20240228

Rams Riley Bevington (24) and Lelaney Gardesani (3) fight for a rebound during one of the final regular season games against the North Fork Miners. The Lady Rams head to the

with Windsor Charter Academy at

High

Go Rams! Photo by Sue Rollyson

Stuff Your Neighbor Knows

By Annie Whetzel

Welcome to “Stuff Your Neighbor Knows,” a column where we ask questions about the natural world and a community member with a relevant background provides an answer.

Our first question is: “Do our bald eagles migrate?”

To help answer is Roaring Fork Valley resident Mark Fuller. He has been an avid birdwatcher in the Valley for 53 years and involved with the Roaring Fork Audubon Society in some capacity for over 12. He is the photographer for the local guidebook, “Birds of Aspen and the Roaring Fork Valley.”

Fuller’s voice brightens and his words quicken when I ask him about eagles. He has been watching them along our rivers since his first sighting in the ‘70s. “I can remember when seeing a bald eagle in the Valley would make your hair stand on end,” he shared.

Fuller estimates we have around 20 bald eagles during the winter — the

LETTERS

Unparalleled praise

Brian Colley’s take on Picasso’s anti-war masterpiece, “Guernica,” is tremendous; especially as the horrors take place in the Middle East and Ukraine. The taking of power and hate plague us always.

Patrick Hunter

Carbondale

Wrong place, wrong time

I recently learned of a proposed development at the Spring Valley Ranch, located to the northwest of Spring Valley’s Colorado Mountain College campus, and adjacent to Elk Springs. The proposed development was approved in 2007 and is currently seeking to amend the proposal through a process that will incorporate public comment, which can be submitted to Garfield County online or in-person during regular commissioner meetings (the first three Mondays of each month). This proposal is slated to include 577 homes, an 18 and 9-hole golf course and, drum roll please, a private ski resort. The developers claim to be good stewards of the land, which is laughable at best and contrary to just about every published wildlife study regarding development impacts on wildlife. Private golf courses and ski resorts might be fine habitat for second-home owners but not for our endemic wildlife species. As a hunter and wildlife enthusiast, I’d be shocked to hear from any wildlife

Do bald eagles migrate?

most throughout the year, in fact. About two-thirds of these bald eagles will remain year-round. The other third flies away to their summer home as the weather warms. He and others in the Valley generated these estimates from summer nest observations and winter bird counts over the past several years. He mentioned a bald eagle census would be a good project for the Roaring Fork Audubon to spearhead in the coming years — sign me up!

Why do we have more bald eagles in the winter than the summer? I imagine a flock of eagles flying in a group down from Alaska, resting here during the winter to enjoy the great fishing and then heading north when the weather warms, back to their salmon. I mentioned this image to Fuller. Is this a romantic notion? Yes. Realistic? No.

Fuller takes a beat, “Well, bald eagles don’t migrate like songbirds do.”

With these eagles, we aren’t talking about the journey of the monarch butterfly or the broad-tailed hummingbirds (stories for another time). Bald eagles, to use Fuller’s term, “disperse.”

Bald eagles travel from an area where their food source (rivers, lakes, reservoirs and oceans) freezes to an area where it’s not completely so, and fishing is still practical. The dispersed birds are faithful to their summer and winter homes. They return to the same places year after year. While we might be seeing new-to-us birds in the

professional that any portion of this development is compatible with good wildlife habitat.

Maybe this seemed like a remotely good idea for the area in 2007, but it’s 2024 and this Valley doesn’t need more exclusive million dollar homes and private golf courses to drain our rivers and strain rural infrastructure. We don’t need more second-home owners and out of state developers profiting off of the destruction of these open spaces and the displacement of hundreds of elk, deer and other species — further harming our struggling local wildlife populations.

Consider contacting the Garfield County Commission with your thoughts and concerns at www.garfield-county.com/ administration/email/

Sam Feuerborn

Glenwood Springs

RE: GWS ceasefire resolution

We are writing on behalf of the Jewish community on Colorado's Western Slope to express our profound disappointment with Glenwood Springs City Council's recent decision to pass a resolution calling for a ceasefire in the conflict between Israel and Hamas. Our dismay stems not from the desire for peace, which we share, but from the manner in which this

winter, they are often the same birds for consecutive years.

Why would these eagles ever leave if the winters are good, and the Roaring Fork Valley has habitat that can support them year-round? Well, our habitat can only support so many permanent resident bald eagles. In addition, adult, breeding bald eagles are “very territorial,” Fuller explained, “and they have a big territory.”

Nesting season begins around March. During this time, nesting pairs will aggressively protect their nest, food source and established territory.

Compared to our year-round residents, the winter visitors are often younger, non-breeding and skew male. Adult, breeding-age female bald eagles are larger than the younger male winterers and can chase them out of a territory. While Fuller has never seen an eagle battle, a quick YouTube search generates many videos of bald eagles injured from talons bared in territory disputes. (Territory disputes are not to be confused with the mating air-dance bald eagles execute where they lock talons and spiral in a freefall, which is also a fantastic YouTube search; and with mating season being in early spring, keep your eyes to the skies.)

Thanks for reading and please email stuffyourneighborknows@gmail.com if you have a question about the Valley’s environment or natural world — I’m sure your neighbor has an answer!

resolution was adopted — without consultation or consideration of the Jewish community's perspective.

The conflict in Israel is deeply complex, with historical and emotional layers that cannot be neatly untangled. Israel, like any other nations, has the right to defend itself against violence. Hamas is widely recognized as a terrorist organization, committed to the destruction of Israel. Any demand for ceasefire, while understandable, must not equate the actions of a democratic state defending its citizens with those of a terrorist group.

The lack of engagement with the Jewish community prior to passing this resolution is particularly troubling. Such decisions, which directly impact our community and relate to an issue so close to our hearts, should not be made in a vacuum. The Jewish community, with its deep ties to Israel and its nuanced understanding of the conflict, could have provided valuable insights, ensuring a more informed and balanced approach. Instead, the council bent to the pressure of a group of activists who showed up with no prior notice and without considering how this resolution could create a permission structure for more harm against our community in the skyrocketing rise of antisemitic

continues on page 22

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SCUTTLEBUTT

What's the word on the street? Let us know at news@soprissun.com

Newcomers update

According to a recent press release, the Town of Carbondale will gradually begin reducing the services being provided to migrant newcomers over the next two months. Beginning March 8, the Town will no longer fill vacancies in shelters and will officially close both shelters on April 1. Dinner service will end on March 22 followed by breakfast service on March 29. Newcomers are able to utilize showers at the Rec Center and the overnight parking/camping in a designated area through April 19. The Town’s objective was to provide temporary food and shelter through the winter, foreseeing a regional approach being essential for potential long-term solutions. “With the expectation of a future increase in unhoused immigrants seeking work, housing and other services in our region, we hope to work regionally to create the infrastructure needed to serve the unhoused population in the Roaring Fork and Colorado River Valleys,” said Town Manager Lauren Gister. To learn more about Carbondale’s response, visit tinyurl. com/NewcomerResponse

In principal

Jamie Hozack has been announced as the next principal of Basalt Middle School. The former assistant principal at Basalt High School returns to the district after serving in a variety of other leadership roles, most recently Head of Middle School at Aspen Country Day School. Hozack was selected using the district’s established hiring process for school leaders, with interview committee participants noting his motivation to learn, listen and take time with teams to understand the strengths and opportunities of the school. Current BMS Principal Jennifer Ellsperman will retire in June after 31 years in education, 21 of them in Basalt.

Vote with your feet

It is too late to send your presidential primary ballot by mail, but there’s still plenty of time to vote. The state offers 153 voting centers and 418 drop boxes; visit GoVoteColorado. gov to find the closest one. There’s even still time to register and vote in person on Election Day, March 5.

The results are in!

This year’s Ski for Sisu drew over 100 participants and raised more than $20,000 in fundraising for Spring Gulch. Overall, it amounted to over 3,000 kilometers of skiing over the course of the week. Just one day after racing Crested Butte’s Alley Loop, Liz Axberg skied over 80 km to set a new single-day women's record at Ski for Sisu, with 160 km over the course of the week. On the men’s side, Matt Johnson clocked 155 km to take the crown for top distance skier.

Wellness, whimsy, watercolor

Local artist Sarah Uhl is offering a spring workshop series in the Carbondale Jailhouse. Topics include intention setting with watercolors and mixed media (March 3), whole being wellness compass (March 17), sacred geometry and watercolor (April 7 and 21) and whimsical landscape painting (May 5). Visit sarahuhl.com/workshops for registration or more information.

Bear down

Oneal

Two spruce trees that stood along Main Street in Carbondale at the Aspen-Sopris Ranger District compound, which have been slated for removal for the development of a new office building, were brought down on Wednesday morning, Feb. 28. According to White River National Forest Acting Deputy Forest Supervisor Kevin Warner, the majority of the wood from the spruce trees will be going to the Roaring Fork High School woodshop class. Some of the excess, however, went into an on-site chipper. Warner added that it will likely be a couple more weeks before the two remaining buildings are demolished. Photo by James Steindler

Keeping you posted

Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) received 3,526 reports of sightings and conflicts with bears in 2023, a 21% decrease from the five-year average. Trash continues to be the number one source of conflicts between humans and bears. The vast majority of property damage reported involved an attractant of some kind, with over 51% linked to trash; 20% to livestock, chickens and beehives; and 19% to bird seed, pet food, barbeque grills, coolers and refrigerators. Incidentally, CPW is in the midst of modifying its Big Game Season structure — visit tinyurl.com/biggameSS for more information or to weigh in. Finally, Pitkin County has set a March 10 deadline for a limit draw at Sky Mountain Park; visit bit.ly/42SNF5C to enter.

Claudia Perez Rivas has been selected as the next editor of the Glenwood Springs Post Independent and Rifle Citizen Telegram. She brings extensive experience from news organizations around Texas. Visit tinyurl.com/gspiCPR to read her introductory interview.

They say it’s your birthday! Folks celebrating another trip around the sun this week include: Cole Buerger, Emma Duke and Robert Weinhold (March 1); Sean Jeffries (March 2); Barbe Chambliss and Bella Frisbie (March 3); Kurt Trede, Jr. (March 4); Kelly Field, Amy Hadden Marsh and Meg Plumb (March 5); Gwen Garcelon, Sheila Liston and Bobby Mason (March 6). Where are all our leap babies? Email news@ soprissun.com to be included in 2028!

Sound Immersion

Thurs, Feb. 29, 5:30-6:30PM

Relax and unwind while Ildi Ingraham leads participants through a sound immersion session.

Music at the Library: Celebrating String Quartets by Women Composers

Fri, Mar. 1, 5:30-6:30PM

Women musicians

2024 Town of Basalt Candidate Forum

Mon, Mar. 4, 5-8PM

Learn more about each candidate running for office in Basalt, and their positions on key issues. Meet & greet, 5-6PM.

local to the Roaring Fork Valley will present classical music by female composers.

Mountain lions in the mix

By Amy Hadden Marsh Sopris Sun Correspondent

Mike Rand has seen more mountain lions than usual in the past two years around his home south of Carbondale. He’s lived full-time above the KOA campground on Highway 133 for four years. “My family’s had this land since the ‘60s,” he told The Sopris Sun. “We've always had cats here. We used to have bighorn sheep in the backyard but that went away in the mid-’70s when more houses and dogs came.”

He’s surprised at the amount of lions he’s seen. “You usually don't see mountain lions, they see you,” he explained. “It's really only skilled hunters and people who are looking for them who know how to see them.”

Rand was one of several people from Rifle to Aspen who responded to a social media request in mid-February about recent mountain lion sightings. Some sightings involved an injured lion, lion cubs and other animals — wild and domesticated. Some were caught on surveillance cameras. Some were photographed in the moment. Others were simply memories. Most of those with whom I spoke were

surprised at seeing the lions. Some were awed. None wanted a lethal remedy. For the record, not all who responded were interviewed.

Rand, in his late 40s, said he’s seen more elk on his property in the winter. He blames development in Snowmass and elsewhere for pushing the elk out. “The cats follow those animals,” he said.

One of Rand’s most recent encounters with a lion occurred in late November, early December. He works at the Aspen-Pitkin County airport and often leaves the house before dawn. One morning around 3:30am, he recalled, “I heard clicky-clicky, and I looked up and saw a freaking cat sitting on the top of the garage, looking at me as I walked to the car.” Only about six-feet separated Rand from the cougar — an easy leap for the cat. “So, I kind of grabbed stuff. I have a wood kiln, and there's a lot of chunks of wood,” he said. “I took one of the shovels and just kind of walked with the shovel up to the car and got in the car.”

According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW), which manages mountain lions (Puma concolor), the projected statewide

population of independent lions (not including kittens) is around 3,800 to 4,400. Puma concolor was classified as a big game species in 1965 and is largely managed by hunting. “Mountain lions have benefited from regulations on take and management actions that have resulted in increasing populations,” said Travis Duncan, CPW’s public information supervisor, in an email.

The agency updated its West Slope Mountain Lion Plan in 2020 and is currently working on the East Slope plan. One management goal for the Western Slope is to have a stable mountain lion population.

CPW’s reasons for an increase in sightings reflect Rand’s observations and not necessarily an over-abundance of cougars. Duncan explained that mountain lions live in this area year round and follow deer and elk to lower elevations in winter. “These lower areas are also where we see more human development,” he explained. “With the increased technology, like doorbell cameras, we are starting to see images or videos of this elusive animal more often.”

Andrew Matuszeski’s security camera caught a lion about five-feet from his

Missouri Heights home early one morning in late November. “I took the dogs out; and it had rained the night before and I saw the tracks right by where I park my car,” he told The Sopris Sun. “I was pretty sure it was a cat and I knew it couldn't have been from earlier because the rain the night before would have wiped out [the paw prints]. So I called inside and told my wife to check the tape and she found it immediately.”

Local ecologist Delia Malone also said that an increase in sightings doesn’t have to do with a sudden surge in population. “[Humans] are recreating more than ever. We're building more trails and roads and houses in their habitat,” she told The Sopris Sun. “There’s dramatically

more of us, there’s likely to be more sightings of the critters if they’re here.”

Neither Rand nor Matuszeski have reported sightings to CPW. Both would prefer to live and let live. “I spent my whole life spending time out in the backcountry,” said Matuszeski, originally from southern California. “I love these animals. I think it’s one of the best parts about living up here.”

Rand is fully aware that, in this area, we all live in mountain lion habitat and have to learn to live with the animals. Pondering his close call with the cat on the garage roof, he said, “If I did go out that way, it would be a good way. My kids could say ‘my dad took on a

792 Hwy 133, Carbondale

Open 7 days a week 10-6:30

Phone: 970-963-1137

A Mountain lion (Puma concolor) in a Missouri Heights driveway, captured by a security camera. Courtesy image

Red Hill steward earns accolades from public lands agency

By John Stroud Sopris Sun Correspondent

Chris Brandt first started mountain biking the rugged single-track trails on Carbondale’s Red Hill in 2009 and immediately noticed something both aesthetically beautiful and ecologically fragile about it.

“I was blown away by how awesome it was, and how it encompassed everything I loved about mountain biking, with its natural challenges and the scenery,” Brandt said.

At the same time, he also began to take note of how quickly the trails were degrading, due to the increasing number of feet and bike tires navigating the loose, rocky soil that’s highly prone to erosion when disturbed.

“So I sleuthed out who was in charge of trail maintenance and started figuring out how to get involved,” he said.

In 2011, he officially joined the nonprofit Red Hill Council which works with the local U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) office to oversee and maintain the free, public trail system.

He is now president of that organization, and over the past 12 years has been one of the key instigators in bringing environmentally sustainable trail improvements to the area, along with stepping up public education to empower users to be more responsible and help take care of the trails and the unique ecosystem they traverse.

For his efforts, Brandt was recently named BLM Colorado’s Volunteer of the Year for 2023.

“Chris’s volunteer efforts at Red Hill in 2023 were nothing short of impressive and impactful,” the BLM Colorado River Valley Field Office said in nominating Brandt for the award. “Being an avid mountain biker, Chris has a thorough knowledge of the Red Hill trails and the maintenance needs.”

Starting after the trails dried from the spring snowmelt last May, Brandt led trail maintenance efforts, including three weekday evenings where the Red Hill Council, BLM, Town of Carbondale and Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers (RFOV) partnered to help restore the designated route known as Mushroom Rock Trail.

With the award came a $4,000 allocation by the federal BLM office that will be used to support ongoing trail projects.

Red Hill has become immensely popular for bikers, hikers and trail runners — many of them accompanied by their dogs — and now sees over 75,000 visits annually.

Those same stunning views and challenging trails that greeted Brandt in 2009 had been drawing the hardiest of outdoor enthusiasts for many decades before, enthusiasts who blazed the very first foot paths up to Mushroom Rock.

“A lot of those historic trails were conceived at a time before people understood sustainable trail design,”

Brandt said of trails that often took a straight-line path uphill instead of a more engineered, switchback approach that responded better to the natural terrain.

“So what you’ve seen is that, over the years, we have reworked and rerouted things in a more sustainable manner,” he said.

That work continued last year with a targeted effort to rebuild and better delineate one of the higher-use trails, the Mushroom Rock route up the south side of Red Hill, and closing off some of the criss-crossing “social trails” that had developed.

As a landscape architect with the Carbondale office of DHM Design, Brandt brought some needed expertise in understanding how water moves across sloped terrain, and how to design the trails in a way that requires minimal long-term maintenance.

Brandt was also recognized by his employer in a recent DHM newsletter, saying, “We are honored to have Chris as a member of our team at DHM, recognizing his significant contributions to maintaining and enhancing the quality of trail experiences on BLM lands and using his experience to share knowledge with other designers at DHM.

In 2023 alone, Brandt dedicated over 150 volunteer hours to work on Red Hill, which the BLM valued at nearly $4,800.

In addition to the trail work, Brandt spearheaded the effort last spring to

encourage users to clean up after their dogs along the trails, orchestrating a campaign to place hundreds of little pink flags at every leftover dog poop location. The image left an impact on trail users, and habits began to change. He also led an effort to secure a $5,000 Aspen SkiCo Environmental Foundation grant to design and build a “mud meter” sign to be placed at the Red Hill trailhead, encouraging users to stay off the trails when they’re muddy with the message, “If you’re leaving a track, please turn back.”

Brandt said he couldn’t do it alone and acknowledged the various businesses and organizations in the community that help organize trail crews for the projects.

Chris Brandt, portrait by Larry Day

Carbondale confirms safe water delivery

By Raleigh Burleigh Sopris Sun Editor

Meet Jill Suarez. As the Town of Carbondale's main meter technician, Suarez has been tasked with assuring local compliance with new federal requirements to assure the replacement of lead pipes bringing water into homes nationwide.

The rule change came with a major infrastructure bill passed in 2021 and was catalyzed by mass poisoning in Flint, Michigan after the city switched its water supply and did not properly add anti-corrosive treatment, causing lead from old pipes to contaminate the water people consumed and washed with for over a year.

Lead poisoning is known to cause irreversible brain and nerve damage, especially in children. Along with mandating that municipalities across the nation investigate the pipes delivering their potable water, the infrastructure bill included $55 billion to replace lead pipes and service lines.

“We don't want people to be scared of this,” assured

Public Works Director Kevin Schorzman. “We're not aware of any lead pipes in town, but still need to verify.”

According to Scott Wenning, assistant public works director, Colorado outlawed the use of lead pipes in 1988, and everything since then is copper. So Suarez will only need to inventory some 800 homes built before 1988. Again, the Town of Carbondale is unaware of any lead pipes delivering water into people’s homes, but a common old style is galvanized steel. As the zinc coating on galvanized steel gradually corrodes, the pipe will begin to rust and should be replaced.

Suarez will go door-to-door during normal working hours requesting access in order to document the material substance of potable water pipes. It's a task she estimates will take between 15 to 20 minutes per house, at most. No excavation is necessary, just a magnet test on the first 18 inches of pipe where it enters each home. This connection is typically in a crawl space or basement, but sometimes

outside.

Again, Schorzman assured, “We're only looking for service lines. There's no code enforcement.” He added with humor, “We're not going to count marijuana plants as we walk through the house.”

The Town's goal is to survey 150 or more households per month in order to complete the inventory by their Oct. 16 deadline. As of February, more than 127 people had already responded. Although the Town doesn't expect to find any lead connections, identifying old galvanized lines that are corroded and in need of replacement could help to secure public funding for that work.

For anyone wishing to schedule a time for Suarez to stop by, rather than wait for her to drop in, you may call 970-309-4869. There is also a survey online (www.tinyurl. com/LeadandCopperCdale) that Carbondale households can fill out and submit along with a photo, if they prefer.

Lovely Rita? No, that's Jill Suarez, meter technician for the Town of Carbondale. Photo by Raleigh Burleigh

Coalition compares Summit County successes with local affordable housing efforts

By John Stroud Sopris Sun Correspondent

Breckenridge’s long history of creating a vibrant affordable housing program could prove to be a valuable model as the new West Mountain Regional Housing Coalition looks to up its game in the Roaring Fork Valley and Garfield County.

A big difference, though, is the nearly two dozen deed-restricted housing projects and a successful buydown program in the Summit County resort town that have been the result of a more concentrated, singlecommunity effort.

West Mountain Coalition Program Director April Long attended a Garfield County Housing Summit at the Ute Theater and Events Center in Rifle on Feb. 22 – featuring longtime Breckenridge Housing and Childcare Manager Laurie Best, who talked about their efforts over the past 25 years – hoping to learn a few things and get some advice.

“It's absolutely more challenging to do it the way we're doing it,” Long said after listening to Best’s presentation.

Long was referencing the multi-jurisdictional, regional approach, encompassing three counties and 11 municipalities, that the local coalition is taking, as opposed to each jurisdiction trying to address the lack of affordable housing on their own.

Breckenridge and Summit County’s efforts have involved mostly just those two jurisdictions and the local housing authority working together to put funding in place, secure land, build housing projects — some through public-private partnerships — and to implement a buy-down program for existing housing units.

The same has been true in the Roaring Fork Valley,

where Aspen was an early leader in developing an affordable housing program that has been modeled to varying degrees in Carbondale, Basalt and other individual communities.

“All the easier options have been worked on for decades,” Long said. “But what I think we’re seeing here, with our unique demographics, is that when you do it jurisdiction by jurisdiction, or employer by employer, there are some holes in what our community really needs.”

Last week’s Housing Summit was hosted by the Garfield County Public Libraries as part of its ongoing speaker series on local and regional issues.

There’s no “gold star solution” to a major problem like providing more affordable housing to serve the region’s workforce, acknowledged Kevin Hettler, chief financial officer for the library district, when introducing Best.

“But we do want to look at these different options as we consider how we solve some of the problems we’re facing, and do it collectively,” he said.

Best began working for the town of Breckenridge in 2000 when the lack of affordable housing was becoming more apparent.

“By then, the local elected officials had really acknowledged that we were becoming more of a job center, and that it was going to impact the character of the community,” she said. “They also knew that there was going to be competition for housing, that housing prices were going to go up and that there wasn’t going to be enough housing.”

What began with about 90 deed-restricted units in 2000 has grown to about 1,400 units today, with another 650 in the pipeline. A buy-down program initiated in 2021 has also resulted in 43 existing housing units being purchased and secured with long-

term deed restrictions to maintain their affordability for median-income families.

Funding milestones came in 2006 with voter approval of a sales tax and impact fee to fund affordable housing efforts, and renewal of that tax in 2016 for another 30 years, resulting in approximately $5.5 million per year.

In 2022, a new licensing program and fee was also imposed on short-term vacation rentals, which now generates about $7 million a year toward affordable housing.

Even with all that, “It’s still the number one priority for our city council, because the problem is not solved,” Best said.

A bonus for Breckenridge has been community buy-in. A large percentage of the town’s residents now live in deed-restricted housing, so they support the continued efforts.

“They get the concept, so there’s not this ‘us versus them,’” she said.

The town’s updated housing blueprint calls for 35% of its housing to be resident-occupied and for 50% of the local jobs to be filled by people living in Breckenridge. It also calls for investing $50 million over the next five years, leveraged by another $350 million in private sector funds.

From a regional standpoint, that financial potential could be even greater. But it would require much broader support, Long said.

“Our challenge is that we have a workforce that spreads across a dozen different jurisdictions,” she said. “Those jurisdictions want to use their funding in their own geographic jurisdiction, understandably, but we function more as a region and don't necessarily follow jurisdictional boundaries.”

The housing coalition is hoping to launch its own regional buy-down program by this summer, bolstered

Continuing Ed Classes in Carbondale

PILATES BLEND

A full-body workout that will engaging the entire body and the core powerhouse. All levels

Tue/Thurs, 12pm & 1pm, 3/11-5/1

ZUMBA WITH MIMI

Burn calories and have fun while dancing to Latin music.

Thursdays, 6:30-7:30pm, 3/14-5/2

WINES OF ALSACE, AUSTRIA AND GERMANY

Examine Rieslings from three countries that produce wines from this exquisite grape.

Friday, 6-8pm, 3/15

PHOTOGRAPHING ANIMALS

Learn to get great images with your camera or cell phone.

Sat/Sun, 9am-12pm, 3/16-3/24

SPRING PLANTING IN THE ROCKIES

How and when to plant for high altitude gardens that thrive.

Wednesday, 6-8pm, 3/6 and Thursday, 6-8pm, 3/21

NEW TECHNIQUES FOR PRINTMAKERS

Expand your printmaking skills with drypoint, photo transfers, brushwork and more!

Mondays, 6-9pm, 3/25-4/29

ADULT BEGINNER BALLET

Classical ballet fundamentals at the barre and center work with Alexandra Jerkunica.

Tuesdays, 9-10am, 3/26-4/30

INTRO TO DRAWING

Learn traditional drawing and observational skills with a simple method, and observable progress in this fun class.

Tue’s, 5:30-8:30pm, 3/26-4/30

BEGINNING FOOD GARDENING

For beginning gardeners or anyone wanting to increase productivity in their garden.

Wednesday, 6-8pm, 3/27 and Thursday, 6-8pm, 4/11

PET PORTRAITS WITH CHARCOAL PASTELS AND WATERCOLOR

Explore multiple materials, compositions, color theory, build layers and texture, and interpret a portrait from photographs.

Thursdays, 6-8:30pm, 3/28-5/2

GARDEN SCULPTURE

Learn how to think and design in 3-D, (in the round) to create sculpture for your home/ garden while learning sculpting techniques and tools.

Fri/Sat, 10am-3pm, 4/5-4/13

FOR MORE INFO AND TO REGISTER . .

Carbondale Lappala Center 690 Colorado Ave 970.963.2172

(CCC) offers a plethora of classes and workshops for beginners as well as experienced ceramic artists. Local artist Kris Cox is seen here working with a student in late February during the first class of CCC’s 2024 Masterclass Workshop Series. Visit www.carbondaleclay.org for more info about upcoming workshops and classes.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 29

SOUND IMMERSION

Ildi Ingraham leads a sound healing session with singing bowls, gongs, chimes and her voice at the Basalt Library at 5:30pm.

‘JUST EAT IT’

Did you know that almost half of the food produced in North America goes to waste? UpRoot Colorado shows “Just Eat It,” a documentary film from Canada, at the Glenwood Springs Library at 6pm.

ASPEN WORDS

Award-winning poet Safiya Sinclair discusses her new book, “How to Say Babylon,” at TACAW at 6pm. For tickets, visit tacaw.org

CRYSTAL THEATRE

“The Zone of Interest” screens at 7pm at the Crystal Theatre. “Dune: Part Two” screens at 7pm on March 1, 2, 3 and 7, and at 5pm on Sunday, March 3.

‘ENDGAME’

Thunder River Theatre Company presents the final weekend of Samuel Beckett’s “Endgame” at 7:30pm tonight, tomorrow and Saturday, March 2. Catch the final show at 2pm on Sunday, March 3. Tickets at www. thunderrivertheatre.com

CONNOR GARVEY

Connor Garvey performs at Steve’s Guitars at 8pm. Tickets at stevesguitars.net

FRIDAY, MARCH 1

NATURE JOURNALING

Every First Friday at 1pm, the Carbondale Library hosts a workshop for sketchbook artists from 1 to 2:30pm. BYO-supplies.

‘INTERDIMENSIONAL THREADS’

The Launchpad hosts a First-Friday opening for “Interdimensional Threads,” an exhibit featuring works from local artists Claire Wright and Chris Erickson, at 5pm. The exhibit closes on April 5.

MUSIC AT THE LIBRARY

A string quartet comprised of professional women musicians local to the Roaring Fork Valley will present a concert of classical music by female composers at the Basalt Library at 5:30pm.

SILVER PROM

The Glenwood Springs Rec Center hosts an elegant evening of dinner and dancing for older adults, 50+. Carbondale residents can catch a ride from the Carbondale Rec Center at 5:30pm. RSVP at www. carbondalerec.com

TOMMY THE ANIMAL

Mountain Heart (1841 Dolores Way) hosts live music with Tommy the Animal at 6pm. A food truck will serve local bites beginning at 5pm.

SOUND HEALING

Zachary and Krista Cashin offer a mid-winter tune-up with multiple instruments, tuning forks, healing touch, Reiki and essential oils. Relax, breathe deeply, allow the vibrations and sounds to wash through your body/being and listen deeply to your heart. The event runs from 7 to 8:45pm at the Third Street Center. Visit thecenterforhumanflourishing.org for more info.

COMEDIAN

TACAW hosts Liz Miele, a NYC comedian that has appeared on Comedy Central, FOX, AXS TV, Hulu and NPR’s “Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me.” The show starts at 7pm; visit tacaw.org for tickets.

SATURDAY, MARCH 2

MOVIE AT THE LIBRARY

“A Million Miles Away,” a movie about unknown heroes, screens at 11am at the Basalt Library in English with Spanish subtitles.

‘THE MUSIC LESSON’

Local guitarist Mateo Sandate leads a three-part exploration of the book “The Music Lesson: A Spiritual Search for Growth through Music” by Victor Wooten each Saturday through March 16 at 2pm at the Carbondale Library. For more info, call 970-963-2889.

ONE�ACTS

The Roaring Fork Repertory Theatre will be at the Carbondale Branch Library to present three one-act plays. The troupe will perform “The Bear” by Anton Chekhov, “Suppressed Desires” by Susan Glaspell and George Cram Cook and “Collect Call” by Kristin Hopkins starting at 7pm. For more info, call the library at 970-9632889.

The Carbondale Clay Center

Photo by Sue Rollyson

STOP MAKING SENSE

A new Cinema Dance Party series kicks off at TACAW with a 7pm showing of the 1984 Talking Heads concert film “Stop Making Sense.” This is a casual film exhibition for the movers and groovers who want to party. DJ Honey will provide the soundtrack pre and post film. Visit tacaw.org for tickets and more info.

STEVE’S GUITARS

Hundred Pound Housecat performs at Steve’s Guitars at 8pm. Tickets at stevesguitars.net

SUNDAY, MARCH 3

PROTEST

MainStreet Alliance hosts a gathering at 4th and Main in Carbondale from 11:30am to 1pm demanding the U.S. Forest Service halt its Aspen-Sopris Ranger District redevelopment project.

TALES OF THE UTE

The Carbondale Historical Society, Nina Gabianelli and Skyler Lomahaftewa share stories of the Ute Indians in the Roaring Fork and Crystal River Valleys beginning at 5pm at KDNK.

RANDOM CONVERSATIONS

Join in on the Lost Art of Random Conversations at the Carbondale Library at 6pm.

MONDAY, MARCH 4

SAFE SPACE

YouthZone hosts a LGBTQ+ youth peer support group at 4:15pm every Monday in Rifle, 4pm every Tuesday in Glenwood Springs and 3:30pm every Wednesday in Basalt. Visit youthzone.com/peersupport for more info.

BASALT CANDIDATE FORUM

The Basalt Chamber of Commerce hosts a forum for Town Council candidates at the Basalt Library from 5 to 8pm. The first hour will serve as a meet-and-greet, followed by the actual forum beginning at 6pm.

CAMILLE & STUIE

The Glenwood Springs Community Concert Association (GSCCA) presents Camille & Stuie of The French Family Band at 7pm at the Mountain View Church. For ticket info, please contact Nancy at 303517-9800 or Sue at 970-379-3488. Visit www.gsconcertassn.org for more info about GSCCA and how to become a member.

TUESDAY, MARCH 5

CHAMBER ON THE CHAIR

Sunlight Mountain Resort offers $35 lift tickets for chamber members from the Glenwood Springs Chamber, the Basalt Chamber, the Carbondale Chamber, the Aspen Chamber, the New Castle Chamber, the Colorado River Valley Chamber, the Eagle Chamber and the Gypsum Chamber. More info at sunlightmtn.com

PAWS TO READ

Therapy dogs from Heeling Partners of the Roaring Fork Valley will be at the Carbondale Library from 3:30 to 4:30pm on the first and third Tuesdays of the month to listen, encourage and enhance young readers’ experience. Call 970-9632889 for more info and to register for a 15-minute time slot. This is intended for first through fifth grade students.

RFV DRAWING CLUB

The Roaring Fork Drawing Club meets at the Carbondale Rec Center at 6:30pm.

Republican caucuses take place in Garfield County at assigned precinct locations at 7pm. Pre-register at caucus. cologop.org.

GITNB

The Green Is The New Black Fashion Extravaganza starts tonight and runs through the Saturday. Tickets are sold out, and it is sure to be a ball!

FRIDAY, MARCH 8

POLLINATE YOUR PALATE

Basalt Library hosts Pollinator Chocolate at 4pm for an educational and culinary event to tickle your tastebuds. This free chocolate tasting will satisfy stomachs of all ages; visit basaltlibrary. org to register.

IMPROV JAM

The notorious Consensual Improv troupe invites you to practice your improvisational chops at 6:30pm at TACAW. Previous improv experience is encouraged. To register, email info@ theconsensualimprov.com.

SATURDAY, MARCH 9

DEMS CAUCUS

Garfield County Democrats host a precinct caucus and county assembly at 1pm via Zoom. Visit www.garcodems. org for more info and to register.

YONDER MOUNTAIN

Yonder Mountain String Band performs a 7pm show at TACAW. Visit www. tacaw.org for tickets.

SUNDAY, MARCH 10

QUILT GUILD

The Roaring Fork Valley Quilt Guild invites you to their annual “Show and Tell” viewing of Quilts and Stitching Projects created by valley residents from from 2 to 4pm at the Basalt Library. Bring your projects and share your stories with friends; stay and stitch or just come by to enjoy the beautiful quilts!\

March 1 st

Come enjoy the monthly celebration of local arts, shopping, restaurants, spirits, live music in the heart of the Carbondale Creative District.

Interdimensional Threads work by Chris Erickson and Claire Wright Opening reception on First Friday, March 1, 5-7pm at The Launchpad with an artist talk at 5:30pm

Endgame presented by TRTC

By Sam Beckett, Directed by Renee Prince

A pure and devastating distillation of the human essence in the face of approaching death.

Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 7:30pm Sunday at 2pm

follow @carbondalecreativedistrict for updates and visit carbondalearts.com for more information

On to the state playoffs for Rams hoops teams after runners-up showing at Districts

By John Stroud Sopris Sun Correspondent

A pair of thrillers in the district championship games on Saturday in Grand Junction for the Roaring Fork High School boys and girls basketball teams ended in close losses for the Rams.

The Carbondale kids are headed to the 3A state playoffs nonetheless.

After nearly pulling off the upset against the undefeated Grand Valley Cardinals, ultimately falling in the title game 30-28, the Lady Rams (15-7) earned the 10th seed in the 32-team state playoff field.

They travel for a first-round regional game on Friday, hosted by No. 7 Highland High School, matched against No. 23 Windsor Charter Academy (13-8). The winner of that game advances to the second round on Saturday for the right to play in the Great 8, taking place March 7-9 at the University of Denver (DU).

Meanwhile, the Roaring Fork boys (11-11) fell 56-49 to Meeker in the district title game on Saturday.

The Rams earned the No. 25 seed for the playoffs and will travel to play No. 8 Peyton (14-6) on Friday, with the winner playing Saturday for the right to advance to the 3A boys state tournament, also taking place at DU.

continued from cover

Friday game time is 4:30pm for both the boys and girls. Games can be livestreamed by subscription at nfhsnetwork.com

Down to the wire

After advancing to the Saturday final at Grand Junction Central High School with a 60-46 semifinal win over Olathe on Friday, the Roaring Fork girls took advantage of a low-scoring affair and some misfortune on the part of Grand Valley to make a late run against the top-seeded Cardinals.

The Rams stayed within striking distance in a defense-dominated first half, trailing 17-12 at the break after the Cardinals’ senior leader, Jaycee Pittman, was sidelined with a knee injury.

Pittman attempted to come back into the game at the start of the second half but was unable to continue. Her teammates managed to keep the Rams at bay, extending the lead to 23-14 at the end of the third period.

Over the final eight minutes of play, defensive pressure by the Rams forced several Grand Valley turnovers, and by the 2:30 mark the Rams found themselves down just a point, 27-26, when sophomore Nikki Tardif connected from the left side. A short time later, a foul shot from Tardif tied it 27-all, but the Cardinals had a quick answer to retake the lead.

“We got a lot of steals off the press with some good looks inside, but the basket seemed to have a lid on it,” Rams head coach Mike Vidakovich said. “Sometimes we get going at such a frenetic pace, grabbing steals and getting a fast break, which is great. But we’ve also got to know when to take a breath and make sure to square up when we take those shots.”

Roaring Fork had its chances in the closing seconds

Precinct caucuses 101: Taking the mystery out of the process

By Jeanne Souldern Sopris Sun Correspondent

Did you recently receive a ballot in the mail for the presidential primary? Great, but were you also aware that Colorado holds precinct caucuses every two years for the essential business of the political parties?

The Sopris Sun recently spoke with Garfield County chairs — Debbie Bruell of the Democrats and Gregg Rippy of the Republicans — about the importance of voters participating in precinct caucuses.

As of last June, 47% of Colorado’s active registered voters are “unaffiliated,” the highest share of any June on record. However, since precinct caucuses are strictly a function of the political parties, to be eligible to participate, you must be registered as affiliated with either the Republican or Democratic party.

The 27 precincts within Garfield County bring political participation down to the neighborhood level. “It is grassroots at its lowest level, but with that being said, it requires engagement,” Rippy explained.

Who, when, where and how

The Garfield County Republicans will hold caucuses in-person on March 7 at 7pm (check-in starts at 6pm) at five locations: Carbondale, Glenwood Springs, New Castle, Rifle and Battlement Mesa. They will hold their county assembly at Rifle High School on March 23 at 10am.

On Saturday, March 9, the Garfield

but couldn’t quite pull off the upset.

“These girls always hang in there,” Vidakovich said. “We got a pretty high seed [for the playoffs], and I think we have a good chance to get through Friday night and play Highland on their home court.

“It will be a good experience for them,” he said of a young team that should make another playoff run next season.

Grand Valley earned the third seed for the playoffs and will host No. 30 Platte Canyon on Friday.

Playoff return for boys

In their district final against Meeker, the Roaring Fork boys held a 10-point lead near the end of the first quarter. The more experienced Cowboys took advantage of some Rams mistakes to get back into it and secure the win.

“In Friday’s game we played well, and everyone that played had big contributions, including a best game so far from Lawson (Kreiling),” head coach Jason Kreiling said of a 79-66 semifinal win over Cedaredge, which beat Roaring Fork for the district championship last year.

Saturday’s final started off well for the Rams, but Kreiling said a combination of some frustration and inexperience in key moments of the game got the better of his team. By the early minutes of the third quarter, Meeker had taken a 13-point lead, 43-30.

“Once you get in a hole against a good team like Meeker, it’s hard to climb out,” Kreiling said.

Roaring Fork made a late run but couldn’t quite overcome the deficit. Senior Noel Richardson finished with 14 points, while sophomore Lucas Carballeira had 12, including two three-pointers.

Meeker enters the playoffs as the No. 7 seed, hosting No. 26 Florence on Friday.

County Democrats will meet via Zoom to hold their precinct caucuses, which will move immediately into its county assembly. The start time is 1pm, with attendees logging in between 12:15 to 12:45pm to verify voter registration status.

There are different eligibility requirements by party for individuals under the age of 18. A pre-registrant affiliated with the Republican party who is 17 years old on the date of the caucus (March 7) and will be 18 on the date of the next general election (Nov. 5) may vote at the precinct caucus. A pre-registrant who is affiliated with the Democratic party and is 16 years old or older may vote at the caucus.

Candidate selection

By attending the precinct caucus and then participating in the county assembly, party members can show their support for a specific Garfield County commissioner candidate and participate in the selection process for June 25 primary election candidates.

“[The precinct caucus] has the opportunity to be inclusive, but if people choose not to participate because they're either fearful, they don't know what it's like … then they're left out of a very important part of the election cycle, which is determining who the candidates are,” Rippy said.

Delegates will be able to shape the primary election ballot by selecting candidates for Colorado House District 57, Colorado Senate District 5, U.S. Congressional District 3 and the at-large

"I vote for here."

position for the University of Colorado Board of Regents.

“The caucus system and the assembly system is one way that a candidate's name gets placed on the ballot,” Bruell added.

Precinct leaders elected

Another bit of business at the precinct caucus is for each precinct to elect individuals who will serve a twoyear term as precinct organizers and block captains, as they’re called in the Democratic party, or as the Republican party refers to them: precinct committee members.

Once again, caucus activities differ slightly by party.

“At the caucus, we will elect people to be precinct organizers, and we ask who would like to serve as election judges,” Bruell shared.

The importance of leaders at the

precinct level is vital, regardless of your party affiliation.

“Choosing precinct leaders is one of the most important functions that occurs at a precinct caucus. You are selecting people who are going to be leaders within your precinct. We ask that they get to know the registered voters in their precinct. … They are going to be the point persons for get-out-the-vote and face-to-face interactions with voters,” Rippy shared.

To pre-register for the March 7 Republican caucuses, go to www. caucus.cologop.org. Upon registering, you will receive your precinct location. For a list of precinct locations, visit www.tinyurl.com/GarCoGOPprecincts

For the March 9 Democratic caucus and county assembly, go to www. garcodems.org

Sol del Valle el

Conectando comunidades desde 2021

Volumen 3, Número 1 | 29 de febrero-6 de marzo de 2024

La policía de Rifle ofrece consejos a las personas mayores para evitar estafas

Por Katherine Tomanek

Post Independent

Traducido por Edgar Barrantes

El Departamento de Policía de Rifle publicó un comunicado de prensa sobre el envío del teniente Mike Kuper al Centro para personas mayores de Rifle el 16 de febrero para educar a los mayores de la comunidad sobre estafas comunes dirigidas a los ancianos y cómo protegerse contra ellas.

El departamento de policía de Rifle colaboró con el Centro para Personas Mayores de Rifle y Kuper se dirigió a una reunión de personas mayores, ofreciendo consejos prácticos sobre cómo reconocer y evitar ser víctima de estafas. Enfatizó la importancia de mantenerse informado y atento a la evolución de las estafas, mencionó el comunicado.

Estas son algunas señales de alerta que Kuper destacó en su presentación y que todos deberían conocer:

Llamadas no solicitadas: llamadas telefónicas inesperadas de números desconocidos o personas que dicen ser de agencias gubernamentales, instituciones financieras y empresas de servicios públicos. Las organizaciones legítimas no suelen iniciar contactos de este tipo.

Urgencia y presión: los estafadores a menudo crean una sensación de urgencia, presionando a las personas para que tomen decisiones rápidas, especialmente cuando la decisión es sobre algo personal o emocional. Las organizaciones genuinas se dan tiempo para verificar la información y tomar decisiones informadas.

Solicitudes de información personal: tenga cuidado con quién comparte datos personales, como números de Seguro Social, detalles de cuentas bancarias, información de tarjetas de crédito o información que pueda estar relacionada con una contraseña, especialmente cuando se lo solicitan mediante llamadas,

correos electrónicos o mensajes no solicitados.

“Demasiado bueno para ser verdad”: si suena demasiado bueno para ser verdad, generalmente lo es. Tenga cuidado cuando se le presenten oportunidades de inversión, sorteos o premios que parezcan demasiado generosos.

Visitantes no anunciados: tenga cuidado con las personas que aparecen en su puerta sin ser invitadas y dicen ser de un proveedor de servicios o una empresa de servicios públicos. Asegúrese de verificar sus credenciales y comuníquese con la empresa para confirmar que enviaron a alguien.

Tami Sours, directora del Rifle Senior Center, agradeció al departamento de policía de Rifle por su información y su tiempo: “Un enorme agradecimiento al teniente Kuper y a la jefa (Debra) Funston por brindar una sesión de almuerzo y aprendizaje este mes sobre estafas dirigidas a nuestra población de edad avanzada. Intentamos tener sesiones mensuales de almuerzo y aprendizaje centradas en cuestiones de personas mayores, actualizaciones de la ciudad y otros temas que consideramos valiosos. Lunch-n-Learn es una excelente manera para que nuestras personas mayores se mantengan en contacto con los acontecimientos en nuestra área y se mantengan actualizados con lo que sucede en nuestra ciudad”.

Kuper elogió la participación proactiva del Rifle Senior Center para ayudar a las personas mayores a protegerse.

“Rifle Senior Center es un centro esencial para las personas mayores de nuestra comunidad y estamos comprometidos a apoyar y proteger a nuestros residentes mayores”, dijo Kuper. “Al compartir información y promover la concientización, podemos trabajar colectivamente para crear un entorno más seguro para nuestras personas mayores.”

Foto de Kyle Mills, City of Rifle

Artista existencial

Por Vanessa Porras

La mesa de cocina es un lugar de creación. Es ahí donde comemos y compartimos recetas. Es el lugar donde damos gracias, donde platicamos, compartimos ideas, e incluso donde debatimos. La mesa de cocina me ha servido como mesa de oficina, donde he terminado trabajos, donde he estudiado y donde he tomado exámenes. También me ha servido como un estudio de arte móvil.

El concepto del artista de la mesa de cocina va de la mano con el artista existencial. Es decir, la mayoría de los artistas que conozco, viven en un estado constante de ansiedad donde se preguntan si realmente son artistas. El hecho de que durante el día la mesa de cocina sirve como caballete de pintor y por la tarde todo se tiene que limpiar para poder servir la cena es suficiente para lanzarnos en una crisis de identidad. ¿Soy un artista o solo es una afición?

Ser artista es curioso. Es una de las

El artista de la mesa de cocina

pocas carreras que aunque a pesar de tener un título universitario, dudamos tener la capacidad de crear, y ni se diga los síntomas agobiantes del síndrome del impostor al llamarnos “artistas”. Ahora imagínate cómo se ha de sentir alguien que realmente no tiene un título universitario al llamarse a sí mismo, artista.

En 1990 la fotógrafa Carrie Mae Weems creó su serie de fotografías llamada, The Kitchen Table Series, La serie de la mesa de cocina. Estas fotografias en blanco y negro, muestran a Weems en esenas cotidianas desde la mesa de su cocina con una sola fuente de luz que es la lampara que se suspende desde el cielo. Estas escenas muestran a Weems cómo la protagonista, a veces sola, a veces acompañada por su hija, amigas o su pareja.

Mencionó esta serie que Weems creó porque tomó algo tan monótono como una escena de la mesa de cocina y capturó fragmentos de la historia de su vida. La mesa en sí pasó de ser algo útil a ser parte de la obra de arte. Aparte de ser Weems la protagonista, la mesa permanece como el objeto constante en la serie.

Entonces, si la mesa de cocina es un lugar de creación e incluso puede llegar a ser la musa, ¿por qué es que el artista se define por el lugar donde trabaja? Si no tienes un estudio, un taller donde puedes trabajar, o si no haces arte como tu trabajo de tiempo completo, ¿eso significa que no eres un artista?

Es complicado definir qué es un

artista, pero es aún más complicado definir lo que es arte. Hay muchas teorías del arte las cuales llegaremos a explorar y filosofar sobre en esta columna. Lo que sé por seguro es que el artista no está definido por el lugar donde trabaja, o si trabaja de tiempo completo. Realmente es de las pocas profesiones en la cual no necesitas un título universitario para ejercer y nadie te va a demandar por no tener licencia o por practicar mal.

En una ocasión, mi jefa del museo en donde trabajaba dijo, que una obra era arte si esa era la intención del artista. Pero la intención del artista y la interpretación del público son dos cosas muy diferentes que a veces se encuentran en oposición. Uno podrá ver las fotografías de Weems y preguntarse porque fotos así, tan sencillas, se han convertido en una serie tan famosa y han llegado a exponerse en museos.

Especialmente en esta era de la tecnología, donde medio mundo toma fotos de sus cafés y un sin fin de momentos cotidianos,¿porque Weems y nosotros no? ¿Será realmente que solo se requiere que le otorgamos la intención a nuestras creaciones para que se conviertan en arte?

Al contemplar esta idea del artista de la mesa de cocina y atarla a, The Kitchen Table Series, me causa algo de melancolía. Como si todas esas horas que he pasado en la mesa de cocina de mis padres trabajando, en sí, hubiera sido una obra de arte no capturada. Solo

faltó el observador en esos momentos, ya que la creadora estaba ocupada. Y tal vez el arte y el artista son un fenómeno que se tienen que observar y capturar de alguna manera. Solo porque se limpie la mesa para cambiar de escena no significa que no existió ese momento de creación.

Grandes animales de caza unen a todos los habitantes de Colorado OPINIÓN

Por Omar Sarabia

En estos días, la Oficina de Administración de Tierras (BLM) está revisando sus estrategias de gestión en todo Colorado para ofrecer una mejor protección a especies de caza mayor como venados, alces, ciervos mula, antílopes y borregos cimarrones. El objetivo del BLM es limitar los impactos del desarrollo de gas y petróleo en estos animales icónicos del estado.

Si bien, el plan inicial del BLM da pasos firmes para proteger hábitats vitales para la vida silvestre, no alcanza una protección integral, con casi un 86% del hábitat prioritario

del estado que sigue siendo vulnerable a la explotación de petróleo y gas bajo el plan preferido de la agencia.

Los latinos en Colorado mencionan el bienestar de los animales como una preocupación principal cuando se trata del medio ambiente. Una de las formas en que los latinos participan cada vez más en las tierras públicas es a través de la caza. Los cazadores son cuidadores de la tierra y los animales. Como conservacionistas, quieren asegurarse de que las manadas de grandes animales, como los venados y los alces, estén sanas y prosperando.

Sin embargo, en este momento, los grandes animales de caza en Colorado están estresados.

Mientras pensaba en la caza mayor, las tierras públicas y el reciente evento “Caminando y platicando sobre vida silvestre”, de Defiende Nuestra Tierra, donde hablamos con algunos

CHISME DEL PUEBLO

Actualización sobre los recién llegados

Según un reciente comunicado de prensa, la ciudad de Carbondale empezará gradualmente a reducir los servicios que brinda a los inmigrantes recién llegados en los próximos dos meses. A partir del 8 de marzo, la ciudad dejará de cubrir las plazas vacantes en los albergues y oficialmente cerrará ambos albergues el 1 de abril. El servicio de cena finalizará el 22 de marzo, así como el servicio de desayuno el 29 de marzo. Los recién llegados podrán utilizar las duchas del Centro Recreativo y el estacionamiento/camping nocturno en una zona designada hasta el 19 de abril. El objetivo de la ciudad era proporcionar alimentos y refugio temporales durante el invierno, y prevé que un enfoque regional será esencial para posibles soluciones a largo plazo. "Con la previsión de un futuro aumento del número de inmigrantes sin techo que busquen trabajo, vivienda y otros servicios en nuestra región, esperamos trabajar a nivel regional para crear la infraestructura necesaria para atender a la población sin hogar de los valles de Roaring Fork y del río Colorado", declaró la administradora municipal Lauren Gister. Para saber más sobre la respuesta de Carbondale, visite tinyurl.com/NewcomerResponse

Manteniéndote informado

Claudia Pérez Rivas ha sido seleccionada como próxima editora de The Glenwood Springs Post Independent y Rifle Citizen Telegram. Ella aporta una amplia experiencia en organizaciones de noticias alrededor de Texas. Visite tinyurl.com/gspi CPR para leer su entrevista inicial.

empleados del Servicio Forestal y pudimos ver hermosos alces, no pude evitar recordar a una amiga mía, Soira Ceja. Soira es la única cazadora latina que conozco. Originaria de Chihuahua, México, se mudó al valle en 1994 estableciéndose con miembros de la familia que ya vivían aquí. Su padre tenía polio y no podía caminar, pero le encantaba pescar. "Pescar con mi padre fue mi primera exposición a la naturaleza," me dijo recientemente. "Él era apasionado por la pesca. Simplemente le encantaba. Nos llevaba a los niños a lagos de la región, y pasábamos todo el día al aire libre." Fue solo el comienzo para ella. Soira pronto comenzó a hacer senderismo, luego a escalar montañas de 14,000 pies. Más tarde, su esposo la introdujo en la caza. Se enamoró de ello. Soira ahora es una dedicada cazadora de alces con arco.

Para ella, la caza es una

Vote con los pies

Es demasiado tarde para enviar su papeleta de las Primarias Presidenciales por correo, pero aún hay tiempo de sobra para votar. El estado ofrece 153 centros de votación y 418 buzones; visita http://tinyurl. com/5n8e4kvm para encontrar el más cercano. Incluso hay tiempo para registrarse y votar en persona el día de las elecciones, el 5 de marzo.

Presencia de osos

Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW por sus siglas en inglés) recibió 3,526 informes de presencia y conflictos con osos en 2023, un 21% menos que la media de los últimos cinco años. La basura sigue siendo la principal fuente de conflictos entre los seres humanos y los osos. La gran mayoría de los daños a la propiedad reportados implicaron un atrayente de algún tipo, con más del 51% vinculado a la basura; 20% al ganado, pollos y colmenas; y 19% a semillas para pájaros, comida para mascotas, asadores, hieleras y refrigeradores. Adicionalmente, CPW está modificando la estructura de su temporada de caza mayor. Visite http:// tinyurl.com/469hxy6j para obtener más información o dar su opinión. Por último, el condado de Pitkin ha fijado el 10 de marzo como fecha límite para el sorteo de una plaza limitada en Sky Mountain Park; visite http://tinyurl. com/2tdv8h5u para participar.

En principal

Jamie Hozack ha sido presentado como el próximo director de Basalt Middle School. El ex subdirector de Basalt High School regresa al distrito después de servir en una variedad de otros roles de

forma de cosecha. Si logra cazar un animal sano, tiene alimentos saludables para su familia. "Si obtengo un alce, significa menos exposición de mi familia a químicos y menos basura en nuestros cuerpos." Sin embargo, últimamente ha estado viendo menos alces en la unidad cerca de donde ella vive. "Solía ver alces todo el tiempo, y también escucharlos. Pero los últimos dos años han sido difíciles." Las preocupaciones de Soira han sido compartidas por muchos cazadores de Colorado.

La caza en Colorado es un gran negocio. Según el Consejo de Vida Silvestre de Colorado, la caza es una industria de $843 millones. Si se combinan la caza y la pesca, la industria añade 25,000 empleos a la economía estatal. Pero según los funcionarios, las manadas de alces no son actualmente sostenibles.

Soira rompió más de un estereotipo sobre lo que

pensamos del típico "Cazador de Colorado." A Soria le gustaría ver más apoyo para los cazadores latinos y latinas, y más mentores y guías que hablen su idioma. También cree que sería de gran ayuda, y para poder inspirar a más Latinos a ser cazadores, si se tienen clases de instrucción bilingües.

Las tierras públicas son el núcleo de lo que Soira ama. "La exposición a las tierras públicas es crucial. Puedes respirar aire fresco y disfrutar de la naturaleza con tu familia. Es hora de conectarse. Puedes alejarte de la tecnología y del trabajo. Es ideal para el vínculo familiar," dijo.

La historia de Soira trata no solo de disfrutar de nuestras tierras públicas, sino también de la necesidad de proteger las tierras que tenemos para que la próxima generación las disfrute como nosotros. Nuestras tierras públicas son precisamente eso: públicas. Son nuestras. Necesitamos asegurarnos de entregárselas a la próxima generación tan buenas como las recibimos.

"Sincronías" parte 64, por Leonardo Occhipinti

liderazgo, más recientemente como Director de Middle School en Aspen Country Day School. Hozack fue seleccionado utilizando el proceso de contratación establecido por el distrito para los líderes escolares, con los participantes del comité de entrevistas destacando su

motivación para aprender, escuchar y tomar tiempo con los equipos para entender las fortalezas y oportunidades de la escuela. La actual directora de BMS, Jennifer Ellsperman, se jubilará en junio después de 31 años en educación, 21 de ellos en Basalt.

Defiende Nuestra Tierra

CMC ofrece un programa de diploma de bachillerato

Por Jeanne Souldern

The Sopris Sun

Traducción por Dolores Duarte

Colorado Mountain College (CMC por sus siglas en inglés) ofrece dos vías para que las personas obtengan un diploma de bachillerato o su equivalente.

En primer lugar, la Equivalencia de Bachillerato (HSE por sus siglas en inglés) de CMC utiliza el plan de estudios de GED (Desarrollo Educativo General en español), que abarca matemáticas, ciencias, estudios sociales y artes del lenguaje para preparar a las personas para las pruebas de GED.

La segunda vía - Diploma de Bachillerato para Adultos (AHSD por sus siglas en inglés) - comenzó como un programa piloto financiado por el estado en 2019 y se convirtió en ley en junio pasado con la firma del Proyecto de Ley del Senado 23-007. CMC trabaja en asociación con el Distrito Escolar Garfield-16 (Parachute) y se alinea con los requisitos de graduación de bachillerato establecidos por el Departamento de Educación de Colorado (CDE por sus siglas en inglés). A

través de la autoridad del CDE, CMC puede emitir un diploma de bachillerato.

El AHSD está clasificado como un programa de créditos no universitarios; los únicos requisitos son ser residente de Colorado y tener 21 años o más.

CMC fue el primero y es actualmente la única institución post-bachillerato en el estado para ofrecer el programa AHSD. Viendo al futuro

Isabelle Bones dejó Roaring Fork High School en su primer año y luego asistió brevemente a AmericanHomeSchools.org, una plataforma de educación en casa en línea.

"Estaba pasando por muchas cosas, así que era demasiado. [AHSD es] un programa muy bueno, y los profesores fueron realmente increíbles. Una vez que asistí a mi primera clase, me interesó mucho", recuerda.

"Obtener mi diploma me ayudó a ver hacia el futuro. Realmente mejoré el año pasado", comparte Bones. "Estoy interesada en algún día convertirme en enfermera prenatal".

Hoy, Bones está inscrita en

clases universitarias de CMC. "Sé que hay muchas más cosas que puedo hacer", dijo.

Una madre toma el ejemplo

Julián Peña y su familia llegaron a EE.UU. desde México cuando él tenía 15 años; hoy tiene 38 años. Recibió su diploma de bachillerato a través del programa piloto del AHSD hace un par de años. En ese momento, CMC ofreció el programa en su campus de Rifle.

"Durante el bachillerato, tenía un trabajo y no vi los beneficios de obtener mi diploma", dijo. "Mis padres trataron de obligarme a mantenerme en la escuela, pero yo dije: 'No', y seguí trabajando".

Peña, quien vive en Parachute, tiene tres hijos de 12, 8 y 6 años.

"Al tener hijos, quería conseguir cosas en la vida. Un fin de semana estaba sentado en casa, sin hacer nada, y me dije: 'Voy a obtener mi diploma", recuerda.

Reflexionando sobre su decisión de no terminar el bachillerato, Julian dijo: "Cuando eres adolescente,

no ves estas cosas. Te das cuenta cuando empiezas a hacerte mayor y ves a tus hijos conseguir cosas por sí mismos".

Siguiendo los pasos de su hijo, la madre de Peña, Antonia, se graduó junto a Bones en diciembre de 2023. Antonia no se durmió en sus laureles tras la graduación. Actualmente está inscrita en Inglés-1001 en CMC. Además de su trabajo diario, deja un espacio los lunes y miércoles por la tarde para ir a clase.

"Esta vez es difícil para mí. A veces estoy triste porque mi inglés no es perfecto. Es muy difícil para mí, pero es mi sueño", compartió.

Antonia espera inscribirse en el programa Colorado Law Enforcement Training Academy ofrecido en CMC, que proporciona la base educativa para entrar a la policía.

Prueba del éxito

El otoño pasado, CMC manejó el programa AHSD a través del college. En diciembre, 85 estudiantes recibieron sus diplomas de bachillerato durante una ceremonia de graduación en el campus de Rifle de CMC.

Una ventaja de obtener un GED o diploma de bachillerato de CMC es la facilidad de transición a los cursos universitarios de CMC. "También ofrece a los estudiantes la accesibilidad a una serie de becas", agregó Dwenna Holden, CMC HSE/AHSD y director del programa de Inglés.

CMC ofrece instrucción, apoyo y materiales de evaluación en inglés y español. Algunos campus emplean a técnicos administrativos de ESL (inglés como segundo idioma) para apoyar a los estudiantes hispanohablantes en el programa de ESL.

"En CMC, nos esforzamos por crear un sentido de pertenencia para eliminar el estigma que a menudo acompaña el hecho de no completar el bachillerato. No importa la edad que tengas o cuáles sean tus circunstancias - esto es para ti. Esto es para aprovecharlo, y estamos aquí para ayudarte", dijo Holden.

Para obtener más información (en inglés y español) sobre los programas AHSD y HSE/GED de CMC, visite www.coloradomtn. edu/classes/ged

Trustees consider raising their own pay

By Will Grandbois Sopris Sun Correspondent

The Carbondale Board of Trustees proposed an increase in their stipend at the end of an otherwise routine meeting on Feb. 27.

Since the last increase in 2015, trustees have received $900 a month and the mayor $1,500. Mayor Ben Bohmfalk crunched the numbers and suggested an increase to $1,200 and $2,000, respectively. “I think it’s pretty easy to defend based on the inflation calculation,” he said.

While the resulting figures are a little higher than the cost of living growth, and would leapfrog Basalt’s current rates, Trustee Marty Silverstein thought it would even out long before the next increase.

“No one does this job for the money,” he said. “I could make more working at Wendy’s and I’d also get fed, and a uniform, and get less grief. The amount of time people spend doing this job, I think a lot of people in the public don’t realize — whether it’s reading the packet, going to the other meetings, dealing with public comments, investigating things.”

The rest of the board agreed and encouraged staff to draw up documents at Bohmfalk’s proposed rates for approval at a future meeting. As it is paid for by existing taxes, the change does not require voter approval barring an initiative or referendum. It would not, however, apply until after the next trustee election, meaning that the currently campaigning candidates stand to be the biggest beneficiaries.

In other action, Doug Goldsmith, the district sales manager for waste hauling contractor Mountain Waste, expressed optimism in an annual update.

“The community’s buy-in has made this a successful program,” he said.

Overflowing trash containers and recycling contamination appear to be down, at least anecdotally. Tracking suggests a reduction in trash overall, which Goldsmith attributed to an influx of part-time homeowners during the pandemic that have since returned to their primary properties. He took the opportunity to remind residents about the spring clean up day in April and encourage everyone to install the company’s app, which keeps you up to date on pickup day changes and what can and can’t be recycled.

Parks and Recreation Director Eric Brendlinger’s Integrated Weed Management Plan was similarly straightforward, in stark contrast with last year. At the time, he was considering biting the bullet and using chemical herbicides in some particularly hard-to-manage areas, but public feedback was overwhelmingly opposed. So he went back to the drawing board — earning him praise from the trustees.

“Thanks for being open to changing your mind,” Erica Sparhawk told him. “It’s a big deal.”

As things currently stand, trustee wages increase as you head upvalley - even without Snowmass and Aspen's health plans included. The new Carbondale rates would top Basalt, but maybe not for long. Sopris Sun graphic

This year’s plan calls for no chemical treatments, relying instead on a number of alternatives including manual weed elimination. It’s an approach made possible by temp laborers and volunteers to tackle weeds before they go to seed. The Town is also looking elsewhere in the animal kingdom for help, with some experimental plots slated for treatment by Goat Green LLC, which already does work along the Rio Grande Trail.

“They’re not cheap, but I’m convinced that they should be part of our toolbox,” Brendlinger said.

Although Brendlinger couldn’t put an exact figure on the financial ups and downs of the chemical-free approach, Bohmfalk seemed fairly sure that it’s both more expensive and worth it.

“We’re consciously spending more time and money every year to do this right,” he said.

The plan was approved unanimously.

So were a trio of grant applications: one to the Federal Mineral Lease District to help offset the cost of the pool, one for state Public Building Electrification funds toward Town Hall and the new aquatics center and a Department of Local Affairs local planning grant for online permitting and digitization. They’re each in different stages of the process, but the required match money is available for all three.

Before concluding with an executive session on potential property acquisition, trustees proposed a continuance for the proposed food truck court annexation at Snowmass and Main, which will be revisited at the March 26 meeting.

Black Mountain sketch plan approved

By Will Buzzerd Sopris Sun Correspondent

This week, Basalt Town Council convened to discuss — and approve — the much-revised sketch plan for the Black Mountain development on Emma Road.

Though not an item of discussion during the night’s meeting, the Town of Basalt posted news for residents of, and visitors to, historic downtown Basalt. On Monday, March 4, construction crews will be mobilizing equipment to resume Phase II of the Midland Avenue Streetscape Project.

Last construction season saw the replacement of existing water and sewer lines. This year will see the installation of underground utilities, such as storm drains and electric infrastructure, as well as an aboveground facelift. At the end of Phase II, Midland Avenue will sport fresh paving, new amenities (like bike racks and benches) and wider sidewalks at the cost of parking spaces. Until then, the temporary asphalt paved during the winter will be torn up, and visitors can expect more machinery, less parking and flaggers on Midland through the end of the year.

Black Mountain

Town hall was once again a full house for the Jadwin/Black Mountain development’s continued public hearing. This development proposal for the nine-acre lot at 431 Emma Road has seen continuous changes since being brought to council last fall,

originally containing over 70 housing units, short-term rental cabins, a riverside park and glamping pads.

The plan was most recently discussed at a public hearing on Jan. 23, at which the applicants stated their intention to increase the proportion of deed-restricted units to 50%, exceeding the Town’s requirement of 30% minimum. The remaining 50% of units will be available exclusively for those who work at businesses and nonprofits located within the Valley. Additionally, per recommendations from the Roaring Fork Conservancy, a developed park/fishing area on the shore of the Roaring Fork River was nixed in favor of preserving the riparian ecosystem on the property.

Following comments and questions from the council on Jan. 23, the Black Mountain team returned with more revisions to the plan. The period for which non-deed restricted units will be reserved for Roaring Fork Valley employees (referred to as the First Tracks Program) has been increased to 90 days. Per council’s request, all eight glamping pads have been removed. The total residential unit count has also been reduced to 64, from 72, removing overall site density and also helping to reduce traffic — one of the council's primary concerns.

The applicant also performed a traffic analysis to re-evaluate daily vehicle trips after these new changes, which shows a 29% reduction in projected daily trips as well as a 39% to 65% reduction of trips during peak morning and afternoon hours.

Regarding concerns from the council about

accessibility to the site by emergency services, the applicant’s engineer drafted design improvements to the Emma Road/Highway 82 intersection, which were sent to and approved by the Colorado Department of Transportation.

Currently, the plan still features three main areas: the 64 housing units, an open space and 12 short-term rental “river cabins,” stated by the applicant to be a critical component for the financial success of the project, which also enables the 50% proportion of deedrestricted housing. Additionally, the site will feature a full-time manager for whom on-site housing will be provided.

During a busy period for public comment, most comments were in favor of Black Mountain’s current plan. Many of those who voiced their support were business owners and representatives of public organizations, such as the Roaring Fork Fire Rescue Authority and the Basalt Public Schools, arguing that any housing either affordable or held specifically for their workers is a huge boon and a rare opportunity. Two residents of Emma Road did, however, voice additional concerns about traffic density.

Councilor David Knight argued that although the First Tracks Program may work in the short-term to provide housing for Basalt locals, a priority for locals should exist in perpetuity. Council more generally asked for a closer look at the Emma/82 intersection, with traffic remaining a primary concern.

While Councilor Elyse Hottel abstained, the Town Council unanimously approved the development’s sketch plan review, meaning that the development will now be entering its preliminary planning phase.

Commissioners intend to take control of library board appointments

By Amy Hadden Marsh Sopris Sun Correspondent

The Garfield County Public Library District (GCPLD) was the topic of the open public comment period at Monday’s commissioner meeting. Library board president Adrian Rippy-Sheehy presented the commissioners (BOCC) with several updates, including an overview of the recent library-sponsored housing forum at the Ute Theater in Rifle, which the BOCC did not attend. Rippy-Sheehy said the event was recorded and is available at www.riflenow.org/ communityvideos.

She mentioned a library board retreat and stated that notice of applications for the vacant board position for the Rifle District was posted on Friday, Feb. 23. She said the application deadline is March 23 and interviews will be conducted at the regular library board meeting on April 4 in Glenwood Springs at 2pm. Commissioner Tom Jankovsky said he wanted more than one person brought in front of the BOCC for consideration and that he would like to see all the applications “because it’s our responsibility.” RippySheehy suggested that the BOCC attend the interviews. “We’ve got a process of being fair and equitable to everyone and those will be spelled out,” she added. “But I’m not going to send those applicants to you prior to our meeting.” The commissioners agreed, but later changed their tune.

John Lepkowski told the BOCC that he applied for the library board vacancy and that he returned all 35 of the Manga books he had checked out of the Silt Library, ostensibly to protect the community from what he considers to be pornographic content.

At the end of Monday’s meeting, the BOCC went into executive session with the county attorney to discuss library board appointment issues. After about 20 minutes, they emerged with an action item.

“Mr. Chair, I would like to move that this board directs staff that we take over the appointment…” blurted Jankovsky, quickly correcting himself. “Not ‘take over’,” he said. “That we take control of the appointments to the library board, which means advertising, looking at the applications and looking at all of the potential applicants to be on the board, and that we do that immediately for the position that’s vacant right now in Rifle.”

Jankovsky said that this move is in line with what the BOCC does with other county boards and is “standard operating procedure.”

“So, we’re not stepping outside of our authority to do this,” said Martin. It was a unanimous decision in favor of the idea.

A letter (www.tinyurl.com/GarCoLibraryLetter) was drafted by the county attorney Monday afternoon, signed by Martin, sent to Rippy-Sheehy, and, upon request, was also sent to The Sopris Sun. It states “The BOCC has determined it will be advertising, accepting applications, interviewing, and appointing the trustee for the Rifle area to sit on the GCPLD Board of Trustees. Please modify your posting to reflect this decision by the BOCC. Please forward any applications the GCPLD received to the BOCC. You will be notified of the date and time for the interviews should you and the other trustees wish to participate in this process.”

GCPLD Executive Director Jamie LaRue told The Sopris Sun on Monday, before the letter was sent, that the trustees received no advance notice

of the BOCC’s direction. “Nor have we yet received any formal communications from them about this sudden break in longstanding practice. It is a cause for concern,” he said in an email.

It is uncertain if this will change the original timeline for trustee application deadlines and interviews.

Other news

The BOCC approved a resolution opposing the relocation of the Grand Junction U.S. Postal Service (USPS) Processing and Distribution Center to Denver. The USPS is taking comments on the move through March 8 at surveymonkey.com/r/mpfr-grand-junction-co.

continues on page 20

RFSD announces superintendent finalists

By Jeanne Souldern Sopris Sun Correspondent

The Roaring Fork School District (RFSD) Board of Education met online on Feb. 27 for a special meeting with one action item on the agenda: to approve finalists for the district superintendent position.

They are current RFSD Interim Superintendent Dr. Anna Cole, Aspen School District Assistant Superintendent Tharyn Mulberry and Brush School District RE-2J Superintendent Bill Wilson.

The superintendent search, which began in mid-December, now enters its final stages, with finalists touring the district and engaging with community members, including participating in focus groups with Spanish-speaking and student-led sessions and school tours in Basalt, Carbondale and Glenwood Springs.

The position became open after the Oct. 23, 2023, resignation of thenSuperintendent Dr. Jesús Rodríguez. On Oct. 25, the board unanimously accepted his resignation agreement, which included a clause for the district to pay him a $144,182.43 lump sum.

Before his resignation, Rodríguez, who joined the district in July 2022, had been on parental leave under the

Family and Medical Leave Act since mid-August.

Cole joined RFSD’s executive team in 2021 as chief of student and family services, overseeing the Family Resource Center, Integrated Health Services, Early Childhood, Counseling and Mental Health, and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

She has also served as the interim superintendent since mid-August when Rodríguez went on parental leave.

According to her résumé, in 2017, Cole joined the Roaring Fork Schools as a project specialist and wellness coordinator, and from 2019 to 2021 was

director of the Family Resource Center.

Mulberry has been assistant superintendent for the Aspen School District since 2020 and was principal of Aspen High School from 2015 to 2020.

In February 2020, Mulberry was one of four Aspen School District superintendent finalists. That position went to Aspen’s current superintendent, David Baugh.

Wilson, currently the superintendent for Brush School District RE-2J, is, according to a Dec. 18 article in The Fort Morgan Times, resigning from that position effective June 30.

Hired by the Brush district

in 2015, Wilson previously held superintendent roles at two school districts in Kansas.

Cole is the only candidate who indicated that she speaks conversational Spanish.

Finalists will undergo a second round of interviews with the board and the RFSD superintendent search advisory committee.

Community members can meet superintendent finalists during a March 7 open house at 6:30pm at the District Office at 400 Sopris Avenue in Carbondale.

(From left to right) Anna Cole, Tharyn Mulberry, Bill Wilson. Courtesy photos

5Point inspires local middle schoolers

By Gus Richardson Youth Correspondent

Last week, 5Point Adventure Film went on a mini-tour of the Valley’s middle schools during the very first “5Point Education Week.” This reporter attended the organization’s visit to Carbondale Middle School (CMS).

I entered the CMS auditorium a bit too early and walked in on a drama class performing a scene. I tried my best to not be disruptive, but I’m guessing I didn’t go completely unnoticed as I sat in the back of the theater and pulled out my notebook and a clunky camera. I apologize to the drama class if that was, indeed, the case.

After waiting anxiously for a few minutes, I luckily got the chance to interview Luis Yllanes, the executive director of 5Point Film, on a bench outside the auditorium (we had to relocate after we were hushed by the aforementioned drama class).

“We’ve thought about how we can develop a new program that’s targeted toward middle schools, to really have an impact on students — to inspire them,” Yllanes shared when asked what the goal was for education week. “We want to bring the 5Point experience to middle schoolers.”

He elaborated that this is a trial run, to get a sense of how a similar program could play out in the future.

“We learned a lot in this first year. We’ll see how this program connects what the students think [with] what the teachers think,” stated Yllanes. “Then when we come back, because we want to do this again in the future, we’ll see how we can learn and how we can develop this so we can improve it and maybe even customize it for other schools.”

After the interview with Yllanes, the assembly began. To keep it brief, it was clearly a hit. The students were in awe watching the films and then having the opportunity to engage with the event’s host: filmmaker, conservationationist and comedian Eeland Stribling.

From this reporter’s observations, “5Point Education Week” may just be the beginning of a long-standing tradition of sharing the art of filmmaking in school settings, exposing students to the world of adventure filmmaking.

Carbondale Middle School students couldn't take their eyes off of the 5Point adventure film screenings. Photo by Gus Richardson

Christine Helling and Luis Yllanes of 5Point Film.

Photo by Gus Richardson

Eeland Stribling hosted 5Point Education Week at each of the middle schools. He is an angler, educator, wildlife biologist and a stand up comedian born and raised in Denver.

Photo by Gus Richardson

Local thespians bring ‘guerilla’ theater to the Valley

By Myki Jones Sopris Sun Correspondent

The Roaring Fork Repertory Theatre presents “One-Acts in the Stacks” at the Carbondale Library on Saturday, March 2 at 7pm. The performance is directed by local seasoned thespian William “Willie” Moseley and premiered in August at Explore Booksellers in Aspen.

The cast is composed of locals (Hattison Rensberry, Scott Elmore, Joshua Adamson and Bostyn Elswick) who play various parts in three shows: “Suppressed Desires” by Susan Glaspell and George Cram Cook, “Collect Call” by Kristin Hopkins and “The Bear” by Anton Chekhov.

Since these shows deal with adult themes, Moseley has given the series a PG-13 rating. Each play is set in a different time period: “Collect Call” is set in the modern day, “Suppressed Desires” unfolds in the early 1900s, and Chekhov’s classic takes place in the late 1800s. Each script covers themes of death, grief and dreams (and their meaning), but has a humorous element as well.

Moseley has worked with each actor in some capacity over the last couple of years, and relayed that he had these actors in mind before even selecting the plays.

“One interesting aspect, and I kind of went backwards with this process, is I had the cast before I had the shows in mind,” Moseley admitted. “Normally, you choose your plays and then look for your actors, and as I was looking for plays with small casts, I said to myself, ‘Well, I know these four actors.’”

After speaking with Rensberry, Elswick and Elmore, it was apparent they all shared in the excitement of providing a form of free theater to the Valley, moreover, in a setting that is quite accessible.

“The most rewarding part is getting to bring a new kind of theater to venues that don’t usually see it,” said Elswick. “The fact that it’s a free showcase makes it so accessible to everyone.”

Her comments were echoed by Renseberry who pointed out that there can be certain barriers that prevent some from seeing more theater.

“It’s so cool, because there's a barrier for people to see live theater in many cases. Whether it has to do with travel … or the cost, accessibility is such a great aspect,” stated Rensberry. “I'm enjoying being able to bring these shows back up and perform them in various places. Doing these shows feels so ‘guerilla,’ because we just show up and do it. If we show up and the people want to enjoy it, then they will and that's great. If not, we're going to do it anyway.”

When asked what the most challenging aspect of performing in this setting is, the cast members agreed that the proximity to the audience was an adjustment, plus having to switch between themes and characters in a short period of time.

For more information on The Roaring Fork Repertory Theatre’s endeavors, reach out to Willie Moesley at williamrogersmoesely@gmail.com For more information on the March 2 performance, visit www.gcpld.org

GarCo report continued from page 16

The BOCC heard updates from Mountain Valley Developmental Services, equine assisted learning and therapy centers WindWalkers and RIDE and the county human services department (DHS). Total EBT and EFT disbursements for January were $956,795.50.

The BOCC allocated $250,000 to the Town of New Castle for costs related to the roundabout planned for the intersection of Highway 6 and Castle Valley Boulevard. New Castle town officials said that construction begins in early March and should be completed by late November.

The Middle Colorado Watershed Council received $10,000 for annual support and $5,000 in matching funds for ongoing Grizzly Creek Fire mitigation work. The BOCC gave final approval for $100,000 from the county’s Oil and Gas Mitigation Fund Reserves for outside counsel regarding the Cumulative Impacts Rule Making with the state’s Energy & Carbon Management Commission. Martin said the BOCC is not protesting anything. “We will work with everyone as we were invited but it does cost dollars to participate.”

(Left to right) Joshua Adamson, Hattie Rensberry, Willie Moseley, Bostyn Elswick and Scott Elmore of Roaring Fork Repertory Theatre. Courtesy photo

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

B-I-G

Diana Alcantara Carbondale

The time has come - is BIG really better?

Build back, make great, ALL life is sacred!

BIG corporate mergers skilfully planned

The New World Order is close at hand.

BIG AG and B Gates buying up traditional ways

No more planting, farming, or harvesting days.

BIG pHARMa pushes billions in pills

Soothe the pains from all your ills.

DOD contracts for DEW devices

Fire from the sky burns Paradises!

BIG Blue Skies, clouds with new names? Contrails, Chemtrails - are they the same?

BLUE planet warming, marketed as fact

Speak out, ask a question? Funding gets hacked!

Fact check the Fact Checkers - where's the truth?

No critical thinking, confused youth!

BIG Fed Reserve cloaked as good advice” bank”

Digital Currency turns out to be rank.

BIG Bowl game flashes devilish motions

Teenage idols slam alcoholic potions.

Neurolink implants by Mr. Musk

God-given soul fades into the dusk.

Cherished forests needlessly cut down Even on Main Street, right downtown!

Prez election later this year

No need to worry, just pop some beer.

One World Dystopia disguised as novelty SOS! Time to awaken human sovereignty!

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

Write a river

The Colorado Water Trust is putting together its first-ever writing contest! You’re invited to submit 300 words or fewer about a river (or rivers) in the state. It can be poetry or prose; silly, serious or sweet; but should inspire your fellow Coloradans to love and care about our rivers. Illustrations and/or photos are welcome but not required. You may submit more than one entry and all ages of writers are encouraged to participate. To enter, email bdonovan@coloradowatertrust.org before midnight on April 19.

Aspen Community Foundation helps children and families thrive from Aspen to Parachute.

Edinburgh storefront, October 2023. Photo by Amy Hadden Marsh

LETTERS

incidents Jewish Coloradans have experienced since Oct. 7.

We urge the City Council to reconsider its approach to international conflicts in the future. Engaging with all affected communities, seeking diverse viewpoints and striving for a comprehensive understanding of complex issues should be prerequisites for such actions. By doing so, we can foster a community that truly reflects the values of respect, dialogue and inclusivity.

Rabbi Shira Stutman, Aspen Jewish Congregation

Rabbi Mendel Mintz, Executive Director, Aspen Jewish Community Center

Rabbi Kolby Morris-Dahary, Har Mishpacha: Jewish Congregation of Steamboat Springs

Rabbi Joel Newman, B’nai Vail

Cantor Michelle Cohn Levy, B’nail Vail

USFS protest

The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) has begun a massive redevelopment project on their Main Street property in Carbondale. This after three plus years of deceitful actions taken to minimize and disregard public input. In November 2019, USFS deceitfully bypassed the need for adequate public input by using a Categorical Exclusion of “Repair and Maintenance” reserved for minor projects, such as painting and roofing contracts. Clearly, this classification is not appropriate for a $6.3 million site redevelopment in the heart of downtown Carbondale.

In letters submitted to Colorado Congressional representatives, USFS believes this was “the appropriate level of analysis” and falsely claimed “our staff has spent significant time coordinating with the Town of Carbondale about the project since 2019.” Carbondale Trustees (BOT) submitted a letter to USFS, stating agency plans are “a rushed process” with “a lack of formal comment period.” The BOT endorses a need “to incorporate more public comments” to pursue a “mutually beneficial collaboration.”

Demolition of some of the existing buildings has begun. Efforts must be made to expose the deceitful actions USFS has conducted to bypass and disregard public input. Once public awareness is raised, USFS will have a choice. It can continue efforts to defend its lack of transparency and justify its disregard of the concerns of the local community. It also has the choice to place redevelopment plans on hold and adhere to its intention for people to “see our agency[‘s] core values of service, conservation, interdependence, diversity and safety come through in how we work with each other and our communities, tribes and partners.” We must unite and have our voices heard to save the integrity of our

beloved community for generations to come.

Please join us on March 3 at 11:30am at the Fourth Street Plaza at Main Street in Carbondale.

Jim Coddington III

MainStreet Alliance

Thank you, friends

I would like to publicly and profusely thank my dear friends, Sara Porter and Margaret Donnelly,for recently helping me achieve a very big bucket-list goal. On Saturday, Feb. 3 at 6:15am (after a brief lightning delay), I lined up to run the 2024 Rocky Raccoon 100 Endurance TrailRace in Huntsville State Park, Texas. Five laps, 100 miles and almost 32-hours later, I crossed the finish line; with just over six minutes to spare.

I would never have made it without these two amazing human beings. I signed up for this particular 100-mile race because the website described it “as the perfect race for rookie ultra-runners wanting a good setup to accomplish their goal.” Unfortunately, this description does not take in to account what happens when it pours down rain the night before and reduces the trail to mud, standing water, more mud, more standing water and even more mud.

One-hundred miles would have been grueling no matter what. But the trail conditions made it that much harder. And yet, there were Sara and Margaret every time I came in for a lap. You know you have really good friends when they fly to Texas for the weekend just to wash and dry your wet, muddy shoes repeatedly, spend 10-hours in the middle of the night coaxing and dragging your tired, grumpy, emotional self along and hike 20 miles perfectly timing out the speed you need to maintain to finish — while simultaneously coordinating your return trip home so you don’t miss your flight.

I am so grateful for these incredible friends of mine. Sara and Margaret, thank you both for helping me realize this insane goal. I am so happy I got to share the finish line with you.

Jessi Rochel Carbondale

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

The Carbondale Recreation and Community Center hosted 70 teams, approximately 280 people, for the Third Annual Puzzle and Pie Night. It was another close event — only a four-piece and eight-second difference between the first and second place teams. The Best Team Ever 2.0 finished their puzzle in 47 minutes and 23 seconds. The Puzzle Queens came in second (47:31), and the Down Valley Puzzlers came in third finishing the 513-piece puzzle in 55:41. The selected photo for the puzzle this year came from Tommy Sands and featured a Carbondale and Rural Fire Protection District fire engine in the 2023 Fourth of July Parade. We would like to thank: Portrait Puzzles, New York Pizza, Alpine Bank, Carbondale Arts, Little Blue Preschool and The Carbondale Rec Staff for making this happen. Photos and text courtesy of the Carbondale Rec Department

LEGAL

PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a Public Hearing will be held before the Carbondale Board of Trustees, acting as the Carbondale Liquor Authority, for the purpose of considering a New Liquor License Application.

The property is located at 46 N 4th St, Carbondale, CO.

The applicant is Domingo Sausage Company LLC

Said Public Hearing will be held at the Carbondale Town Hall, 511 Colorado Avenue, Carbondale, CO at 6:00 p.m. on March 12, 2024, and via Zoom.

Copies of the proposed application are on file in the town clerk’s office, Town Hall, 511 Colorado Avenue, Carbondale, CO, and may be examined by interested persons during regular working hours, 8:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.

PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a Public Hearing will be held before the Carbondale Board of Trustees, acting as the Carbondale Liquor Authority, for the purpose of considering a transfer of ownership of a retail marijuana products manufacturing facility.

The property is located at 500 Buggy Cir, LL #5 & #6, Carbondale, CO.

The applicant is Consciously Crafted LLC dba DabLogic

Said Public Hearing will be held at the Carbondale Town Hall, 511 Colorado Avenue, Carbondale, CO at 6:00 p.m. on March 12, 2024, and via Zoom.

Copies of the proposed application are on file in the town clerk’s office, Town Hall, 511 Colorado Avenue, Carbondale, CO, and may be examined by interested persons during regular working hours, 8:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.

PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a Public Hearing will be held before the Carbondale Board of Trustees, acting as the Carbondale Liquor Authority, for the purpose of considering a transfer of ownership of a retail marijuana facility.

The property is located at 303 Main St, Carbondale, CO.

The applicant is Consciously Crafted LLC dba DabLogic

Said Public Hearing will be held at the Carbondale Town Hall, 511 Colorado Avenue, Carbondale, CO at 6:00 p.m. on March 12, 2024, and via Zoom.

Copies of the proposed application are on file in the town clerk’s office, Town Hall, 511 Colorado Avenue, Carbondale, CO, and may be examined by interested persons during regular working hours, 8:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.

The Down Valley Puzzlers

The Best Team Ever 2.0

The Puzzle Queens

YOU USE. WE DONATE. THEY BENEFIT.

Like you, Alpine Bank values the arts. That's why every time you use your ARTS Loyalty Debit Card, we donate a dime to support causes that inspire creativity in our communities.

Request your Loyalty Debit Card today!

Alpine Bank debit cards are available with no annual fee to individuals with an Alpine Bank checking account.

ENJOY THE 13TH ANNUAL GREEN IS THE NEW BLACK FASHION EXTRAVAGANZA

at the Aspen Chapel Gallery in partnership with e Sopris Sun Carbondale, Colorado

A juried exhibition open to all artists from Ri e to Aspen Juried by: Lissa Ballinger and Andrew Travers

Opening reception Wednesday, February 7 from 5-7 Exhibition runs through March 2, 2024 at the Aspen Chapel, open daily 10-5 at the roundabout

Season Sponsors: Susan and Larry Marx

TKC Foundation and Arches Foundation

is exhibition is made possible in part by a grant from the rift Shop of Aspen & the Wheeler Opera House (City of Aspen) Arts Grant Program

Visit our new website at: www.aspenchapelgallery.org

Like us on Facebook • Follow us on Twitter @ A_ChapelGallery

The Aspen Chapel Gallery at the Aspen Chapel 0077 Meadowood Drive Aspen, Colorado 81611