20250220

Drawn together

Local craft clubs alleviate loneliness

Almost every Tuesday night for over seven years, the Roaring Fork Drawing Club has gathered artists of all ages and skill levels for a casual encounter at traveling locations throughout the Valley. The club has met at a tattoo parlor, businesses now shuttered, art museums and galleries, venue spaces, a thrift store, fashion show rehearsals, parks, Taco Bell and even aboard the Carbondale Circulator bus (for a few laps before heading to Beer Works).

“It’s a refuge. It’s a place I’ve made so many friends, where I get to draw and play with adults,” said Anjanette Rosas Garcia, an attendee for some four years. “It’s just so wholesome and fulfilling.”

The club was birthed in the fall of 2017. “I needed friends,” said Lindsay Jones, a freelance artist. One day, she visited Sustainable Settings with her neighbor’s daycare and then invited fellow artist Brian Colley to return with her and draw the animals. Colley felt motivated to start the club with Lindsay for social reasons, as well as to have a more regular drawing practice.

“When we started Drawing Club, I hadn’t had an active sketch book in many years,” Colley admitted. He now

does a watercolor portrait each week, capturing the setting and a handful of attendees. “There’s always new people that come in and leave,” said Colley. “That kind of community connection is important, especially these days.”

Jones pointed to a 2023 report by Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy declaring an epidemic of loneliness and isolation in the United States. “Loneliness is far more than just a bad feeling — it harms both individual and societal health,” Dr. Murthy wrote. “The mortality impact of being socially disconnected is similar to that caused by smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day, and even greater than that associated with obesity and physical inactivity.”

“I think of Drawing Club as the great connector,” Colley continued. “There’s not a lot of structure, which I love. It creates the possibility for other connections you never thought possible, people from all walks of life coming together.”

The concept is simple: everyone brings their own supplies and works on whatever they choose!

The Roaring Fork Drawing Club has brought together a diverse range of people, spurring and deepening friendships by providing a welcoming, inexpensive place to socialize and explore creativity. Their Instagram account has over 800 posts

and nearly 1,500 followers, documenting the group’s weekly output for all to see. It inspired a similar club to form in Gunnison called the Down Valley Draw Club. Businesses also benefit from the exposure. “I think we’re making a lot of people aware of these cool businesses and helping business owners,” Jones reflected.

“We are an asset to the local economy.”

“I was excited when Drawing Club approached me for hosting,” affirmed Leslie Buettner, owner of Botany Houseplant Shop. “It’s a choice I’m happy to make, an easy ‘yes’ for me as a business owner. Something for the community? Yes. Bring it.”

The best way to stay apprised of each week’s location is via Instagram (@ rfdrawingclub) or by joining the email list by contacting rfdrawingclub@gmail.com — businesses interested in hosting can reach out through these same channels.

“Don’t be shy, come on out,” Colley encouraged. “You don’t have to be a pro. Don’t be intimated. We’re all figuring it out.”

If drawing is not your thing, there are many groups meeting regularly at local libraries to share passions ranging from writing to knitting and crocheting, ham radio and more. If you feel motivated to start a club of your own, we recommend letting The Sopris Sun know so we can amplify the invitation.

Botany Houseplant Shop hosted the Roaring Fork Drawing Club on Jan. 21.

Photos by Will Sardinsky

RALEIGH BURLEIGH

Sopris Sun Editor

Vision 2050

In the 1990s, I wanted my business to contribute more effectively to my community, so I invested a year in the Teams, Management and Leadership Program (TMLP). There, I learned that to succeed I needed clear goals, a plan to reach them and a “next step.” Although plans rarely go as planned, they provide focus, momentum and a problem-solving framework. When circumstances inevitably change, a good plan allows for new paths to the goals and at least one practical next step down one of those paths. I also learned that worthwhile plans are consistent with community values and aspirations.

OPINION

LETTERS

CORRECTION: Matt Solomon is a former Eagle town council member, not Eagle County commissioner as mistakenly stated in last week’s Garfield County Report.

Straight shot nightmare

Editor Raleigh Burleigh 970-510-3003

news@soprissun.com

TMLP worked for me in that community and continues doing so as I work with Age-Friendly Carbondale. I’ve seen the Town ask for and absorb resident input to update its Comprehensive Plan. The plan has many aspects, but, perhaps most importantly, it envisions the kind of town we want to be: small, environmentally responsible, accessible, walkable, age-friendly, etcetera. After adopting the Comp Plan, Carbondale developed selected sections into a detailed Mobility and Access Plan (MAP). Even before the MAP was fully developed, the Town took a “next step” towards accessibility by launching the Downtowner. A mere week after adopting the MAP (Jan. 28), trustees, commissioners, Town and CDOT staff and residents gathered to envision a safer, more attractive Highway 133 on nine-foot maps. On Feb. 25, the Town will consider a Complete Streets resolution. A March work session will explore financing these projects.

MATURE CONTENT

By Ron Kokish

TMLP also taught me about olive trees, which take two human generations to bear fruit. Today’s farmers harvest what their grandparents planted, while planting new trees for their grandchildren. Sound politics often requires an olive farming perspective. Our large maps outlined projects that could take 20 or more years to complete. At 84, I expect to see a crosswalk that safely brings pedestrians to City Market this year, probably another crosswalk next year and maybe even one new roundabout. But 10 beautified roundabouts and crosswalks from one end of town to the other? That’s for my grandchildren.

Collaborative goal setting, planning and step-by-step actions may seem simple, but not every organization has the patience and skills to put this into practice as well as we do in Carbondale. Conservative and reactionary Republicans, however, do. Over 45 years in the making, they have written a series of nine sophisticated comprehensive plans to guide them. “The Conservative Promise” (aka Project 2025), the ninth volume of The Heritage Foundation’s “Mandate for Leadership” series, was published in April 2023 in anticipation of a 2024 Republican victory. It clearly shows their current aims:

1. Enhance executive authority, including dismantling much of the current administrative state and exerting partisan control over key agencies.

2. Restructure the government to streamline necessary functions and cut everything considered unnecessary or counterproductive to conservative goals:

3. Implement financial policies that include reducing corporate and capital gains taxes, instituting a flat income tax and shrinking the social safety net, while reversing contrary policies from earlier administrations.

4. Strict immigration enforcement, including mass deportation of undocumented immigrants.

At 900+ pages, this remarkable document, created by dozens of conservative intellectual leaders, provides solid rationales for its policy recommendations along with detailed strategies and tactics to guide the current administration as they implement them. Equally important, the Mandate for Leadership series has helped conservatives win elections by offering a coherent, detailed, intellectually rigorous and practical policy platform — a “vision,” if you will, on which to base their electioneering.

Our Founders also relied on great thinkers for their visions and practical guidance: the Magna Carta (1215), the English Bill of Rights (1689), Enlightenment philosophers like Locke, Montesquieu, Smith, Rousseau and the great philosopher of the American Revolution Thomas Paine to name a few. It’s fair to say that the Founders’ greatest achievement, our Constitution, is a product of nearly 600 years of thinking, talking and writing by some of Europe’s greatest minds.

While modern conservative and reactionary politicians still rely on an intellectual tradition as an important part of their operations, liberals and progressives do not. When Jon Stewart interviewed House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (The Weekly Show podcast, Feb. 7), Stewart repeatedly asked for a coherent national vision. Jeffries repeatedly skirted the issue. Jen Psaki was equally unresponsive on the same podcast a week later. Unlike the Republican party, Carbondale and the Founders, today’s Democrats seem unable to articulate a coherent vision to guide their work. Small wonder, then, that they appear to have lost their way.

Ironically, Democrats, who (on average) have two to four more years of education than Republicans and hold more than twice as many advanced degrees per thousand, appear to lack intellectual leadership. Without clear visionary goals and a plan for achieving them, they offer little more than a series of isolated “next steps.” Some of those steps are impressive (The Affordable Care Act, The Inflation Reduction Act), but people also want a coherent vision of a future worth working for and a plan for getting there. In that regard, Democrats are going to flounder until they reconnect with an intellectual tradition.

Mature Content is a monthly feature from Age-Friendly Carbondale.

As a downvalley resident who spent years commuting from Carbondale to Aspen, I want to let my fellow travelers know that the straight shot into Aspen will not make our trip any faster. In fact, it will likely make it longer.

I know this sounds counterintuitive, but please hear me out. I spent years reporting on this issue for The Aspen Times back in the early 2000s and am very familiar with the details.

The straight shot is the plan to redirect Highway 82 across the 75-acre Marolt Open Space at the entrance to Aspen with a four-lane highway and new bridge across Castle Creek. It affects about a half mile of the 30-mile trip from Carbondale to Aspen.

Here are the reasons this plan won’t make our drive to Aspen any easier:

It does nothing to address the massive morning backups at the airport where two lanes of traffic merge into one.

The straight shot extends the bus-only lane to Main Street. That means one lane for buses and one for cars in both directions.

There will be a new traffic light at 7th & Main, near the Hickory House, backing traffic up in both directions. Afternoon rush hour traffic on Main Street could be an even bigger mess.

The existing highway between Cemetery Lane and the roundabout will be permanently closed, forcing all traffic into town. Morning traffic will be a disaster, as students and commuters from McLain Flats Road trigger the new traffic light and slow our commute.

The straight shot is designed to save buses about one minute of travel time. For the rest of us, nothing will change. Or it might be worse. Urge your friends in Aspen to vote no on Referendum 2. Allyn Harvey Carbondale

Social justice

Trump promised the biggest deportation of undocumented criminals ever. “Criminals” sounds like convicted felons, not law-abiding refugees fleeing corrupt dictatorships. “Undocumented” sounds like entering illegally. Yet felon Trump directed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to look busy, and “criminals” seems to mean brown-skinned people.

Almost 20% of Venezuelans (8 million) fled Maduro’s brutal dictatorship, mostly to neighboring countries. After months walking across Central America and Mexico, almost a million surrendered to ICE, applied for Temporary Protected Status and were detained in prison-like conditions sometimes for months. When released, they were told not to work legally or receive government assistance, to register addresses with ICE and wait (for years) for their court hearing. What a broken system! Eventually, many received permission to work legally and pay taxes to the U.S. government. Now Trump has decided these people constitute “criminals” who must be purged from the U.S. He has made a deal with election-stealing Maduro and will end Venezuelans’ Temporary

continued on page 18

Contributing Editor James Steindler

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Executive Director

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SCUTTLEBUTT

CPD on immigration

Following Garfield County Sheriff Lou Vallario’s statement regarding his agency’s commitment to work with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) within the parameters of Colorado law, Carbondale Police (CPD) Chief Kirk Wilson outlined his department’s commitment to uphold the Town’s 2017 Resolution 10. “CPD is here to serve and protect all members of our community, no matter their background. We enforce state laws fairly and without bias, and we do not ask about immigration status when responding to calls for help, speaking with witnesses or interacting with the public,” Wilson stated. He stated that CPD does not honor ICE detainers or hold people in custody based on immigration status. “On rare occasions, we may support federal agencies in locating and apprehending individuals with active warrants who pose a serious threat to our community,” he noted. “No one should ever be afraid to report a crime or come forward as a victim or witness because of their immigration status.”

Lift-Up updates

On Feb. 14, Lift-Up announced programming adjustments to align with its 2025 operational budget “while maintaining fiscal responsibility.” A press release stated that programs being phased out were initially offered during the pandemic to help maintain social distancing. Beginning March 1, there will no longer be drive-thru food distribution services; the 72-Hour Food Bags, Senior Boxes and the Wee Cycle Diaper Program will only be available for pick-up at pantry locations and families will be limited to one pantry visit each week. For a list of Pantry of Choice locations and hours, refer to Lift-Up’s monthly calendar: www.liftup.org/calendar

Mind Springs

In a unanimous decision, the Mind Springs board of directors decided not to move forward with a proposed mental healthcare contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. “West Springs Hospital, the only psychiatric hospital between Denver and Salt Lake City, had been in discussions with the Immigration Healthcare Service Corp to offer acute, inpatient mental healthcare to migrants,” stated a press release. The board concluded that this contract would compromise community trust.

Denver schools sue Trump

“Denver Public Schools is taking the Trump administration to court in an effort to keep immigration enforcement away from schools locally and across the country,” reported Chalkbeat Colorado. The lawsuit, believed to be the first such lawsuit by a school district, seeks to reinstate the “sensitive locations” policy that blocked most immigration enforcement near schools, hospitals and churches.

Interior department firings

The Interior department announced on Feb. 14 it was firing 2,300 probationary employees. Aaron Weiss, deputy director for the Center for Western Priorities, a conservation advocacy organization, stated, “Firing the next generation of America’s park rangers, scientists and land managers is a recipe for literal disaster. I don’t know whether we’ll see overflowing latrines, polluted streams or deadly wildfires first, but Doug Burgum is already leaving a path of destruction across America’s parks and public lands.”

Colorado Extreme

The Colorado Extreme 12U hockey team has been on the ice at the Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament this week. After a tough first match against England on Feb. 15, resulting in a 9-1 defeat,

the Carbondale-based team went on to defeat the Beauce-Appalaches Vikings, 4-2, on Feb. 17. With the win, Colorado Extreme held its place in the tournament and faced off with the Gouverneurs de Noroit on Wednesday, Feb. 19 — those results were not available by press time. For final results, visit www.tinyurl.com/COXtremeinQuebec

Wolf depredation

Following a reported depredation in Jackson County on Feb. 5, Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) confirmed on Feb. 15 that the cow in question was indeed killed by a wolf. The wolf, however, is suspected not to be collared as there was no data reflected in the area. All reintroduced wolves are collared and CPW can monitor their approximate locations. The origin of the wolf is unknown at this time, according to a CPW press release. For a list of confirmed wolf depredations, visit www.tinyurl.com/COwolfdepredations

Cocaine seizure

On Feb. 11, Garfield County’s Special Problem Enforcement and Response (SPEAR) task force conducted a traffic stop that resulted in the discovery of more than eight pounds of suspected cocaine and the arrest of the vehicle’s three occupants, each with California home addresses.

Artist opportunity

WindWalkers is seeking a fresh logo! Advanced art students and local graphic designers are encouraged to submit an entry by April 18 to Liza@WindWalkers.org for the chance to win $1,000 and two tickets to the Kentucky Derby Watch Party on May 3. There are also prizes for second and third place. A winning logo will capture the following essence: “a magical place where horses and caring professionals offer a variety of equine-assisted therapies to aid in the development and growth of those with challenges, be they physical, neurological, emotional, behavioral or psychological.”

They say it’s your birthday!

Folks celebrating another trip around the sun this week include: Tom Paxton and Jess Pedersen (Feb 20); Pati Edquist, Wyatt Farris, Max Herriott-Frank, Mike Lemmer and Collin Stewart (Feb. 21); Libertad Lee Rico Bustillos, Lucas Leone and Yesenia Silva-Estrada (Feb. 22); David Ackerman, Sophia Clark and Rachael Schultz (Feb. 23); Quentin Farris, Toni Gross, Nuria Moya, Steve Skinner and Kyle Watts (Feb. 24); Barb Bush, Dottie Daniels, Dorsey Moore and Marty Rynearson (Feb. 26).

Aspen Hope Center expands mental health support in schools

ROMINA CABRERA

Sopris Sun Correspondent

Aspen Hope Center (AHC) continues to expand its programs that help bridge the gap in accessible mental health services through collaboration with schools to help support some of the Valley’s most vulnerable youth and individuals.

AHC started in 2009 and focuses on three key aspects of mental health response: prevention, intervention and postvention. One of its biggest programs is a partnership with local schools that brings education together with mental health, previously seen as something separate to be addressed outside of school walls.

AHC and the Roaring Fork School District (RFSD) began this partnership when they saw a growing need to ensure that students, especially young children, are able to access the mental health support they need, said Bridget Derkash, director of AHC’s school-based program.

“When kids are mentally well and when they are well rested, they perform much better in school,” she said. “We know that students are going to learn better if they feel supported.”

Mental health, and especially

suicidality among youth, remains a concern despite significant drops in impression indicators on depression in the region, according to a 2023 Healthy Kids Colorado Survey.

Students deal with a lot of conflating factors, from home problems to financial worries and the ever-present peer pressure compounded by social media. Mental health is a struggle for many families, especially with the limited number of professionals in the Valley and steep fees that often come with consultations. This is where the schoolbased program comes in, providing the necessary prevention aspect that aims to promote mental wellness and resilience

among the youth. Under this program, AHC brings in clinicians to help support students from elementary to high school who are struggling. The primary concern is bringing clinicians, who students can see as trusted adults, onto school premises.

“Once the mental health providers are in the schools, they are doing the work. We see that in the data, even if we have some areas of concern, we are seeing a shift,” said Kelly Medina, director of Student and Family Services for RFSD. There are eight schools in the district that tap AHC for mental health services.

“Our schools from Glenwood, Carbondale and Basalt utilize [AHC] for their crisis response,” Medina said. “They are filling the crisis response gap,” as well as offering other services. Other schools differ in their approach as they blend funding, fundraising and grant dollars including from the Colorado Department of Education to hire their service providers internally.

Last semester, from August to December, AHC’s school-based program served 1,722 students with individual and group therapy. There were also over 22,000 students who took emotional and mental health well-being classes.

“Schools are so capable and they have this foundation, the extra support helps alleviate and take some of the pressure off of them,” Derkash said.

From one clinician in 2011 to 20 clinicians this year, the organization has grown its footprint in local schools. The number of clinicians providing services directly correlates with the quality of service that students receive, especially as mental health support can weigh heavy on professionals. The intensity of the work and schedule of attending to individual needs can take its toll and lead to professionals eventually leaving, posing a challenge for providers.

“You hold a lot for the clients that you serve. Because of that, it

can be easy to burn out,” Derkash explained. To address the issue of high turnover and ensure top services, AHC has implemented a cap on the number of students a clinician can serve.

Derkash and Medina also agreed that funding remains one of the biggest challenges in providing mental health services.

“We saw a reduction in grants and funding from our local cities and counties that we serve. That has impacted us as funding streams are getting reduced for mental health services,” said Derkash.

“We live in a valley that has a lot of resources for mental health, which is great. But when we look at how schools are using schoolbased mental health programs,

Aspen Hope Center’s school-based clinicians provide mental health support for students in the Valley. Courtesy photo

Fashion Show set to wow with ‘Camera Obscura’

MYKI JONES Arts Correspondent

Preparations for the Carbondale Arts Fashion Show, formerly known as Green Is The New Black Fashion Extravaganza, are underway. And it’s no surprise that tickets are already sold out. Dancers are tightening their routines and models are rehearsing their walks down the runway to showcase sustainable fashions created by local designers. The show runs March 6-8, from 6 to 8pm nightly, at the Carbondale Rec Center.

“Every year, we work … to make it different and fresh, which isn’t always easy,” Director Amy Kimberly told The Sopris Sun. “There’s some things that people always expect, but we always try to surprise people as well.”

This year’s theme, “Camera Obscura,” explores elements of running visuals reminiscent of “film noir” — a cinematic take popular in the mid 20th century.

“We usually look at the world around us and connect what’s going on above and beyond the idea of sustainable fashion, which is at the heart and soul of the show,” she continued. “A couple of years ago, Morgan Williams suggested film noir as a path to go down. And we finally felt life is a little film noir-ish now, and it might be fun to go on this more theatrical journey.”

The creative team, consisting of Kimberly, Creative Director Laura Stover and Director of Dance Meagan Londy Shapiro, is juggling 50 models, almost a dozen dancers and 15 other volunteers who are working tirelessly

to help bring the vision to the stage.

This year, “The fashion show is like going to Meow Wolf in that there’s this story that connects it. You can follow that story, should you choose, or you can go on your own little journey into each of the different rooms which have a lot of surprise and delight,”

Kimberly shared.

Stover expressed that she is looking forward to seeing how the show will come to life, considering the wide and diverse range of talented participants.

“We have all sizes, all ages and all kinds of people. That’s the best part! The audience loves it, and I love it,” Stover asserted. “It’s just really fascinating and beautiful to watch how they transform on the stage and the quirks they bring ... Not everyone’s trained to walk seriously down the runway, and that’s what’s really magical about it.”

Stover said this is her favorite project

every year.

“I don’t feel like I get to have this level of creativity and self-expression anywhere else in my life,” she said. “It’s important to me. And I know a lot of the designers feel the same way, as well as the dancers, models and choreographers. I think it’s special because you can be wild and do anything at this show.”

Shapiro said she is grateful for the opportunity to be a part of a tight-knit community and its outpouring of creativity.

“I honestly have to pinch myself knowing I get to do this. I love working with Laura and Amy and I think it’s an incredible way to spend winter. Winter is cold and the days are short. The fact that when the sun goes down I go into rehearsals and move and sweat and make stuff is great for me,” she stated.

For more on the Carbondale Arts Fashion Show, visit www.carbondalearts.com

our biggest challenge is stable funding,” added Medina.

Still, Derkash said that AHC is looking to continue to grow its services both in the school-based program and outside with its broad partnerships with other organizations. AHC is also working with law enforcement, particularly with the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office, for its crisis response.

AHC provides crisis intervention, stabilization and recovery while operating a 24-hour “HopeLine” with its clinicians (970-925-5858 for Aspen to Glenwood Springs, 970-945-3728 for New Castle to Parachute).

“The Sheriff’s Office is proud to be partners with [AHC],” said Garfield County Patrol Commander Josh Osborne. “The Hope Center’s team of trained clinicians collaborate directly with Sheriff’s Office deputies to co-respond and work through these mental health crisis calls for service.” He noted they have observed “successful resolutions through the implementation of this response model.”

AHC is looking to further grow its outpatient services, especially targeting youth outside of schools, as well as other individuals in the community who need extra support.

“We know that sending people to the hospital is great but can be difficult. If there are more ways to keep them in the Valley and support them, mental health will be stronger,” Derkash concluded.

Filmmaker Ashley Mosher is working with dancers to capture film noir aesthetics to be projected during this year’s Carbondale Arts Fashion Show, March 6-8. Photo by Will Sardinsky

Nearly homeless phenomenon echoes nationwide

ramifications thereof. Take “two parents … both working to make the rent, pay for the groceries, pay for heat, electricity, put gas in the car, and [then there’s] a snow day. Their kids aren’t old enough to stay home by themselves. What happens?”

Well, she pointed out, it’s likely that “one parent doesn’t go to their job” that day. “And the difference of that income could be the difference of making a full rent payment or not.

The general rule of thumb for emergency expense preparedness is to have three to six months put away. But that’s not common. According to a study performed by the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center,

Colorado is among the most expensive states — another obstacle for saving.

“When I do … educational seminars, I’ll [ask of] the room, ‘How many people here have two years worth of money saved up [so] that if something were to happen to you today, you’re protected financially?’ No one raises their hand,” she said. “‘Alright, what about 18 months? What about 12 months?’ No hands go up.”

It isn’t just Colorado grappling with this worrying trend. Last year was one of the worst for homelessness that the United States has seen as a whole. The 2024 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report to Congress stated that over 700,000 individuals experienced homelessness on the streets, in a crisis shelter or other unstable location.

The demographic that experienced the biggest growth in homelessness was children, followed by families with children. The report cites rising inflation and stagnating wages as two of the biggest causes across middle- and low-income groups.

Real estate prices are rising while wages fail to keep pace across the country. Across Colorado, Denver, Boulder and Grand Junction are experiencing some of the highest price to income ratios in the West. The Census Bureau reports that, in 2022, the average income in Carbondale was just over forty thousand, trailing behind the average home value of over one million dollars.

Visit www.kdnk.org for the audio version of this story.

Goodnight,

Popular local musician and mentor Mark Johnson died tragically in a car accident on Highway 82 at the Buffalo Valley turn-off this past Saturday, Feb. 15. Mark was driving westbound in a 2002 Toyota Camry that collided with an oncoming 2025 Toyota Camry in the eastbound lane. There were three people in the 2025 Camry, two of whom suffered serious injuries.

Mark Johnson

Mark was 66 years old and a resident of Glenwood Springs. He was one of the best saxophone players by many accounts, but didn’t keep his raw talent to himself. He taught many young musicians throughout the Valley over the years. He was a friend to many, near and far (from New York City to Rockford, Illinois), who have collectively expressed tremendous sadness over the loss.

Mark worked with local high school band programs and was the program coordinator for Jazz Aspen Snowmass (JAS) Academy.

“Mark was such a huge part of the Academy program and such a fan of every single student that came through the program, following your careers and celebrating your achievements along the way,” JAS Academy posted on Facebook. “He will be missed greatly.”

“He brought us so much new talent and supported the arts through music,” the Glenwood Springs Arts Council chimed in with a post.

Play on, Mr. Johnson.

Mark Johnson, courtesy photo

Leaders of tomorrow to address climate solutions May 2-3

LOU GALL

Youth Correspondent

Carbondale’s Wild Rose Education is directing the first annual Colorado Youth Climate Summit at the Third Street Center, May 2-3, and is “powered’ by Lyra Colorado, according to Sarah Johnson, founder of Wild Rose Education. Many climate action and justice experts from governmental and non-governmental organizations will lead engaging workshops and plenary talks with participating youth.

Johnson, who is also the director of the Colorado Youth Climate Summit, plans to bring together approximately 75 young people (high school aged) to discuss and propose climate solutions. Participants are expected from as far as Southwest Colorado and the Front Range.

“This is a first-time event at a state-wide scale,” explained Johnson. Fresh meals and lodging will be provided. In fact, Roaring Fork High School will open its gym for participants to campout, along with adult supervision, so as to keep the conversation and networking going around the clock.

Through the summit, Johnson hopes to inspire rural

Colorado communities to be more eco-conscious and to make genuine changes toward that end. And it starts with the summit’s participants, who she’ll encourage to travel green — and rather than commuting solo, to carpool or take public transportation to the two-day event.

The Third Street Center is not only a centralized point geographically, but the building itself also suits the theme — having climate-conscious attributes, from being a restored building (originally the Carbondale Elementary) to its rooftop solar array, refillable water stations and plans to develop a geothermal heating system.

Plus, Carbondale offers numerous examples of climate-impact projects youth can inspire in their own communities, such as the Carbondale Bike Project or the new Downtowner service.

Johnson described how youth often feel “eco-anxiety” when it comes to the future of the planet, and that the climate crisis, unfortunately, is their burden to bear. But young people just might have the power to convince their elders to help protect future generations, including their own.

“For people to pass the buck is not okay,” said Johnson, but

that is a reality the next generation may face. Young people are one part of the solution, she added, but climate action can only become a solution if everyone works together.

“It’s a people issue,” said Johnson. “If this was a technical science issue, we would have solved it decades ago. Now, we need serious actionable governmental and corporate commitments and accountability to minimize greenhouse gas emissions on a very broad scale.

“Earth is pretty resilient if we consider it in geologic timescales. People today are having to adapt to this changing climate out of survival mode; and this will continue into future generations if we don’t collectively change how we operate as communities, corporations and governments. Participating in this Youth Climate Summit will inspire agency and urgency within the realistic context of Colorado.”

Youth participants will be able to get started on checking at least one box toward receiving Colorado’s Seal of Climate Literacy, which can be reflected on a high school diploma and comes with an additional cord to don at graduation. The seal came

out of the state’s 2024 legislative session. To obtain the seal a student must take a science class, an additional climate-literacy focused course and fulfill a relevant experiential project.

Despite the General Assembly’s decision, school districts can choose whether to opt into the diploma endorsement program or not. Currently, Diana Buirgy, a science teacher at Glenwood Springs High School, along with others, is advocating for the seal to be offered to Roaring Fork School District graduates.

Speaking more broadly, she stated, “I think everybody will be impacted even if they haven’t felt it yet,” stressing that climate change

is real and is happening now.

Addison Godes, a student at Glenwood Springs High School and a Colorado Youth Climate Summit Leadership Team member, echoed the call to action. “It is critical that everyone does what they can to mitigate the damage,” she said. Highschoolers care, young people care, she continued, and this summit offers them an opportunity to promote change in the world they will grow up to lead.

The soft deadline to apply for the Colorado Youth Climate Summit is March 1. For more information and the apply, visit www.coyouthclimatesummit.org

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Cook Inclusive extends open arms to downvalley LGBTQ+

Sopris Sun Correspondent

After a first round of unofficial gatherings, Cook Inclusive is gearing up for the grand opening of its new Queer Resource Space in New Castle on March 8. It will serve as a hub for community activities, health and gender affirmation resources, and as a place where folks can gather and feel welcome, safe and validated in their identities. The address is currently being withheld for security purposes.

Ashley Stahl, executive director of Cook Inclusive and PFLAG of The Roaring Fork Valley, saw an impressive turnout of members of the queer community at one of the early gatherings, which took place the weekend before Donald Trump’s inauguration. This included members and allies of the LGBTQ+ community, including parents of queer children, sharing support, especially in light of the Trump Administration which has already begun to implement executive orders targeting queer communities and specifically transgender individuals.

“It was cool to have everyone attending be so comfortable and happy,” Stahl told The Sopris Sun. “Several of us got pretty emotional over being able to have a space like this at a time like this. We could have been spending the day home scared and worrying about what might happen. Instead, we were able to come out, forget about it for a little bit and have a good time. It was very meaningful. It gives me so much hope for what this space can be for people.”

The space was made possible by a

generous donation from the Colorado Health Foundation and became an idea when Cook Inclusive founder and former director Kaleb Cook spoke at an event for the foundation and they recognized a lack of safe spaces for the LGBTQ+ community downvalley, between New Castle and Parachute.

“Where it all started was knowing we needed a space, and then letting it evolve,” Stahl stated. “Many questions we still ask ourselves as we get set up include what we need in this space. What could we use the space for? What’s going to help the community the most? By no means do we

have all the answers yet, but I think, especially in our first year, we will learn many of those answers,” She continued, “We have some ideas. We will start testing the waters and seeing what people best respond to.” Stahl hopes the space can be a resource hub where LGBTQ+ community members and allies can come without fear of judgment. She’d like for condoms and Narcan to be available and is currently working on finding funding for free mental health resources.

Stahl has been working with several organizations in and around the Valley, including PFLAG, which will host monthly

support groups in the space and cosponsor a monthly intergenerational family dinner. Additionally, High Rockies Harm Reduction will work closely with Cook Inclusive to provide information and resources for those living with addiction.

Regarding the importance of safe spaces, Stahl said that with shared trauma present within LGBTQ+ communities, safe spaces serve as a pseudo-family unit for many people. In opening this space, Stahl hopes to open doors and arms to anyone looking for a place to belong.

“It’s very rare to meet someone who is LGBTQ+, and especially someone who is trans or gender non-conforming, who has access to a completely affirming and safe extended family. I think most of us would consider ourselves lucky to have some family that supports us. It’s something a lot of people miss out on. It’s something that causes people a lot of stress in their lives when they have to go back home for the holidays, and giving people the opportunity to have a supportive family feeling is a big deal,” she expressed.

Stahl looks forward to showing the Town of New Castle that they are providing a community asset. “We’re going to have free activities and events, and those aren’t going to be only for the queer community. Some of them will be, but most of our programming will be open to anyone and everyone,” she stated.

For more information or to stay in the loop on Cook Inclusive’s community efforts, visit www.cookinclusive.org

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Cook Inclusive’s new Queer Resource Space opens in New Castle on March 8. Courtesy photo

Olivia Pevec embarks on bardhood journey

MYKI JONES Arts Correspondent

Longtime Carbondale local Olivia Pevec is touring the Valley and beyond with her newest project: “Olivia the Bard, Wayfaring Stranger.” This solo show includes magical elements and messages of self-love with house concert and venue dates all over the Front Range, Paonia and the Roaring Fork Valley, including a stop at Steve’s Guitars on Friday, Feb. 21.

For 25 years, Pevec has lived in the Valley and worn many hats. She has been a blacksmith, a cowgirl, a theater teacher, a waitress, a rock star and held other vocational identities. Despite this, she said she will always be a musician first and foremost. In addition to her original works, she co-founded the band Let Them Roar, and it was during this time that she realized this aspect of her character.

“That experience showed me I am a musician first,” Pevec told The Sopris Sun. “Maybe first I’m a singer before all the other things. I came into the world that way and delightfully had the opportunity and the reason to become a songwriter.”

Discussing what she has in store for this upcoming tour, Pevec said her audiences will bear witness to her version of storytelling, which she described as “an incantation.” Pevec developed this method of storytelling during her time as a theatre teacher at the Colorado Rocky Mountain School.

“I came into an acting method I’ve been describing as ‘the physics of human behavior’ and that’s opened my eyes and mind to the potential and power of storytelling, using our bodies to be storytellers. This show I’m developing is an effort to take the singing and songwriting and combine them with more spoken storytelling, turning it into an incantation. It’s the idea that magic happens in our bodies when we give ourselves to the creative process, and let me tell you, it is contagious,” she stated.

Pevec shared that the show is crafted to be repeatable and involved despite its story arc still being actively crafted. She developed the first few concepts by pulling from a tarot deck and breaking the show into three chapters based on the cards she drew.

IN A NUTSHELL

More info: To learn more or to book a house concert, you can direct message Pevec on Instagram: @scavengerindustries

Tickets: For tickets to the Feb. 21 Steve’s Guitars performance, visit www.stevesguitars.net

The first chapter is inspired by the Seven of Wands, which typically represents one standing firm in their decisions, the second by the Nine of Wands, which signifies perseverance, and the third chapter is full of the energy of the Page of Pentacles, which represents new beginnings in the material realm and the acquisition of knowledge. There is also an element of audience participation.

“It’s like an intrepid warrior sets out and discovers they are not properly protected. The journey then transforms them into a beginner,” Pevec said. “Each chapter has three songs, and in the middle, the access point of the story is an unknown song. We won’t know what that song is until one of the audience members is invited to go through a little fortune-telling process to reveal it. I’m interested in employing the practices of magic to bring people into their heart space and to receive these stories and come out the other side more in love with themselves.”

The house concert part of her tour is meant to bring a feeling of locality and closeness to this project. The host of each house will be responsible for sending out invitations. Tying it to the “Wayfaring Stranger” subtitle, Pevec said she hopes her folk music performance will give insight into the temporality of separateness.

“[‘Wayfaring Stranger’] is sung from the perspective of somebody sitting by their grace,” she explained. “It is about what we leave behind when we go home, like the separation we all feel. We all feel separate while we’re here. We came to this planet to experience individuation, but it’s temporary. We never lose that awareness and long to be whole and together. That’s the core of it, the search we’re all on all the time for belonging and connection and the feeling of being separate.”

TRTC captures human essences with ‘Tiny Beautiful Things’

MYKI JONES Arts Correspondent

CONTENT WARNING: This article mentions the topics of child sexual abuse, rape, child loss and drug use.

On Valentine’s Day, Thunder River Theatre Company (TRTC) debuted its third main stage show, “Tiny Beautiful Things.” It runs 82 minutes total with no intermission and takes audiences on a journey through the spectrum of the human condition, with self-discovery, trauma, healing and, at the core of it all, finding love, community and kindness in even the most difficult of circumstances.

The show follows writer Cheryl Strayed, portrayed by Jennifer Austin Hughes, as she takes on the role of an advice columnist for The Rumpus, an online literary magazine, under the pen name Sugar. Through this, she and the other three cast members, Brian Landis Folkins as Letter Writer #1, Jen Klink as Letter Writer #2 and Taylor Barr as Letter Writer #3, see Sugar slowly crack open while offering both messy and profound insight to those who write in for her column. The questions range from “How do I make friends?” and “How do I make my dreams a reality?” to the most telling question, with an answer that may take your breath away, “What the [bleep]?”

“If we’re looking for a throughline [for the show], it’s love,” Barr told The Sopris Sun. “Every single scene is just infused with some amount and type of love.”

The cast and crew, including TRTC Artistic Director Missy Moore (also the director of this production) and Stage Manager Katelyn Tyk, stated that working on this production provided an excellent look at how connections between people are formed through the vulnerability of their lived experiences. Moore specifically said this is the perfect show for audiences to see when needing a reminder they are not alone.

“It takes a community to bring theater to the community,” she said. “It’s a symbiotic relationship, and this play captures it among strangers. I think it’s being presented at a time when collectively — and I’m getting a little political here — we as a species so desperately need it. We need to be reminded that we’re not alone.”

Landis Folkins echoed her sentiments, telling us, “It is the most human play that

I’ve read. It covers the gamut of emotions, and it really expresses what it is to be human through connection with other people.”

Each letter writer takes on the role of a different person asking for advice, including a woman who asks if she should share her experience of being raped with her boyfriend, a young person asking for advice on how to navigate life with an abusive and narcissistic parent and a grieving father who lost his son to a drunk driving incident.

Hughes does not hold back in her portrayal of Sugar. Her character details her struggles with heroin addiction, the grief she carries from losing her mother, her experience with having had an abortion and harrowingly in her response to the “What the [bleep]?” question.

“This play, in every sense of the word, demands everyone involved reach for the ordinary, the miraculous or for the tiny, beautiful things,” Moore stated. “You can sit and be your own silo of sadness, or you can choose to reach out, and it’s done in this show in the way of an advice column.” I struggle to find the professional words to describe how deeply this show cut me open as a reviewer. I found myself laughing along and relating to the more innocent questions, only to have all the air sucker punched out of me with the themes of loss, grief, mortality, love and heartbreak. How beautiful things can blossom from the pain we all live through becomes evermore centric to the story as it progresses. This show gutted me and sewed me back together with a surgeon’s mercy.

Many times, it was as though a mirror reflecting the human spirit was held up to face the audience, which outlined and dissected the very raw and relatable pain of the letter writers back to those in the seats. Despite how heavy the show gets, I recommend seeing it with the courage to have your heart broken and the knowledge that hope and love will find their way back to you through the strength and courage it takes to be vulnerable.

IN A NUTSHELL

Tickets: To purchase tickets for “Tiny Beautiful Things,” visit www.thunderrivertheatre.com

The cast of “Tiny Beautiful Things,” courtesy photo by Sam Ferguson

Olivia Pevec, courtesy photo

Learn how to draw using 1-point perspective in this fun class.

Tuesdays, 1-4:30pm, 2/25-3/4

WINES BY WOMEN VINTNERS

Taste traditional wines made in a broad array of modern styles. Friday, 6-8pm, 2/28

SCULPTURE

Learn 3-D design, materials and processes to create sculptures. Thursdays, 1-5pm, 3/13-5/1

INTRO TO BUSINESS OF ART

Learn to create business plans, market and show your art.

Mondays, 5-7pm, 3/17-4/21

AIKIDO (Try it for Free 3/18-3/20)

A non-violent way to re-direct, neutralize, or avoid an attack. Tues/Thurs, 1-4:30pm, 3/18-5/8

MICROSOFT EXCEL WORKSHOP

From basics to formatting, printing, formulas and functions, charting, and tables.

Tues, 5:30-8pm, 3/25-5/6

TREE PRUNING TECHNIQUES

Covers timing, techniques, and different styles. Highlights pruning for tree’s “natural” form. Tues, 4-7pm, 3/25- BASALT

KIDS’ CLASSES

TUMBLE, BALANCE AND BREATH

Movement and fun to develop basic tumbling and social skills. Wed, 4-4:45pm, 2/26-3/19

BUILD A FAIRY GARDEN

Get creative and build a your own fairy garden. Sat, 10-11:30am, 4/5

BUILD A BOTTLE BIOME

Learn about the water cycle, climate, life, and recycling. Sun, 10-11am, 4/6

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20

SNOTEL

Roaring Fork Conservancy invites you to learn about winter snowpack by touring a SNOTEL site on McClure Pass from 9:30am to 12:30pm. Register at www.roaringfork.org/events

ART FOR SENIORS

Aspen Art Museum invites seniors to create and socialize, while simultaneously enhancing their dexterity and boosting their memory, today at the Aspen Art Museum from 1:30 to 3:30pm and Thursday, Feb. 27 from 1 to 3pm at Pitkin County Senior Services. Register at www.aspenartmuseum.org

BOOK CLUB

Carbondale Library’s Third Thursday Book Club discusses “The Lost Girls of Willowbrook” by Ellen Marie Wiseman from 2 to 3:30pm.

PET SAFETY

Journey Home Animal Care Center presents on pet safety education at Saddleback RV Park in Battlement Mesa from 2 to 4pm.

BLACK HISTORY LIVE

Colorado Mountain College and Colorado Humanities present “Black History Live: Louis ‘Satchmo’ Armstrong” at the New Space Theatre (CMC Spring Valley) and via livestream (colomtn.me/bhlive25) at 3pm. Scholar/performer Marvin Jefferson will recount Satchmo’s story with a first-person monologue.

PAPER WEAVING

The Basalt Library offers a workshop for children ages 5 to 10 designing Kente cloth, inspired by the Ashanti people of Ghana, from 4 to 5pm.

ARTIST LECTURE

Anderson Ranch in Snowmass Village hosts a lecture with visiting artist Nacho Carbonell at 4:30pm.

SOPRIS SUN FUNDRAISER

Tonight’s the night! Join our Cabin Fever Winetasting/16th Birthday Celebration at the Thompson Barn from 5 to 8pm. Tickets at www.soprissun.com

HEALTHY JOURNEY

Aspen Valley Hospital Foundation presents an educational evening at the Aspen Meadows Campus (845 Meadows Road) with speakers, including Dr. Rick Klausner delivering the keynote address on the science of aging. It begins with a cocktail reception at 5pm. Tickets at www.tinyurl.com/ HealthyJourneyAVH

RIVER FILM

The Roaring Fork Kayak Club and American Whitewater present a screening of several river films, including “River of Sorrows,” at the Glenwood Vaudeville Revue at 5:30pm. Your ticket purchase supports efforts to ensure legal river access in Colorado. Catch an exclusive interview with The Sopris Sun on KDNK today at 4pm.

HEIDI GANAHL

The Pitkin County Republicans welcome 2022 candidate for Colorado governor Heidi Ganahl at Jus Snowmass (45 Wood Road, Snowmass Village) speaking about “rebuilding conservative influence in Colorado” at 5:30pm. To RSVP, visit www.bit.ly/Ganahl

NATURALIST NIGHTS

Catch Dr. Chris Monz’ presentation on the impacts of outdoor recreation on ecology at the Pitkin Library at 6pm.

Theatre. “The Brutalist” opens tomorrow and continues Saturday and Feb. 27 at 6:30pm. Sunday’s show is at 5pm.

PAUL REISER

Comedian, actor, writer, musician Paul Reiser performs at the Wheeler Opera House at 7pm. Tickets at www.aspenshowtix.com

‘TINY BEAUTIFUL THINGS’

Thunder River Theatre’s run of “Tiny Beautiful Things” continues this weekend and next, with Thursday, Friday and Saturday performances at 7:30pm and Sunday matinees at 2pm. Tickets at www.thunderrivertheatre.com

COMEDY NIGHT

Steve’s Guitars hosts another comedy night, this time with Beth Brandon, Jordan Lowe, Layla Goldberg, Diego Gonzales and Miller Ford, at 8pm. Tickets at www.stevesguitars.net

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21

COLIN CLOUD

The Wheeler Opera House presents world-renowned mentalist Colin Cloud and his critically-acclaimed show “Mastermind” at 7pm. Find tickets at www.aspenshowtix.com

THE BARD

Olivia Pevec, “The Bard,” performs at Steve’s Guitars at 8pm. Tickets at www.stevesguitars.net

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 22

SEED SAVING

Growing Empowerment hosts a community seed-saving workshop from 10 am-12 pm at Eagle Crest Nursery in El Jebel. Additional workshops will be held in March up and down the Valley. For more info and workshop dates, call 970-704-9535.

ADOPTION EVENT

Journey Home Animal Care Center teams up with PetCo in Glenwood Springs for an adoption event from noon to 3pm.

KDNK CHILI COOK-OFF

KDNK hosts its annual Chili Cook-Off at the station from 4 to 6pm. Enter your chili to win, or just head on over for a taste. Competitors eat for free! Email chris@kdnk.org for more info.

THE LONE BELLOW

TACAW presents The Lone Bellow at 8pm. Tickets at www.tacaw.org

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23

VIBRATIONAL SOUND HEALING

Eileen Day McKusick introduces her Biofield Tuning Institute with a Zoom presentation and conversation at A Spiritual Center (Room 31 at the Third Street Center) from 10 to 11:30am.

STORYTELLING

Jessica Barnum leads a four-part storytelling and journaling workshop at the Basalt Library starting today at 3:30pm. The workshop is geared toward adults, but all ages are welcome.

PUZZLE & PIE NIGHT

The Carbondale Recreation Center’s epic puzzle competition takes place from 4 to 7pm with pizza and prizes. Register a team at www.carbondalerec.com

TINY TERRARIUM

CRYSTAL THEATRE

Tonight at 7pm is your last chance to catch “I’m Still Here” at the Crystal

In partnership with Thunder River Theatre Company, Botany Houseplant Shop invites you to build your own “Tiny Beautiful Terrarium” at 4:15pm, following a performance of “Tiny Beautiful Things.” Register at www. thunderrivertheatre.com

Glenwood Springs High School hosts opening night of “Anastasia: The Musical” on Friday, Feb. 21 at its Jeannie Miller Theatre. The show continues Feb. 22, 28 and March 1, and all showings are at 7pm. Tickets will be available at the door or can be purchased in advance at www.tinyurl.com/GWSAnastasia

Rehearsal photo by Klaus Kocher

CUBA ORCHESTRA

The Wheeler Opera House presents Adonis Puentes & The Voice of Cuba Orchestra at 7:30pm. To encourage dancing, the Wheeler will open up the floor facing the orchestra. Tickets at www.aspenshowtix.com

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 24

YOGA IS MEDICINE

Basalt Library’s free Ayurvedic yoga class continues from 10:15 to 11:15am.

BOARD GAME BONANZA

Basalt Library welcomes kids 5 and older to play games and make friends while enjoying tasty snacks from 4 to 5pm.

ACES SOUND BATH

Megan DiSabatino guides a “Winter Sound Bath and Forest Bathing” session at Hallam Lake from 5:15 to 6:30pm. Register at www.aspennature.org

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25

FROSTBITE FRIGHTS

Basalt Library invites you in from the cold to enjoy a PG horror movie with popcorn and warm beverages at 4:30pm.

TALKING MENTAL HEALTH

Garfield County Libraries and Garfield County Public Health present “Let’s Chat Mental Health,” a series taking place every last Tuesday of the month through May. The in-person events will alternate between the Rifle and Glenwood Springs libraries, with the first (tonight) being held in Rifle. Each session will have a Zoom option, and starts at 5pm. Call 970-665-6370 for more info.

THEATER MASTERS

TACAW hosts the Theater Masters Aspiring Playwrights Festival, a showcase of short plays written by Roaring Fork Valley high school students, at 6pm. Register for free at www.tacaw.org

‘NATURE OF HOPE’

As part of its Jessica Catto Dialogue Series, Aspen Center for Environment Studies presents “Nature of Hope with Ami Vitale” at 6pm at the Wheeler Opera House. Vitale is an award-winning National Geographic photographer and filmmaker who will highlight her coverage of conservation efforts around the world. Tickets at www.aspenshowtix.com

DRAWING CLUB

Roaring Fork Drawing Club sketches and socializes at the Powers Art Center at 6:30pm.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26

BLACK HISTORY

Basalt Library welcomes acclaimed columnist and political commentator Michael Harriot to discuss “Black AF History: The Un-Whitewashed Story of America” at 5:30pm. Free copies of the book are available at the circulation desk while supplies last.

YOUTH ORCHESTRA

Roaring Fork Youth Orchestra presents a winter concert featuring budding musicians from local schools at TACAW at 6:30pm. Register for free at www.tacaw.org

RADICAL WEDNESDAYS

Aspen Film’s Radical Wednesdays film series continues with “Blades of Glory” hosted by Clay Dahlman at the AF Isis Theatre at 6:30pm. Tickets at www.aspenfilm.org

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27

BLACK INVENTORS

Basalt Library’s Teen Innovator’s Lab celebrates Black inventors throughout history from 4 to 5:30pm. Registration is recommended at www.basaltlibrary.org/ events-calendar

RINCÓN LITERARIO

Basalt Library’s Spanish book club, Rincón Literario, discusses “Solito,” an autobiography by Javier Zamora, at 6pm. Free copies are available at the circulation desk while supplies last.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28

COZY HOUR

Young adults and teens (ages 14 to 35) are invited to enjoy “a cozy hour” at the Basalt Library after hours, with board games, a craft and more, from 5 to 6pm.

ART OPENING

“Cosmic Compost” by Rachel Becker and “Where the Wild Things Live” by Kirstie Steiner open at The Launchpad’s R2 Gallery with a reception from 5 to 7pm and an artist talk at 5:30pm. Both exhibits will remain on display through April 4.

CONNOR GARVEY

Catch Connor Garvey at Steve’s Guitars tonight at 8pm. Tickets at www.stevesguitars.net

CONSENSUAL IMPROV

Consensual Improv performs at TACAW at 8pm. Tickets at www.tacaw.org

ONGOING EVENTS

GROUP RUN

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

WIGGLES OUT

Toddlers and preschoolers get their wiggles out at the Carbondale Library on Thursdays from 10:30 to 11:30am.

CRIBBAGE

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

YARN GROUP

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

IN STITCHES

The In Stitches Knitting Club meets at the Carbondale Library every Monday at 1:30pm.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS

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

AIKIDO

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

ENGLISH IN ACTION

Volunteer English tutors and

developing learners meet for informal conversational practice at the Carbondale Library every Monday at 6:30pm. Interested in becoming a tutor? Email angela@englishinaction.org or call 970-963-9200.

MONDAY MEDITATION

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

BIKE PROJECT

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

SENIOR LUNCH

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

COSECHA TEXTILES

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

CLUB DE ESPAÑOL

Practice Spanish and enjoy specials at Bodegón in Carbondale every Wednesday from 5 to 7pm.

UNDER THE SUN

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

COFFEE WITH THE MAYOR

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

RFHS baseball jacket fundraiser pays homage to Carbondale’s ranching heritage

JOHN STROUD

Sopris Sun Correspondent

Roaring Fork High School’s baseball team rosters over the decades have often read like a who’s-who of Carbondale ranching families.

So, it seemed fitting for baseball mom and rancher Cassie Cerise to come up with a way to honor that ranching heritage with this coming season’s Rams baseball fundraiser.

Team members have been out and about in recent weeks selling special-edition team jackets, featuring the unique cattle brands of many of the local ranching families.

The Roaring Fork Valley Co-op helped sponsor jackets for each of the varsity and junior varsity players to wear, and they’re now available for sale to the public as a way to raise money for the team.

Many years ago, when Cerise owned the Black Nugget bar in downtown Carbondale, she came up with the idea to emblazon many of those same ranch brands on one of the walls.

Twenty-some years later, a lot of those ranches have passed on to the next generation, including her own family ranch.

Kate

Oldham

KATE PHILLIPS

Sopris Sun Correspondent

But times are tough, she said.

The ranching community lost one of its own last year:

Matt Nieslanik, who was a regular face up on horseback during the family cattle drives through town and as a participant in the Carbondale Wild West Rodeo during the summers.

The reintroduction of wolves in Colorado, human population increases and ongoing threats to water resources are also putting extra stresses on ranchers.

“We just thought this would be a nice way to show support for those in the Carbondale ag community,” Cerise said. “Whether folks are directly connected to ranching or not, it’s a fun way to put a smile on some faces when they see their brand floating around town on people’s backs.”

The jackets feature 19 ranch brands, along with the Roaring Fork Rams and Western Slope League logos.

“We really wanted to focus on Paul and Celia Nieslanik and the whole Nieslanik family,” Cerise said.

Paul turns 90 this year, and their grandson Tanner Nieslanik, a former Ram and Colorado Mesa University

baseball player, is a JV coach on the team, and their younger grandson Emmit is a freshman.

Cerise and her husband, Tim Fenton, have two sons on the team, senior Cole Fenton and sophomore Chase Fenton.

“It really paints the narrative of where our little town came from, and is still today,” longtime Rams baseball coach Marty Madsen said. “Even the kids who don’t have that background can connect to a name on the jacket. It’s a great way to bring the team together, and to build some pride in wearing that Roaring Fork uniform.”

Jackets can be purchased for $100, with $30 from each purchase going to the team to support their upcoming season, including equipment and travel costs.

Baseballs, for instance, now cost $120 per dozen retail, and Madsen said he typically budgets about $1,200 per year just for balls.

The team went through nine dozen game balls last season, and needs another 15 dozen for practices, Madsen said.

Roaring Fork’s Ron Patch Memorial Field is also adjacent to an open irrigation ditch — part of

that ranching tradition — and foul balls sometimes get waterlogged and are no longer usable.

Bats are also quite expensive, and there are costs associated with field maintenance, Madsen said.

“So, every little bit helps,” he said. “It’s just a great way for the community to help out the program. And these jackets are really sharp looking.”

Rams baseball is scheduled to open the spring season on the road at Discovery Canyon on March 8.

The first home games are slated

for March 29 against Coal Ridge (double header), and the annual Trent Goscha Tournament — for which the jackets are expected to be delivered — is set for the weekend of April 4-5.

To order up a jacket, look for baseball team members at the remaining home basketball games (Feb. 22 and 27), or reach out to Cerise via email at cerise81623@gmail.com or by phone at 970-309-3142, or Madsen at 970-319-5994.

to represent U.S. at Nordic World Ski Championships

If one were to describe Kate Oldham’s nordic ski season thus far, chances are the words like “stellar,” or “impressive” and perhaps even “mind blowing” would top the list. Between national podium finishes, a world cup debut and top 15 performances at the Junior World Ski Championships, Oldham is a formidable world-stage competitor. Lucky for fans, her season continues. Oldham was recently selected to represent the U.S. at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Trondheim, Norway, from Feb. 26 to March 9.

“I opted not to do any pre-season racing,” Oldham told The Sopris Sun. “I spent pretty much all of November and December training and preparing in my own way. It’s a little different than how a lot of other people go about it.”

By foregoing December races, the Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club (AVSC) alum got to enjoy time with family and friends, zipping around Spring Gulch when she had the chance and finding time to just relax ahead of her first race of the season: the U.S. National Cross-Country Ski Championships in Anchorage, Alaska. Oldham entered that race cautiously confident, considering she mostly trained alone and could not quite gauge her fitness.

However, because of this method, “I was able to have low expectations before the race and just shake the rust off,” she said. “It went a lot better than I expected.”

Better, indeed! The Montana State University senior executed a spectacular race and won the 10km freestyle national title at 24

World Cup debut

While preparing to compete in some of the world’s most coveted nordic ski areas, Oldham said she relied on the advice of long-time coach and AVSC Nordic Director August Teague.

“August advised me to treat this as a learning experience — to see what the next level is like [and] enjoy it,” she shared. “And the next time I go back is when it will perhaps be more appropriate to target a result. But just being able to soak it all in is an important part of the process.”

Oldham blasted onto the scene starting in 10 races across three disciplines: skate sprint, 10km interval start and 20km mass start. She posted multiple top 40 performances, including two top 20 results.

her first World Cup. She was completely calm and focused on her process and training. [She] trusted all of the pieces she put into place and came away with an incredible result.”

While abroad, Oldham also represented the U.S. at the Junior World Ski Championships in Schilpario, Italy, Feb. 4 to 9. Competing in three under-23 events Oldham finished 10th, 12th and 9th in the sprint skate, 10km interval start and the 4x5k mixed relay, respectively.

The final weekend of World Cup racing brought Oldham and her teammates to Falun, Sweden, where she posted two top 40 finishes in the sprint skate and 20km mass start and 43rd overall in the 10km.

A guiding community

minutes and 28.9 seconds, besting secondplace finisher Kendall Kramer by 11.2 seconds. Later that week, Oldham placed fourth in the 20km classic and third overall.

“I had both my parents there, which was amazing, and all of my Bobcat teammates — who have been unbelievably supportive,” said Oldham. “I was surrounded by almost everybody I could have hoped for. There were a few at home who I would have liked to be there, but having my family there made everything even more special.”

The celebrations continued as the culmination of Oldham’s results launched her into the World Cup circuit, a fast-paced international race series featuring the world’s best nordic athletes. And thus, a whirlwind season took off.

Notably, on Jan. 25 in Engadin, Switzerland, Oldham placed 19th overall in the weekend’s skate sprint. While she narrowly missed the final, she finished as the third American behind U.S. Olympians Jessie Diggins and Julia Kern, who finished 6th and 12th respectively.

“The skate sprint was really fun,” said Oldham. “It was a beautiful day, a fun course, I had great skis and everyone was in a good mood. I qualified for the heats, which I didn’t necessarily expect, skied a pretty good heat and ended up feeling hungry for more.”

Racing continued on Feb. 2 in Cogne, Italy. Oldham had a phenomenal 10km, finishing 16th and as the second American, just 90 seconds behind the winner, and her teammate, Diggins.

“It has been so great to see Kate shine,” said Teague. “Kate slid into veteran role in

As Oldham looks toward the FIS World Championships, she cannot help but reflect on the community that has supported her along the way. While feeling gratitude for her deep well of supporters, one name really stuck out as a mentor over the years: Roaring Fork Valley legend and Olympian Hailey Swirbul.

Recalling the first time they met, Oldham was struck by Swirbul’s kindness, as well as her commitment to the sport. Perhaps most importantly, it was Swirbul who inspired Oldham to honor her inner voice.

“It can be daunting to stray from what you think is the right thing to do based on what others have done,” said Oldham. “But what others have done might not work for you.”

Follow Oldham’s results as she competes at FIS Nordic World Ski Championships at www.tinyurl.com/KateatFIS

Having achieved a national title and World Cup debut, Carbondale’s Kate Oldham (right) is having the season of a lifetime. Pictured here with mom, Julie Oldham, Kate is empowered by her support team and ready to compete for the Stifel U.S. Cross Country Ski team at the FIS World Championships in Trondheim, Norway starting Feb. 26. Selfie by Julie Oldham

These slick jackets honor Carbondale ranching families and sales benefit the Roaring Fork High School baseball program. Photo by Will Sardinsky

Casey James Piscura

September 10, 1985 – February 2, 2025

Casey Piscura passed away on Feb. 2 in Carbondale. Born on Sept. 10, 1985, in Pulaski, Virginia, Casey grew up in Draper, Virginia, where he spent much of his childhood enjoying the beauty of Claytor Lake.

A gifted athlete, Casey excelled in every sport he pursued. He played soccer, basketball, baseball and golf and was an exceptional snow skier, water skier, wakeboarder, surfer and wing foiler. Soccer was his greatest passion — he played on traveling teams and earned a spot on the Olympic Development Team.

Casey’s love for life was as vibrant as his interests. He had a fascination with unique cars, including a grass-green VW Beetle equipped with an intercom system that he and his brother, Luis, used to entertain strangers at stoplights.

After graduating from Virginia Tech with a degree in Turf Grass Science, Casey moved to Eagle, Colorado, where he worked on golf courses. His adventurous spirit led him to become a raft guide in Fayetteville, West Virginia, Colorado and the Grand Canyon, as well as a ski instructor at Snowmass.

A pivotal chapter in Casey’s life began when he met Jason Sewell and moved to Sunfire Ranch in Carbondale. Given the chance to live and farm on the ranch, Casey discovered his true calling. He poured his heart and soul into sustainable farming, founding Wild Mountain Seeds and the nonprofit Seed Peace. His work aimed to feed communities, educate aspiring farmers and promote a fair living for those in agriculture. Casey’s innovative seed breeding produced climate-resilient, delicious crops, and his influence in the sustainable food movement reached far beyond Colorado, drawing interns from around the world.

Casey was also a talented musician with a passion for collecting instruments. He fostered a love for music among his nieces and nephews by

gifting them instruments and encouraging their creativity.

Known for his infectious humor and magnetic storytelling, Casey could make anyone laugh until they cried. He cherished his friends, many of whom were like family, and found joy in being a thoughtful son, brother and uncle. Though he rarely gave gifts for holidays, his spontaneous surprises at unexpected times were cherished by all who knew him.

Casey is preceded in death by his maternal grandparents, James and Dolores Floyd, and his paternal grandmother, Shirley Piscura. He is survived by his loving parents, Bob and Debbie Piscura of Draper, Virginia; his brother and sister, Luis (Stephanie) Piscura and Gina (Brandon) Piscura-Herndon; his beloved nieces and nephews, Ariana, Macy, Leona, James Brodie and Miles; and countless uncles, aunts, cousins and friends.

Casey’s legacy of laughter, compassion and dedication to bettering the world through sustainable farming will forever live on in the hearts of those who knew and loved him.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Wild Mountain Seeds to help Casey’s legacy continue. A funeral is not planned, but a celebration of life will happen later in the year.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH: Reverend Dr. William J. Barber II

LARRY DAY Sopris Sun Correspondent

For February, Black History Month, Sopris Sun illustrator Larry Day will highlight an influential African American each week, accompanied by an illustration.

Reverend Dr. William J. Barber II, a Protestant minister, is no stranger to protests. On May 30, 2017, he was arrested and led away — cuffed in a zip-tie — along with 32 others charged with second-degree trespassing during a sit-in protest at North Carolina State Legislative Building. The protesters advocated for Medicaid expansion. He was found guilty of loudness in the hallways.

He was arrested again on Aug. 2, 2021 in Washington D.C., this time along with hundreds of others, leading a peaceful protest for voting rights and higher wages. A veracious fighter for Democracy, he has led numerous Moral Monday rallies, including when 80,000 protestors gathered calling for aid for the impoverished communities suffering from Hurricane Helene.

Barber has been a staunch advocate for giving voice to the poor and fighting for voting rights, calling for a ”season of nonviolent direct action.”

A professor and the founding director of the Center for Public Theology & Public Policy at Yale Divinity School, he was named a 2018 MacArthur Fellow and is a highly sought after speaker across the country. He has earned numerous honorariums and awards including many of NAACP’s highest honors for legal advocacy. Barber is the co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign: a National Call for a Moral Revival.

“We are being called, like our mothers and fathers, to be the moral defibrillators of our time. We will shock this nation and fight for justice for all. We will not give up on the heart of our democracy, not now, not ever.”

- Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, 2016 Democratic National Convention

Basalt’s Bernal-Rodriguez sixth at state wrestling tourney

JOHN STROUD

Sopris Sun Correspondent

Senior Basalt High School wrestler Roselynne Bernal-Rodriguez medaled at the Colorado High School Wrestling Championships, held at Ball Arena in Denver, Feb. 13-15. Wrestling in the Class 4A Girls 145-pound division, Bernal-Rodriguez took sixth place. She entered the state competition with a 16-14 record, opening with a firstround win over Giana Gibbs from County Line Rivals by 6-3 decision, then advancing to the semifinals with a 8-0 major decision over Frances Bralish from Holy Family.

After falling to Lillianna Lopez from Pueblo Central in 2 minutes, 49 seconds, Bernal-Rodriguez still had a shot at third place. However, she fell in straight matches to Aubrey Rutherford of Montezuma-Cortez in 1:34 and to Jacquelyn Avila of Lamar in 2:15 to finish sixth.

Competing at 100 pounds, Basalt senior Emely Mejia-Garcia entered with an impressive 23-3 record. She won her first match with a pin over Alamosa’s Leah Pintor in 1:52, before losing 9-3 to Calhan’s Kayleigh Reese. A tough 13-12 loss to Wray’s Gabriela Aguilar ended Mejia-Garcia’s tournament.

In the 3A boys tournament, Basalt junior Herberth Requeno fell in his 175-pound opener to Ritchie Bruno from Brush in 1:36. He had a strong showing in consolation, defeating Logan Holt from Elizabeth by 17-7 major decision, before taking a 5-0 loss to Moffat County’s Zach Hedman to close out his tournament run.

Junior Luca Del Cid dropped his 150-pound opener by fall in 1:14 to Salida’s Samuel Johnson, and lost in consolation to Dean Allsman from Timnath in 1:59.

Girls state swimming

Carbondale swimmers, senior Izzy Moon and freshman Isla Friel, represented at the Colorado High School Swimming and Diving Championships, Feb. 10-11 in Thornton as members of the Glenwood Springs High School girls swim team.

The highlight came when Glenwood senior Emma Lindstrom took gold in the 200 freestyle with a winning time of 1:52.47, and silver in the 100 free (51.61 seconds)

Lindstrom also teamed up with Mazy McEwan, Morgan Kelly and Sylvia Duchscher to place fourth in the 200 freestyle relay with a time of 1:42.76.

Meanwhile, Moon joined McEwan, Maya Valean and Vespera Steiner to place 33rd in the 200 medley relay (2:04.16).

Individually, Moon finished 43rd in the 100 backstroke, and Friel was 42nd in the 100 breaststroke.

As a team, Glenwood Springs placed ninth with 155 points.

Big road game Friday

The Roaring Fork High School basketball teams were idle this past week after a Saturday, Feb. 15 home game with Grand Valley was postponed due to the weather. The new date is Thursday, Feb. 27 (5:30pm varsity girls, 7pm boys).

This Friday, Feb. 21, both teams are at Cedaredge, where the Rams girls (19-1 overall, 10-1 in the 3A Western Slope League) will try to avenge their only loss of the season to the Lady Bruins. A win could give Roaring Fork at least a share of the league title.

The boys, at 14-5 overall and in control of their own destiny in league with a 9-0 mark, also host 4A Eagle Valley at 3:30pm this Saturday.

Guns okay in county government buildings, youth ice hockey heats up

AMY HADDEN MARSH Sopris Sun correspondent

The Garfield County Commissioners (BOCC) adopted a resolution Monday morning to allow the “lawful possession of firearms in Garfield County government buildings”.

The resolution is a direct response to Senate Bill 24-131, passed by the Colorado General Assembly in May 2024, banning firearms in government buildings in Colorado. Local governments are allowed to opt out of the bill. Other counties on the West Slope that have opted out include Mesa, Routt, Moffat, Gunnison, Montrose and Delta. Front Range counties and municipalities have also opted out of the bill.

Part of GarCo’s resolution mistakenly substituted “Douglas County” for “Garfield County.” Douglas County adopted the exact same resolution last year.

Garfield County’s document also refers to the “general safety and welfare of the residents of Garfield County” and how the BOCC has “the duty and authority to establish regulations to administer, protect and maintain county buildings and property.” Commissioners did not address how allowing someone to legally carry a concealed gun in county government buildings does or does not protect the buildings or the safety and welfare of county residents.

In 2019, the BOCC declared Garfield County a Second Amendment Preservation County in response to HB 19-117, also known as the Red Flag law.

The morning session also included approval of the consent agenda, an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) with the University of Colorado regents, an IGA with Rio Blanco County for mental health services and improvements to wastewater treatment facilities in Carbondale and New Castle.

The BOCC heard from Mountain Valley Developmental Services and were introduced to longtime Roaring Fork Valley resident Maura Masters, the nonprofit’s new development director. “It’s a pleasure to be here where kindness reigns,” she said about her job.

Michelle Muething, interim director of Windwalkers Therapeutic Riding Center, Program Director Beth Gusick and Dee Stiers, the executive director of the Riding Institute for Disabled Equestrians (or

RIDE) in Silt, talked about their respective nonprofits, extolling the virtues of all things equine. “This is the first time I’ve had over 17 employees with four legs and manes,” said Muething.

Luis Yllanes zoomed into the BOCC meeting to announce that this year would be his last as the executive director of 5 Point Film Festival. Yllanes, who now lives in Florida, has been working remotely for the organization. Carbondale hosts this year’s flagship film fest April 24 to 27.

Sharon Longhurst-Pritt, director of GarCo’s Department of Human Services, told the BOCC that January’s government benefits disbursements, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (or SNAP), totaled $1,142,732.75.

The BOCC signed a letter of support for a state Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment grant application from Pathfinder Broadband and discussed changes to leases and bond requirements at the Rifle Garfield County Airport.

Commissioners also approved an update to the county’s Colorado Open Records Act policy, including new prices as well as new language for requesting records from the county’s Department of Human Services. Hourly fees have jumped from $30 to $41. Paper copies are now 25 cents per page.

Commissioners spent the afternoon hunched over their notes and computer screens during a raft of land use change permit hearings. They approved Satank resident Annie Perry’s request for a split lot permit at 55 South Cedar Street and denied a permit for a contractor’s yard on County Road 100 north of Highway 82.

The final hours of Monday’s meeting were taken up by an application for a permit to make substantial changes to Colorado Extreme’s youth ice hockey facility at 2340 County Road 100, two miles east of Carbondale. Presentations by county and Colorado Extreme staff and engineers included the long-term vision of an extensive athletic facility on the property. Commissioners approved phase one, which includes a temporary outdoor facility, ice rinks and a summer training area.

You can watch archived county commissioner meetings on the Garfield County website.

BRT Glenwood extension planning still a ways out

ANNALISE GRUETER

Sopris Sun Correspondent

This month’s RFTA board meeting was hosted in Glenwood Springs, a deviation from the usual Carbondale Town Hall venue. Many members of the public chose to attend this session, and public comment saw more engagement than usual.

Public comments

Robbi O’Meara of Glenwood Springs started out the public comment period. She stated that she was attending the meeting based on a Facebook post she saw that mentioned putting in a bus lane from 8th Street to 23rd Street parallel to the Rio Grande Trail. “We walk that all of the time,” she shared. “The idea of putting a bus lane right next to a beautiful place you have to walk is a very, very bad idea.”

Betsy Stewart of Glenwood Springs also alluded to the ruminations about the Rio Grande Trail being turned into a bus lane, and requested more transparency from RFTA about infrastructure planning.

Ray Tenney of Glenwood Springs spoke next, and criticized what he perceives as a double standard from RFTA, between the proposed changes for the entrance to Aspen and alleged proposed “expressway” through Glenwood. A board member later responded that when it comes to the entrance to Aspen RFTA is a stakeholder, not the decider.

Diane Reynolds, also of Glenwood Springs and a committee member of the Slow Down in Town campaign, spoke next. She made a long entreaty for RFTA to further promote road safety and environmental benefits.

“Please actively stress the importance of driving the 25-mph speed limit within any town they are routed through. Number two, please consider blowing your horn more.”

Reynolds added that she thinks there is an opportunity for the organization to do more in promoting environmentally friendly transport and advocating for pedestrian safety.

CEO response

CEO Kurt Ravenschlag responded to public comment.

“I’m sure there are some board members confused on what the public has been speaking to,” he said, before elaborating on a recent funding win for the BRT Extension Planning Project — which would evaluate alternatives for connecting South and West Glenwood.

“Since our last board meeting, RFTA was awarded a grant through the RAISE

[Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity] program. That was roughly a million dollar planning grant for us to continue evaluating … how we would extend the BRT from 27th Street to West Glenwood” — a study initiated prior to the pandemic.

Ravenschlag reviewed what was evaluated prior to the pandemic. The viable route options from previous analyses were the Rio Grande corridor and Grand Avenue. RFTA has not yet picked up that earlier work, and does not anticipate doing so for at least a year.

The new RAISE grant has a three-year window for utilization. Even with further evaluation, RFTA does not anticipate putting a proposal before the public anytime soon. When an attendee asked for clarification about what eventual analysis could mean for the bike path, Ravenschlag responded, “Under no scenario would the Rio Grande Trail be removed.”

There were more follow up questions for Ravenschlag, mostly inquiring what the new grant means. Ravenschlag reiterated that the new grant is for finishing research and evaluation of possible alternatives, and added that a full process is expected to take five to 10 years.

“When we stopped this project back in 2020, it was because we weren’t adequately resourced to present that conversation to the public,” he said. The new grant is meant to complete the research so RFTA can present findings to the public.

Consent agenda

The consent agenda passed quickly and without discussion. The items approved were: authorization to submit a grant application for debris flow mitigation; authorization to submit a grant application for the underground fuel tanks replacement project; authorization to amend the 2023 service operating agreement for regional bikeshare services; and authorization for an intergovernmental agreement with Eagle County for improvements to the El Jebel Park and Ride.

Grants update

Ravenschlag again took the mic and shared an update about federal grants and funding status. RFTA has identified federal funds it has been granted that could be in jeopardy because they are not yet under contract, including the RAISE grant and another for the Glenwood Springs

RFTA’s Operations Center in Glenwood Springs , adjacent to its maintenance facility, began service on Dec. 17. Courtesy photo

Being on a board

I think I have now sat on every side of the table. I’ve been a senior staff member giving reports to a board. I was a director working with an advisory board. I’m once again a director reporting to a statutory governing body. From the other side, I’ve been a nonprofit and governmental board member, secretary, treasurer, vice president and chair.

It’s work. But it’s worth it.

Like any other human endeavor, serving on a board isn’t easy, particularly at the beginning. But we all have to start somewhere and there’s no shame in not knowing how to do something you’ve never tried before. Eventually, though, we can and should learn how to get better.

For those of you just joining a board, here are 10 suggestions for how to do a good job.

Understand the mission of the organization. At the library, we promote literacy, the right of Americans to investigate the evidence and make up their own minds. Our job is to inform citizens and communities. It is not to protect them from things they may not agree with or enforce the prejudices of one group on another.

Understand the law. Public bodies in particular operate within a frame of federal, state and sometimes local law. Your orientation should cover that.

Understand the difference between operations and governance. This is a tough one for lots of people, usually because of the kind of board they served on. If you’re a member of a civic group — the Optimists, the Lions, the Rotarians — being on the board means that you’re put to work. You set up the tables at a street fair. You pick up the trash on the highway. That’s operations, and the board is in the thick of things because there is no staff.

But if you’re the member of a board that has paid workers, respect the charge of the executive director to administer board-adopted policy and budgets. Making those calls is what you pay them for.

Governance focuses on the larger issues. Are there clear and professional policies for key operations (for libraries, that would be personnel, collections, facilities)? Make sure

LITERATE LIFE

By Jamie LaRue Garfield County Public Library District

you’ve got them, then get out of the way. Or as one board I worked on put it, “Noses in. Hands out.” Pay attention instead to broad issues of financial stability, of policies that ensure adherence to best practices, of plans that move the institution forward, and evaluation of the performance of both the director and the board.

Make each other look good. Board members are not only keepers of the reputation of the institution, but are also keepers of each other’s reputation. This does not mean that you ignore issues that need to be talked about. It doesn’t mean that you always agree. But you listen respectfully and with an open mind to each other. Bad board members are trying to win an argument, no matter how bad it makes the other board member look, or the institution they serve. Good board members try to win the relationship and find ways to present our community institutions and each other in the best possible light.

Stay focused on the issues. Most public bodies follow something like Robert’s Rules of Order. But it’s not just parliamentary procedure for its own sake. The idea is to keep people centered on the actual issues and to keep the meeting moving without stepping all over each other. Here’s what I think we ought to do. (Motion.) Anybody else agree with that course of action? (Second.) Let’s talk about pros and cons. (Discussion.) Let’s vote. (Call the question.) Then let’s move on.

Argue for and vote your conscience. But abide by the group’s decision. Represent it without slander. Own it. This is our decision.

Understand the difference between your opinion and the decision of the entire board. As executive director of the Garfield County Public Library District, I don’t have seven bosses. I have one: the consensus of the board.

Respect each other’s time. Read the board packet. Be on time for the meetings. Participate in discussions. Don’t revisit things you’ve already decided unless something huge has changed.

Follow the chain of command. The surest way to destroy the morale of an organization is to have people ignore clear lines of communication. It can happen by encouraging or entertaining staff who bypass their supervisors to complain to their bosses’ boss. It can happen by board members who actively circumvent the courtesy of communications with the chair. From my view this isn’t about power. It’s about having a defined connection between authority and responsibility.

Maintain goodwill and grace. Being a human being means that things will sometimes be messy, confusing or tense. But it doesn’t have to be malicious. We should give each other some grace for the inevitable slip ups and boundary crossings. Let’s remind each other of our purpose, gently guide ourselves back on path and carry on. Boards, public boards especially, deal with lots of other issues, too. I’ll talk about those in future columns.

RFTA REPORT from page 14

Operations and Maintenance Facility.

RFTA has limited information about what may or may not happen under the current federal administration, but is paying close attention. The organization is mostly worried about the funding for the Glenwood Springs Operations and Maintenance Facility improvements, as a schedule for the summer use of the funds is already set, so a change to the funding status would significantly delay the work. The hope is to transition that grant fully to contract by June.

Following the session, attendees toured the Glenwood Maintenance Facility and Operations Center Campus Site.

The next board meeting will occur March 13 at 8:30am in Carbondale. The public is also able to join via Webex. More details will be available on www.rfta.com a week ahead of the meeting.

Pitkin County authorities discuss immigration and safety

DANIEL TORRES Sol del Valle in collaboration with La Tricolor Aspen

On Feb. 3, in a live broadcast on the La Tricolor Aspen Facebook page, Samuel Bernal, reporter and broadcaster for La Tricolor, conducted an interview with Pitkin County Sheriff Michael Buglione and County Administrator Jon Peacock.

The interview mainly addressed immigration concerns, which, due to policies pushed by the current federal administration, have put the immigrant community in a state of near-constant anxiety. This conversation provided a brief overview of what Pitkin County authorities think and, consequently, how they respond to the discourse from federal authorities.

They referred to a document published by Pitkin County in 2017. This document is a resolution stating that Pitkin County is a welcoming place for immigrants; it’s a resolution that remains in effect.

Bernal: What message does Pitkin County and the sheriff send to our immigrant communities who live or work in the county and are afraid of being detained by immigration police?

Buglione: I want all people regardless of your immigration status to feel safe and secure living, working and playing, going to school in Pitkin County.

Peacock: First, I think it is important that we recognize that our community relies heavily on the immigrant community in Pitkin County for the services that we all enjoy. I think it is also really important to know that Pitkin County recognizes that being in this country without papers is not a criminal offense. The Board of Commissioners has adopted a resolution that says that Pitkin County personnel shall not perform the functions of a federal immigration officer or otherwise engage in the enforcement of federal immigration law.

Asked about activity related to immigration agents in Pitkin County, both the sheriff and the administrator responded with a firm “no,” ensuring that the little information received about arbitrary detentions or the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is rumor and therefore not true.

Bernal: In the case of Pitkin County, if there were a raid or operation by immigration authorities, would you be able to announce it, or is it something you cannot do?

Buglione: Through Pitkin Alerts we are going to announce what is going on, if something were to be happening. Pitkin Alerts asks for a lot of information about the individual who wants to receive the alerts. There is also an app called Everbridge, it is an app you download and there is no information you have to give out to receive alerts.

Bernal: Trust is important for residents and the community in general with authorities. How do you think this fear of immigration policies affects the relationship with authorities? What kind of distrust does it cause among people?

Peacock: The county provides critical services that protect the public health and public safety. Those services only work if people feel free and safe to access them. If somebody is experiencing a public safety or public health concern, we want them to access our services without fear of their immigration status being disclosed and having an enforcement action as a result.

Buglione: We want people to feel free, comfortable and not afraid to call us, the sheriff’s office or anybody in Pitkin County when they need any kind of service.

Bernal: During the presidential campaign, part of Donald Trump’s discourse has been that immigrants increase crime rates. In your experience as sheriff, do you agree with that perspective?

Buglione: We have a lot of hardworking people here, performing different services. I don’t think there is any increase in crime because of that. I would add that, backed with data, there actually tend to be lower crime rates amongst the immigrant community. However, there is crime amongst all people. It is important to know that regardless of immigration status, if there is a warrant issued by a court for criminal activity, our law enforcement will act on that. But it is not based on immigration status.

Bernal: Could you tell them that it’s safe to continue any procedures they need to do at Pitkin County offices?

Peacock: It’s important for people to know that Pitkin County departments and personnel cannot use any money, facilities, equipment or staff time to investigate or enforce or assist an investigation or enforcement of federal immigration law. I think it’s important that the community be aware of resource guides that are out there. For example, if they visit the West Mountain Regional Health Alliance website, they can find resource guides for people to consult Alpine Legal Services for any questions or concerns.

Bernal: Could you also mention the situations in which you would collaborate with immigration police?

Buglione: Probably under one instance: If they had a signed arrest warrant for someone who is in Pitkin County.

Peacock: ICE does their own warrants. Administrative warrants that are not signed by a judge. We do not act on those warrants that ICE issues administratively.

For more information related to the interview, visit:

Pitkin County Immigration Resolution 2017 (Pages 10-19 in Spanish): www.bit.ly/PitCoImmigration

Pitkin County Alerts: www.pitkincounty.com/290/Emergency-Information

Official Facebook Page for La Tricolor Aspen: www.facebook.com/@radioaspen/?locale=es_LA

Official Page for the West Mountain Regional Health Alliance: www.westmountainhealthalliance.org

Courtesy photo by Abbie Cheney for Pitkin County

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

Oh, the places The Sun will go

By Just Jim

Please join The Sopris Sun community in celebration of the paper’s 16th birthday at the Old Thompson Barn on Thursday, Feb. 20 from 5 to 8pm. Tickets can be purchased at www.soprissun.com

The buzz of the Valley Meets far off places

The Sun stashed in the luggage Of any Georges or Graces

Whence revealed

The pages meet the air Of La Ligua, England … Just about anywhere

The words flow from the page

Images invite a stare Telling your stories

Unfolded with care

Working Together For Pets And Their People 2801 CR 114 Glenwood Springs, (970)947-9173CO

CARE currently has 12 dogs and 4 cats available for adoption.

Legal to drive

Sixteen years printing the news

Dropping stacks

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And it’s thanks to you

Because every donation counts

To help preserve the fourth wall

And so The Sun can always reach all

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RJ PADDYWACKS offers a “C.A.R.E. package” for new adoptive families, including a “Paws for Points” plan and a first time 15% discount for your new pet.

RJ PADDYWACKS offers a “C.A.R.E. package” new adoptive families, a “Paws for Points” plan and a time 15% discount for pet.

Hello, Juniper! This 3-year-old Catahoula mix girl is extremely intelligent, athletic, and eager for adventures with you. Although shy at first, Juniper will form a bond of loyalty and trust with her new person. Call C.A.R.E.!

REQUEST FOR BIDS

2025 CHIP SEAL PROGRAM

RJ Paddywacks

E

400 E Valley Rd. # I/J Market El Jebel

Rd. # I/J Next to City Market in El Jebel 970.963.1700 rjpaddywacks.com

The Town of Carbondale is accepting bids from local qualified contractors to perform work on the 2025 Chip Seal program. Sealed bids will be received until 11:00 am February 27, 2025 , by the Town of Carbondale, 511 Colorado Avenue, Carbondale, Colorado 81623, at which time the bids will be opened and read aloud. Specifications and contract documents can be found on the Town of Carbondale website, or at Town Hall. Work on this project cannot begin prior to May 12, 2025, and must be complete by June 27, 2025. No chip seal work will be allowed on residential roads on Tuesdays as Tuesdays are residential trash and recycling collection days.

The Chip Seal Program consists of applying asphaltic binder and aggregate meeting CDOT No. 8 specifications on approximately 38,940 square yards of street surface. All work shall meet, at a minimum, the Town of Carbondale Chip Seal Surfacing Specifications. A list of the streets scheduled to be chip sealed are included (see Street Listing). The Town has a limited budget for the 2025 Chip Seal program and therefore reserves the right to adjust the quantities to fit within the financial limits of the program based on the bids received. The listed square yard measurements are estimates for bidding purposes only and the final square yardage will be determined at the end of the project.

The successful bidder will be expected to enter into an Agreement for Professional Services with the Town (see attached Agreement). Bids shall be submitted on the bid form attached to the request for proposals.

Sue Gray holds a copy of the Jan. 29 issue of The Sopris Sun while visiting the Panama Canal. Read all about her trip in her column next week. Courtesy photo

Protected Status and deport them. Most will face prison for fleeing their country. ICE officials, having their addresses, won’t have to look for real criminals, because they can go after easy pickings of people who

Peter Westcott Two Rivers Unitarian Universalist Social Justice Committee

In one of Donald Trump’s first acts in office, he stripped away protections for schools, hospitals and places of worship from immigration enforcement. These were once safe spaces where people could learn, receive health care and pray without fear. Now they have been turned into

This is unconscionable. As the world’s largest historical climate polluter, the United States has a responsibility to immigrants. Our pollution is causing the climate chaos — droughts, floods, hurricanes, rising waters — that is forcing people in Latin America, Asia, Africa and elsewhere to leave their homes. Others are fleeing violence, poverty and hunger — all of which are caused or made worse by the

People have the right to be able to leave their homes and migrate with dignity to find safe haven. But right now, immigrant families are facing the unimaginable: the fear that seeking education or health care could mean deportation, or a peaceful moment of prayer might be shattered by

As municipal leaders, mayors have the power to fight this. They can protect immigrant families by ordering police not to participate in ICE raids and even to block ICE agents’ entry into schools, hospitals

The future of so many families in our communities is on the line. We must call on local leaders to do the right thing, even as the federal government does not. I’m writing to urge mayors to hear this call and take

Glenwood Springs

I am writing to express my deep concern and firm opposition to the potential nomination of Kathleen Sgamma as the next director of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). As a constituent of Colorado, I urge

you to reconsider supporting this appointment, given Ms. Sgamma’s troubling record and her stance on public lands, conservation and climate policy.

Ms. Sgamma, as the president of the Western Energy Alliance, has consistently advocated for policies that prioritize the interests of fossil fuel industries over the well-being of the American people and our planet. Her track record suggests an unwillingness to protect the land entrusted to the Bureau of Land Management, and her views could endanger the public lands that are a vital resource for future generations.

The BLM is a critical agency, responsible for managing nearly one-fifth of the nation’s lands. It oversees not only energy extraction and resource development but also the conservation of our ecosystems, wildlife habitats and cultural heritage. As such, the director of the BLM must be someone who will prioritize stewardship of these lands with a long-term vision of sustainability and environmental protection. Unfortunately, Ms. Sgamma’s leadership in the energy sector demonstrates a disregard for the need to balance these interests with the urgent climate crisis we face today.

Her promotion of unregulated oil and gas drilling and her staunch opposition to meaningful climate action represent a failure to recognize the moral imperative of safeguarding our planet for future generations. The leadership of the BLM demands an individual who will protect the land — not merely as a commodity to be exploited, but as a sacred trust to uphold for the common good.

Moreover, the stakes are high. The BLM director is tasked with overseeing the management of a vital cog in the wheel of government. Please write your senator asking them to vote no on her nomination. Use this template if you wish!

Steve Kuschner Glenwood Springs

Putin’s playbook

Trump’s descent to fear and chaos has placed him solidly in the realm of treason. He has weakened America and our allies, in some cases irreparably, and it is time for him to be removed, forcibly if necessary, or our country and continent will face the consequences.

We need both eyes open to Hitler and Putin’s playbooks being enacted by a depraved ruler who won by a minuscule 1.6%.

John Hoffmann Carbondale

Carbondale saw a sparselyattended and short-lived protest on Monday, Feb. 17, in conjunction with others across the country.

Courtesy photo by Scott Ely

LEGAL NOTICES

TOWN OF CARBONDALE

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a Public Hearing will be held before the Carbondale Planning and Zoning Commission for the purpose of considering a Minor Site Plan review for the construction of a new clay center at 135 East Main Street.

Project Description: The application includes the demolition of the existing building and the construction of a new clay center.

Property Location: 135 East Main Street (Lot: 20 Section: 34 Township: 7 Range: 88 )

Applicant: Marc Chain Consulting, LLC

Owner: Carbondale Clay Center

Said Public Hearing will be held at the Carbondale Town Hall, 511 Colorado Avenue, Carbondale, CO at 7:00 p.m. on March 13th, 2025.

Copies of the proposed application are on file in the Planning Department office, Town Hall, 511 Colorado Avenue, Carbondale, CO and may be examined during regular business hours, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The application may also be viewed on the Town’s website at: https://www.carbondalegov. org/departments/planning/current_land_use_ applications.php

If you would like to submit comments regarding this application you must send them via email to epeterson@ carbondaleco.net by 5:00 pm on March 12th, 2025. The comments will be entered into the record. If you have questions regarding the application, please contact Ellie Peterson, Planner at 970-510-1212.

Published in The Sopris Sun on February 20, 2025.

ORDINANCE NO. 2 SERIES OF 2025

AN ORDINANCE OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE TOWN OF CARBONDALE, COLORADO AMENDING CHAPTER 6, ARTICLE 10 OF THE CARBONDALE MUNICIPAL CODE FOR THE PURPOSE OF MODIFYING REGULATIONS RELATED TO THE LICENSING OF SHORT-TERM RENTALS

NOTICE: This Ordinance was introduced, read, and adopted at a regular meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Town of Carbondale, Colorado, on February 11, 2025.

This Ordinance shall take effect thirty (30) days after publication of this notice. The full text of said Ordinance is available to the public at www.carbondalegov.org or at the office of the Town Clerk, 511 Colorado Avenue, Carbondale, Colorado, during normal business hours.

Published in The Sopris Sun on February 20, 2025.

PARTING SHOTS

JOYOUS DAY

Punxsutawney Phil spotted his shadow on Feb. 2, signaling six more weeks of winter (at least). Following an unseasonal warm spell, turning snow to slush throughout the Valley, we were graced with a benevolent storm dropping close to 50 inches over Highlands in just a few days.

Photographer Will Sardinsky captured these photos playing on the mountain with friends.

Photos by Will Sardinsky