The Independent Issue 68 by The Independent Student Press

Fort Lewis College News Magazine Issue 68

www.theindyonline.com

FREE March 2015

The Independent FLC

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The Independent FLC

Editors & Staff BUSINESS

Annamarie Glenn Rachael Padilla Elaine Severson COPY EDITING EDITOR IN CHIEF

Trevor Ogborn

BUSINESS DIRECTOR

Emma Vaughn

CHIEF COPY EDITOR

Carter Solomon

Megan Mooney Tirrell Thomas DESIGN Camden Smith Jaimee Souder

PHOTOGRAPHY

Anjelique Cato Lucy Schaefer Mariana Seserman Sean Summers

PRINT EDITOR

Deanna Atkins

ONLINE EDITOR

Lauren Hammond

SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR

Stephanie Pe単a

SOCIAL MEDIA

Mike Gertsen-Rogers REPORTING

LEAD PRINT DESIGN & PHOTO EDITOR

Hanna Maddera

ONLINE DESIGN EDITOR

Julia Volzke

VIDEO PRODUCTION EDITOR

Anthony Martin

Visit

www.theindyonline.com

for news updates, Fort Fuel videos and more! Cover photo by Hanna Maddera: The current student Exit Gallery in the Art buliding, featuring work by Jed Smith, James Piderit, and Matt Lay.

PROMOTIONS DIRECTOR

Lio Diaz

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR

Emilie von Fay

Jarred Green Soshina Harvey Andrew Hook Luke Perkins Daniel Riley Alison Uralli Catherine Wheeler BROADCAST

Lindley Gallegos Nicolas Hassinger Haylee Knippel Meryl Ramsey Mariah Suneson

From the Editor’s Desk

CONTENTS

Dear Reader,

Campus:

FLC Professors Performing in China Story by Soshina Harvey

I first joined The Independent a year ago as a reporter. Due to several mysterious circumstances, including a missing tape recorder, I somehow crossed over to the Business Department, where I somehow eventually took over as director. Not bad for someone who was originally going to take the required semester and then split.

ASFLC Prepares for Election Season Story by Catherine Wheeler

Community:

Blue Sage Music Festival Taking Big Steps Legally Story by Alison Uralli Colorado’s Attorney General Geing to Bat for State’s Rights Story by Andrew Hook

COVER STORY:

Art Senior Seminar Preparing for a Carreer in the Arts Story by Jarred Green

Environment:

Sins of the Father: Local Agencies Making Plans for What Could Be a Dry Summer Story by Luke Perkins

Outdoors:

Indy on the Street and Horoscopes!

Obviously, I haven’t left The Independent. Many of the editors and staffers in our publication have been there for a while, some since freshman year, which was somewhat intimidating when I first joined. It almost felt like I was intruding in the middle of a play, one where everyone in the audience already had their seats and the actors onstage knew their lines and had burnt all the scripts before I had gotten there. But it’s not like that. Every member brings in something new to The Indy. It is hard work, and it can be frustrating, whether it’s cancelled interviews or missing checks, but it’s also one of the most rewarding things I’ve done since starting Fort Lewis. We work hard to improve The Indy in all its forms; we print, we have a website, and we’re on social media. Each staffer, from copy editor to our design team, has the power to make or break us. And though we aren’t perfect, we’re definitely not broken. So whether you stayed for a semester or for years, I want to thank everyone who either is or has ever been a part of The Indy. Without you, it wouldn’t be what it is today. And thank you, reader. Thank you for being an active citizen, for picking up this newsmagazine and informing yourself of at least a few current events on campus. Thank you for making us want to make our publication the best it can be. Cheers,

FLC Students Plan to Hike Fourteeners to Raise Awareness about Mental Illness Story by Daniel Riley

Entertainment:

First off, congratulations on your fine taste in reading material. Second, and more importantly, let me sincerely thank you for picking up the 68th issue of The Independent.

Emma Vaughn Business Director

CAMPUS

FLC Professors Performing in China Story by Soshina Harvey

Photos by Lucy Schaefer

Design by Camden Smith

r. Mark Walters, a saxophone and clarinet professor, and Dr. Lisa Campi Walters, a pianist professor, both in the Fort Lewis College music department, have accepted an 11 day visit to China to experience and share cultural differences between both countries through music. Both professors plan to leave May 7 on a flight to Denver, then to Seattle and will board a nonstop flight to Beijing, which will be more than a 12 hour flight altogether, Mark Walters said. The idea behind this trip to China was proposed by an FLC student and musician, Tong Wang, a senior at FLC who is graduating this semester, Campi Walters said. Wang will be interpreting for the Walters’ throughout the trip, Mrs. Walters said. Wang invited both professors because they made a major impact on his life, both with music and non-music related issues, Mr. Walters said.

“Foreign exchange programs have always interested me and I see this as a great opportunity for China to have American professors lecturing and teaching to show a different background in music,” Wang said. It is with hopes to open up conversations about future exchange students from China to come to FLC, Mr. Walters said. This may also open the door for future FLC students to study music in China one day, he said. Wang’s parents are relatively associated with facilities at Shandong Normal University located in Jinan City, Mr. Walters said. “They encouraged us to go to China to perform in a concert, recitals, teach and lecture in our field of music.” Wang’s parents proposed an outline on what to teach and lecture on for six hours a day, as well as performing recitals, he said. “My objective lectures are centered on sharing the American culture originating from jazz and blues,” he said. “Mainly what I teach here I plan to share with students at Shandong Normal University.” As the pianist, Mrs. Walters will be performing solo recitals, while working hands on with students and giving lessons, also open to the public, known as the master class, she said. “We will both be sharing American culture music with the students at Shandong Normal University,” she said. Once arriving in China, they plan to rest and adjust to the timing for two days in Beijing, she said. After the two day rest they plan to travel to Jinan City where they will begin their performing and lecturing at Shandong Normal University. “At the same time we would like to learn about how the education system works at the university,” Mr. Walters said. “So far we have been told classes regularly run for three hours long without a break.”

Mrs. Walters is interested in understanding how different piano lessons are taught in China based on how much each student practices, what specific techniques or technical approaches they take in piano, what textbooks they use and to see how music is taught based on their culture, she said. Mr. Walters would like to experience what type of music the students in China are exposed to and learn about their traditional tunes, he said. He also wants to know if they are exposed to jazz, blues and 21st century music in general. In doing their own research, the Walter’s are learning the basics in the language and culture, Mrs. Walters said. “I would like to represent FLC as a well-rounded liberal arts college, that FLC is a facility filled with instructors willing to have a close connection with students and helping them understand music,” she said. “Organizing this trip is a challenge, the country wanted more publicity information about each of us such as pictures, biographies and our passports are to be sent to China before we actually leave the country,” Mr. Walters said. As far as expenses, both professors invested in paying for their own flights, hotels and transportation, but the expense is still unknown and in process, he said. While visiting China, both professors are to be given a tour by Wang of the Great Wall, the Bird Nest, the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, Shanghai and Mount Tai and will experience authentic Chinese food, Mrs. Walters said. “It is once in a lifetime opportunity for us because when will we ever have someone navigate us around in a country we are not familiar with and it is our chance to see China through music and a great student,” Mr. Walters said.

Dr. Walters, a saxophone and clarinet professor, instructing a alto-saxophone student, Katie Patton. Dr. Lisa Campi Walters, a pianist professor, instructing a piano student.

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Both professors witll be travelling to China to experience musical cultural difference and learn from the Chinese musical culture.

ASFLC Prepares for

Election Season T Story by Catherine Wheeler

Photo by Sean Summers

Design by Camden Smith

he Associated Students of Fort Lewis College is preparing for their yearly elections. All senatorial positions are up for reelection, as well as the president and vice president executive positions. There are 15 senate positions available for students seeking office. Qualifications for running for student government require that students running are full-time students, meaning that students are taking minimally 12 credit hours, Haydn Collard, current ASFLC speaker of the senate and election chair, said. Freshmen and transfer students must have completed at least 12 credit hours at FLC and additionally, each student must have a minimum GPA of 2.0, Collard said. Each person seeking to run for office must fill out a nomination packet and return it by March 2, he said. That evening at 6 p.m., a candidate meeting is scheduled in the Senate Chambers. “After turning in the nomination packets, candidates are vetted to make sure they meet all of the requirements,” he said. By March 15, all prospective candidates will be notified if they have been deemed eligible to run, he said. On March 30, the ASFLC will sponsor a lunch forum in the Student Union, where students can ask questions directly to those running. Additionally, the ASFLC will hold a dinner forum in the San Juan Dining Room on April 1. With the recent passing of the ASFLC’s student fee for senatorial scholarships, the news has created more of an incentive to run for student government. “We have seen an increase in student interest,” he said. “People are stopping by more often who are not already a part of ASFLC that want to run.” Collard says he hopes the scholarship will help to create a more focused forum, with students asking relevant questions to those seeking to represent students. More information about the senatorial scholarship can be found online at theindyonline.com. Thus far, only current senators have expressed considerable interest in running for executive positions.

Senator Lauren Hammond, a junior, is running for ASFLC president, alongside junior and current senator Ana Moran as vice president. Moran believes experiences in student government and Student Union Productions have allowed her to gain knowledge in what students want and need from their leaders. “I’ve been able to speak and meet with a lot of students and understand what they expect,” she said. As for goals for office, Moran wants to strengthen student involvement, along with the presence of ASFLC on campus. “I want to affect campus wide change,” she said. Additionally, current senators, sophomore Mercedes Romero and junior Melba Njenga, are running for president and vice president, respectively. Both Romero and Njenga have experience participating in Registered Student Organizations, with Njenga serving in various leadership roles in clubs, which they believe supports their campaign, she said in an email. During their time in office, Romero and Njenga would like to build stronger relationships with the underrepresented parts of campus, such as the Native American Center and El Centro, Njenga said in an email.

“The reason to why we are running is because we are very passionate about student issues, and we would like to make that connection between the student body and student government in regards to issues they feel need to be addressed,” she said via email. Voting will take place from April 6-8. Students can vote in booths in the Student Union or on any campus computer, Collard said.

Upcoming Dates March 15 Candidates will be notified if they have been deemed eligible to run. March 30 The ASFLC sponsored lunch forum in the Student Union. April 1 The ASFLC dinner forum in the San Juan Dining Room. April 6-8 Voting will take place. *Note: All candidates running are subject to change, as nominations packets and decisions about running do not have to be made until March 2.

ASFLC meetings are located in the Senate Chambers. The

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COMMUNITY

Blue Sage Mesa Music Festival Taking Big Steps Legally

Photos courtesy of Magena Marzonie & Stella Green

he grassroots organizers of the Blue Sage Mesa music festival scheduled on April 17, 18 and 19 must apply for a land use application permit this year in order to keep the event going. Since April 20, 2011, students of Fort Lewis College have congregated on for music, arts and the outdoors at the Blue Sage Mesa music festival. The gathering was first held at Vallecito, until the department of agriculture confronted the attendees and told them they could not use the public land for such large scale events, Charles Henry, FLC student, musician, and festival organizer, said. The festival was then moved to a private plot of land on the Blue Sage Mesa in Hesperus, owned by farmer and massage therapist Carl Cordell in 2013, Henry said. After two successful years at Blue Sage Mesa, plans were made to host a fall festival called the Musical Potato Festival, and that’s when things got complicated, he said. A week before the festival was set to take place, Henry received a letter from the La Plata County Board of County Commissioners, he said. The letter stated the county’s awareness of the upcoming festival and the previous festivals that had been held, he said. The county originally threatened to charge Cordell and Henry $1,000 in fines for every day of the previous permit-less festivals if they put on the fall edition, so Henry had to cancel the festival, he said. “They basically said if you put on this festival we will charge you, or you could apply for permits and we can move forward in a legitimate way,” Henry said. The festival is applying for a Temporary Land Use Development permit which is $200 to apply for, and requires information on acreage, water source, sanitary disposal, access to site, and the number of cars

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Story by Alison Uralli

Design by Mike Gertsen-Rogers

quiring them to clear the event with anyone within 500 feet of property lines, he said. Usually, the most important issue with this kind of application is whether or not it will disturb the neighbors, John Deagan, a county planner, said. “There’s no one that lives within a half mile or so of the property, so its far enough away where From left to right: Madeleine Froncek-z, Cameron Beamer, we’re really not going to and Travis Moore warm up for interrupt anybody,” Cortheir performance under their dell said. “It’s the perfect band name, “Cactopus”, at place.” last year’s Blue Sage Music The current obstacle Festival. is timing the driveway permitting and construcand anticipated attendees, he said. tion, but this can be solved by having plans “I don’t look at the county as an enemy for a driveway approved before the permit of the festival, because they’re working with is issued, Deagan said. us,” he said. “It’s all environmental concerns “Charlie and company have been very and safety concerns, so I’m completely in cooperative and a pleasure to work with,” support of this, I just wish we would have he said. “I’m looking forward to getting an gotten started with it sooner.” application submittal from them.” The permit process has been somewhat If the permit is approved, this years fesdifficult because of rumors that had cirtival will be held April 17, 18 and 19 at Blue culated about events at the festival, Henry Sage Mesa in Hesperus. said. “There was a rumor that someone overdosed last year and that there was an ambulance dispatched there, and I can tell you that didn’t happen with us, I was there the whole time,” he said. It could be argued that the festival fosters a party environment, but the festival is meant to be about community, he said. “I think there’s an unspoken code of safety, and we need to really impress to the kids if anyone gets hurt or anyone gets in trouble, we’ll never get to do this again,” Cordell said. “The kids last year knew that, and we’re committed to making sure this years crowd does.” Some complaints from one or two neighbors about previous events held on the land have also been addressed in Henry A participant of last year’s festivities at the Blue Sage Music Festival. and Cordell’s meetings with the county, re-

Colorado's Attorney General Going to Bat for State's Rights Story by Andrew Hook

Photo by Hanna Maddera

Design by Mike Gertsen-Rogers

ebraska and Oklahoma’s attorneys general are suing the state of Colorado in order to get a repeal on the legalization of recreational marijuana, but the question remains whether the federal laws negate Colorado’s agency to govern its own policies. “Colorado took a federally recognized Schedule One illegal drug, as defined by the Controlled Substances Act of 1970 and launched into what Colorado officials are finding is uncharted territory,” Suzanne Gage, communications director of the Nebraska attorney general’s office, said in an email. “One of government’s primary purposes is to protect its citizens from known harm,” Doug Peterson, Nebraska’s attorney general, said. At current, Colorado’s marijuana enterprise is doing harm to Nebraskans, making it incumbent upon the Attorney General’s Office to take action, Peterson said. “It is not Nebraska’s position to stand idle and watch Colorado’s failed experiment as it spills over to our state,” he said. Carolyn A. Tyler, the public information officer and communications director for Colorado’s attorney general, said she was not at liberty to discuss the lawsuit because it has become a matter of litigation, although she was able to say they will defend our marijuana laws and represent its clients. The War on Drugs in the United States has been going on since the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, Peterson said. In that time the federal government has spent over a trillion dollars on combating substance use, which has done very little to reduce the overall trafficking and use of marijuana in this country as a whole, Michael Elliott, esq. executive director of the Marijuana Industry Group. Colorado’s legalization of recreational marijuana use, and the Department of Justice’s leniency on the enforcement of federal law has perpetuated the development of a multi-million dollar impairment industry, Peterson said. The Marijuana Industry Group argues that forcing Colorado to repeal its current

policies would negate its ability to govern its own laws, a total infringement of civil liberties and states’ rights, Elliott said. Neither Oklahoma’s attorney general Scott Pruitt or his public information staff, have provided a formal statement, at time of publish. Although, in a recent press release, a few of the Oklahoma Republican Senators asked for the lawsuit to be withdrawn because the lawsuit is attacking states’ rights, Elliott said. Republicans advocate for states’ rights, especially concerning civil liberties, and this lawsuit completely undermines Colorado’s state rights, he said. Many of the other arguments made by Peterson and his constituents cite several studies of the harmful side-effects of the legalization of marijuana. Statistics are showing that here in Colorado teen use is down, traffic fatalities are down, and violent crimes are all down, which were the main concerns and arguing points from Colorado officials who opposed to legalization, Elliott said. Colorado’s recreational marijuana industry is an exploitative business seeking to shift the public’s perception to believe that the substance is harmless, all the while making its products increasingly more potent, Peterson said. The big concern however is the amount of marijuana product crossing Colorado’s borders, he said. Law enforcement statistics from the Nebraska State Patrol report that trafficking of Colorado’s marijuana product in their state has approximately doubled compared to that from Mexico and California, Peterson said. The state and county law enforcement costs continue to rise, he said. No comment was available to the amount of revenue that the state generates from the prosecution fees and fines of traffickers. A current trend right now in Colorado’s bordering states is an increase in law enforcement because of hyper-awareness of the marijuana issue right now, Elliott said. Seeing a rise in the amount of mari-

juana product coming in from Colorado is in direct proportion to the increase in law enforcement. Ideally, the citizens of Colorado would repeal this law, following the lead of five of its cities that have already voted to ban recreational use, Peterson said. Repealing the marijuana laws in Colorado is almost sure to result in higher prosecution rates, leading to a likely increase in imprisonment, Elliott said. The U.S. already has the highest incarceration rate in the world, a fact that seems to render the $45 year-trillion per year expenditure somewhat wasteful, he said. The problem with marijuana prohibition is that its a product that has been widely available across the U.S. since before the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, and the position that Colorado has taken has greatly reduced gang and cartel trafficking and connected violent crimes, he said. Is it not better for states to be able to regulate and tax the product, rather than having it trafficked as undocumented revenue, he said. “Repeal in Colorado is made more difficult because commercial enterprise has been unleashed and tax revenue is now being generated,” Peterson said. According to “Business Insider,” Colorado has the fastest growing economy in the U.S., Elliot said. Although there is no way to prove that marijuana is the sole cause of that boom, it is safe to say that the concerns of marijuana legalization hurting the economy have been disproved, he said.

Marijuana can be purchased at recreational retail shops in town, if the consumer is over the age of 21.

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COVER STORY

Art Senior Seminar Preparing for a career in the arts

The Art building is constantly displaying student work from most classes on boards found in the halls.

The Exit Gallery is a space for students to showcase their work.

Story by Jarred Green

enior students in the art department are preparing themselves for the end of their academic career at Fort Lewis College. The art department at FLC provides three different capstone courses for students majoring in the different sections of art, Chad Colby, chair of the art and design department, said. The purpose of these courses is to provide an easier transition from working in the classroom into obtaining careers in art, Colby said. The different capstone courses provided are for art K-12 teaching option, graphic design and studio art and business, he said. Every class has its hands-on projects as well as seminars, he said. In the seminar portion, students participate in discussions on topics relevant to their field such as copyright or running a

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The current title of the gallery is “Creative Collective: Keepin’ it Weird.”

Photos by Anjelique Cato and Mariana Sesserman business, Colby said. Each course focuses on the individual needs for each major and the portfolios needed to showcase students’ original works, he said. The K-12 course, Art Media and Methods for Teachers, prepares students for teaching their own class, he said. Students are required to create a portfolio of lesson plans they will teach to a class. The graphic design course, Portfolio and Campaign Design, has students work on their professional portfolio by updating pre-existing works, make new work based off of a campaign to promote an event and build a website for themselves, he said. This course helps students build a sharp portfolio where they can enter the graphic design art, he said The studio and business course is more seminar based, he said. There is more dis-

Design by Jaimee Souder cussion about certain issues that students might encounter when entering a career in the arts. Students are also writing artist statements about their own work, along with resumes, cover letters and grant writing, Colby said. This course provides students experience with professional practices in their careers in art, Amy Wendland, professor of the art senior seminar, said. “It’s one thing to have a dream, it’s another thing to follow a dream and it’s a third thing to build a dream,” Wendland said. As a part of their capstone courses, art students put together an art exhibition, Colby said. “Business students teamed up with the graphic design students share the main gallery and curate a show of their work,” he said.

Students also create a website as one of their final projects, he said. The website students are creating is a portfolio website showcasing their best works, Wendland said. “A website based on their own work is a valuable tool to have upon graduation,” Colby said. Students must create an appropriate website in terms of its look and usability and content for whatever their desired goal is, Wendland said. Students have different goals when it comes to what they want to do with their major, she said. There are many career options available for students entering the field of art. In the art senior seminar, there are students that are interested in jobs as a director in a nonprofit art center, curator, craft artists, large scale public artists, artist representatives, commercial artists, illustrators and animators, she said. Certain assignments are adjusted to suit the needs of students that do not fit into the specific outlines of the senior seminar course, Wendland said. “This is so that they can get something that is going to be useful for them,” she said.

The website provides a platform for the public to see a student’s work, Sam Merwin, a student enrolled in the art senior seminar course, said. In the senior seminar course, students have already bought domain names and access to user websites to begin creating a personal website, Merwin said. “Because I don’t want to be an artist, my website will be as if I’m handling my first artist,” she said. As well as the website, students have a capstone project, she said. Fifteen hours of internship related to the students’ specific major are needed to complete a capstone project, she said. “For my capstone project, I’m planning to go to Denver and help an artist that is in the Denver Art Museum catalog his work,” Merwin said. The art senior seminar is a culmination course to see what knowledge and skills students have with them by the time they are due to graduate, Wendland said. Senior seminar helps students find out what their goals are and the steps they need to take to achieve those goals, she said. To learn who you are, what your work is, where it fits in the world and how to get somebody

to pay for it. The art department provides practical real world advice about a large field so students will be knowledgeable if they decide to change what they want to do, Wendland said. Students’ presentations can be seen April 13 in art room 170, Merwin said. The student run graduating senior art exhibition will be from April 17 to May 1, Colby said.

Art sudents work on carboard bugs to decorate the Art building.

Art classes are usually handson work time accompanied by specified lecture times.

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ENVIRONMENT

sins of th local agencies making plans for Story by Luke Perkins

Photo by Hanna Maddera

Design by Hanna Maddera

Durango winter that has seen below average snowfall could have the community facing what might be a very active fire season. “There is a great deal less snow in the mountains above us than we would normally anticipate,” Hal Doughty, deputy chief of operations for Durango Fire and Rescue, said. This is not a recent development, however, as southwest Colorado is in the midst of a long-term drought, Richard Bustamante, Forest Fire Management Officer for the San Juan National Forest, said. “We are coming into spring with a lot lower moisture content in the fuels than what we would consider to be average,” Doughty said. Generally moisture content of fuels, that is trees, grass, bushes and other burnable materials, start out high in the spring and as summer progresses they begin to fall, he said. That is not what local agencies are anticipating this year. “If we don’t get moisture we’re setting up for a potentially large fire season,” Bustamante said. Last year La Plata County found itself

in a similar situation, but fortuitous spring rains helped to keep the fire season at an average level, he said. Neither Durango Fire nor the Forest Service are counting on such luck this year. “We have to be well prepared to deal with the advent of a large fire within this community,” Doughty said. Durango Fire will be doing this by hiring on two crews of seasonal wildland fire specialists to supplement its standing career and volunteer response staff, he said. These crews will serve not only within the community, but will also potentially be deployed onto large incidents outside of La Plata County. “We’ll manage their availability to go out on state, regional, and national fires, based on what we feel our risk is here at home,” Doughty said. In addition to the resources available from local agencies for fire suppression and management, there are new aerial resources being made available by the state legislature, he said. New resources made available include helicopters, and single engine air tankers, which are fixed-wing airplanes that are used to gather reconnaissance on fires and

make retardant drops on or around the fire. Also made available by this new funding are two multi-mission aircraft, which are larger airplanes that make use of thermal imaging cameras to ascertain the location of fires by looking through the smoke and viewing the heat from the fire itself, Doughty said. This new allocation to wildfire management shows that the state government is aware of the history of significant fires in Colorado, and the potential for more, Doughty said. “They’re getting in the game and helping us out,” he said. However, there is more that factors into a large wildfire season than just low fuel moisture contents and fire suppression staff. Fire management of public lands has historically been done under an aggressive fire suppression policy, Bustamante said. While this policy solved problems at the time, it has passed down a host of new challenges. “Unfortunately, Smokey the Bear programs have worked so well, and we’ve not let forests burn as they’re supposed to, that now we’ve got extreme excess of fuel in our

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The trees on Wolf Creek Pass are particularly vulnerable to fire becasuse of drought and beetlekill.

he father r what could be a dry summer peaks, the city of Durango can use over 9 million gallons a day, he said. This number includes water used for drinking, sewage, lawn care and emergencies, such as a structure fire, Salka said. Environmental factors heavily affect whether or not the utilities department can fill Durango Regulatory Reservoir, from which water to be purified is drawn, he said

“fire is definitely the easiest, cheapest way to help restore our landscapes.” - richard busmante This reservoir holds a maximum of 74.1 million gallons of water, but the utilities department hopes to increase this storage capacity over the spring by lowering the water level and removing built up sediment, he said. This is just one of the many steps being taken to ensure adequate water is available for the cities needs. This includes proper maintenance of existing equipment, such as pumps located at the Santa Rita Water treatment plant, that supplement water taken from the Lemon Reservoir, and installation redundancy equipment and facilities to ensure proper functioning should something fail and meet state requirements, he said.

Currently Durango’s dependence on water supplied by Lemon reservoir ranges from 85 to 100 percent depending on the season, Salka said. With plans in the future to drain Lemon Reservoir for maintenance of the dam, this dependence could have dire implications. “I’m trying to cross all my t’s and dot all my i’s so that when they empty that reservoir I can get water up to our reservoir to keep the city going” Salka said. A key ingredient to maintaining adequate water levels will be the purposed Animas La Plata Project pipeline, which will allow water to be pumped at the ALP pumphouse to be sent across the river to the water treatment plant at Santa Rita, he said. The reservoir can be further supplemented by water taken from Lake Nighthorse, which Durango has water rights to, Salka said. “It’s a juggling act to make sure you have everything up and operational to ensure for the summer I think we are going to have this year,” he said. Of course all of this is subject to change depending on how the winter and spring progress. “I learned a long time ago not to guess what mother nature is going to do,” Doughty said.

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public lands,” Doughty said. The understanding of fire and its role as a catalyst in ecosystems is evolving. This has allowed a move away from a stance of all-out fire suppression, characterized by the “10 AM Policy” the Forest Service adopted in 1935, which stipulated that all fires should be contained and controlled by 10 a.m. the day after their discovery. Today’s Forest Service believes in the possibility of managing fire for resource benefit in areas where fuel are at critical levels, Bustamante said. “Fire is definitely the easiest, cheapest way to help restore our landscapes,” he said. However, the unpredictable nature of fire and the weather conditions experienced in southwestern Colorado over the past several years presents difficulties in managing forests in this way, he said. “Even when we get good moisture years, like we did last year, that’s not enough,” Bustamante said, “We need several of those in a row to catch up.” The fire department and Forest Service are not the only industries that are directly affected by the lower than normal snowpack this year. “I’m marching to the weather drummer,” Steve Salka, Utilities Director for the city of Durango, said. During the summer, when water usage

OUTDOORS

FLC Students Plan to Hike Fourteeners to Raise Awareness about Mental Illness Steamboat Springs

Denver Glenwood Springs

Grand Junction Colorado Springs

Gunnison

Pueblo

MAP OF FOURTEENERS IN COLORADO

Durango

Story by Daniel Riley

Graphic by Hanna Maddera

Design by Hanna Maddera

his summer, a group of eight current and former Fort Lewis College students will embark upon a ten-week expedition where they will attempt to hike to the summits of all 54 of the 14,000-foot peaks in Colorado, which are commonly referred to as fourteeners. The purpose of the trip, named the Climb Out of the Darkness expedition, is not simply to get to the top of these mountains, but to help raise awareness for the is-

sue of mental health in Colorado through this challenging endeavor. Anthony Reinert, a senior at FLC and team leader for COTD, said he began the planning for this trip during the summer of 2014, hoping to put all of his experience in the outdoors to good use. “We conceived this idea of climbing fourteeners on the river in Colorado,” Reinert said. “We seek to make that happen but in the fashion of using our passion and our

energy for something greater, and that’s to raise awareness for mental health issues in Colorado, thus the allusion Climb Out of the Darkness.” Reinert is an Eagle Scout, has throughhiked the entirety of the Appalachian Trail, canoed from the headwaters of the Mississippi River all the way to the Gulf of Mexico, and biked from Chicago to Los Angeles and all along the West Coast, he said. On his cross-country bicycle trip,

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try, such as the Pacific Crest Trail, Reinert said. McClure said he gained his necessary experience through a course he took through the National Outdoor Leadership School in Patagonia, Chile. “We want to take what we love to do and use that energy and that passion to aid something greater than ourselves. It gives a dynamic to the experience that is overwhelmingly positive and huge," - Anthony Reinert In this program, McClure was able to learn technical skills needed to camp in the mountains for an extended period of time, he said. “We want to take what we love to do and use that energy and that passion to aid something greater than ourselves. It gives a dynamic to the experience that is overwhelmingly positive and huge,” Reinert said. Both McClure and Reinert said they have had experience with loved ones combating depression, bipolar disorder and other forms of mental illness. “There’s not a single person that hasn’t, either knowingly or unknowingly, been touched by a victim of mental illness in society,” Reinert said. “People love to write

about adventure and climbing mountains, but mental health is not something that we talk about a lot. That’s the awareness component.” Reinert’s website for the project, cotdexpedition.wix.com, states the team intends to spread information about mental illness through media coverage of the trek and through their corporate sponsors, he said. They also hope to help individuals find organizations that aid with the treatment of these disorders. “We don’t need more people being aware of that fact that people are climbing fourteeners,” McClure said. “We need more people aware that depression and bipolar disorder and all of these different things are not cases that are just far out of the mind, they’re cases that people deal with all the time.” Reinert said the trip will be a success in his eyes even if they are only able to raise enough awareness to help one person learn more about mental illness. According to Reinert’s website, it states, “We want to gather a group of people to provide support for those with mental health illnesses and help them live better lives; as one body, we hope to contribute as much as we can to making the state of Colorado, the United States of America and the entire world a better and happier place.”

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Reinert raised awareness for breast cancer, a disease that both of his grandmothers had suffered from, he said. Reinert was able to use what he had learned from that experience to do something similar with the COTD project, he said. “I think the realization came quickly that this could be something more than just a ‘bros drinking beer and climbing mountains’ trip,” Ryan McClure, a senior at FLC and the technical specialist for the expedition, said. Trips of this nature can seem very selfish to some, but doing it all for a cause can make the experience enriching and fulfilling on a new level for everyone involved, Reinert said. “These endeavors are selfish,” Reinert said. “You go out for a personal reason, you take yourself away from loved ones and put yourself in harm’s way very willingly, not for nothing, but for yourself. That can be hard to reconcile sometimes.” Because of the highly technical and physical nature of the expedition, all eight members of the trip must have a lot of experience in different realms of outdoor exploration and recreation. These participants’ accomplishments range from scientific research-based canoe trips to through-hikes of some of the most challenging backpacking trails in the coun-

ENTERTAINMENT

Indy on the Street What are your thoughts on Durango Mountain Resort changing back to its origional name?

AARON KING Grand Junction, CO 23 I’ve always know DMR as Purgatory, most people I know have too so I don’t think the name change is a big deal.

CODIE GAFFRI Parker, CO 21 I didn’t know the name changed, but I see it as a good thing.

HOROSCOPES

An unoffical statement written by an Indy staff member. ARIES (March 21 – April 19): Embrace your inner zen and try centering yourself by briefly meditating throughout the day. Repeat this mantra: “Ice cream exists... Ice cream exists...”

c D E F G H I J K L A B

TAURUS (March 20 – May 20): Snow angels are so right now. Er, I mean, so cold. I suggest giving into this current trend and spreading your wings in the snow.

CANCER (June 21 – July 22): Be extra cautious while driving, especially because the winter weather finally started kicking in. Don’t you dare pick up your cell phone to text your hunnie, pay attention!

CRAIG SHORT Durango, CO 25 Being a local I think it’s pretty awesome that it’s going back to what I’ve always known it as.

RACHEL FAUGHT Durango, CO 20 I’m pretty neutral towards it.

GEMINI (May 21 – June 20): Get your energy back up by doing something active. Try going up to the mountain to go skiing, or doing some jumping jacks in your dorm room, or simply running across campus because you woke up late and your exam starts in 1 minute.

LEO (July 23 – August 22): Send a family member a handwritten letter. Include something you’ve been working hard on in your academic life, so they can hang it up on their fridge and boast about you during dinner parties. VIRGO (August 23 – September 22): If you’re a cooking novice, try following a recipe and hosting a potluck for a few friends. Cookings isn’t as scary as it seems. LIBRA (September 23 – October 22): When experiencing intense emotions, let them wash over you like a wave. Do not try to avoid them, and do not try to make them stay. Invite each feeling to come and go. SCORPIO (October 23 – November 21): Break out of your social circle and make a new friend. It’s helpful to have friends in your field of study, so say hi to your neighbor in class. SAGITTARIUS (November 22 – December 21): You may not be a morning person, but wake up earlier than usual for some “me time.” Listen to some music, drink some coffee, or simply just watch the sunrise.

CAPRICORN (December 22 – January 19): A really friendly neighborhood cat might try to rub up on your leg this week. Be a friend and give them a nice pat on the head.

ZACH GINGERICH Parker, CO 20 It’s always been Purgatory to me, so I feel like it should go back to normal and keep tradition.

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AQUARIUS (January 20 – February 18): What song fills you with nostalgia? Spend a few minutes today listening to this song, letting the memories seep into your skin.

PISCES (February 19 – March 20): It’s winter, so you might be missing submerging yourself in the river water with the hot sun on your face. But not to fear, little Pisces, there is a pool on campus.

RECIPE: SMOKED SALMON AND VEGETABLE QUINOA SALAD

INGREDIENTS: 1 cup quinoa (an ancient grain) 1 small bundle of spinach leaves 1 cucumber (6 in long) 2 tomatoes (2 in diameter) 1/2 onion (2 1/2 in diameter) 1 small package of smoked salmon (32 oz or 85 g) 1 package of crumbled feta 1/3 cup olive oil 1 tbsp olive oil 1 tsp dijon mustard

Adapted from Ruth Moore

Photos by Hanna Maddera

DIRECTIONS: Run cold water over the quinoa in a fine-meshed strainer until the water is clear. Put quinoa in medium saucepan with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and cover the pan. Simmer 15-20 minutes until water is absorbed. For a faster cooling time, place the quinoa in the freezer. As the quinoa is simmering, wash all vegetables. Chop the small bundle of spinach into small shreds. Peel, quarter length-wise,

and slice the cucumber. Dice the onion. Flake the salmon. For the dressing, pour the olive oil in a small bowl. Gently pour the basalmic vinegar into the center of the oil, so that it looks about the size and shape of an egg yolk. Dollop the dijon into the bowl. Whisk with a fork. Combine the quinoa, vegetables, salmon, and feta in a salad bowl and toss. Once evenly mixed, pour the dressing over the salad. Toss again.

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Recipe by Hanna Maddera

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