of events would be a major inconvenience. However, after months of living with the stresses of a pandemic, political mayhem, an uncertain economy and no prediction for when things might “return to normal,” a person’s ability to tolerate even one of these events is significantly diminished.

So, what to do about it? Robert Frosts’ poem “A Servant to Servant” reads “…one more steady pull ought to do it. He says the best way is always through.” There really is no getting around the ups and downs that life throws at us. In fact, isn’t that what living is all about? Our resilience is tested in large and small ways, and we grow more confident in our ability to handle the next

challenge because we have made it through and survived.

There is no one-size-fits-all, magic wand to surviving a crisis.

The goal is not to evade worry and emotional discomfort. Rather, by exercising our emotional muscles, we build our reserves, arriving at the other side stronger for the experience. There is no right way to achieve this. There is only your way.

For some, that may mean getting in touch with our physicality: working out, setting a fitness goal and working toward it. Submerging oneself in nature, going on a hike or digging in the dirt can also feel therapeutic. Meditation and yoga have proven helpful in managing stressful situations by connecting us to our mind, body and breath.

Creative outlets can give people a way to positively channel their thoughts. Rejoining a spiritual community can help us feel less alone with our burdens. The Roaring Fork Valley also has a number of mental health professionals (psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers) who can be supportive in your journey for wellbeing.

Perhaps one place to start is being kind to yourself. The last year and a half have been tough on multiple levels. You are human.

Cultivate an appreciation for your achievements. This morning, in that brief moment between wakefulness and consciousness, you felt hopeful enough to open your eyes and get out of bed. That’s a pretty good start.

LETTERS Lead King Loop I am writing you to express my dismay about what I witnessed on Sunday, May 16, 2021. My wife and I hiked from the bottom of Daniels Hill to the Crystal Mill and back.

We chose this day because it was clear to me (and the world) that motorized travel along this stretch of road was prohibited until May 21, 2021.

During my hike, I observed at least 12 jeeps and trucks, as well as half-a-dozen ATVs, half-a-dozen four-person UTVs and three motorcycles travelling this stretch of closed road. Some of these folks were openly consuming alcohol and allowing their dogs to run unattended.

It boggles the mind that these individuals would be allowed to blatantly violate Federal Law and not be held to account. There was no enforcement authority present whatsoever.

Something needs to be done promptly.

County Road 3 should be closed to motorized travel immediately, until reasonable regulations can be enacted.

Although I favor a complete ban of motorized travel, sharing this pristine stretch of Colorado backcountry is a reasonable first step.

Currently, motorized travel is permitted from May 21 through November 22. Why not ban motorized travel every other day, week or month? Non-motorized users should

be given occasional access without having to tolerate the noise, dust, boozing, pollution and environmental degradation that always seems to come with motorized travel.

Please do not allow this gorgeous part of Colorado to become another Moab – where motorized use of public lands runs amuck.

Ed Holub Unincorporated Garfield County

Holy Cross election Leadership does make a difference and Holy Cross Energy has a great team in place.

Holy Cross has proven results in managing green initiatives, coop member energy costs and system reliability that make voting for the incumbent Board Members – Bob Gardner and Kristen Bertuglia – an easy choice.

I am happy to be a Holy Cross member and believe that we members can affirm the direction of the staff and board with our ballots. In addition to the setting of direction, I believe that Bob and Kristen were successful in one of the board's most important jobs, hiring and retaining Bryan Hannegan, the coop CEO. They have proven their ability to make good decisions and set direction.

As an extra bonus, local-born Bob Gardner worked for Holy Cross and brings the perspective of the safety and security of Holy Cross employees, which is important when

overseeing the CEO. Hats off to everyone at Holy Cross for the good job in providing increasingly renewable, reliable and affordable electricity. There is more to be learned and implemented. I hope that other Holy Cross members join me in voting to retain Bob Gardner and Kristen Bertuglia as directors by returning their mail ballot ASAP. Robert Schultz Carbondale

Commitment to truth Representative Lauren Boebert delivers misinformation. In a recent phone-in town hall, she said the Biden administration opened the border to Mexico and allowed undocumented people to enter without even giving them COVID tests. That is untrue. The people being allowed in are those considered at greatest risk of harm if they have to continue living in the border immigrant camps. They are all being given COVID tests.

Now that they are registered with border authorities, they are not “undocumented.”

The immigration officials know who they are and where they are.

We need congressional representatives who tell the truth. Why does Boebert walk into the capitol without a face mask when Continued on page 20

The views expressed in opinion pieces do not necessarily reflect those of The Sopris Sun. The community is invited to submit letters up to 500 words to news@soprissun.com. Longer columns are considered on a case-by-case basis. The deadline for submission is noon on Monday.

2 • THE SOPRIS SUN • soprissun.com •May 20- May 26, 2021

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“Spring for Joy" with High Country Sinfonia

By Jeanne Souldern Sopris Sun Correspondent

High Country Sinfonia (HCS) presents "Spring for Joy," a revival concert series, on the weekend of May 21 in Basalt, Carbondale and Aspen.

HCS, founded in 2015 by President Wendy Larson, is a 22-member, all-volunteer string orchestra comprised of professional and semiprofessional musicians who live in the Roaring Fork Valley Larson said many HCS musicians work at the Aspen Music Festival and School (AMFS) and AMFS's after-school program, AfterWorks Beginning Strings, which teaches string instruments with performance opportunities for elementary school-aged students.

This year's HCS members also include four AMFS-sponsored AmeriCorps ArtistYear Fellows teaching in Roaring Fork Valley schools.

The national program allows artists, many coming from masters or doctorate programs, to dedicate one year of service in elementary schools.

"Spring for Joy" will feature musical selections from Beethoven, Bach and Haydn, along with works from two lesser-known composers — Josef Suk and Benjamin Britten.

Emily Acri, concertmaster, and Katie Ralston, principal second violin, will open with one movement from Bach's Concerto for Two Violins in D minor, often referred to as the "Bach Double."

Ralston said, "It's the sort of concerto that every violinist learns, usually in the middle of their violin studies."

Ralston serves as the AMFS Executive Office Operations Manager and teaches violin in elementary schools in the Aspen and Roaring Fork school districts.

High Country Sinfonia members hope for a stellar turnout for their first concert series since the pandemic began. Courtesy photo by Ross Kribbs.

She graduated from New York University with a degree in Music Business. Of reuniting with her fellow musicians, "Even just getting together with other people to play in the same room feels really good."

In her first year with HCS, Acri moved to Carbondale in August. As an ArtistYear Fellow, she taught music to Crystal River Elementary School (CRES) first-graders. She happily told The Sopris Sun she was hired as a full-time music teacher at CRES, beginning next school year.

Acri and three other HCS ArtistYear Fellows recently played a concert for CRES first graders.

"This idea of being both educators, as well as performers,” Acri mused, “I think that is such a cool combination, and it's really fun to share that with our students.”

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Roberto Arundale, principal cellist, hails from Fairbanks, Alaska. The Basalt resident said the Roaring Fork Valley "is about as close to Alaska as you can get without being in Alaska."

A former ArtistYear Fellow, he taught music at Sopris Elementary in Glenwood Springs and is a 2014-2016 AMFS summer music festival alumnus. Arundale is finishing his doctorate of musical arts in cello performance from the University of Colorado Boulder and is currently the chamber music instructor at the Waldorf School on the Roaring Fork.

Arundale will play a solo in Haydn's Cello Concerto in D major and explained, "It's one of the most beautiful and demanding cello concertos out there."

Of the other music, Larson explains that

English composer Benjamin Britten's “Simple Symphony,” a work with four movements, was written when he was a teenager as a dedication to his childhood viola teacher. "When you listen to that, you'll have a smile on your face," she assured.

Czech composer Josef Suk was one of composer Antonín Dvořák's most promising violin students. HCS will perform the first movement of Josef Suk's "Serenade for Strings," which Larson said "is kind of a romantic piece – it's flush, it's full, it's beautiful."

The concert closes with "Ode to Joy" from Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, arguably one of the most recognizable works in the classical repertoire. It was composed as a triumphant celebration of humanity itself.

Larson hopes the music will bring joy to concertgoers, saying, "I think people are kind of starved for live music performances. You can come to the park, bring a blanket, have a picnic lunch and hear some great music."

Admission to all performances is free, with donations of up to $20 suggested to assist the HSC with performance-related costs. Audiences should adhere to county public health requirements for facemasks and physical distancing.

Performance schedule 5:30 p.m. Friday, May 21 Basalt United Community Methodist Church 0167 Holland Hills Drive 5:30 p.m. Saturday, May 22 Sopris Park in Carbondale 11 a.m. Sunday, May 23 Aspen Art Museum's rooftop café

We can recommend a personalized account or the best hiking trails.

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409 Dolores Way, Carbondale Serving You Throughout the Roaring Fork Valley THE SOPRIS SUN • Your weekly community connector •May 20- May 26, 2021 • 3

SCUTTLEBUTT County Road 3 On Tuesday, May 18, Gunnison County Commissioners met to sign a new resolution allowing OHV use on Daniel’s Hill with a “sunset provision,” meaning that the resolution will expire at the end of 2021. The provision will also direct commissioners to review the impacts of the traffic over the summer and consider a policy change for 2022.

Spring Cleaning This May 23 and May 24, Aspen Camp of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing solicits community help to prepare the camp for re-opening in July. Projects include cleaning, sorting, gardening and more. To RSVP, call Karen at 970-641-3875 or email kareni@aspencamp.org or text Zeph at 970-987-0906.

Osprey power An osprey nest has reappeared at the top of a large utility pole near the Carbondale Park and Ride. Despite a pyramid fixture installed on top to deter the birds, which worked last year, these ospreys are back with determination.

Summer Reading Challenge Join Garfield County Libraries and try to read 1,000 minutes this June and July to help meet the collective challenge of reading 750,000 minutes as a community. You can earn prizes by tracking your reading with the

Beanstack app or a bookmark from your local library. Sign up to learn more about associated in-person and virtual events at gcpld.org

Glenwood water Residents of Glenwood Springs are asked to alternate watering days with odd-numbered home addresses on odd days of the month and even-numbered addresses on even days. Additionally, watering is allowed before 10 a.m. and after 6 p.m. For other tips on conserving water, visit cogs.us/water

Re-emerging With more than half of county residents having received at least one vaccination shot, Garfield County rescinded their emergency declaration on May 17. A standing public health order remains in place, clarifying that Garfield County will follow all orders issued by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and all executive orders issued by the governor relating to COVID-19. Pitkin County will end most protective measures on May 28, while continuing to require face-coverings in public indoor settings and on public transportation.

Masking down The governor’s new order lifting the mask mandate in certain situations allows establishments to operate at 100 percent occupancy without the need of social distancing

or staff wearing masks, if staff is fully vaccinated. Businesses can still require masks and social distancing if they prefer. Masks are encouraged for unvaccinated people.

Get to work Colorado Workforce Centers offer daily workshops like resume building, interview skills, communication skills, skill transferability, etc. Job seekers, or those wishing to change jobs, can sign up for a free account at connectingcolorado.com. Follow the prompts for the job seeker section, which is located on the left side of the page. Businesses with open positions can post jobs for free as well.

Vista project Eagle County is reimagining how community members and decision makers work together with a new project to enhance public participation in local policies. Learn more at vistaeagleco.com

Virtual museum Roaring Fork Valley schools and Americorps “ArtistYear” present “Sigue Soñando/Keep on Dreaming,” an online collection of art by local middle school students. Submissions include art of all mediums that explore everything from the student's impactful dreams for the future to silly dreams from their slumber! Check it out at bit.ly/dreamexhibit

Sustaining Tomorrow Today initiates a series of “Watershed Talking Circles” with a visit by Turtle Lake Refuge founder Katrina Blair on May 23 at 4 p.m.

Families and friends are encouraged to visit a nearby water source to sing in unison a song of gratitude (bit.ly/ThanksWater). KDNK will simultaneously air a special program hosted by Will Evans and Blair. Donations to fund this and future programming will be received on behalf of Sustaining Tomorrow Today by Sustainable Settings. Courtesy photo.

AAM Fellows Aspen Art Museum announced six fellows last week including Louise Deroualle, Dave Durrance, Monica Goldsmith, Lindsay Jones, Trace Nichols and Lara Whitley. Each will be provided opportunities to expand their studio practices over a ninemonth program with the museum’s curatorial and educational staff, visiting museum professionals and exhibiting artists.

They say it’s your birthday Folks celebrating another trip around the sun this week include: Eloise Clark, Jenny Garcia and Daniel Self (May 20); Tucker Farris and Wesley Niemer (May 21); Arn Menconi, Steve Beckley, Charlie Chacos, Mila Fomina and Frank Markoya (May 22); Tai Jacober (May 23); Patti Hall, Hannah Horn, Tom Mercer and Diego Rubio Ureña (May 24); Sean Connors, Charlie Cook and Paul Dankers (May 25); Dena Barnes, and Amber Frisbie (May 26).

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LEARN MORE AT VVH.ORG/URGENTCARE 4 • THE SOPRIS SUN • soprissun.com •May 20- May 26, 2021

Honoring the night sky

By Raleigh Burleigh Sopris Sun Editor

Every year, millions of birds migrate through our state. According to Colorado State University’s Dr. Kyle Horton, 80% of these flights occur at night when it is safest for birds to travel long distances.

Increasingly, fewer birds survive this great migration and one of the primary causes is artificial light at night that disorients their instinctual patterns. Disorientation leads to exhaustion, leaving birds more vulnerable to predators and with a diminished ability to reproduce.

A new alliance seeks to mitigate humanity’s impact on migrating birds by turning unnecessary lights down and off during key dates of the year. Lights Out Colorado, a partnership between Denver Audubon and the International Dark-sky Association, was officially announced on April 20 with a website hosting educational resources and asking Colorado residents to pledge their support by taking personal action and prompting their local governments to do the same.

“I think it’s a fantastic collaboration, even as a dark sky advocate.” Aaron Watson, volunteer director of Dark Skies Paonia, told The Sopris Sun. “It amazed me to learn how many birds migrate at night! And woke up in me, ‘Hey, this is actually a big issue.’”

A former resident of the Front Range, Watson acknowledges that Lights Our Colorado will be most impactful in major cities. Nonetheless, Watson remembers

vividly the experience of first seeing clear, unpolluted skies when he moved to Paonia. That spark of inspiration reignited a childhood passion for astronomy.

Eventually, his joy of charting stars melded with a local group annoyed by “light trespass” into their homes at night. Thus, Dark Skies Paonia was formed as a nonprofit in 2019. Paonia Town Council is now drafting a lighting ordinance to join other Colorado towns, Crestone, Norwood, Ridgway and Westcliffe, in achieving official “Dark Sky Community” certification. Watson points out that the problem of light pollution, the excessive use of artificial light, is a modern phenomena. All organisms rely on circadian rhythms, cued by darkness and light, and yet - the prominence of light pollution is increasing at a faster rate globally than the human population.

Sources of light pollution characteristic of rural places may include coal mines, natural gas flaring and agricultural lighting from industrial greenhouse complexes, lit at night and not shielded. Residential and municipal lighting can be improved by following the five principles for responsible outdoor lighting. Firstly, all light should be useful, with a clear purpose. Secondly, outdoor lighting should be targeted, directed only to where it is needed. Next, light should be no brighter than necessary to fulfill its purpose. Light should be controlled, perhaps by a timer, so that it is only in use when useful. And finally, warmer color lights (3,000 degrees Kelvin or less) are less impactful.

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THE SOPRIS SUN • Your weekly community connector •May 20- May 26, 2021 • 5

Questions linger following dismissal of Francisco case

By James Steindler Sopris Sun Correspondent

After nearly six months of litigation, the criminal case against Michael Francisco was officially dismissed. While that part of the matter is resolved, people are left wondering, what comes next?

“The bottom line, as far as I’m concerned, are results, and this case was dismissed,” said Francisco’s defense attorney, Michael Edminister, “Justice was served.” He added, “there is no question about it, the public’s input had an impact.”

On May 14, prosecutor Angela Roff and Edminister filed a joint motion for deferred prosecution. The motion placed the onus on Francisco to complete the outlined conditions or else risk landing back in court and fighting the original charges all over again.

The conditions were as follows: 1) Francisco will have no new violations of law during the period of deferred prosecution, 2) he must participate in a facilitated “sharing of perspectives” led by mediator Barbe Chambliss and 3) Francisco waives his right to a speedy trial.

Deferments are common in criminal proceedings and tend to last a year or even two. “This is not a typical deferred judgement,” Edminister acknowledged.

It is arguably standard to include the condition that a defendant not break any laws during the deferred period. It may seem unnecessary in this case given that it lasted only over one weekend with the prosecution filing to dismiss all charges the following Monday, May 17.

On May 14, the same day the deferral motion

was filed, Francisco and Police Chief Kirk Wilson met face-to-face to share perspectives with one another. The meeting was indeed facilitated by Barbe Chambliss whose experience amounts to mediation between folks on death row and the families of their alleged victims. The meeting took place behind closed doors — not even Francisco’s defense attorney could attend.

Chambliss has not made herself available for an in depth interview, on the record, regarding this case. Edminister defends that decision. “This is a woman of really high integrity and she doesn’t want to compromise the process.”

Chief Wilson said the meeting lasted for about 3.5 hours. “I was very thankful to hear Mr. Francisco’s perspective and was pleased that he was genuinely interested in hearing from me,” he stated. Wilson then explained, “the ground rules for the meeting were that what was shared would remain confidential,” and concluded, “It would not be appropriate for me to disclose what was learned.”

Mayor breaks silence “The charges against Mr. Francisco have been dismissed; we now can reflect on what happened,” Carbondale Mayor Dan Richardson told The Sopris Sun. Richardson wrote a letter to the community acknowledging his role in the debacle. He went as far to say that he was briefed about the Christmas Eve incident within 24 hours of its occurrence but did not bring it up to the rest of the Town Trustees.

In his letter Richardson apologized to the community for his lack of communication to the

Drawing of Katrina Byars creating a protest poster by Larry Day trustees and for the incident ever having occurred in the first place. Notably, neither the town nor the police department have publicly apologized directly to Francisco as of May 19.

“An evolution in Town policing has already begun under Chief Wilson,” Richardson writes. “Some notable progress to date includes planning of our ‘citizens academies,’ increasing our funding to the Hope Center to develop a more comprehensive approach to situational response, hiring a communications consultant for better community dialogue and transparency, creating a new trespassing response procedure, hiring a consultant to conduct an independent evaluation of the incident, as well as an evaluation of our policies, training and culture.”

What comes next?

According to Town Manager Jay Harrington two separate reviews will take place. “The first is

focused on the incident itself and the second is a broader assessment of the [police department],” he stated, adding, “The two independent firms are not finalized nor under contract,” but, “The one working on reviewing the incident should be finalized in the near future.”

It’s unclear what the restorative justice process will look like from here but apparently there will be more to come. Chambliss shared a collaborative statement which reads, “The facilitated sharing of perspectives meeting that took place on May 14 was separate and apart from what qualifies as a restorative process. Once all matters of criminal and civil concern have been settled, the town plans to hold a restorative justice process.”

Edminister indicated that Francisco may pursue damages for the violation of his civil rights.

To date, no official complaint has been filed.

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V Scan

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Fundraising proceeds from Pin-ups On Tour shows bring morale boosting entertainment to veteran groups, VA hospital patients and active duty personnel, as well as to nonprofits that support our US service members!

CELEBRATE SUCCESS!

Congratulations to the Class of 2021!

Enjoy 10% at Heather’s for your graduation celebrations until May 31st.

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6 • THE SOPRIS SUN • soprissun.com •May 20- May 26, 2021

166 Midland Ave A Basalt A Call 970-927-0151 for Reservations

Reducing harm with compassionate care

By Raleigh Burleigh Sopris Sun Editor

How many of us have lost a loved one to addiction? The prevalence of drug overdoses, almost always unintentional, is a continuing tragedy in the Roaring Fork Valley. According to recent data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020 saw a 42.4% increase in drug-related overdose deaths in Colorado compared to 2019. In all, that’s 1,478 preventable deaths in Colorado in 2020.

Maggie Seldeen, founding director of High Rockies Harm Reduction (HRHR), knows firsthand the painful challenges wrought by addiction. Seldeen, who was raised in Carbondale, lost her mother to a heroin overdose at the age of 15.

“When I was in middle school, even elementary school and high school, I had a lot of mental health issues and needs and I was basically kind of written off by the schools and the courts and places like YouthZone.”

Seldeen experienced feeling “criminalized” as a child, born into the world as a “bad seed” and thus caught in a cycle of violence and addiction. The height of her struggles with addiction occurred during her middle school years,

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Maggie Seldeen founded High Rockies Harm Reduction to address a gap in treatment resources that she experienced growing up in the Roaring Fork Valley. Courtesty photo. when her mother was busted for running drugs and Seldeen was accused of being complicit.

Living on and off the streets until the age of 20, Seldeen discovered the “drug safety” approach while volunteering with recovery services in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Her understanding of substance use disorder treatment transformed with this introduction to “harm reduction,” preventing unnecessary and unintended deaths through peer-support services for mental wellness.

Returning to the Roaring Fork Valley in 2015, “I realized this is

where I want to be and where I want to make a difference. Even though I feel short-changed, I care about these communities.

Carbondale specifically made me who I am and I am so proud of that.”

Seldeen went on to acquire a bachelor's degree in psychology and sociology with an emphasis in public health and substance abuse and founded HRHR to address some of the shortcomings that she personally experienced. Unlike other local services, sobriety is not a requirement for receiving support. Rather, the focus is on “getting better, one step at a time,” to achieve “the best quality of life possible.”

HRHR evolved out of Seldeen’s work with Mind Springs Health as a peer recovery coach. Her focus now is on expanding the mobile peer workforce, especially by offering work to people that progress through the program. “All you need is a high school diploma [or GED] and sustained time in recovery,” Seldeen informed The Sopris Sun. These peer positions will eventually be bolstered through workshops, seminars and credentials provided at a fixed site.

Ideally, Seldeen wants that fixed site to be situated in Carbondale because of its centralized location relative to HRHR’s service

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area, stretching from Aspen to Parachute, up the Crystal Valley for communities like Marble and Redstone — isolated from the rest of their counties — and even over the pass to Somerset and Paonia.

Eventually, the Eagle Valley up to Vail may be included. Seldeen recognizes similar dynamics among all of these towns, each affected by resort culture and with a gap in treatment for people with fewer economic resources.

For example, in-patient treatment is difficult to access for many people because of enrollment costs and requiring time away from work. HRHR will serve more like a safety net, not fully “rehab,” but rather something in-between.

After launching in March, the nonprofit garnered attention for novel strategies like training people to administer Narcan, a life-saving drug that can reverse an opioid overdose, and Fentanyl test strips, used to verify the purity of unregulated drugs. Responding to letters to the editor raising doubts, Seldeen explains that one term she saw often is “disaster.” She responds, “it’s already a disaster” with people dying unnecessarily in our communities. “These are accidental deaths, we don’t need to lose more young people when resources exist.”

As local populations grow, she

points out, so will the prevalence of these issues. “We all want to keep our parks and communities safe.”

Perhaps the most controversial aspect of HRHR’s programming is a proposed syringe exchange.

Syringe exchanges involve safe disposal of used syringes with biohazard containers. According to Seldeen, this is a small part of HRHR, providing a service that doesn’t exist in this community and, studies suggest, doesn’t enable use. Rather, HRHR hopes to catch people that may otherwise be unreachable, providing an opportunity for intervention while protecting users against infection.

Already, grants have been received from the Colorado Health Foundation to get staff going. HRHR is now focused on bringing multicultural volunteers and employees into the fold. The agency will also help people to acquire GEDs. You can learn more by searching for “High Rockies Harm Reduction” on social media, visiting highrockiesharmreduction.com, or by tuning in for “Chemical World” on KDNK on the second Monday of every month at 4:30 p.m. HRHR will also host a fundraising event at Miner’s Park on June 26, at 4 p.m.

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THE SOPRIS SUN • Your weekly community connector •May 20- May 26, 2021 • 7

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CALENDAR THURSDAY MAY 20

THURSDAY MAY 27

Learn about the Crystal Valley and Carbondale’s early history with Sue Gray and the Carbondale Historical Society. This online discussion begins at 4 p.m. More at gcpld.org/normal

Elderberry’s Farm in Paonia offers a weekend workshop for herbalists with working knowledge of the basics: infusions and decoctions, tinctures, infused oils and salves, etc. More at elderberrysfarm.com

CARBONDALE HISTORY

GROUP RUN

Independence Run and Hike revives their weekly group run tradition on Thursdays departing from the store at 6 p.m. This week, Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers will join for a five-mile loop on Red Hill.

WOLF REINTRODUCTION

PLANT of the week WILLOW ̶ Plant these fine textured shrubs in low lying/ wet areas. Dappled or green leafed varieties. Some have striking winter stem color too.

PERENNIAL of the week BLEEDING HEART ̶ Beautiful heart shaped pink or white flowers for shady areas.

PRODUCT of the week HAPPY FROG ̶ Natural granular fertilizers from Fox Farm. Feed the soil that feeds your plants with these high quality organic fertilizers.

Visit soprissun.com to submit events.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife invites the public to the second in an online educational series at 6 p.m. This session focuses on lessons learned from reintroducing wolves into Yellowstone and Central Idaho in the mid1990s. More info at cpw.state.co.us/wolves BIKES OF WRATH

Way of Compassion Bike Project hosts a socially responsible gathering with a bike mechanic demo and screening of “The Bikes of Wrath” at the Third Street Center at 7 p.m.

EXTRAVAGALA

HERBAL PHARMACY

PARK YOGA

Kula teaches “flow” yoga at Sopris Park, with beats by DJ Bhakti Styler, at 6 p.m. Details at kulayogaonmain.com/special-events LIVE MUSIC

Feeding Giants performs at Heather’s in Basalt at 6 p.m.

FRIDAY MAY 28 LIVE MUSIC

The Queen Bees, a new, local, all-girl band performs at Heather’s in Basalt at 6 p.m.

SATURDAY MAY 29 LIBRARY BIRDING

Thunder River Theatre Company presents a virtual variety show fundraiser at 7 p.m.

More info at thunderrivertheatre.com/live

Roaring Fork Audubon’s Mary Harris guides a birding walk sound Basalt Regional Library at 9 a.m. Sign up at basaltlibrary.org

FRIDAY MAY 21

Carbondale Arts’ garden music series at the historic Thompson House kicks off with MinTze Wu, Natalie Spears and Alexandra Jerkunica performing at 6 p.m. Tickets at carbondalearts.com

SPRING FOR JOY

High Country Sinfonia is back with live, inperson concerts on May 21 (at Basalt United Community Methodist Church at 5:30 p.m.), May 22 (at Carbondale’s Sopris Park bandshell at 5:30 p.m.) and May 23 (at the Aspen Art Museum at 11 a.m.). Admission is free, with a suggested donation of up to $20, masks and physical distancing are required.

SATURDAY MAY 22 RESTORATION

Jess Weaver leads a community restoration project at No Name. Volunteer registration info at gcrestorationalliance.org

BACH, BALLADS, BALLET

LIVE MUSIC

Rodrigo Arreguín performs at Heather’s in Basalt at 6 p.m.

ONGOING

UNDER THE SUN

Join Sopris Sun correspondents and guests for Everything Under The Sun, airing every Thursday on KDNK at 4 p.m.

BMX RACES

PLANT SALE

Weekly Thursday races occur at Crown Mountain Park beginning at 6 p.m.

Wild Mountain Seeds sells perennial plant starts at The Source (689 Main Street in Carbondale) from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

KARAOKE THURSDAYS

CALLIGRAPHY

The Black Nugget offers karaoke on Thursdays at 7 p.m.

ROARING FORK FRIDAYS

San Francisco artist Jo Jo Liu teaches Chinese calligraphy for adults online at 1 p.m. More at gcpld.org

TUESDAY MAY 25 SUTEY RANCH

Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers builds trails to connect County Road 112 with the Red Hill mesa. Sign up at rfov.org

Eagle County managers, elected officials, department directors, and other staff visit the Roaring Fork Valley every Friday from 9 a.m. to noon at the El Jebel Community Center.

VAUDEVILLE REVUE

Glenwood Vaudeville Revue’s spring show is happening live and in-person on Fridays and Saturdays at 6 p.m. through June 20.

For reservations, call 970-945-9699.

STORE HOURS

Monday - Friday: 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Saturday: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Closed Sundays

REMEMBER: SENIOR DAY IS EVERY TUESDAY. 15% OFF STOREWIDE FOR 62+ YEAR OLDS. 400 Gillespie Drive, El Jebel, CO 81623 970-963-1173 8 • el Sol del Valle • soprissun.com/espanol/ • 20 al 26 de mayo de 2021

PIN-UPS ON TOUR is committed to providing low or no-cost entertainment for veterans.

Their goal is to recreate the magic of the Hollywood Canteen that operated during the ‘40s.

Additionally, proceeds support entertaining at VA hospitals. They perform at Heather’s in Basalt on May 26 at 6 p.m. Courtesy photo.

Valle

Sol del el

Conectando comunidades

Health

From the Clinic

by Doctor Maria Judith Alvarez El Dr. Michael Greger es reconocido a nivel nacional e internacional como un experto líder basado en la evidencia de nutrición. Es famoso por su libro "Comer para no morir" y su sitio web nutritionfacts.org.

Esta columna es una serie tomada de su libro 2020, "Cómo no hacer dieta.”

1) Coma alimentos con una densidad baja en calorías, como verduras, frutas y granos integrales, que también son altos en micronutrientes

Volumen 1, Número 12| 20 al 26 de mayo de 2021

Agradecemos su apoyo para este nuevo proyecto.

Trucos para perder peso

que promueven la salud.

2) Las nueces y las semillas tienen una densidad alta en calorías, pero las cantidades limitadas son importantes para una óptima salud. Limite las nueces a un puñado de nueces crudas y sin sal (lo mejor) al día. Limite las semillas a una cucharada de linaza molida todos los días y espolvoree semillas de girasol y/o calabaza sin sal en su ensalada. Los aguacates contienen algo de grasa saludable pero son altos en calorías, por lo que el límite es un cuarto al día.

3) Coma leguminosas, lentejas, garbanzos, guisantes. Producen una sensación de plenitud, por lo que comerás menos calorías el resto de la comida. Además, alimentan a las bacterias en tu intestino (microbioma) causando un "segundo efecto de comida,” lo que resulta en saciedad y en la ingesta de menos calorías durante horas después.

4) Evite alimentos de alta densidad en calorías, como productos de origen animal incluyendo los mariscos, y el aceite agregado.

5) Evite los alimentos adictivos,

como la sal, el azúcar o la grasa (a menudo en forma de aceite agregado).

6) Coma solo comida entera; evite los alimentos procesados (como pasteles, galletas, pastel, chips, cereales en una caja y la mayoría de las galletas).

7) Precarga cada comida con dos tazas de agua fría o fría sin sabor.

8) Comience cada comida con una taza o un tazón pequeño de sopa de verduras bajo en calorías y coma lentamente, con una cucharita. Esto causa la saciedad para que tome menos calorías durante el resto de la comida.

Otra opción es una ensalada baja en calorías (sin aceite).

9) Incorpore dos cucharaditas de vinagre con cada comida, lo que aumenta la saciedad y disminuye el azúcar en la sangre y niveles de insulina.

Si lo bebe directo, asegúrese de diluirlo con agua.

10) Coma conscientemente, no se distraiga con su teléfono, tableta o TV durante las comidas.

11) Pase al menos 20 minutos comiendo cada comida, lo que le permite a las hormonas que le digan que ya está lleno. Mastice bien su

comida y no tome sus nutrientes (esto se refiere a batidos, que permite que las personas tomen inconscientemente las calorías rápidamente, antes de darse cuenta de que están llenas).

12) Coma ¼ cucharadita de comino negro (Nigella Sativa) diariamente, que se ha demostrado que ayuda a la pérdida de peso. La mitad de una cucharadita de comino regular con almuerzo y cena hace lo mismo.

13) El polvo de ajo, al menos ¼ de cucharadita, se ha demostrado que reduce la grasa corporal.

14) El jengibre molido (al menos 1 cucharadita), especialmente si se toma por la mañana, reduce el peso corporal.

15) Dos cucharaditas al dia de levadura de cerveza o la levadura nutricional facilita la pérdida de peso.

16) Manténgase hidratado bebiendo suficiente agua u otras bebidas sin calorías para mantener su orina transparente a amarillo pálido.

Sin embargo, evitar los edulcorantes artificiales, que se asocian con el aumento de peso.

17) Evite los alimentos hechos

de harina. Como dice el Dr. Greger, en su libro, que carece de la fibra y el almidón se necesita para alimentar a los organismos que promueven la salud en tu microbioma intestinal.

18) Carga delantera tus calorías: desayuno como un rey, almuerce como un príncipe, cena como un pobre.

Dr. Greger explica que "debido a nuestros ritmos circadianos, la comida consumida por la noche es la que más engorda que la misma comida exacta consumida en el día."

19) Otro paso importante para obtener su horario de comer sincronizado con su biorritmo natural diario, lo que resulta en la pérdida de peso, es no comer en una ventana de 12 horas y no comer después de 7 p.m.

20) Ejercicio: para la salud y el peso óptimos, participe en un ejercicio moderado, como caminar enérgico por 90 minutos al día o ejercicio intenso, como correr durante 45 minutos al día.

Aunque cualquier ejercicio ayuda.

21) Pesarte a diario.

22) Obtenga siete a ocho horas de buen sueño por la noche.

CHISME Desafío de lectura Únete con las bibliotecas del condado de Garfield e intenta leer 1,000 minutos este junio y julio para ayudar a alcanzar el desafío colectivo de leer 750,000 minutos como una comunidad. Puedes ganar premios al rastrear lo que has leído con la aplicación Beanstack o un marcapáginas de tu biblioteca local.

Inscríbete para aprender más acerca de eventos asociados en persona o virtuales en gcpld.org

Historia de Carbondale Aprenda más acerca de la historia del Crystal Valley y Carbondale. Esta discusión en línea comenzará a las 4 p.m. Para más información visite gcpld.org/normal

Agua en Glenwood Se le pide a los residentes de Glenwood Springs alternar días para regar plantas de acuerdo con el número de casa, direcciones de casa impares con fechas impares del mes y direcciones de casa pares con fechas pares del mes. Adicionalmente, el riego de plantas está permitido antes de las 10 a.m. y después de las 6 p.m.

Resurgiendo Con más de la mitad de las residentes del condado habiendo recibido al menos una dosis de vacuna, el condado de Garfield rescindió su declaración de emergencia el 17 de mayo. Una orden permanente de salud pública se mantiene en pie, clarificando que el condado de Garfield seguirá todas las órdenes emitidas por el Departamento de Salud y

Ambiente Publica de Colorado y todas las órdenes ejecutivas emitidas por el gobernador relacionadas con COVID-19.

Desenmascandonos Una nueva orden del gobernador levanta el mandato de la mascarilla en ciertas situaciones y permite que los establecimientos operen al 100% de ocupación sin la necesidad de distanciamiento social o personal con mascarillas, si el personal es vacunado. Los negocios todavía pueden requerir mascarillas y distanciamiento social si lo prefieren. Las mascarillas son alentadas para personas no vacunadas.

A trabajar

Dibujo por Larry Day.

El Centro de Personal de Colorado ofrece talleres diarios tales como construcción de curriculum, habilidades de entrevistas, habilidades de comunicación, transferibilidad de habilidades, etc. Solicitantes de empleo, o aquellos que desean cambiar de trabajo, pueden inscribirse por una cuenta gratis en connectingcolorado.com. Sigue las indicaciones de la sección de búsqueda de empleo, la cual está localizada en la parte izquierda de la página. Negocios con posiciones abiertas también pueden publicar trabajos de forma gratuita.

Minga

Proyecto Vista

Pregúntale a un abogado

El condado de Eagle está reinventando como los miembros de la comunidad y tomadores de decisiones trabajan juntos con un nuevo proyecto para mejorar participación pública en políticas locales. Enterese más en vistaeagleco.com

Jess Weaver guía un proyecto de restauración en comunidad en No Name.

Información para inscripción de voluntarios en gcrestorationalliance.org.

¡Síguenos en Facebook! ¡No te pierdas ninguna novedad! Sigue a “Sol del Valle” en Facebook para estar al tanto de nuestras historias, columnas y chismes más recientes, incluyendo contenido no incluido en la versión impresa.

Venta de plantas Wild Mountain Seeds venderá plantas adaptadas localmente para jardines en The Source (689 Main Street en Carbondale) de 10 a.m. a 3 p.m. el sábado, 22 de mayo.

Música en vivo High County Sinfonia ha regresado con conciertos en vivo y en persona el 21 de mayo (en Basalt Community Methodist Church a las 5:30 p.m.), 22 de mayo (en

Sopris Park de Carbondale a las 5 :30 p.m.)

Alpine Legal Services ofrece una clínica de y el 23 de mayo (en Aspen Art Museum a línea directa todos los miércoles de 5 p.m. a 7 las 11 a.m.) la admisión es gratis con una p.m. Tener cita no es necesario, llame al 970368-2246 y visite alpinelegalservices.org para el donación sugerida de $20. mascarillas y horario actual de fechas por tema legal. distanciamiento social serán requeridos. el Sol del Valle • Conector de comunidad • 20 al 26 de mayo de 2021 • 9

Tres maestras del RFSD promovidas Por Jeanne Souldern Traducción por Dolores Duarte

Tres maestras del Distrito Escolar de Roaring Fork (RFSD) pasan a ocupar puestos de subdirección este otoño.

Cora Carballeira, conocida cariñosamente como Ms. Carb, es maestra de ciencias de octavo grado en Carbondale Middle School (CMS) y se convertirá en subdirectora de la Roaring Fork High School (RFHS).

Carballeira tiene una licenciatura en biología de la Universidad de Virginia y tiene una maestría en educación de la Universidad de Harvard. Recientemente obtuvo un título de especialista en liderazgo educativo y estudios de política por University of Northern Colorado.

Miembro del personal de CMS desde 2002, ha disfrutado de algunos descansos durante su mandato, especialmente cuando sus hijos eran pequeños. También ha impartido clases de grado de equivalencia general en el Colorado Mountain College.

En su tiempo en CMS, se ofreció como voluntaria para muchas funciones de liderazgo, diciendo: "Estoy comprometido en hacer esta escuela exitosa. Cuando hay una oportunidad, como ‘¿Quién quiere hacer esto?’ suelo decir, ‘Claro, me apunto.’”

Al conocer a la directora entrante de RFHS, Megan Baiardo, reflexionó: "Siento que vamos a estar en sintonía; estoy muy emocionada.”

Kendall Reiley, maestra de quinto grado en Glenwood Springs Elementary School (GSES), será la próxima subdirectora de Crystal River Elementary School. Reiley se une a Aimee Brockman, actual subdirectora de CRES, que se convertirá en directora de la escuela este otoño.

Originaria de Massachusetts, Reiley visitaba Snowmass cada primavera para esquiar y visitar a sus abuelos. En 2009, obtuvo su licenciatura en New Hampshire, con una especialización en estudios medioambientales y una especialización en ingeniería en el Dartmouth College.

Tras su graduación, trabajó en Silverton como guía de esquí.

Después, trabajó para el Aspen Center for Environmental Studies (ACES), o Centro de Estudios Medioambientales de Aspen, inicialmente como naturalista de verano e invierno, luego como educadora en el Rancho Rock Bottom y más tarde en Basalt Elementary School como educadora de ACES. Reiley trabajó en el comité de vivienda para maestros del RFSD, está involucrada en Mountain

EL PUEBLo DE caRBoNDaLE

Voices Project (el Proyecto de Voces de la Montaña), un grupo organizador basado en la comunidad, y fue una becaria de políticas de enseñanza de Teach Plus Colorado en 2018-19.

En 2018, obtuvo su licencia de directora y una maestría en Liderazgo Educativo y Estudios de Políticas de la Universidad de Denver. Ha estado enseñando en GSES durante los últimos tres años y es parte del equipo de liderazgo de la escuela.

Reiley dijo que se siente capacitada por los administradores de GSES Audrey Hazleton y Lora Smith, añadiendo, "Un buen administrador de escuela hace lo mejor para que sus maestros puedan centrarse en la enseñanza.”

Megan Hartmann inició como maestra de matemáticas en Glenwood Springs High School (GSHS) en enero de 2008. Se convertirá en subdirectora de la Basalt High School (BHS).

Tiene una licenciatura en matemáticas y un certificado en educación de la Universidad de Colorado y una maestría en matemáticas aplicadas de la Universidad de Washington.

En mayo de 2020, recibió un certificado del programa de licencia de director de la Universidad de Western Colorado en Gunnison.

Después de graduarse de high

Noticias

school en Chicago, Hartmann comenzó a trabajar para Aspen Skiing Company (SkiCo) enseñando esquiar. En los veranos, sigue trabajando para SkiCo como entrenadora de ciclismo de montaña alpino en Snowmass.

Hartmann vive actualmente en Carbondale con su esposo, John, que trabaja como coordinador de equipos de esquí y snowboard para SkiCo en Buttermilk. Su hijo, Hunter, tiene cuatro años y está en el programa infantil de GSES. Al servir como "líder de contenido de matemáticas" en una escuela secundaria, explicó: "El puesto proporciona a los maestros un camino para convertirse en líderes de enseñanza.

Y al proporcionarles desarrollo profesional, se convierte en una vía para asumir otras responsabilidades de liderazgo."

Su objetivo como subdirectora y trabajando con el director de BHS, Peter Mueller, es ayudar a apoyar los sistemas y estrategias para que los estudiantes y el personal tengan éxito.

Citando un ejemplo del compromiso de RFSD para animar a los maestros a convertirse en líderes, dijo, "Tenemos dos asistentes de director en el distrito [con Aimee Brockman y Megan Baiardo] que se han convertido en directores en el distrito."

Donaciones por correo o en línea P.O. Box 399 Carbondale, CO 81623 970-510-3003 www.soprissun.com Editor Raleigh Burleigh • 970-510-3003 news@soprissun.com Executive Director Todd Chamberlin • 970-510-0246 adsales@soprissun.com Directora Artística: Ylice Golden Traductora: Jacquelinne Castro y Dolores Duarte Distribucion: Crystal Tapp Miembros de la Mesa Directiva

Linda Criswell • Klaus Kocher Kay Clarke • Lee Beck • Megan Tackett Gayle Wells • Donna Dayton • Terri Ritchie Eric Smith • Vanessa Porras The Sopris Sun, Inc. Es un miembro orgulloso del Distrito Creativo de Carbondale The Sopris Sun, Inc. es una 501(c)(3) organización benéfica sin fines de lucro. Contribuciones financieras son deducibles de impuestos.

¡ESCRÍBENOS!

Para contribuir ideas y contenido al Sol del Valle, escribiéndonos a: sol@soprissun.com Para comprar espacio publicitario en español, inglés, o ambos, mándanos un correo electrónico a: adsales@soprissun.com También se puede contactarnos llamando a 970-510-3003.

Conozcan a las 3 coordinadoras Comunitarias de SANA.

RELajaNDo y DERogaR cUBRimiENto faciaL LocaL: La junta directiva de la ciudad de Carbondale ha votado para revocar el requerimiento local de mascarilla, efectivo el martes 18 de mayo, 2021. La ciudad de Carbondale continuará siguiendo las normas del estado de Colorado. Los residentes de Carbodnale son alentados a monitorear condiciones de salud pública locales visitando la página de Internet de Garfield County Public Health: https://www.garfield-county.com/publichealth/novel-coronavirus.

PRoyEcto DE aLcaNtaRiLLa EN coLoRaDo avENUE: Equipos continúan haciendo progreso en la nueva instalación de línea de alcantarillado.

El desvío con dirección al norte de HWY 133 se espera completar a principios de la siguiente semana. Gracias por manejar despacio a través del desvío. ciERREs EN EL cENtRo y aLcohoL PERmitiDo EN ciERtas áREas: Con el verano a la vuelta de la esquina, aquí está un recordatorio amistoso con respecto a los cierres del centro y consumo de alcohol. La sección de la calle principal entre Third Street y Fourth Street estarán cerradas al tráfico desde las 4:30 p.m. hasta las 10:30 p.m. de miércoles a sábado cada semana. El consumo de alcohol es permitido SOLO en locales licenciados. El consumo de alcohol no está permitido en 4th Street Plaza Park ni dentro del cierre de la calle más allá de los límites de restaurantes y bares licenciados. sUBsiDios PaRa EL PRoyEcto NEttLE cREEk hyDRo: La ciudad de Carbondale fue premiada con el subsidio de Fondos de Asistencia de Energía e Impacto Mineral (EIAF), con una cantidad de $100,000 por el Departamento de Asuntos Locales. Este premio se destinará a la financiación del proyecto Nettle Creek Hydro, el cual convertirá energía en una fuente de electricidad renovable y permitirá operaciones base a continuar en caso de un corte de energía. accióN cLimática y sUstENtaBiLiDaD: Residentes del condado de Garfield son alentados a inscribirse al programa Solarize. La energía solar es una buena alternativa más barata. Solarize Garfield County es un programa de tiempo limitado que terminará el 4 de junio y une a hogares y negocios a maximizar la energía adquisitiva grupal, para más información visite www.garfieldcleanenergy.org/ solarize o llame al 970-704-9200.

costo DE BoLsa DE REgREso:

¡No olvides de traer tus bolsas reusables cuando compres en City Market de Carbondale! El costo de 20 centavos por bolsa regresará a comenzar el martes 1 de junio.

970-963-2733 • carbondalegov.org 10 • el Sol del Valle • soprissun.com/espanol/ • 20 al 26 de mayo de 2021

Maria Judith Alvarez

Soira Ceja

Brenda Kaiser

Si gusta más información por favor de comunicarse con ellas. www.facebook.com/2020SANA

Caminando para sanar Por Raleigh Burleigh Sopris Sun Editor

El 22 de mayo se ha designado como Día de Acción Global Contra el Terricidio. ¿Qué es el terricidio? Segun el Movimiento de Mujeres Indígenas por el Buen Vivir, una organizacion basada en Argentina, “Llamamos terricidio al asesinato no sólo de los ecosistemas tangibles y de los pueblos que lo habitan, sino también al asesinato de todas las fuerzas que regulan la vida en la tierra, a lo que llamamos ecosistema perceptible. Entendemos que el terricidio es consecuencia del modelo civilizatorio dominante, que está poniendo en riesgo nuestro futuro en el planeta y que hoy se manifiesta a través del cambio climático y sus consecuencias.”

Desde el pasado marzo, se inició una caminata impulsada por el Movimiento de Mujeres Indígenas por el Buen Vivir, para exigir que el terricidio sea considerado un crimen de lesa humanidad y lesa naturaleza. La caminata llegará a Buenos Aires el 22 de mayo con unas demandas que se reflejan en el “Manifiesto por el Buen Vivir,” cuyo propósito es revertir y detener el despojo, el extractivismo y la destrucción de la vida – en todas sus manifestaciones – realizadas por las corporaciones, estados y empresas trasnacionales.

La marcha contra el terricidio significa poner la vida en el centro como un derecho irrenunciable y la práctica del buen vivir. Las 36 naciones indígenas que conforman este movimiento de mujeres defienden con sus vidas y cuerpos los ecosistemas tangibles e intangibles, más aún hoy, en un contexto mundial de cambio climático.

Son territorios que forman parte del corazón del despojo, de la usurpación, del extractivismo y que sufren las políticas de muerte y del saqueo del modelo neoliberal neocolonial patriarcal.

La caminata pone de relieve esta realidad, visibiliza y da a conocer el significado del terricidio, extiende la defensa de todo su entorno de vida, de culturas, de prácticas sustentables y de cosmovisiones que es necesario valorar con sus tradiciones de lucha y de resistencias históricas invisibilizadas en un estado plurinacional.

Nos cuentan desde Argentina, “Faltan pocos días para culminar esta acción pacífica e histórica llevada a cabo por mujeres indígenas que decidimos dejar todo para salir a caminar, caminar para sanar. A todes quienes nos vienen acompañando y apoyando les abrazamos cálidamente porque logramos esto gracias a continuar tejiendo colectivamente la acción y la reciprocidad entre los pueblos.”

La artista Ana Epu Newen, que forma parte del Movimiento de Mujeres Indígenas por el Buen Vivir, comparta una canción hecha por la caminata histórica. “Es una canción compuesta en tiempo de verano. Mensajes que el mar en territorio mapuche Tehuelche - actualmente Las Grutas - entregó, mirándolo, escuchándolo y sintiéndolo. En un instante veloz de inspiración llegué a escribir cada verso que el mar regaló.”

Las letras de su canción van así: “Haciendo lo que las olas, somos y seremos mar. Revoltosa energía caminando pa’ sanar. Moviéndonos con la luna, en un ciclo natural. Para adentro está la calma para afuera estallar. Porque hay cosas que nos matan, porque Ismael no está. De adentro vienen mensajes que cambiando el mundo está.

Haciendo lo que las olas somos y seremos mar, revoltosa energía adentrando pa sanar.”

Para escuchar su canción, “caminando para sanar,” visite a bit.ly/terricidio. Para más información sobre la acción pacífica y cómo colaborar, manda un correo electrónico a bastadeterricidio@gmail.com

El Movimiento de Mujeres Indígenas por el Buen Vivir, formado por 36 naciones, llegará caminando a Buenos Aires, Argentina, el 22 de mayo. Han designado la fecha como Día de Acción Global Contra el Terricidio. Fotos de cortesía.

el Sol del Valle • Conector de comunidad • 20 al 26 de mayo de 2021 • 11

Analizando calidad del agua tras incendio reciente Por Olivia Emmer Traducción por Dolores Duarte

El Middle Colorado Watershed Council (MCWC) es una organización sin fines de lucro enfocada en la protección del Colorado River entre la desembocadura del cañón de Glenwood, en el límite del condado de Garfield-Eagle, y De Beque. Este tramo de río de 75 millas pasa por Glenwood Springs, New Castle, Silt, Rifle y Parachute.

Recientemente, la MCWC recibió un subsidio del Colorado River District para ayudar a financiar las pruebas de calidad del agua relacionadas con los impactos de la cicatriz del incendio de Grizzly Creek. Este subsidio de 50,000 dólares se complementa con recursos del Servicio Geológico de los Estados Unidos (USGS).

El USGS proporcionará datos en tiempo real a los usuarios del agua río abajo sobre la calidad del agua que fluye por el Colorado River.

"Nos preocupaba el aspecto del uso consuntivo," dijo la directora ejecutiva de la MCWC, Paula Stepp.

"El uso consuntivo en relación con los municipios del corredor fluvial. ¿Qué significarían los cambios [tras el incendio] para la toma de agua pública y la comunidad agrícola?" Además, Stepp citó la preocupación por el manejo del hábitat como motivación para el

control detallado del agua.

Este subsidio garantizó la instalación o la mejora de cuatro lugares de pruebas continuas de calidad del agua del Sistema de Observación del Agua de Próxima Generación del USGS, esto entre el extremo oriente del cañón de Glenwood y el extremo poniente del cañón de De Beque. El subsidio también cubre el muestreo específico en cuatro lugares entre Grizzly Creek y South Canyon.

El tiempo fue crítico para que las organizaciones obtuvieran datos de referencia sobre la calidad del agua antes de que las lluvias de primavera y los monzones comenzaran a transportar material fuera de la cicatriz y hacia los arroyos.

Los sistemas de observación continua comprueban la calidad del agua a su paso por el arroyo. Según el hidrólogo supervisor del USGS, Cory A. Williams, "las concentraciones de sedimentos en suspensión, nutrientes, carbono orgánico disuelto y otros componentes naturales procedentes de un paisaje quemado pueden aumentar en las masas de agua río abajo después de los incendios forestales.”

El equipo de monitorización mide la temperatura del agua, la conductancia específica, el oxígeno disuelto, el pH y la turbidez, y lo envía al sitio web del Sistema Nacional de Información del Agua

(NWIS) del USGS. "Las personas viviendo río abajo podrán entrar en el sitio del USGS y recibir avisos de los cambios en el agua para saber si tienen que hacer algo para proteger sus tomas,” explicó Stepp. "Tenemos que hacer este muestreo del agua para que la gente río abajo sea consciente de los cambios y pueda tomar precauciones para mitigar el impacto de lo que esos cambios significarían para ellos." Por ejemplo, "Si se puede cerrar la toma de agua pública, tal vez eso ahorre dinero, en lugar de que las cosas se introduzcan en el sistema... Si se trata de un cambio químico o de un problema de sedimentos que está entrando en el agua, las cosas que hay que hacer después de suceder, van a ser más caras que el simple cierre durante un corto periodo de tiempo".

Según Stepp, la mayoría de los pueblos de esta sección del río dependen del agua directamente del Colorado River, aunque algunos tienen múltiples fuentes.

El MCWC está dispuesto a proporcionar información a los directores regionales del agua, para asegurarse de que tienen acceso a estos nuevos datos con la esperanza de que protejan la infraestructura hidrológica regional. Cualquiera puede visitar el sitio del USGS y configurar una alerta de agua del NWIS, que enviará mensajes

ACOMPANENOS! Otoño 2021

automáticos de correo electrónico o de texto cuando las mediciones de la calidad del agua superen un umbral de criterios seleccionados en una ubicación específica.

Además, el Laboratorio Nacional Lawrence Berkeley (LBL) estableció esta primavera un lugar de prueba específico en Grizzly Creek. Según el científico geológico Kenneth Hurst Williams, director del programa de Recuperación Ambiental y Recursos Hidrológicos del LBL, se espera que este lugar de pruebas sirva para dos propósitos. El equipo de Williams estudia cómo las cuencas hidrográficas de las montañas se ven afectadas por las perturbaciones, y la cicatriz del incendio de Grizzly Creek les proporciona una ubicación cercana a su sitio de campo principal, la cuenca del East River cerca de Crested Butte, para estudiar los impactos de los incendios forestales en la calidad del agua y el ciclo de los nutrientes. Además, Williams espera comparar cómo afectan los incendios forestales a las cuencas hidrográficas de diferentes tipos de bosques. El reciente incendio de Grizzly Creek, el de Williams Fork y el de East Troublesome ofrecen la oportunidad de recolectar datos sobre la calidad del agua de cuencas quemadas con diferentes tipos de bosque.

Williams explicó: "Lo interesante de estos tres incendios es que tienen mezclas muy diferentes de composición forestal.

El incendio de Williams Fork ardió mayoritariamente en bosques de coníferas. El de East Troublesome era una mezcla de álamo y coníferas, y el de Grizzly Creek, al menos en las cotas más altas, está dominado mayoritariamente por bosques de álamo y, en las cotas más bajas, por pinos y enebros. Así que estamos realmente interesados en hacer una comparación entre sitios, o entre incendios, para ver si la composición del bosque ayuda a controlar la cantidad, la forma y el tipo de nutrientes – carbono, nitrógeno y metales – que escurren, después del incendio".

Hasta el 5 de mayo, el USGS no había visto aún datos inusuales de los escurrimientos de primavera debido a la cicatriz de la quema. Williams de nuevo: "Hasta ahora, las recientes precipitaciones han disminuido las temperaturas del agua y los niveles de conductancia específica, y han aumentado los niveles de turbidez, con cambios menores en el oxígeno disuelto y el pH. Estos cambios siguen los rangos y patrones típicos que podríamos esperar en esta época del año y no parecen mostrar una fuerte influencia del incendio forestal.”

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THE SOPRIS SUN • Your weekly community connector •May 20- May 26, 2021 • 13

Artist Tracey Harris settles in Marble

By Lynn Burton Sopris Sun Correspondent

Here is something most non-artists don’t know and many artists can only dream about: when an artist starts doing solo shows, galleries take notice and sometimes contact them to join a roster, rather than the artist contacting the gallery.

That’s what happened to Marble artist Tracey Harris. She is now carried by five galleries, located from the East Coast to the West Coast, but only contacted one. The rest came to her.

“It started with one gallery in Tulsa,” the Oklahoma native told The Sopris Sun. “I took my portfolio in to show them. That’s the only one I contacted.”

Harris recently reported to her Facebook pals she is in “beast mode,” completing and preparing new work to ship to galleries in Nantucket and Dallas.

Harris’s website (traceyharrisartist.com) describes her work as “Contemporary realist painter specializing in figurative and still life oil paintings.” She supports herself, 16-year-old son Max and two dogs through the sale of portraits and paintings of book spines with titles she conjures up herself, including: “Staying Warm Near the Dumpster Fire,” “Self Help for the People Around You,” “Never Settle for Who You Are,” “Adapting Like a Badass,” and “Memoirs of a Less Shitty Time.” She chuckled when she said one book title is “Good Mothers Nurture Dissent” then indicated now that Max is 16 years old, she’s not so sure.

Four of Harris’s portraits hang on the walls

of the Oklahoma State Capitol building, each depicting a prominent Oklahoman. Her most recent one is of the late Ralph Ellison, a Black writer who is perhaps best known for his 1952 book “Invisible Man.” Ellison grew up in Oklahoma City, where he was well-known in the “Deep Deuce” part of town, which is often described as similar to New York City’s Harlem of the 1930s.

Undertaking the Ellison portrait was a bit of a challenge. For one thing, there are no known color photographs of Ellison from which to work.

“I had to do a lot of research,” she explained. Part of the process included finding a man the same size as Ellison, painting him, then adding Ellison’s head. In the painting, Harris has Ellison standing dressed in a black suit and striped tie, holding a copy of “Invisible Man.” He is standing in front of the Deep Deuce’s Aldridge Theatre marquee that features posters of musicians who passed through town, including Duke Ellington, Jimmy Rushing and the Blue Devils. “So, the painting is based on an image that doesn’t exist … I wanted to bring him back to Oklahoma. It was kind of complicated but easy to figure out.”

Harris said she loves painting portraits. “It’s the only time I get to spend time around clients.”

Harris said she’ll first meet with a client to discuss what kind of portrait they want. Next, she’ll shoot photographs to work off of. After drawing out the portrait, she shows it to the client. “I’ll show it to them more than once.”

Harris started her book series at least 12 years ago. They are lit from the side with colorful sticky notes protruding from the pages, marking salient

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Five galleries, from California to the East Coast, represent Tracey Harris. For her books series, she paints them and then gives them fictional titles. Courtesy image. passages in the fictional tomes. Some books are standing while others are stacked. In some paintings, there are several books and in others just one or two. Most of the books look as if they have been read and re-read; some are falling apart.

The book paintings were an immediate hit. “I knew the series would have longevity,” she said.

Harris is currently working on a selection of book paintings for the Quidley & Company gallery in Nantucket (which also carries her paintings at its galleries in Florida and Connecticut). The Craighead Gallery in Dallas is also set to receive some of Harris’ book paintings.

Harris and Max previously lived in the Washington Park area of Denver. They both like to hike and to camp. So, one day – more than four

years ago – she asked Max if he wanted to move to the mountains. He said yes, so they moved to Marble and bought a house.

Harris didn’t know anything about Marble or the people who live there. “I had no idea what the community would be like. It was a total life change but it’s worked out for the best.”

Harris quickly learned the move was a wise one after Max’s experiences at the Marble charter school. Early on, his class went on an overnight field trip and Harris was home alone sitting on her porch. “I literally thought I’d died and gone to heaven. It’s so beautiful here.”

One of her favorite things to do is to paddle board on nearby Beaver Lake. “I could do that forever. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of this place.”

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CONGRATULATIONS TO THE GRADUATING CLASS OF 2021 Marty Silverstein & Kathy Webb

OPINION

By Jose Miranda I finally left my native home in Venezuela when my family and I were robbed at gunpoint by a gang of thugs. I was already a dual citizen in America but we thought that we might be able to carve out a place for ourselves and live sustainably on a beautiful citrus farm in eastern Venezuela. That experience of being tied up and robbed in front of young children was the last straw. I could finally see that my beloved country was falling apart due to the political corruption and systemic inequalities entrenched by the ruling class.

Today, I write to speak up to another kind of corruption that smells all too familiar to me. It is the blatant disregard for process and public input by Pitkin County Open Space and Trails (OST). The

Regarding agricultural leasing process

Roaring Fork Valley may be the last place you’d ever think to compare to Venezuela, that is why I love it here and why the recent actions by this board have so angered me. I know this all too well.

The recent Request for Proposal (RFP) selection process for the Glassier agricultural lease was not fair. It was not transparent and it was steeped in favoritism and bias. And now, local agricultural producers – real farmers who actually want to create sustenance, nutrition and community for this region – have been tossed aside by the kind of cronyism that can only lead to one place. A place I know all too well.

For example, the OST committee ranked references in their considerations of RFPs. The OST director lied about calling the references, which is an incredibly easy lie to prove as the references themselves said they were never contacted. The Pitkin County manager attempted to justify these actions by saying “the scoring of references was evaluated on quality and relevancy.” Was this lie and subsequent weak justification merely a cover to dock points on proposals to which the board was biased? Of course. I know this move all too well.

All of this is further supported by the fact that the evaluations scores were only provided to me five days after the announcement of the winning proposal, and some

proposers say they have not received scores to this day. A suggestion to the board for the future: if you’re going to be corrupt, don’t also be lazy! Get your fake scores in on time, please.

One proposer went to submit an appeal and OST told them it was not necessary because another proposer had already appealed. OST never read the appeal or considered it valid. I can tell you this: our experiences are valid. What OST did is shameful, deceitful and corrupt.

In an attempt to save face after this ugly debacle, the OST Agricultural Manager announced that there will be a public input process to improve the lease application process this summer so that a new and updated application can be in place by the next cycle. I find this to be an insult to the previous request for public input that generated the guiding document for the lease bid process in 2017, the document that they disregarded. Only an attempt to clean up the image of the agricultural lease program and pretend to care about the citizens' concerns.

It’s time for the many farmers in this valley to say what we’ve all been thinking and many are too afraid to say: the OST agricultural lease program is a facade that betrays its core mission and values. As a community, we are giving away subsidized land only to people who have the right connections, are often much less qualified than

other applicants and who are in no way held responsible for giving back to the community that supports them. We need to have an open and honest discussion about what needs to change in the OST Agricultural Lease program to restore it as a real asset to the community.

But I am only a farmer, and can speak only to other farmers who may come here with the genuine love and desire to produce food, nutrition and community.

Step one: register a nonprofit.

Milk the donors (since you probably won’t even have cows to milk) and rake in the grants. Give yourself a big title like Executive Director or Agricultural Director. Also give yourself a paycheck worthy of the position you hold and not the production you bring.

Make friends with the government employees that run the agricultural program of the Open Space and Trails department. Never question their professional expertise (or lack of ) in agriculture.

Remember who the masters are behind the democratic facade, because your success depends on their consent. Speaking up on valid issues will result in you being labeled as combative or problematic. Just keep quiet and struggle to survive in silence so the facade doesn’t crumble.

Immigrants are not welcome, in my experience. No effort has been made to include the immigrant

community in the agricultural lease program. No public announcement inviting the public to participate in this agricultural program has ever been made available in Spanish.

Supposedly, the selection of the applicant will be mostly based on a lengthy English essay description of the operation.

Be aware that there are many farmers, ranchers and county employees in the Roaring Fork Valley who are afraid to speak up for fear of being blacklisted, lose their jobs or experience unfair, inequitable treatment in the future.

This experience with OST for the RFP is not a first, or a second, or a third. This is a common experience in RFPs through OST. This process is being upheld by our local officials.

Will you care to do something about it when it happens in your valley?

Will you, fellow farmers, who make such an effort to appear anti-racist and promote equal rights for all, actually care that you are abetting a corrupt staff ? Or would you prefer to remain a cheerleader for those benefiting from an inequitable, biased and broken system? Will you refuse to ignore your role in upholding systemic racism, corruption and oppression in our local government? It doesn’t matter how aware you are if you don’t do anything about it.

Want to brighten your business or offices with a fresh stack of The Sopris Sun each week?

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THE SOPRIS SUN • Your weekly community connector •May 20- May 26, 2021 • 15

Returning to life

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Mondays/Wednesdays, 9-10:30am, 6/7-6/23 Cost: $79

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Highlights African/African American, Asian, Native American, Latin, and European short stories. Readings will include traditional tales, fiction, poetry and memoir, and students will also view film shorts.

Classes will be discussion-based with the opportunity to further understand our cultural differences and commonalities.

Tuesdays, 6:30-8:30pm, 6/8-7/13 Cost: $79

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coloradomtn.edu/community-education Carbondale Lappala Center • 690 Colorado Ave • 963-2172 16 • THE SOPRIS SUN • soprissun.com •May 20- May 26, 2021

NEWS

RElaxiNg & REpEaliNg local FacE covERiNg: The Board of Trustees of the Town of Carbondale voted to repeal the local mask requirement, effective Tuesday, May 18, 2021. The Town of Carbondale will continue to follow State of Colorado guidelines. Carbondale businesses can set their own rules regarding wearing masks. Unvaccinated people are encouraged to wear masks indoors.

Anyone over 12 years old is now eligible to get a COVID-19 vaccine.

SEWER pRojEct oN coloRado avENuE: Crews continue to make progress on new sewer line installation. The detour of northbound HWY 133 is targeted to be complete by the end of this week or early next week. Thank you for driving slow through the detour. doWNtoWN cloSuRES & alcohol iN pERmittEd aREaS: With summer right around the corner, here is a friendly reminder regarding downtown closures and alcohol consumption. The Main Street section between Third Street and Fourth Street will be closed to through traffic from 4:30 P.M. to 10:30 P.M. Wednesday – Saturday each week. Alcohol consumption is permitted within licensed premises ONLY. Alcohol consumption is not permitted in 4th Street Plaza Park nor within the street closure beyond the boundaries of the licensed bars and restaurants.

NEttlE cREEk hydRo pRojEct gRaNt: The Town of Carbondale was awarded the State of Colorado Department of Local Affairs Energy and Mineral Impact Assistance Funds (EIAF) grant award of $100,000. This award will go towards funding the Nettle Creek Hydro project, which will convert energy into a source of renewable electricity and allow for base operations to continue in the event of a power failure. climatE actioN & SuStaiNability: Garfield County residents are encouraged to enroll in the Solarize program. Solar energy is a great, cheaper alternative. Solarize Garfield County is a time-limited program that ends June 4 and brings homes and businesses together to maximize their group-buying power.

For more information, visit www.garfieldcleanenergy.org/solarize or call 970-704-9200.

bag FEE back

Don’t forget to bring your reusable bags when shopping at the City Market Carbondale! The 20-cent fee for bags is back in place beginning Tuesday, June 1.

970-963-2733 • carbondalegov.org

The return of spring has seen a renewal of beloved local traditions.

Left page: Carbondale Community School’s Big Event production took place outdoors (photos by Raleigh Burleigh). Bonedale Flashmob crashed Dandelion Day in style (top center, photo by Lynn Burton). Meskwaki dancer Larry Yazzie graced 2021’s inaugural in-person First Friday (photo by Tommy Sands). High school senior Talon Carballeria built and donated two bikes to Carbondale Homeless Assistance (CHA) for his capstone project (bottom center, photographed with CHA Director Lynn Kirchner by James Steindler). Carbondale Middle School students Val, Andy and Victor hung LGBTQ+ Pride posters, flyers and flags around Carbondale (Val poses with Mayor Richardson, courtesy photo).

Wilderness Workshop hosted a community hike to honor Colorado Public Lands Day (photo by Raleigh Burleigh). Right page: Waldorf first graders re-activated Carbondale’s community bread oven for a pizza bake (top left, photo by Leisl Bellack). Bonedale Bike Week encouraged cycling commuters with coffee and snacks (Tracy Wilson, bottom left, photo by Raleigh Burleigh). Roadside Gallery welcomed back visitors (Joanne Jimino, photo by Ylice Golden). Sopris Sun board treasurer Klaus Kocher traveled, bringing our Mother’s Day edition all the way to Costa Rica (courtesy photo). Students at Crystal River Elementary School planted “Hector,” a Linden tree, with help from Illene Pevec (photo by Courtney Jaynes).

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THE SOPRIS SUN • Your weekly community connector •May 20- May 26, 2021 • 17

New film honors 10th Mountain huts “It’s All Uphill from Here: The John Seipel Story”

By Ken Pletcher Sopris Sun Correspondent Photos by Hamilton Pevec

Shawn Gallus had an idea. He thought, let’s put together a backcountry ski trip with the builder of several of the huts in the 10th Mountain Division Hut Association system.

And then film it!

He and his friend Nick Cherney had purchased Polar Star Inn, a private backcountry hut on the western slope of New York Mountain, from John Seipel. Seipel built the hut in 1987 and had operated it for nearly 30 years. Gallus was one of its caretakers for about half that time.

Gallus and Seipel became friends and, over the years, Seipel had regaled him with stories of backcountry skiing and other outdoor adventures. Eventually, Seipel acknowledged that between 1988 and 1990 he built five of the cabins now in the Hut Association group. He was quick to point out, however, that he was the contractor and received a lot of help. Still, “I put a lot of nails [in Polar Star].”

The huts After finishing the Polar Star, Seipel got in contact with Rob Burnett at the Hut Association, who, according to Seipel, was the “brainchild of the 10th Mountain [hut] system.” He explained, “I knew of sites [where huts could be built], and I was a contractor.”

Polar Star was built in one summer, and Seipel proceeded to construct four more huts

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The team accompanying John Seipel (third from the right) on the hut trip. in two seasons: Fowler/Hilliard and Jackal huts in 1988 and 10th Mountain Division and Uncle Bud’s huts in 1989. Skinner Hut was built in 1990. Cherney found the speed of construction “amazing,” but also pointed out that Seipel created much of the “feel of the 10th Mountain hut” in the details, like “the correct angle of the benches” so common in the hut system.

Seipel was helped considerably by the use of helicopters to fly in materials. He admits that in 1988, “I had a devil of a time” because so many helicopters in the west had been requisitioned to fight wildfires in Yellowstone National Park that summer. He was also proud to point out that the U.S. Army supplied helicopter transport for construction of the 10th Mountain Division Hut.

The trip Over many years of the conversation, Seipel revealed to Gallus that he had not been back to most of the huts since they had been built. Gallus then proposed that they make a ski trip to all of them, which, in addition to him and Seipel, would include other people who had been caretakers at Polar Star and Cherney.

According to Gallus, “It was probably over the course of about five or so years of me asking him and adding people to the trip, like his daughter Cassie and the other caretakers, to get him to agree to doing it.” Eventually, a group of nine was assembled for the trek, which also included Seipel’s stepdaughter and a cameraman.

The trip was planned for eight days and seven nights, with one night at each hut (two of them, Vance’s Cabin and Betty Bear Hut, were not built by Seipel). Gallus and Cherney

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Hut trip members hauling supplies up a slope in a pulk (Nordic sled).

(via Polar Star) provided the funds for the trip and filming, but they both acknowledged the major contribution of the Hut Association, which donated the use of the huts and cleared the way for a continuous trip by such a large party.

“They made the trip possible,” noted Cherney.

All that was needed was someone behind the camera.

Enter local filmmaker Hamilton Pevec, who had been recommended to Gallus and Cherney by mutual acquaintances. “I love the backcountry, but compared to other people in the valley, I’m pretty low-level,” Pevec observed. Still, he was up to the challenge and adventure.

The trek finally stepped off in April 2019, and it quickly faced its first and only serious challenge: people got separated, a snow squall blew up and, as Seipel put it, “Things got dangerous in a hurry.” Pevec added that they almost lost two people. However, everyone made it to the first hut (Fowler/Hilliard).

Another challenge that Seipel points out was that planning failed to take into account the degree of “vertical profile” on the trip — how much elevation they were going to encounter. Nonetheless, from the second day on, they had great weather, and, as Seipel noted, “Everybody got on

John Seipel, subject of the documentary.

board.” The strong camaraderie in the group is evident in the trailer for the film (watch it at bit.ly/10thhuttrailer).

In the end, only six skiers made it to the last hut (Betty Bear). Those involved, however, declined to tell who those individuals were, opting to let the film tell that story.

The film Pevec, a native of Carbondale, has been making films for some two decades. His most recent project, a commercial for Carbondale-based FastG8 online marketing company, was shown during this spring’s 5Point Earth Day Pop-Up Show.

In describing the film, “It’s All Uphill from Here: The John Seipel Story,” Pevec said that his objective was to strike a “balance between a historical documentary and an adventure film.” He wanted to create “a story about local people making big contributions to outdoor lifestyle, local people producing an adventure documentary.” As he got into the process, though, he realized that the film should also be a story of “people learning their own limitations” as they face challenges.

And he needed to do this within the constraints of a

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Aerial view of the Polar Star Inn, image by Kevin Banker.

short “festival cut” of no more than 20 minutes. “The trick is that it is harder to make [a film] shorter. You have to get to the point sooner; every second, every word counts.” He did note, though, that a longer version will be made for “the producers [Gallus and Cherney] as a posterity piece.”

Pevec is now editing the large amount of footage he shot. Funding to complete the film has been generously provided by Bristlecone Mountain Sports and FastG8, “But it’s just enough for post-production.” More is needed for distribution and marketing, and a private fundraising screening is planned at Bristlecone in Willits “sometime in late summer.” He was quick to note, “This is not a world premiere. We would love to be invited to 5Point!”

Want to learn more?

Tune in to KDNK at 4 p.m. on Thursday, May 20, for a conversation with filmmaker Hamilton Pevec on "Everything Under The Sun," our weekly radio show. The interview will be archived at kdnk.org/ programs/everything-under-sun

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THE SOPRIS SUN • Your weekly community connector •May 20- May 26, 2021 • 19

Mature Content

By John Paul Riger Last month CAFCI Leader Ron Kokish wrote about racism: his own, his family’s and our Town’s.

This month, musician John Paul Riger discusses racism as a natural phenomenon and reminds us that nature doesn’t always know best.

Stocking a lake with hatcheryraised rainbow trout, I carried a few netfuls of fish down to an inlet with a small spring of fresh, clean inflowing water. I'd checked the temperature — fifty degrees Fahrenheit, perfect for them to

There’s something fishy about racism acclimate. As expected, the fish lingered at the spring, slightly disoriented from their transport.

I sat on my truck’s tailgate, waiting for them to start “piping” — surfacing to gulp air, kind of “burping” to force it across their gills. When they start piping it means the stocking was successful.

I waited and waited but the fish didn't pipe. Why? I returned to the inlet to see if there were fish remaining there, as they usually wander into the lake to pipe their gills clean. I was surprised to see most of the fish still in the spring water inlet and sat down to watch.

The fish were breathing properly but didn’t venture out into the lake. Soon, I saw one returning to the spring inlet from the open water. Then another, and another. Then three together. They were being chased by smaller brook trout!

"Brookies" are a different species of fish from the same trout family.

They had already established a wild population in the lake, and though there was plenty of room, the Brookies weren't about to accept the rainbow trout I’d just

stocked. We humans thought the lake needed more fish but to the Brookies, the rainbows were an instinctive threat. They were foreign, a bit different.

They couldn’t be tolerated. At that moment, for the first time, I thought that racism could be very much a part of the natural landscape. If it is part of the struggle to survive within fish communities, does it play a role in the existence of all species?

In fact, rainbow and brook trout are both exotic species in that little lake. Once, it was home only to native cutthroat trout and Brookies were the invaders.

Cutthroat trout are now in serious decline throughout the North American intermountain west, basically because of invasion by foreign species from the same family (race). All native species across the planet share this problem. If an exotic species can survive and thrive in a new and foreign habitat, it will do so at the expense of native species.

This has been proven worldwide many times over, among plant and animal communities alike.

As a musician, I suffer from stage fright whenever I perform. To deal with it, I have to understand that stage fright is a primal, irrational fear dating back to when we were cave dwellers. Back then, whenever a less dominant member of the clan would attempt to gain the attention of others, it was often met with reprisal in the form of a rock in the face or a club across the head from a more dominant clan member. Somehow, that fear is still embedded in the blueprint of my awareness. For me, the way to overcome stage fright is rationality.

Once I understand what my stage fright is, I can remember that when I step up to play the piano for others, no one's going to hit me, even if my performance is less than stellar. Familiarity with the music I perform also goes a long way to overcoming the fear. Being prepared, knowing that after the first two measures, I’ll KNOW that I could play the piece with my eyes closed. Having played it hundreds of times helps a lot.

I can only speak for myself: Maybe racism is also an old,

LETTERS that is recommended CDC guidance? Does she not believe in science or not care about anyone else’s health? She voted against the most recent COVID relief legislation that gave $1,400 to each taxpayer and the same per dependent. Many certainly need that help and I am grateful for it.

Fact: Biden won the election with no voter fraud. Boebert voted to oust Liz Cheney from her Republican leadership position for stating that truth. Republicans need to act with integrity and not continue the lies that led to the Jan. 6 insurrection and effort to overturn the election. We need representatives committed to truth and integrity.

Illene Pevec Carbondale

Public Lands Day

no longer useful trait that I can control by a similar graduation of my consciousness: by understanding that it’s just another primal, irrational fear, by remembering that people who are different from me won’t threaten me just because they're different.

When I appreciate the beauty of differences, perhaps, just as the coral reefs are so balanced and beautiful, I can similarly celebrate the beauty and balance of my condition as a member of the whole instead of as an individual.

I’m not a fish and we rarely live in caves anymore. I can notice and understand racism and I have the ability and intellect to overcome my natural, primal behavior.

That's precisely the challenge we're going to overcome. So, the next time I behave like a racist, I'll try to relax and rise above it. That alone will help douse my fear. I can do this! I know I can! I’ve so got this!

Mature Content is a monthly feature from the Carbondale’s AARP Age Friendly Community Initiative.

Continued from page 2 the conservation community is calling to protect 30% of our nation’s lands and waters by 2030, a goal commonly known as “30x30.”

Locally, we have opportunities to make this goal a reality.

In early May, the Pitkin County Board of Commissioners adopted a resolution that calls on elected officials and “... state and local leaders to significantly increase the tools and resources available to achieve locally-driven conservation, and to facilitate collaboration and good-faith conversations among all Americans as we work together to achieve 30x30 and solve our nature and climate crises.” We’re excited to see such strong support for this ambitious goal.

Wilderness Workshop hosted a Colorado Public Lands Day celebration and preview of our summer events on May 15. These events take people into the heart of areas we are working to protect and provide opportunities to give back by volunteering on restoration projects. If you were unable to join us, visit wildernessworkshop.org where you can sign-up to be the first to know the full list of events (which we’ll announce right after Memorial Day) and learn about other ways to protect public lands. I hope to see you outside this summer!

This past Saturday, May 15, was Colorado Public Lands Day, an annual holiday celebrating our state’s beloved public lands. This year marks the holiday’s fifth anniversary and I’m taking a moment to reflect on how far we’ve come, and how much further we have to go, to protect the public lands that are central to our economy and our quality of life on the Erin Riccio Western Slope.

Director of Community Organizing at Wilderness In 2016, the “land transfer” movement was brewing across the west, including in Colorado, where our state legislature Workshop defeated a handful of bills in support of this extremist approach just a year prior. Today, the conversation around public lands We the People Recently Mr. Will Hodges of 350 Colorado wrote opinion has fundamentally changed. The passage of Colorado Public Lands Day helped usher in an increasingly friendly political pieces published by local newspapers (The Aspen Times and environment for our public lands; a 2021 State of the Rockies Sopris Sun), whereby Hodges is critical of Governor Jared Poll found that 90% of Coloradans support creating new Polis who intends to veto SB-200, "The Reduce Greenhouse national parks, national monuments, national wildlife refuges Gas Emissions – Increase Environmental Justice Act." While the greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals of and tribal protected areas.

And yet, despite all of these gains, there is still much SB-200 are quite worthy, it's the method to get there, with the work to be done. According to “The Nature Gap” report, Orwellian "Committee on Environmental Justice," that should Colorado has lost over a half-million acres of natural lands frighten everyone. However, with the climate in mind, for the to development since 2001. The ever-increasing impacts of Roaring Fork Valley to achieve the 50% CO2 reduction by climate change bring worsening fire seasons that threaten our 2030 goal, there has to be developed in Western Colorado landscapes and wildlife. And communities of color and low- a fundamentally new energy infrastructure, completely income communities still lack access to our public lands and independent of the legacy inertia of relying on Second Wave utilities such as Holy Cross and Xcel! are being disproportionately impacted by climate change.

Visit bit.ly/HVDC info for information about High We must build a more equitable conservation movement with more community-driven initiatives. Climate science Voltage Direct Current Classic, "a disruptive technology" to shows that large, intact and connected landscapes – frequently distribute energy over new microgrids for "carbon-neutralfound on public lands – are critical for our planet to electricity,” including "Blue Hydrogen Electricity.” This successfully adapt to a changing climate. Recognizing this, technological innovation is perfect for achieving carbon20 • THE SOPRIS SUN • soprissun.com •May 20- May 26, 2021

neutral-electricity for the transportation sector of the Roaring Fork Valley, to transition away from the internal combustion engine toward zero-emissions electric vehicles, including Hydrogen Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (toyota.com.au/mirai).

The Garfield County treasury has over $15 million in the "Oil and Gas Mitigation Fund.” I propose we use that money to fund preliminary consultants to present public proposals to “We the People of the Roaring Fork Valley.” Time is of the essence.

Carl L. McWilliams Glenwood Springs

Welcome Liz Mauro Recognition to Matt Langhorst for his wisdom and foresight in the hiring of Liz Mauro to be the City of Glenwood Springs Landfill Manager. Liz Mauro was previously the Project and Compliance Manager of Compost Operations, and Supervisor at Pitkin County Landfill. Liz oversaw storm water compliance, biosolids reporting, compost facility management, compliance for landfill leachate, hazardous waste collection, construction waste management and noxious weed compliance, enforcement and education. Liz has been a lab technician for five years, Wastewater Treatment operator for seven years and Land Manager for two years in Pitkin County.

I am positive Pitkin County is so sad to see her go. She left them in good hands and good condition. Glenwood Springs Landfill is grateful for her expertise. I think Matt Langhorst understands how valuable her experience and knowledge are with the reality of climate change.

I ask that people of Glenwood Springs support the removal of biodegradable food waste from the garbage stream. Food waste is the single largest component taking up space in U.S. landfills. Plus, decomposing food creates methane gas that is 86 times more potent than CO2 contributing to climate change. This is an easy way to make a big change.

Liz Mauro is capable and will be implementing a top-notch food and compost program at the Glenwood Springs Landfill.

Matt deserves to hear a thank you for making a decision that reaches far into the future for positive change. Thanks Matt.

Jennifer Vanian Glenwood Springs

Gemini season shenanigans

OPINION

to retrace our steps.

Jupiter moves into Pisces

Sun Signs

By Whitney Will It’s Gemini season. The sweet few weeks of the sun’s time in the sign of the twins opens our windows and our social distancing mandates to let in fresh air and connection, perfect for the first air sign in the zodiac and one that is all about the banter.

Appropriately, Gemini season’s astrology is some of the busiest we will see all year, with many significant transits piled on top of each other that may have you going in many directions at once.

Some transits are friendly, while some of this month’s astrology plays host to the trickster archetype; we should tread lightly lest circumstantial evidence appear convincing beyond a reasonable doubt. Gemini season will be full of reasonable doubts, and we would do well to file each away in case we need

It may have been a week ago, but Jupiter’s ingress into Pisces is definitely one of the best things that happens during 2021. Jupiter, also known to astrologers as “the greater benefic,” is generally the luckiest planet in the sky, seeding a spirit of abundance, connection and hope wherever he goes. He has spent the last couple years in signs ruled by Saturn, which has put a constrictive damper on what help he can provide. In Pisces however, Jupiter is in his home sign. This means he is free to be fully benefic and, in the fertility of a water sign, this means many things that have struggled to grow over the last couple years may suddenly flourish.

However, there is a shadowside to everything. Pisces is a spiritual sign, and Jupiter is a planet that governs both faith and belief.

We may find ourselves longing so deeply for existential security that we fall under the spell of gurus and conspiracies without vetting them properly. As a clever person once said, “Don’t be so open minded that your brain falls out.” Fantasy is a potent anesthetic, and can provide respite from harsh day-to-day struggles, but it must be used merely

as a fertilizer for daily life, not a substitute.

Jupiter will be in Pisces from May 13 to July 28, before retrograding back into Aquarius for the remainder of 2021. Use the time to experiment with new opportunities.

When Jupiter enters Pisces again in the new year, you will know which ones to double down on.

Eclipse season The Sagittarius full moon lunar eclipse on May 26 brings us into eclipse season once again. Another iteration of eclipses in the Gemini/ Sagittarius polarity provides a chapter break and a chance for us to look at the story as written and

change course if we do not like where things are headed. Eclipses can bring sudden insights that in turn bring about sudden endings or open us up to new ideas that become personal renaissances. It is a coin toss though, so hold your bets.

In my November 2020 column, I wrote specifically on these two signs and what the eclipses therein might portend for the collective. One thing I brought up was the educational as well as travel-orientation of these two signs. As a year of remote learning and travel restrictions let up, the eclipses will help summarize all that we have learned in the past six months.

A second Gemini new moon solar eclipse on June 10 sends us off on a new journey but one closer to home. We are retooling the Gemini parts of the chart as we try to regain cohesion within communities divided by politics, science and the figurative and literal casualties of the pandemic.

Mercury goes retrograde As if things were not complicated enough, the trickster planet itself goes into apparent retrograde motion on May 29, retracing its steps through the second half of Gemini. If there was ever a transit for having to eat your words, Mercury

retrograding through loquacious Gemini is it. Luckily, there are plenty of words to spare.

Instead of wasting your breath trying to move projects forward while Mercury is moving backwards, revisit unfinished things and tie up loose ends. This can mean revisiting old conversations with a tone for reconciliation or putting the finishing touches on your monthsold to-do list. Mercury will be retrograde until June 22.

Second exact Saturn-Uranus square As I discussed in my column from February 2021, the defining astrological alignment of 2021 is a series of squares between the planets Saturn and Uranus. Saturn is “the way things are” and Uranus is “the way they should be.” On June 14, this aspect goes exact for the second of three times, sowing social discord and tension. Neither of these players is likely to compromise, making it highly likely that sparks will fly and protests will happen.

The power structures are being upset, and that means they will double down on the use of force, cancel culture and ideological warfare.

All in all, it is a great time to tread lightly, question the things you think you know and stay compassionate out there.

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NOT A KDNK MEMBER? CALL 963-0139 GO TO KDNK.ORG THE SOPRIS SUN • Your weekly community connector •May 20- May 26, 2021 • 21

LEGALS PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a Public Hearing will be held before the Carbondale Board of Trustees for the purpose of considering an appeal of a Planning and Zoning Commission decision to approve a Minor Site Plan and Conditional Use Permit for an Accessory Dwelling Unit located at 485 Mancos Street (Colorado Meadows Subdivision: Block: 5 Lot: 10 Town of Carbondale). The applicant/owner is Jennifer and David Newcomb. The appeal was filed by Cari Kaplan and Laura Sugaski.

Said Public Hearing will be held before the Board of Trustee's at 6:00 p.m. on June 8, 2021 at the Carbondale Town Hall, 511 Colorado Avenue, Carbondale, CO. You may watch a live streaming of the meeting on You Tube. Search Town of Carbondale June 8, 2021 meeting. Please be aware that you will experience a 15-30 second delay.

If you would like to submit comments regarding this application, email your comments or letter to jleybourne@carbondaleco.net by 3:00 pm on June 8, 2021. This email or letter will be entered into the record.

By Suzie Brady

If you would like to comment during the meeting, email jleybourne@carbondaleco. net with your full name and address by 3:00 pm on June 8, 2021. You will receive instructions on joining the meeting online prior to 6:00 p.m.

Also, you may contact jleybourne@carbondaleco.net to get a phone number to listen to the meeting, however, you will be unable to make comments. Wifi will be available in the lobby of Town Hall and a phone will also be available in the lobby for the public to listen to the meeting.

Please email Janet Buck at jbuck@carbondaleco.net or call 970/510-1208 by 3:00 p.m. the date of the public hearing if special accommodations are necessary to participate in the meeting.

Copies of the appeal application are on file in the Planning Department office, Town Hall, 511 Colorado Avenue, Carbondale, CO and may be examined by interested persons during regular working hours, 8:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The appeal may also be reviewed on the Town's website at www. carbondalegov.org' John Leybourne, Planner

SUZOKU

22 • THE SOPRIS SUN • soprissun.com •May 20- May 26, 2021

PARTING SHOTS

SERVICE DIRECTORY Practicing minimal contact check-in.

The Garfield County Commissioners’ visit to Ascendigo Autism Services’ site for a The Garfield County Commissioners’ visit to Ascendigo Autism Services’ site for a proposed summer camp saw over 50 people in attendance on Tuesday, May 18.

The proposal includes some 42,000 square feet of constructions across 126.8 acres belonging to the Carbondale-based nonprofit. Many neighbors displayed protest signs in association with the Keep Missouri Heights Rural organization. Overall, the climate was reportedly respectful with minimal interruptions. The first public hearing for the proposal is scheduled for June 21 at 1 p.m. Photos by Will Sardinsky.

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