The Durango Telegraph, April 21, 2022

Flonased and confused

­elegraph the­­­­durango

FREE April 21, 2022

Vol. XXI, No. 16 durangotelegraph.com

inside

T H E

O R I G I N A L

I N D I E

W E E K L Y

L I N E

O N

D U R A N G O

&

B E Y O N D

Fired up

Talking dirty

Dating in Durango

Residents rally petition to have a say in new fire station p11

Compost: it’s not sexy, but it is a sequestration superstar p13

Adventures in Tinder, Bumble and ‘accidental’ nudes p21

2 n April 21, 2022

telegraph

lineup

4 La Vida Local

Boom time

4 Thumbin’ It

Uranium mining is all but dead, but one mill is still turning waste into profit

5 Word on the Street

by Jonathan Thompson

6 Soapbox 8 Land Desk

9

9 State News

Totally petrified

11 Top Story

Uncovering the mystery of Florissant’s 34-million-year-old trees

13 Local News

by Dan Boyce / Colorado Public Radio

15 Rock N Roll Sweetheart 16 Flash in the Pan

11

17 Gossip of the Cyclers 18-19 Stuff to Do

Fired up

20 Ask Rachel

Residents rally petition to have more of a say in fire dept. location

21 End of the Line

by Jonathan Romeo

22 Free Will Astrology

13

23 Classifieds 23 Haiku Movie Review

Talkin’ dirty

Well, we really messed that one up Due to a severe press-day brain fart, the Telegraph inadvertently mixed up two items in last week’s Thumbin’ It section. Without having to re-live the trauma, suffice to say: site for a homeless camp = good; behavioral problems in kids = bad. We promise to get our thumbs out of our ... you know.

Compost one of the easiest ways to combat greenhouse gases

by Kathleen O’Connor

17

Idaho stopping

On the Cover Springtime in the Southwest means it’s time for epic desert camping./ Photo

by Stephen Enginoire

Introducing the Gossip Cycler, with all the rules you did and didn’t know

by Jennaye Derge

boilerplate

EDITORIALISTA: Missy Votel missy@durangotelegraph.com ADVERTISING AFICIONADO: Meleana Young ads@durangotelegraph.com STAFF REPORTER: Jonathan Romeo jonathan@durangotelegraph.com

T

he Durango Telegraph publishes every Thursday, come hell, high water, beckoning singletrack or monster powder days. We are wholly owned and operated independently by the Durango Telegraph LLC and

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We’re only human. If, by chance, we defame someone’s good name or that of their family, neighbor, best

friend or dog, we will accept full responsibility in a public flogging in the following week’s issue.

Although “free but not easy,” we can be plied with schwag, booze and flattery.

telegraph

Ear to the Ground: “What is it about a couple on a tandem bike that makes you want to…?”

“Kick it over?”

-– Bingo

All together now

thepole

8

RegularOccurrences

It’s official: Purgatory Ski Patrol has voted to form a union.

Back in The Durango Telegraph’s March 31 issue, we reported that ski patrollers at Purgatory Resort had decided to vote whether to unionize in order to more effectively fight for better wages and benefits.

Well the results are in, and it wasn’t even close, with a 35-3 vote in favor of unionizing.

“It was really encouraging,” Bob Rydiger, who has worked for Purgatory Ski Patrol for 40 years, said Wednesday. “We were told by one of the representatives (that helped count votes) it was one of the largest margins they’ve seen for a ski patrol voting to unionize.”

Momentum among ski patrollers at Purgatory to form a union started to build over the last few years, especially as low wages and high costs of living in the area created significant turnover among the team’s ranks.

The starting wage for a ski patroller is $13 an hour – this, for a job that requires multiple medical certifications and emergency training requirements (the state’s minimum wage is $12.56 an hour).

Also, many ski patrollers have voiced concerns the team was chronically underfunded on equipment and gear – the radio system, for instance, was hit or miss this past year, complicating emergency responses.

Add on the fact it’s become more expensive to survive in Durango, and it’s easy to see why so many patrollers left for other jobs at Mercy Hospital and Durango Fire Protection District.

(Other medical jobs start out at $18 an hour, according to federal data).

As a result, in the past two years, Purgatory Ski Patrol, which has about 50 members, experienced a nearly 50% turnover.

Now that the vote to unionize passed, Rydiger said the team is in the process of setting up a negotiation committee to meet with Mountain Capital Partners, the company that owns Purgatory. Ski patrollers hope, Rydiger said, they can work out a contract with the resort before the start of next season.

“We’re hoping for the best,” he said.

Purgatory Resort officials said Wednesday they had no additional comments at this time.

Dave Rathbun, general manager of Purgatory, said in a previous interview the resort was surprised by the effort to unionize. “We are understandably disappointed by this turn of events, but again, we recognize our employees’ right to bargain collectively and will respect the results of the election,” he said.

Purgatory Ski Patrol is not alone in its effort to form a union, as other teams across the West have started to band together to fight for better wages. Increasingly, the old stereotype of patrollers as ski bums happy to work for low wages just to be able to ski all day doesn’t cut it anymore, especially as living in mountain towns becomes incredibly expensive.

“We’re more than just coworkers, we’re all just really good friends,” Rydiger said. “Young or old, we all have each other’s back.”

Rydiger said those in support of Purgatory Ski Patrol can pick up stickers at ski shops around town.

April 21, 2022 n

3

opinion

LaVidaLocal The waiting game I can think of no human creation as ungodly as the waiting room. And yes, I considered the iron maiden, but ruled it out because, in one of those, you at least know with certainty you’re not going anywhere. Also the guillotine – the worst part of which is waiting your turn. This, kiddos, is how revolutionary France invented the waiting room.

The idea of a room itself is not so vile. In fact, I dreamed last night that my bedroom was a cave and I felt quite comfortable there. Dining rooms are delicious, and mud gets its very own tiny room. It’s room modifiers that make or break a room, really.

Yet waiting itself is not so terrible either. Some kind of thing comes to those who wait, but I’m too impatient to look up what it is. I am certain, however, that my ancient ancestors waited for days, sharp sticks in hand, for a wooly sloth to wander by or a particularly delectablesmelling neighbor. They may even have waited in a room much like my dream cave.

Waiting is in my lineage.

But the modern world has messed up this genetic mastery. My ancestors waited FOR something. To spring into action, or to invent sharpened rocks, or to die of old age at 27. In a modern waiting room, oh let’s just say hypothetically the one I’m sitting in now, one waits simply to be called into another room where one will finally – I swear this is true – continue waiting, but in a more uncomfortable chair.

In this liminal space, a man – oh let’s just say hypothetically me – loses all sense of his life’s passions, his personal interests, even his bodily autonomy. He cannot remain alert FOR anything, like his ancestors primed him to do, because the environment is strictly anesthetized to remove thought-provoking stimulus, lest someone wander in and decide to stay forever. He also cannot create any amusement to occupy his mind or assuage his heart or relieve his bladder, because the moment he does, someone important will call him in, and he will miss it, and then he must start the whole waiting process all over again, with the added bonus of admitting to an underpaid staff member that he failed to hear the sound of his own name.

Incidentally, I believe this is why the United States of America abandoned the railroad for the automobile. What is a train depot but a waiting room, or an Amtrak but a waiting room behind schedule? Airports and airplanes are the same deal, but with a non-zero chance at peanuts.

I did not anticipate waiting in this waiting room; silly me, I failed to bring peanuts or any other snacks. So instead of alternating bites of food with liberal applications of hand sanitizer, I am contemplating mortality.

There is no priest on hand here to weigh in, so all on my own I have come to suspect that the primary distinction between Limbo and Purgatory – the godliest of all the ungodly waiting rooms, I suppose – is the volume of their TVs. I used to think that a special threshold of hell was a waiting room TV with the volume on.

The waiting room never shows the show you want to watch. It shows programs like “The Best of Last Week on The Price Is Right,” or “CNN: The 10Minute-Loop Edition.” And the volume is never subtle. The audio is engineered to drown out the complaints of people being upsold on their oil change or learning that their flight has been canceled.

I have come to doubt this belief as of about 10 minutes ago.

This particular waiting room is quiet. Too quiet. About 11 minutes ago, I figured out the quiet is coming from the television.

It’s showing a marathon of “Little House on the Prairie,” and while I appreciate the silence, I cannot fathom why they even HAVE a TV showing “Little House on the Prairie” when there are so many home shopping channels that deserve to be muted instead.

One of these scenarios is meant to make us atone for our sins; the other is meant to punish us for all eternity. That’s presuming we even have souls once we enter a waiting room, a fact about which I am increasingly uncertain. I have been in an underground crypt with more vivacity than the assemblage of other people here with me. I’m dying to strike up a conversation with one of them, any of them, just to pass the time and verify they are actually breathing. But you don’t talk with strangers in a waiting room. As soon as you strike up a decent chat, they call for someone named “Jack Lively,” and you just KNOW your name will be next.

This Week’s Sign of the Downfall:

Thumbin’It

4 n April 21, 2022

– Zach Hively

La Plata County addressing the housing crisis with the “Investment in Affordable Housing Revolving Loan Fund,” which will direct $1.7 million in COVID relief money into housing solutions.

Reports that spruce beetles continue its deadly march in SW Colorado. Though native, the beetle has rapidly spread because of drought and warming temps. The only thing slowing it down is it’s running out of trees.

Here’s your good Earth Days news for the day: a Frenchman who won more than $215 million in the lottery donated almost all of it to saving a tropical rainforest in West Africa.

Ahh, April, with trees blooming and flowers blossoming, take a deep breath and smell the … smoke? Yep, wildfire season is back, earlier than ever, with a fire near Flagstaff, bringing smoke to our region.

Why not one more Earth Day one – the ivory-billed woodpecker, thought to be extinct since 1944, was found recently in a Louisiana swamp. Good news for ecology, probably bad news for neighbors.

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz literally saying these words (in reference to Disney/”Don’t Say Gay” bill), now burned into our collective brains forever: “In every episode now, they’re gonna have Mickey and Pluto going at it… You can always shift to Cinemax if you want that.”

telegraph

Simon says, “Siesta” This past Thursday, a kindergartener in Livonia, Mich., brought some hard pink lemonade to snack time and shared it with the class.

It’s only 10% alcohol content, so it’s not like anyone was hurt, but it was labeled clearly. So, the real mystery here is how “Pink Lemonade Margarita” made it past a slew of adults and got a class of kids “woozy,” as it was put by little “Smith” (the class snitch, obviously). But, given that 37% of Michiganians reported binge-drinking last year, something tells me all would’ve been forgiven if this would’ve happened on a Taco Tuesday.

WordontheStreet Sure, we celebrate the planet on Earth Day, but the Telegraph asked: “Where would you go if you had to, you know, leave?”

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telegraph

April 21, 2022 n

5

SoapBox March for climate solutions There are many different solutions to address our changing climate. Some actions you can take for the Earth are to march in the Earth Day parade and attend the Earth Day Celebration at Rotary Park this Sat., April 23. The most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (“IPCC”) report shows that we have no time to lose in taking significant action to limit global warming.

Marching in the Earth Day parade and talking to your friends, family and even strangers, can be very effective tools for addressing climate change. We want our elected officials to know how important it is to us to keep the average temperature rise as low as possible. We care about our farmers and want to do our best to avoid more years of drought. We care about the health of our forests and want to avoid devastating wildfires as much as possible.

We care about clean air for ourselves and our children and want to avoid air pollution as much as possible. Tell people why you care about our changing climate.

The Earth Day Parade/March will gather in front of the train station at 10:10 a.m. The march starts at 10:30 a.m.

Come dressed as your favorite climate solution and/or bring a sign. We will march from the train station to Rotary Park. If you can, walk or bike to the parade/march.

After the parade, please stay for the fabulous events at Rotary Park (11 a.m. – 3 p.m.) There will be live music (Pete Giuliani Band), kids’ activities, food, electric vehicle ride & drive, see the new electric school bus, Southern Ute Bear Dancers, speakers, and booths of many local environmental organizations who will discuss their climate solutions.

Celebrate Earth Day by talking about climate solutions and why working on climate change matters to you.

– Gail Harriss, Durango

Puttingoutthevibe: A dusky grouse struts his stuff on an early morning mating mission near the La Platas./ Photo by Alex Krebs

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telegraph

TheGreenHouseColorado.com TheGreenHouseColora do.com

Address youth mental health It has been troubling to witness the steep decline in the mental health of Colorado’s youth. It is even more troubling to see the decline intensified by pandemic pressures. Children’s Hospital Colorado recently declared children’s mental health a “state of emergency,” as they are seeing twice as many patients reporting increased anxiety, depression and feelings of isolation.

Alarm bells should be going off.

We cannot wait to fix these issues; our youth’s wellbeing depends on it. At the Capitol, we are taking action together to provide our youth with the resources they need to feel safe, heard and supported.

Last year, the Legislature created the “I Matter” program, sending $9 million into a new, temporary resource for students. It offered two years of free online therapy for youth 18 or younger; 21 or younger for special education students.

The original program offered three therapy sessions, but recent legislation both upped that number to six and expanded to offering it for two more years with federal pandemic relief funding.

The program has been wildly successful. Since the program’s launch, more than 1,900 youth in 48 Colorado counties have participated in at least one therapy session. It has been particularly successful in rural areas, where access to counseling is often limited, expensive or far away.

Parents and students can sign up by visiting imattercolorado.org, which connects them with a counselor best suited to their needs.

Another bill, Senate Bill 22-147, directs $11.1 million to three programs aimed at improving access to mental health and substance use treatment in public schools. About $5 million will go to an existing program in the Colorado Department of Education that provides matching grants to schools to help them hire behavioral health workers, provide training and resources for school staff and serve stu-

dents suffering from mental illness or addiction.

Another $1.5 million will go to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s grant program to fund school-based health centers where youth can receive medical care. The bill will also set up a program within the CU system to supply primary care providers with resources they need to begin identifying and treating behavioral health conditions in children.

Further addressing school and community safety, we are also working on House Bill 22-1234, which focuses on building strong communities and preventing acts of violence that threaten human life, which often target a discernible population of individuals.

And House Bill 22-1052 will make it easier for students to access mental health needs by having the numbers for Safe2Tell and Colorado Crisis Services on every student ID and on posters throughout the school.

In Colorado, we want to see every student have the opportunity to succeed. Many schools are experiencing an uptick in the number of behavioral health incidents, and the pandemic has only added to the stress students are feeling.

Working together, we can address the situations as they arise, navigating their solution to improve outcomes for all Colorado students.

– Rep. Barbara McLachlan, D-Durango

of either party can be held accountable.

If the average person used their office for personal gain, they’d go to jail. If the average person could pardon themselves, there would be no rule of law. Therefore, no president should be above the law. It’s just common sense.

I’m urging Congress to pass the Protecting Our Democracy Act. It’s time we put safeguards in place to prevent a corrupt president of any party from abusing the power of their office.

– Donald Wiseman, Bayfield

Western Rains Trumpeting rain Across the mesa.

The plowing storm Rambling toward tomorrow.

Goldenrod crowned clouds Gliding over the summit.

Seeds sown in the wetted green.

A mare dances across the meadow.

Suddenly, the heavens Open to a deeper blue, Then the stars.

– Burt Baldwin, Ignacio

“We’ll print damned-near anything”

Fight political corruption It’s no secret Congress is polarized. Rarely does an issue receive strong bipartisan support. That’s why it’s so striking that four out of five voters agree that we must do more to safeguard our democracy from presidential corruption.

No president, regardless of party, should be able to exploit weaknesses in our political system for their personal gain.

That’s where the Protecting Our Democracy Act comes in. If passed, it would prevent future abuse of presidential power and corruption, increase transparency, and ensure presidents

telegraph

The Telegraph prides itself on a liberal letters policy. We offer this forum to the public to settle differences, air opinions & undertake healthy discourse. We have only three requests: limit letters to 750 words, letters must be signed by the writer; and thank-you lists and libelous, personal attacks are unwelcome. Send your insights by Tuesday at noon to: PO Box 332, Durango, 81302 or e-mail your profundities to: telegraph@durangotelegraph.com. Let the games begin ...

April 21, 2022n 7

LandDesk

When history repeats

Not-so-great feeling of déjà vu over nuclear waste in Utah’s canyon country

by Jonathan Thompson THE HISTORY: In the 1980s, a site on the edge of Canyonlands National Park was a main candidate to become the nation’s nuclear waste dump.

THE REPEAT: Over the last few years, Canadian-based company Energy Fuels Resources has been reprocessing nuclear waste from around the world at its White Mesa Mill on the edge of Bears Ears National Monument, making it a de facto nuclear waste dump.

THE CONTEXT: For four decades, America’s nuclear waste was stored and disposed of haphazardly and dangerously. In 1982, Congress passed the Nuclear Waste Policy Act, requiring the Department of Energy to come up with a national repository for spent reactor fuel and other waste. The long list of possible sites, released shortly thereafter, included: Yucca Mountain in Nevada; the Hanford Site in Washington; a couple of sites in Texas; and the Paradox Basin in southeastern Utah.

The Paradox possibilities included the uranium mining hub of Lisbon Valley; Elk Ridge, the home of Bears Ears; the Salt Valley north of Moab; and a place called Gibson Dome, near the junction of Lavender and Davis canyons. Of these, only Gibson Dome made the short list, and an effort to establish America’s nuclear waste dump on Canyonlands’ doorstep commenced.

Many Utahns, having suffered through decades of nuclear fallout from upwind weapons testing and illness due to uranium mining and milling that occurred in their back yards, were appalled. However, the commissioners of San Juan County, Utah, were delighted at the prospect. This was especially true of a former uranium miner named Cal Black, sometimes called the Original Sagebrush Rebel.

The construction of the facility would employ more than 1,000 people, and the operation nearly as many. Black believed that with a national waste dump in place for spent reactor fuel, the nuclear power industry – and therefore San Juan County’s uranium mining industry – would be revived. In an open letter published in the San Juan Record in March 1982, the San Juan County commissioners wrote: “We support such a facility and are opposed to Canyonlands National Park or archaeological sites in the area used to preclude the repository.”

Black then went on to tell a Salt Lake Tribune reporter that tourists would enjoy visiting a nuclear waste dump, just as they reveled in seeing the gargantuan Bingham Canyon open-pit copper mine and the Mormon Temple in heavily polluted Salt Lake City. “If pollution hurt tourism, then Temple Square in the heart of the state’s worst pollution, and Kennecott, one of the worst blights on the environment, wouldn’t be the state’s No. 1 and No. 2 tourist attractions,” he said.

8 n April 21, 2022

The White Mesa Mill near Blanding, Utah, on the edge of Bears Ears National Monument. A plan to create a uranium waste dump on the edge of Canyonlands National Park was, fortunately, defeated in the early 1980s. However, the White Mesa Mill shows no signs of closing despite an end to uranium mining and milling for the most part. Under the guise of “recycling” spent tailings, the mill makes a pretty penny off charging waste disposal fees to the tune of $6.7 million annually.

Even with that kind of marketing, Black wasn’t able to enlist much support from outside the county. Former uranium boomtown Moab had by then grasped on to the tourism and recreation economy, motorized and unmotorized alike. Many of its citizens were not too psyched about having a nuke dump on their doorstep and waste-laden trucks or trains rolling through the center of town. It wasn’t just about the radioactivity, either: the facility likely would require its own coal-fired power plant, a rail line and as much as 1.5 million gallons of water per day.

The Sierra Club, Earth First!, no-nuke and national park advocates, launched a campaign, “Don’t Waste Utah,” to rally the public to oppose the plan. Utah Gov. Scott Matheson, a Democrat, went from being skeptical to outright opposed; his Republican successor ended up in opposition, as well.

Black and his colleagues were enraged, and the county staked 2,000 mining claims in the repository study area out of spite. It didn’t work. Opposition to the dump continued to grow, and in 1986 the final environmental assessment was released, relegating the Canyonlands site low down on the list of possibilities, with Yucca Mountain in Nevada rising to the top. The Chernobyl disaster and then the end of the Cold War further diminished Utah’s uranium mining industry. Black, known for wearing a uranium-clasped bolo tie, died of lung cancer in 1990.

Now, more than 30 years later, Black is finally getting his wish for a nuclear waste dump in his home county, though it’s not quite as grand as what he had envisioned.

The White Mesa Mill, located between the Ute Mountain Ute community of White Mesa and Blanding, was constructed in the 1970s, when uranium mining still was going gangbusters. Then the Cold War ended, meaning less uranium for bombs, the nation stopped building nuclear power plants, and globalization opened channels to cheaper uranium from overseas. Slowly, the domestic uranium industry withered, virtually going dormant in the last few years. The White Mesa Mill, however, has hung on – barely, and is now the nation’s only remaining active uranium mill.

Thing is, they aren’t processing uranium, at least in the conventional sense.

They are processing “alternate feed materials,” which is to say, they are taking uranium-bearing waste from other facilities, running it through the mill, and then dumping the stuff in their on-site disposal piles and ponds. While the process can recover minute quantities of uranium, the real money comes from providing a disposal site or, as Energy Fuels puts it: “… the generators of the alternate feed materials are willing to pay a recycling fee to the company to process these materials to recover uranium and then dispose of the remaining by-product in the Mill’s licensed tailings cells, rather than directly disposing of the materials at a disposal site.”

telegraph

According to SEC filings, these recycling fees – i.e. waste disposal fees – made up the bulk of Energy Fuels’ revenue over the past few years, totaling $6.7 million, compared to $66,000 from uranium sales and $3.7 million from vanadium and rare earth sales.

That makes it, according to a report from the Grand Canyon Trust, “America’s cheapest radioactive waste dump.”

Evidence indicates it’s not the safest dump, either. The disposal ponds have leaked, with contaminants detected in groundwater beneath the mill. More recently, aerial photos have shown some of the waste uncovered by water. This same negligence led the EPA to prohibit the mill from processing material originating from Superfund sites, calling the uncovered tailings ponds an “egregious” violation. The EPA also warned that the uncovered material could be emitting approximately 10 times more radon than a covered cell.

Tribal members have fought for decades to close the mill, saying it and its radioactive byproducts are harmful to their health, groundwater and land. However, there are signs the mill is not going away anytime soon. In November, High Country News reported the mill is now looking overseas for waste, with plans to import 2,000 drums of radioactive waste from Estonia.

The Land Desk is a newsletter from Jonathan P. Thompson, longtime journalist and author of River of Lost Souls, Behind the Slickrock Curtain, and Sagebrush Empire. To subscribe, go to: www.landdesk.org.

StateNews

Time stumps Colorado is home to some of the best-preserved 34-million-year-old trees

by Dan Boyce Colorado Public Radio

O

n a brisk Friday morning last month, Colorado Springs resident Kathy Zilverberg joined a few of her friends for a walk through the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument. The women call themselves the SLOTHs, or Slow Ladies on the Hike, and for their weekly strolls, they search for scenic trails with gentle grades. The monument certainly fits that bill.

Also, Zilverberg suspected there would be plenty of parking – and she was right. The monument’s lot was nearly empty, save for the cars the SLOTHs themselves drove.

That’s nothing terribly unusual for visitors to find at the fossil beds, located about an hour west of Colorado Springs.

And even during the height of the pandemic, just as many of the state’s public lands were swarming with residents looking to escape COVID-19 lockdowns and canceled indoor events, the monument remained relatively quiet.

“Certainly we’re being loved, but I wouldn’t say we’re being loved to death,” said Florissant’s lead interpretive ranger, Jeff Wolin.

Wolin said he received emails during the pandemic from visitors saying they relished the monument’s 15 miles of trails as a place they could go to escape the

Karen Michalak, a fourth-generation Coloradan, shared this family photo from 1900, which prompted a “Colorado Wonders” question about the giant tree stump./ Courtesy photo crowds they were seeing elsewhere in the state.

Colorado Wonders Despite being a fourth-generation Coloradan, 75-year-

telegraph

old Karen Michalak of Elizabeth, Colo., still wasn’t sure exactly what the fossil beds were when she recently wrote in for our series “Colorado Wonders.”

April 21, 2022 n

9

Florrisant from p. 9 “I’ve seen a couple of interesting photographs from back in the early 1900s that my family handed down about this place called Florissant, and I’ve never been there, and I’m just very curious about what is there and what it’s all about,” Michalak said.

In particular, Michalak said she was curious about the enormous petrified tree stumps she saw in her family photos. How were they formed, and when?

Wolin said it often seems odd to people when they see the stumps of huge redwood trees in Colorado; it’s a species that today is mostly isolated to California and Oregon.

But 34 million years ago, redwoods – some up to 14 feet across in Florissant – were common across much of the Northern Hemisphere, due to the generally warmer and more temperate climate found here at the time.

This time period, known as the late Eocene, also saw a much more volcanically active Colorado than modern times.

So just how did Florissant’s trees become petrified? Successive nearby eruptions buried the land containing the monument in layers of ash-laden mud, creating ideal conditions for what is now one of the richest and most diverse fossil deposits in the world. The mud buried the trees and over time petrified them up to a certain point on their trunks.

Over time, the mud and its chemical make-up basically turned the stumps into stone. Scientists at the monument say about 30 stumps have been discovered so far, and it’s possible more may lie beneath the surface.

Under the radar When asked about being a ranger at one of the National Park Services’ quieter locations, Wolin was bullish in his pride. “I’ve been here for 20 years, if that says something. I love this place,” Wolin said. “There’s always something new.”

Indeed, Wolin said researchers using new technologies are still finding rich new fossil discoveries on the monu-

10 n April 21, 2022

Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument Lead Interpretive Ranger Jeff Wolin said he loves watching visitors see the monument's famous petrified tree stumps for the first time. "You can just see it on their face," he said. ment grounds.

He said the paved walking path around the visitors center and the main collection of petrified stumps does tend to feel crowded in summer months but even then, solace can be found on the monument’s trails farther afield.

telegraph

Last year, Wolin said just 71,000 people visited Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument. To compare, 2021 visitation to Rocky Mountain National Park was 4.4 million.

For more from Colorado Public Radio, visit www.cpr.org ■

StateNews

A petition is going around town that would require a public forum should the Durango Fire Protection District submit plans to convert the old 9-R building into a new fire station./ File photo

Fire station, round two Residents rally round petition to call for public forum

by Jonathan Romeo

D

esperate for their voice to be heard on the proposed new fire station in downtown Durango, a group of residents have started a petition that would call for a public forum to air their concerns.

“As it stands, there has never been a public forum or the opportunity for the public to ask questions and receive answers,” Greg Hoch, who is part of Citizens Voice Durango, which is organizing the petition, said. Hoch also served as the City of Durango’s Planning Director for 35 years, retiring in 2016. “It’s rather simple what we want.”

For years, the Durango Fire Protection District has searched for a permanent location to serve the downtown area, with its current facilities near the Powerhouse Science Center out of date and in disrepair. To complicate matters even further, the land, located at 1235 Camino del Rio, is owned by the City of Durango.

Last summer, DFPD made a shocking move when it announced it was going to purchase the 9-R Administration Building on E. 12th Street, next to Buckley Park, for a new emergency services center. DFPD, for its part, has said those plans were kept under wraps because the purchasing process was competitive.

Regardless, since those plans surfaced, a contingent of residents has launched a concerted opposition group to the proposed project, arguing the already-congested area

would increase response times to emergencies, adversely impact Buckley Park and create a host of issues for adjacent neighbors.

Also from the beginning, a number of residents have felt the public was not given a proper opportunity to weigh in on what impact a new, massive emergency center in the heart of downtown would have on the city. Previous informal meetings or City Council hearings, Hoch said, limited public comment, and residents felt like their concerns fell on deaf ears.

“We have been asking for a public forum ever since September, and we’ve been denied it,” Hoch said. “This petition does not stop the city from ultimately approving the fire station. It simply says city ordinance would require a public process to get there.”

the last election. If the petition is validated, the requested tweak in the city’s ordinance could be passed by city councilors at their May 17 meeting. Or, city councilors could decide that day to put the matter up for a vote sometime between Aug. 2-9.

As of this week, Hoch said the petition had more than half of the required signatures. The problem, however, is many signatures are invalidated because people who sign put down the wrong address, write illegibly, don’t live within city limits or aren’t registered to vote. With one week left, Hoch realizes the clock is ticking, and organizers in the coming days are planning to hit the streets, go doorto-door and attend local events.

“If someone wants to sign, we will come to them,” he said.

Enter the petition It’s government jargon, the kind of stuff that makes the Average Joe’s eyes bleed, but at its core, the petition makes a simple request: If DFPD applies for a permit or submits an application for construction on the 9-R site, the process would require a public forum, no matter what. (We won’t get into it here, but there are several ways in which DFPD’s application may not be subject to a full review that would require a public forum).

The petition needs 768 valid signatures by April 27 from registered voters who live within Durango city limits, a number based on a percentage of residents who voted in

Fire side chats Since DFPD closed on the sale in December to 9-R for $5 million in cash and nearly $2 million of in-kind services, it’s unclear where the fire district is in its process of planning and submitting plans for remodeling or construction on the site. Fire Chief Hal Doughty and DFPD board president Kathy Morris did not respond to requests for comment on this story.

The Durango Telegraph covered this situation in-depth in its Oct. 28, 2021, issue, but for those of us whose minds have been irrevocably warped in recent years, here’s a quick reminder.

telegraph

April 21, 2022 n 11

LocalNews

It may not be sexy, but composting food scraps can save millions of tons of food from the landfills and cut methane emissions. Landfills currently account for 17% of the country’s methane gas emissions./ Photo by Table to Farm Compost

Sequestering superhero When it comes to combating greenhouse gas, one need only look in the trash

by Kathleen O’Connor

I

n the fight against climate change, one superhero sidekick is not getting the full recognition it deserves. Despite working diligently every day to combat greenhouse gas emissions, it remains mostly underappreciated worldwide.

With Earth Day just around the corner, let’s take a moment to shine a light on this unsung hero whose superpowers are threefold. Not only does it divert tons of methane gas from entering the atmosphere, but it also assists in capturing carbon dioxide, the principal greenhouse gas culprit, and transforming it into carbon – the energy currency utilized by all biological systems on the planet.

All this while adding nutrients and increasing water retention in the soil, minimizing the need for herbicides and pesticides, and contributing to healthier, more resilient plants, crops and gardens.

Yes, I’m talking about compost.

But why is it so important? According to the Environmental Protection Agency, in 2018 alone, Americans threw away 103 million tons of food scraps, sending them directly to the landfill. Here in Durango, we send around 1,300 tons of food waste to the landfill annually. Once there, these food scraps and other organic materials are buried deep within the landfill in an oxygen-deprived environment. In the absence of oxygen, this organic waste releases methane into the air.

In the U.S., around 17% of our methane emissions come from landfills, more than coal mining and livestock manure combined. As methane has approximately 25 times greater heat-holding capacity than carbon dioxide and contributes significantly to further planetary warming, this is bad news.

But here’s the good news: something simple can be done with minimal effort to combat this. And it costs way less than a Tesla. Yes, I’m talking about composting again.

Every banana peel, eggshell and sundry that we compost

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instead of throwing in the trash can help transform what would inevitably become methane emissions into a powerful tool for growing plants while also assisting in the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. In other words, we’re recycling carbon in the carbon cycle where we and the Earth can benefit from it indefinitely, rather than releasing it into the air as methane gas.

Carbon farmers, unite!

Table to Farm Compost co-owners Monique DiGiorgio and Taylor Hanson, in partnership with the City of Durango, are working together to get the word out on the vast benefits of composting and the concept of “carbon farming.” Carbon farming describes the process of pulling carbon dioxide from the air and sequestering it into soils and plants through regenerative agricultural and gardening practices. This results in greater below-ground carbon storage via plants, fungi, soils and associated microbes. Basically, the soil serves as a carbon reservoir that can hold up to three times more carbon than Earth’s atmosphere.

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April 21, 2022 n 13

Compost from p. 13

Research shows that applying soil amendments, such as nutrient-rich compost, only enhances this process. A report released in 2019 that compared organic carbon levels in soil across various cropping methods found that lands treated with an application of compost and planted with cover crops had a significant increase in carbon content – all thanks to compost.

With Table to Farm’s plan to begin operations at its new commercial composting facility July 1 and the City of Durango’s goal of expanding community composting in the coming years, Durango is primed for greater participation in composting.

“Our current facility is at 1 acre and holds around 1,000 cubic yards of unprocessed material,” DiGiorgio said. “Our new, 4-acre facility will hold a little more than 18,000 cubic yards, so there’s significant room for us to grow.”

Table to Farm currently serves 560 residential customers and around six local restaurants. With the city’s approximately 5,200 residential trash and recycling customers within city limits and the number of restaurants hovering around 200, the potential to divert literally tons of food waste from landfills is huge. Of course, grocery stores play a big part, too. Durango’s Albertsons is currently composting its food waste with Table to Farm, and there’s hope that City Market north and south will soon join as well.

While the city explores what a city-wide composting service would look like and how it would help in reaching sustainability and greenhouse gas emissions goals, the city’s sustainability program manager, Marty Pool, feels a conscientious approach is the best.

“We are considering what the best route forward is with the end goal of providing community-wide organic waste diversion at a reasonable price,” he said. “But we also want

14 n April 21, 2022

Soils are a great (and easy) way to keep carbon in the ground and out of the atmosphere. Compost and cover crops help close the carbon loop, from the ground, to food, and back into the ground./ File photo to make sure the service is effective. Many other communities implementing similar programs have run into contamination issues, so we want to learn from these other communities as we move forward and keep people’s faith in the system intact.”

Composting’s Kryptonite As community participation hopefully increases, so will the potential for contamination. The proliferation of “compostable” labeling on take-away/to-go cutlery, cups

telegraph

and other containers in the food and beverage industry muddies the waters even more.

Many are familiar with the BPI, or Biodegradable Products Institute, which assigns a compostable certification logo on to compostable products. But what sometimes gets missed is that these bioplastic products, made from corn starch, cassava and sugar cane (also known as polylactic acid or PLA), require very specific conditions found in only certain industrial composting facilities to biodegrade.

Currently, these bioplastic products cannot be composted in Durango, but thanks to the innovation of a few local businesses, including Live Creative Studio, Inner Joy Energy Bars, Zia Taqueria and Cream Bean Berry, and in collaboration with Table to Farm, a pilot study to test if these biodegradable to-go containers can be composted locally is in development, and funding is being sought.

Grow, eat, compost, repeat As the concept of a “circular economy” – one in which nothing is wasted – gains traction, why not follow nature’s own circular model, the carbon cycle, by composting food scraps and other organic materials? Indeed, composting is the perfect role model for a closed-loop system where our food may continue its journey on the circular path indefinitely: grow, eat, compost, repeat.

On the heels of Durango’s Earth Day celebration Sat., April 23, at Rotary Park, is the beginning of international compost awareness week, starting May 1. Sponsored by the Compost Research and Education Foundation, this initiative strives to increase awareness around the many positive impacts of sustainable organics recycling. Perhaps there is no better occasion to start reducing your household carbon footprint by composting food scraps. It’s an easy way to support a livable climate while also helping the planet.

For more information on local composting, visit tabletofarm compost.com. To get started composting in your own back yard, visit: www.ecocycle.org/backyard-composting. And to learn more about the compostable packaging pilot test, contact claire@livecreativestudio.com ■

RockNRollSweetheart

Flying home Denver ska/punk band Then I Fly kicks off spring tour at The Hive

by Alex Vick

A

welcoming sense of home is something some are born into or have to create for themselves. The Dutch have a term for that cozy and relaxed state experienced among dear friends and family, the sense of immersed belonging – “gezellig.”

For me, the music scene opened the door to a sense of community, with house shows on full volume – an unruly electric frenzy with drums and stomping feet shaking family photos off the wall.

For some, a group of friends or a subculture can be the truest form of family and gezellig.

I spoke with Denver-based ska/punk band Then I Fly about when they first felt at home in the music scene. Cody Smith, who founded the band in 2006 in Ohio and now is the lead singer and guitar player, said it took some time to get in the groove.

“It took years to feel at ‘home’ in the music scene,” Smith said. “I grew up in a small town in Ohio where a music scene didn’t really exist.”

Smith’s musical journey started at a young age. “We first got together for a high school class project. We made a terrible metal song about social events. All I remember is the line, ‘I smoked but I didn’t inhale,’” Smith chuckled. “We were idiots. But that same group would go on to become the band we are today.”

Eventually, after years of co-creating and exploring, Smith relocated the band to Colorado. It was here, after playing music with similar bands for several years, that he finally felt a sense of belonging. “I think it really started hitting home when we were starting to be asked to play shows with our friends’ bands,” he said. “We have some amazingly talented friends.”

Smith said music helps bring people together, allowing friendships, ideas and emotions to be developed and shared. “If it wasn’t for our music community, I don’t think I would still be playing music live at

Then I Fly brings its high-energy sound to The Hive on April 27./ Courtesy photo almost 33 years old,” Smith said. “I also don’t know what I would do without it.”

Anastasia Canfield, aka Anastasia Rose, joined Then I Fly in 2018 to play a myriad of instruments, including trumpet, keytar, backup vocals, accordion and auxiliary percussion. Rose said her childhood was rich with music.

“I’m a classically trained pianist and horn player,” she said. “Music has been a part of my life since I was a little girl, and I made up nonsense songs about things around my house when I could barely walk and talk. My mother is an artist and pianist, so she began teaching me piano before I can remember. I started formal lessons at about 8, and the rest is history.”

For Rose, music is the channel that brings creates community. “I feel like I have always been home with music as my proverbial community,” she said. “I grew up in Texas and traveled all over the country performing, and I always had a community because I was involved with music.”

She moved to Colorado in 2013 to get

a master’s degree and is involved in several projects along with Then I Fly, which was one of her first bands.

telegraph

Gab Kaplan, who has played with Durango-based groups Profetic Calaveras and Military Wife, joined Then I Fly recently to play bass on the upcoming tour. Kaplan said growing up with music fueled the drive to pull more people into the craft. “Raised with music in my bloodlines and New York City in my back yard, I was able to feel at home in the scene pretty early on,” Kaplan said. “When I was in high school, the musicians I looked up to were mostly my older friends who were further established in the scene than I was. Luckily, those people looked right back at me and welcomed me with open arms and encouragement.”

The music scene has always allowed him to feel seen in a world where he usually feels invisible. “That feels like home to me.

I hope to help other people feel seen and at home through music,” he said.

It takes us all to create this feeling of gezellig, and in that space we can grow as individuals. Come warm up to the communal fire Wed., April 27, at 7:30 p.m. at The Hive, located at 1150 Main Ave. right here in cozy Durango. Let’s feel the glow together and welcome each other home through music and the arts.

April 21, 2022 n 15

FlashinthePan

Spring noodlin’ Simple, easy to make & delicious pasta

by Ari LeVaux

S

ome of my favorite recipes come from vegetable growers. Farm cooks know how to feed a bunch of people efficiently, with simple recipes made from basic ingredients that quickly produce mountains of delicious nourishment to energize the farm hands without weighing them down.

I am friends with some farmers who can really cook and are generous with their recipes. Luci Brieger, of Lifeline Farms in Victor, Mont., has this carrot pasta dish that she’s perfected over many years. It’s sweet, earthy and comforting, and makes you ravenous. Josh Slotnick, of Clark Fork Organics in Missoula, meanwhile, recently came up with a noodle recipe, based loosely on Pad Thai, as a way of burning through mountains of excess parsley. He makes a tangy chimichurri – a steak sauce from Argentina – and tosses it into fried noodles.

It’s nice to have brilliant friends whose shoulders you can stand on while you steal their recipes and mix them together like a kid at a self-serve soda fountain. If only it were that simple. Truth is, combining these recipes entails some tough choices. Which type of noodle, for example, should we use? If we go with a semolina-based pasta, a la carrot pasta, then we’ll add grated hard cheese and perhaps anchovy for extra umami. If we use rice noodles, a la chimichurri Pad Thai, we’ll get our umami from fish sauce and soy sauce.

After some very enjoyable head-tohead taste tests, rice noodles were clearly the best choice for this carrot and parsley sauce. They have a pleasing elasticity, can be pan-fried crispy and hold the sauce admirably. I prefer the extra-wide rice noodles, which have a supple quality

that makes chewing extra-fun.

Rice noodles are also less finicky than pasta and easier to prepare perfectly. You don’t even have to boil them. Simply dunk dried noodles in a pot of room temperature water, and turn you attention to other matters. By the time you are ready to fry, your perfect noodles will be waiting.

Chimichurri and Carrot Fried Noodles With vivid colors and vibrant earthy flavors, these noodles will ring in spring, blow everyone’s mind and won’t even make too much of a mess. It may be Asian-style, but this luxurious dish is rich enough to handle a glass of Italian red.

1 14-oz package of rice noodles, preferably the wide kind 1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into coins about ¼ inch thick 2 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 medium-sized onion, chopped ½ cup olive oil 3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced 2 tablespoons rice vinegar Zest and juice of a lemon 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon black pepper ¼ cup water 1 bunch parsley, including stems, chopped 1 tablespoon fish sauce 2 tablespoons soy sauce Optional: red pepper flakes as a garnish Fill a large pot or bowl with about a gallon of water. Add the noodles and let them soak for about 45 minutes, until they are limp but not completely done, with a bit of stiffness still. Drain the noodles and set aside until it’s time to fry them.

Add the butter and two tablespoons of olive oil to a heavy-bottomed pan, with the heat between low and medium. Add

the carrot coins, spreading them out so that they are all touching the pan, with no double-decker carrots. Let them simmer for 15 minutes, lightly softening.

Stir the carrots and spread them again.

Add the onions atop the carrots, but don’t stir them in right away. Let it continue cooking quietly on the low side with the lid on. The onions will add moisture and steam the carrots. After 10 minutes, stir again. Keep cooking on low.

Meanwhile, make the chimichurri.

Add ½ cup olive oil to a blender, along with the garlic, rice vinegar, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Blend.

Stop the blender. Add the minced parsley. Blend again until it has become the savory green puree known as chimichurri.

Remove the carrots and onions from the pan. Add the noodles and spread them out so as many are not touching as possible. Turn the heat up to medium, and add the carrots back on top of the noodles.

After about five minutes, the noodles on the bottom will start to develop a browned crisp. Add of the chimichurri on top of the carrots, but don’t mix it in.

Yet. After another five minutes or so, add the soy sauce and fish sauce and stir everything together. If the noodles are too stiff, add ¼ cup of water, put the lid on, turn off the heat and wait 10 minutes. After it cools a little bit, stir in the rest of the chimichurri and serve, garnished with pepper flakes.

Put some spring in your strings.

Hours: mon - Fri 11-6 & Sat 11-5: www.jimmysmusic.supply 1239 Main Ave • 970-764-4577 16 n April 21, 2022

telegraph

GossipoftheCyclers

All hail the Idaho stop ... and other not-so-well-known cycling rules of the road

by Jennaye Derge

O

n April 13, 2022, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed a bill into law that allows cyclists to roll safely through stop signs without having to fully stop. The new law allows cyclists to treat stop signs as yield signs, and furthermore, treat stop lights as stop signs. Haven’t a bunch of cyclists, including myself, already been doing this for ages? Of course. But now it’s legal.

Sure, this might get a few people’s underwear bunched up, and that’s OK, I get it.

Cyclists do dumb stuff on the roads all the time. They don’t look both ways before crossing, they turn in front of oncoming traffic, and they put themselves in a lot of danger.

“How dare they” is exactly what I tell annoyed vehicle drivers when they complain about cyclists. And then I see cars blow through stop signs and red lights at high speeds and hit pedestrians or get Tboned in their 5,000 pound vehicles.

Yeah, cyclists can be SO DANGEROUS. No, us bicycle riders are not that dangerous, but we can be obnoxious. A lot of it is due to the fact that we have chips on our shoulders because riding a bicycle is super fun and awesome, and that, in turn, makes us super fun and awesome. It’s also because none of us cyclists are actually really sure what the bicycle laws are, and so we kind of make things up as we go, which, yeah, can be pretty obnoxious.

Durango’s cycling laws are the same as Colorado’s cycling laws unless otherwise stated, and after digging around and asking a couple sources, it is to the best of my knowledge that nothing is “otherwise stated.”

Colorado’s bicycle laws give a pretty easy blanket statement, citing that cyclists should follow the same rules as motor-vehicle drivers. Such as, no driving on sidewalks, no steamrolling, avoid yelling profanities and flipping other people off, and don’t be sloshed when

riding home from the bars.

One of the more confusing bicycle rules that I very specifically would like to clear up right now, though, is where, when and how a cyclist can use a roadway, and how we can soberly and respectfully share the road.

First of all, cyclists cannot take up an entire lane whenever they want to, but they can take up the lane if there is no other safe place to ride. Article 5 of the Official Bicycling Laws in Colorado states that “any person riding a bicycle shall ride in the right-hand lane.” BUT, cyclists can take up a lane: “(a) When overtaking and passing another bicycle or vehicle proceeding in the same direction; (b) When preparing for a left turn at an intersection or into a private road or driveway; (c) When reasonably necessary to avoid hazardous conditions, including, but not limited to, fixed or moving objects, parked or moving vehicles, pedestrians, animals, or surface hazards.”

So, no, cyclists can’t ride in the middle of the street all the time, but the above listed situations are extremely common and often occur on Durango’s dirty, potholey, car-riddled, sign-spattered, couch-col-

lecting shoulders that some people might call “bike lanes.” So yeah, a lot of us cyclists end up needing to take up some road space to avoid all the sh**.

Beep beep, please let us through.

There is another situation where cyclists can take up an entire lane no matter the

circumstance and that is the presence of “sharrows.” Sharrows are those dimly painted, weathered bicycle emblems on the streets that we often can’t really see or just simply ignore. For my first few years of riding my bike in Durango, I thought they existed just to shame me into wearing a helmet, but after some research, I found out they mean that cyclists CAN take up an entire street lane. Basically they indicate that bicycles and cars share the road in an equal manner, and cars should treat cyclists the way they treat any other car. But nicer, please. And they exist on almost every citybound street in Durango INCLUDING MAIN AVENUE. This means that if you are trying to race home in time to watch “Dancing with the Stars,” and you get stuck behind a cyclist on Main Avenue, or any other road with sharrows, deal with it.

Tailgate us, have your pity party and your road rage, but then cool your jets, take a breath, and then unbunch your underwear and try to be less dangerous.

Jennaye Derge is the brains and beauty behind Bike Durango, a local nonprofit aimed at promoting and advocating for more bikes in and around Durango. For more info. go to: www.bikedurango.org.

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April 21, 2022 n 17

StufftoDo

Freestyle Friday, weekly, 5:30 p.m., The Hive, 1150 Main Ave.

Thursday21

Graduating Senior Communication Design & Studio Art Majors, opening reception, 4:30-6 p.m., The Art Gallery at Fort Lewis College. Exhibit runs until May 15.

Ru Paul’s Drag Race watch party, every Friday, 6-8 p.m., Father’s Daughters Pizza, 640 Main Ave. Performing Arts Extravaganza, 6 p.m., Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College. Celebrating launch of new Performing Arts Department.

Dave Mensch plays, 5 p.m., Anarchy Brewing, 225 E. 8th Ave. Dustin Burley plays, 5 p.m., Fur Trappers Steakhouse, 701 E. 2nd Ave.

Bently Monk plays, 6 p.m., Fenceline Cider, Mancos.

Community Housing Solutions Open House, 5:30-7 p.m. Event on Zoom at bit.ly/lpchousing

The Fellowship of the Strings & Colorado College Rocky Mountain Tops plays, 5-7 p.m., 11th Street Station.

Live music, 5:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

Middle Ground plays, 7-10 p.m., 11th Street Station.

Live music, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.

20MOONS Dance Theater, 7:30 p.m., Stillwater Music, 1316 Main Ave, Suite C. More info at www.20moons.com

“Sacred Smokes,” book presentation & signing, 6 p.m., FLC Ballroom. Author Theodore Van Alst will be in attendance

Open Mic Comedy, 8 p.m., EsoTerra Ciderworks, 934 Main Ave.

Eddie Robbins Band plays, 6-9 p.m., 11th Street Station.

Saturday23

Four Corners River Sports Boat Swap & Sale, all day Saturday & Sunday, 360 South Camino del Rio.

Deadline for “Stuff to Do” submissions is Monday at noon. To submit an item, email: calendar@durangotelegraph.com

People We Know plays, 6 p.m., Durango Hot Springs, 6475 County Road 203.

Stampede Trail Run fundraiser for Miller Middle School, Horse Gulch.

Register at ultrasignup.com

Third Thursday Speaker Series: Kevin Jones, 6:30 p.m., Fenceline Cider, Mancos.

Powerhouse Trivia Night, 6:30 p.m., Powerhouse Science Center, 1333 Camino del Rio. Smelter Mountain Boys, The Scrugglers, Benny “Burle” Galloway & Kindred Spirit play, 7 p.m., Animas City Theater, 128 E. College Dr. Paula Poundstone, 7:30 p.m., Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College.

“I and You” (a play), 7:30 p.m., Fort Lewis College’s Black Box Theatre, 1000 Rim Drive.

Geeks who Drink Trivia, 8 p.m., The Roost, 128 E. College Dr.

Friday22

Electronics Recycling Event, 8 a.m.-6 p.m., Smiley Building, 1309 E. 3rd Ave. Drop off old electronics, look for cones and trailer on Third Ave. side of building.

Gary Walker plays, 10 a.m.-12 noon, Jean-Pierre Bakery & Restaurant, 601 Main Ave. Durango Trails Earth Day Party, 4-8 p.m., featuring live music from the Afrobeatniks and roll-out of Trail Crew Brew. Ska Brewing, 225 Girard St.

18 n April 21, 2022

Meet & Greet and special screening of “To Which We Belong,” 4:30-7:30 p.m., Outdoorsy Outpost, 934 Main Ave. Hosted by La Plata Open Space Conservancy.

Live music, 4:30-6:30 p.m., James Ranch, 33846 U.S. Highway 550.

Durango Bluegrass Meltdown, 5 p.m., Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave. For more info visist www.durangobluegrassmeltdown.com Heartwood Cohousing tour & potluck, 5 p.m., 800 Heartwood Lane, Bayfield. Those interested are asked to RSVP at amadrano@gmail.com Curtis Stigers plays, shows at 5 p.m. & 8 p.m., The Lift at Cascade, 50827 Highway 550.

Ben Gibson plays, 5 p.m., Fur Trappers Steakhouse, 701 E. 2nd Ave. Dave Mensch plays, 5:30 p.m., Mancos Brewing Co.

Spring Craft Bazaar, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Durango-La Plata Senior Center, 2424 Main Ave. Durango Bluegrass Meltdown, 10 a.m., Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave. Earth Day Parade, 10 a.m., starts outside the D&SNG depot.

Earth Day Celebration, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., Rotary Park.

Featuring Southern Ute Bear Dancers, live music by the Pete Giuliani Band, kids activities food and more.

“I and You” (a play), showings at 2 p.m. & 7:30 p.m., Fort Lewis College’s Black Box Theatre, 1000 Rim Drive.

Four Corners River Sports first annual River Trip Cook Off, 3 p.m., 360 South Camino del Rio. RSVP to compete at ashleigh@riversports.com Curtis Stigers plays, shows at 5 p.m. & 8 p.m., The Lift at Cascade, 50827 Highway 550.

Live music, 5:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

Jack Ellis Band plays, 5 p.m., Fur Trappers Steakhouse, 701 E. 2nd Ave.

Live music, 5:30 p.m., The Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.

Live music, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

telegraph

Live music, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave. Cara Elizabeth Duo plays, 6-8 p.m., 11th Street Station.

Terry Rickard plays, 6 p.m., Weminuche Woodfire Grill, Vallecito.

Community Yoga, 6-7 p.m., Yoga Durango, 1485 Florida Rd., C-201.

Donations accepted.

Colorado Native Plant Society presentation, 6-7:30 p.m., Center for Southwest Studies at Fort Lewis College.

Features talk on citizen science-based weed mapping on the Hermosa trail system.

Durango Elks Lodge Pub Trivia, 6:30 p.m., Durango Elks Lodge, 901 E. 2nd Ave. Non-members welcome.

Open mic night, weekly 7:30-9:30 p.m., Moe’s Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave.

San Juan Symphony Youth Orchestra plays, 7 p.m., Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College.

Comedy Open Mic, weekly, 8 p.m., 11th St. Station.

Mancos Days Masquerade Ball, 7 p.m., Columbine Bar & Grill, Mancos.

Wednesday27

20MOONS Dance Theater, 7:30 p.m., Stillwater Music, 1316 Main Ave, Suite C. More info at www.20moons.com

Sunday24

San Juan Mountains Association’s Nature Center reopening, featuring hikes, scavenger hunts, kid friendly games, 9 a.m., 63 County Road 310.

Durango Bluegrass Meltdown, 10 a.m., Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave.

Fashion Show with The Victorian Ladies, 2 p.m., Create Art and Tea, 1015 Main Ave. Southwest Civic Winds presents “New Frontiers,” 3 p.m., Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College. Featuring British band classics, film scores and jazz.

Open Mic NIght, 5 p.m., Fenceline Cider, Mancos.

Live music, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave. Live music, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave. Jazz/Funk/Soul Jam, 6-8 p.m., 11th Street Station.

Andreas Tischhauser (flute) and Marilyn Garst (piano) play, 7 p.m., Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 419 San Juan Drive.

Monday25

Live music, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave. Live music, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.

Tuesday26

Language Justice Training for La Plata County Workplaces, register at https://bit.ly/3NN11sw Live music, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave. Live music, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.

Language Justice Training for La Plata County Workplaces, for more info and to register go to https://bit.ly/3NN11sw Open Bluegrass Jam, every Wednesday, 5-8 p.m., 11th St. Station.

Live music, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave. Live music, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.

Then I Fly (ska) & The Batteries play, 7:30 p.m., The Hive, 1150 Main Ave.

Ongoing

Storytelling & Songwriting Night, every second and fourth Thursday, 6-8 p.m., Mountain Monk Coffee, 558 Main Ave. More info at iAMmusic.us The Hive Indoor Skate Park is open, offering open skate and skate lessons.

Waivers required. For schedule and online waiver, go to www.thehivedgo.org Shock Wave Drag Night, first and third Friday of every month, 9 p.m., Father’s Daughters Pizza, 640 Main Ave. 18+

Creativity Festivity – A Celebration of Children’s Art, Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave. Events run thru April 30, more info at durangoarts.org

Upcoming

Career Symposium, April 29, 9 a.m3p.m., Sky Ute Casino, Ignacio. Hosted by Southwest Colorado Education Collaborative.

Dan Groth’s “The Stork Version” Art Show, April 29, 6-9 p.m., Channel 37, 1129 Narrow Gauge Ave. (Alley behind 11th St. Station).

Shitstormtrooper, Decapitation of a New Day & Paranormal Slaughter (hardcore/metal), April 29, 7:30 p.m., The Hive, 1150 Main Ave.

Spring Into Summer Arts & Crafts Fair, April 30, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Bayfield Old Middle School, 110 South St. Parkinson Association of the Rockies event, April 30, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Summit Church, 2917 Aspen Dr. “He Lived the West We Read About” presentation by Danny Pierce on his grandfather, Thomas Guthrie Pierce, who started the Durango Brick Yard, providing bricks for the town’s iconic buildings, April 30, 1 p.m., Animas Museum, 3065 W. 2nd Ave. The Powerhouse Amplified: A Guitar Gala, April 30, opening reception 68 p.m., featuring music by Tyler Simmons.

Exhibit celebrating the guitar.

Stephanie and Paolo play, April 30, 7:30 p.m., Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College. Pianists playing ragtime, swing, boogie woogie, among others.

A Celebration of Story, May 1, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., Rotary Park, 1580 E. 2nd Ave. Event features storytelling, workshops, potluck, live music and more.

Live Auction for 5 Rivers Trout Unlimited, 7-8 p.m., more info at go.tulocalevents.org/5riverstu Matilda (the play), presented by the Merely Players, showings from May 6-22, more info at merelyplayers.org.

Brice Beaird plays, May 6, 7:30 p.m., Smiley Cafe1309 E. 3rd Ave. Part of Fort Lewis College’s Pop Up Performance series.

Volunteer Canoe/Kayak training, learn how to volunteer with Adaptive Sports Association, May 17 & 25, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

More info at asadurango.com Volunteer Rafting training, learn how to volunteer with Adaptive Sports Association, May 20 & 24, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

More info at asadurango.com Volunteer Cycling training, learn how to volunteer with Adaptive Sports Association, May 20 & 24, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

Carute Roma plays, June 3, Union Social House, 3062 Main Ave. Carute Roma plays, June 4, Mancos Brewing Co. Nashville Songs & Stories with “Writers in the Round,” June 25, 7:30 p.m., Community Concert Hall at FLC. Lyle Lovett and His Large Band, July 4, 7 p.m., Ward Lee Field, La Plata County Fairgrounds, 2500 Main Ave. www.durangoconcerts.com Rocky Mountain UkeFest, July7-10.

More info at durangoconcerts.com

Devo Bike Swap, April 30, 9 a.m.-7 p.m., Chapman Hill.

Methodist Thrift Shop “Spring Turnover” reopening, April 30, 10 a.m., 986 E. 2nd Ave.

Asleep at the Wheel plays, Midnight Backhand opens, Aug. 12, 8 p.m., La Plata County Fairgrounds, 2500 Main Ave.

telegraph

April 21, 2022 n 19

AskRachel

Scavengin’ nuts, coffee OD & lameduck lobbyist Interesting fact: A lethal dose of caffeine is about 10 grams, or more than 100 double espresso shots. Volume wise, that’s only like 15 cans of beer. Challenge accepted.

rect infusion of caffeine. Can you imagine barflies evaluating their shots of Fireball and Everclear this way?

– Coffee Curious

Dear Rachel, What’s with the white bunny rabbit and colored eggs this time of the year? My wife never laid eggs and now eggs are of many colors. Reminds me of the song by Dolly Parton, “Coat of Many Colors.” Who started this brain scrambler that bunnies lay eggs?

– Buggs Bunny

Dear Bi-Caffeinated, New idea: Coffee drinkers have to down their shots just like us drunks do. Head back, straight down the gullet, little tiny coffee mug slammed upside down on the bar. If you want fizzy water, down it like a chaser. Frat boys can do a whole row of espresso shots, and wimpies can do shots of drip coffee. Then, when you feel like shit the next morning, you can go out for alcohol to bring you down from your coffee hang-up.

– Make mine a double, Rachel

Dear Roger Rabbit, I never thought anyone seriously considered that bunnies laid Easter eggs. It’s just kind of the joke this time of year, not a particularly funny one, though I suppose we have such a plethora this time of year because St. Patrick drove all the snakes out of Farmer McGregor’s garden so there is no one left to eat the eggs and the rabbits (and also the bad annual joke tellers) but I do appreciate the insight into your love life with the missus.

– Laying eggs every week, Rachel Dear Rachel, I’m trying to understand all the ritual around a really fine shot of espresso. It comes in a dainty tea-party cup with a dainty tea-party dish. A little glass of sparkling water to cleanse the palate. It’s really evaluated on taste, texture, dryness. All this for really, let’s be honest, a di-

Dear Rachel, Bump outs on Main Ave. in Durango need your help. How about signs on the bump outs saying KIDS AT PLAY SLOW DOWN. You have the contacts to get it done. The big folks at city hall will listen to you and you will be a hero and shining star to all of Durango. Save a kid, dog and dinner.

– Street Sweeper

Email Rachel at telegraph@durangotelegraph.com

Dear Pavement Polisher, I never knew I had such power. I am scrolling through my contacts right now. There is a pizzeria in there, as well as a pizzeria somewhere else I used to live.

My mom’s in there, my dad’s in there, my smelly aunt is in there so I know to ignore her calls. I put my vet in

there and honest to God I have my own name and phone number in there and I don’t know why I ever did that. Which of us do you think can best save kid, dog and dinner? And can we still run over the surplus rabbits?

– Bumpin ugly, Rachel

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telegraph

EndoftheLine

Dating in Durango Adventures in Tinder, Bumble, hook-ups and ‘accidental’ nudes

by Michael Jennifer After 10 years of being in a monogamous relationship, I am now dating in Durango, where the odds are good but the goods are odd.

Initially, hoping to meet someone through a friend of a friend, I realized I hardly had any who I didn’t lose in the divorce. If I were to build the remaining relationships, I could not create one where they were just playing wingman, because it wouldn’t foster a real friendship. I needed a solid friend base here first and foremost.

I took a few months asking people out for platonic drinks and saying yes to any social opportunity that presented itself. I bought concert tickets, hung out with coworkers, went to trivia nights and even had seven people over once. But eventually, I knew I was going to have to try something else if I was to meet a lady friend.

Recently, there was a post on the Durango subreddit asking about the dating scene in town for straight men over 35 looking for women. The most common response was that all the men are just waiting for their turn to date the local, single women: “You don’t date, you just get in line,” said two users. Or the angry young man who is sick of the older men hitting on his Fort Lewis College female peers. Or the ever too common: get a dog.

Well, I have a dog, and he is a terrible wingman. For the first time in my life, I joined Tinder.

I swiped through every available woman in a 45-mile radius in one poop. That was it. Maybe 25-30 profiles of women in my age range. Out of that, maybe three or four who might be interesting to connect with, but nothing that really excited me, and many ladies I already knew. However, before I could explore this alternative bar scene, I accidentally “super-liked” a woman before I even saw her profile. She responded, “Do I know you?”

“Well, not yet,” I replied.

The next day we sent texts back and forth over the course of several hours. The following day we met at Albertsons so she could judge my buying habits, just for something different, before walking the Animas River Trail. The next evening, I stopped by her house to make out. The following night, she came by my house to do more than make out. We continued to text for a week or so until we couldn’t line up our schedules. Then it stopped and that was that.

I still don’t really understand what happened other than I think people are right that Tinder is for hookups. I guess I just “hooked up” without planning to. It was nice and all – for sure – but it didn’t help me in the long term and confused me in the short term. She was strangely an amalgam of all my past loves, so I knew we weren’t going to last, but I thought it would go longer

than two weeks.

I deleted my account on Tinder and tried the more “respectable” Bumble.

Again, in one sitting, I was able to swipe through the inventory of my future exes, and all I found were the same women from Tinder with a few extra mothers of four from Farmington who didn’t “need anyone’s money.” But this time I didn’t even connect with a single woman. I clicked yes on a few, but I guess I was not the extreme athlete or yoga master that every woman seems to be searching for around here.

So I gave up dating apps for a while. Then spring started to inspire a fecund optimism in me; the deep loneliness winter had shrouded me in was loosening. I was tired of living in an empty house. There is so much I want to do but want a companion to do it with, so I tried Tinder again.

This time around, I wasn’t going to mess around with having the right pictures to show off different aspects of my life. Nor was I going to say who I was or what I wanted in a direct way. I just posted two pics and wrote a profile filled with hyperbolic exaggeration. Maybe I would find someone else this time.

Tinder is so much like a bar: swiping “a like” is the same as a nice smile across the room, you only get a curated version of the person when you meet them, and you never know what they really look like in the light of day. Not to mention, only certain people go there, normally not the ones you are looking for.

Alas, this time around, I got the exact same women’s attention as the first time and none happened to be a fit for me. One has to pay to message the barflies, so I decided to quit the app. As I was opening Tinder to delete it once again, a new woman popped up and her profile made me laugh. I thought, why not, and went for it. We started texting the next day.

About five texts in, while I was at work, she sent me a seminude selfie – the first I had ever received in my life. Immediately, she responded, “Oops. I am so embarrassed. I didn’t mean to send that.” I didn’t know it was even possible to do that accidentally. The jury is still out on that one.

Regardless of intent, she managed to get my attention, and we met that night where I was able to make sure the picture she sent was actually her. It was, and then some. I think she might be onto something with the “accidental” nude. Maybe this is why guys send dick pics, hoping to evoke the same response. I am sure there is a double standard on this one, though.

As to be expected, this one is moving away and won’t become the future Mrs. Jennifer, but it is nice having a sometimes companion while I figure out what comes next. Until then – or when she reads this, I will have to come up with another approach. ■

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FreeWillAstrology

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ARIES (March 21-April 19): Aries author Marge Piercy writes, “I love people who harness themselves, an ox to a heavy cart, who pull like water buffalo, with massive patience, who strain in the mud and the muck to move things forward, who do what has to be done, again and again.” According to my analysis of the astrological factors, you’ll be wise to be like a person Piercy describes.

You’re entering a phase of your cycle when diligent work and impeccable selfdiscipline are most necessary and most likely to yield stellar rewards.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): In 1879, Taurus-born Williamina Fleming was working as a maid for astronomer Edward Charles Pickering, director of the Harvard Observatory. Impressed with her intelligence, Pickering hired Fleming to do scientific work. By 1893, she had become a prominent, award-winning astronomer. Ultimately, she discovered the Horsehead Nebula, helped develop a system for identifying stars and cataloged thousands of astronomical phenomena. I propose that we make her your role model for the duration of 2022. If there has ever been a year when you might achieve progress like Fleming’s, it’s this one.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): For 2,500 years, Egypt was a conquered territory ruled by non-Egyptians. Persians took control in 525 BCE. Greeks replaced them. In succeeding centuries, Egypt had to submit the Roman Empire, the Persians again, the Byzantine Empire, the Arab Islamic Caliphate, the Mamluk Sultanate, the Ottomans, and the British. When British troops withdrew from their occupation in 1956, Egypt was finally an independent nation self-ruled by Egyptians. If there are any elements of your own life story that even partially resemble Egypt’s history, I have good news: 2022 is the year you can achieve a more complete version of sovereignty than you have ever enjoyed.

And the next phase of your freedom work begins now.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): During the next four weeks, some of the best lessons you can study and learn will come to you while you’re socializing and communicating. Even more than is usually the case, your friends and allies will offer you crucial information that has the power to catalyze dynamic decisions.

Lucky encounters with very interesting people may open up possibilities worth investigating. And here’s a fun X-factor: The sometimes surprising words that fly out of your mouth during lively conversations will provide clues about what your deep self has been half-consciously dreaming of.

22 n April 21, 2022

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): “Hold on tight, I would tell myself, but there was nothing for me to hold on to.” A character in one of Haruki Murakami’s novels says that. In contrast to that poor soul, Leo, I’m happy to tell you that there will indeed be a reliable and sturdy source for you to hold onto in the coming weeks – maybe more than one.

I’m glad! In my astrological opinion, now is a time when you’ll be smart to get thoroughly anchored. It’s not that I think you will be in jeopardy. Rather, you’re in a phase when it’s more important than usual to identify what makes you feel stable and secure. It’s time to bolster your foundations and strengthen your roots.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): In the latter half of the 19th century, the U.S. government collaborated with professional hunters to kill millions of bison living in America’s Great Plains.

Why? It was an effort to subjugate the Indigenous people who lived there by eliminating the animals that were their source of food, clothing, shelter, bedding, ropes, shields and ornaments. The beloved and useful creatures might have gone extinct altogether if it had not been for the intervention of a Virgo rancher named Mary Ann “Molly” Goodnight.

She single-handedly rebuilt the bison herds from a few remaining survivors. I propose that we make Goodnight your inspirational role model for the rest of 2022. What dwindling resources or atrisk assets could you restore to health?

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): British Admiral Horatio Nelson (1758–1805) was born under the sign of Libra. He was a brilliant and unconventional strategist whose leadership brought many naval victories for his country. Yet he was blind in one eye, was missing most of his right arm from a battle wound and was in constant discomfort from chronic seasickness. I propose we make him one of your patron saints for the coming weeks.

May he inspire you to do your best and surpass your previous accomplishments even if you’re not feeling perfect. But also keep in mind: The problems you have to deal with will be far milder than Nelson’s.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Anti-apartheid activist Bantu Stephen Biko (1946–77) was profoundly committed to authenticity. The repressive South African government hated that about him. Biko said, “I’m going to be me as I am, and you can beat me or jail me or even kill me, but I’m not going to be what you want me to be.” Fortunately for you, Scorpio, you’re in far less danger as you become more and more of your genuine self. That’s not to say the task of learning how to be true to your deep soul is entirely risk-free. There are people out there,

telegraph

even allies, who may be afraid of or resistant to your efforts. Don’t let their pressure influence you to dilute your holy quest.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): “The artist must train not only his eye but also his soul,” said Sagittarian painter Wassily Kandinsky. Inspired by his observation, I’m telling you, “The practical dreamer should train not only her reasoning abilities but also her primal intuition, creative imagination, non-rational perceptivity, animal instincts, and rowdy wisdom.” I especially urge you to embody my advice in the coming weeks, Sagittarius.

Now is a favorable time to make abundant use of the other modes of intelligence that help you understand life as it really is – and not merely as the logical, analytical mind conceives it to be.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): The language spoken by the indigenous Cherokee people is at least 3,000 years old.

But it never had a written component until the 1820s. Then a Cherokee polymath named Sequoyah formulated a syllabary, making it possible for the first time to read and write the language. It was a herculean accomplishment with few precedents in history. I propose we name him your inspirational role model for the rest of 2022. In my astrological understanding, you are poised to make dramatic breakthroughs in self-expression and communication that will serve you and others for a long time.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): A study by psychologists concludes there is a good way to enhance your willpower: For a given time, say one week, use your non-dominant hand to brush your teeth, wield your computer mouse, open your front door with your key or perform other habitual activities.

Doing so boosts your ability to overcome regular patterns that tend to keep you mired in inertia. You’re more likely to summon the resolution and drive necessary to initiate new approaches in all areas of your life – and stick with them. The coming weeks will be an especially favorable time to try this experiment.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): In his book Thus Spoke Zarathustra, philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche wrote, “You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist.”

According to my reading of the astrological omens, you will be justified to say something like that in the near future.

Now is a favorable time to honestly acknowledge differences between you and others – and accept those differences just as they are. The important point is to do what you need to do without decreeing that other people are wrong or misguided.

classifieds

Deadline for Telegraph classified ads is Tuesday at noon.

Ads are a bargain at 10 cents a character with a $5 minimum. Even better, ads can now be placed online: durangotelegraph.com. Prepayment is required via cash, credit card or check.

(Sorry, no refunds or substitutions.)

Ads can be submitted via: n classifieds@durango telegraph.com n 970-259-0133 n 679 E. 2nd Ave., #E2 Approximate office hours: Mon., 9ish - 5ish Tues., 9ish - 5ish Wed., 9ish - 3ish Thurs., On delivery Fri., gone fishing. Please call ahead: 259-0133.

Announcements

tal professional for PT position (possibly FT for right person). Applicant must have at least two years of consulting experience in CWA, ESA, NEPA or hazmat compliance work. BS/BA min. in biology, botany, geology, soil science, or related field is required. Must have good written/verbal communication skills and GIS experience is a plus. If interested, please send your resume and salary history to: smoore@sme-env.com. No phone calls please.

Sales Help Wanted Looking for sociable self-starters to join our professional sales team. Prior retail exp preferred, beading exp a plus!

Wage DOE. Apply in person 840 Main Ave.

**New Downtown Business Opening** A Nudge of Nature and Rocks & Things. Design your own mala bracelet in April for $10, infinite gemstones and small jewelry repair available. Just down the hall in 1053 Main Ave., Durango, CO, Suite #109 and #103. Open by appointment Alisa (970) 430-1023 The Perfect Gift for your favorite dirtbag. Literature from Durango’s own Benighted Publications. The Desert, The Climbing Zine, The Great American Dirtbags, American Climber, Climbing Out of Bed and Graduating From College Me are available at: Maria’s Bookshop, Pine Needle Mountaineering, the Sky Store, or on the interweb at www.climbingzine.com.

HelpWanted Now Hiring!

PT sales associate. Beautiful environment. Art and jewelry sales exp. nec. Resume to: kgabaldon@rmi.net Dynamic Challenging Position Marketing, Education & Communications Manager at Durango Natural Foods Co-op! Full time - $18.50/hr. Please visit durangonaturalfoods.coop/employment Click Marketing Application for full Job Description and how to apply.durango naturalfoods.coop/employment Environmental Professional Durango-based environmental consulting firm seeks qualified environmen-

YardSales

ent or startup businesses. Please visit our website at www.forwardpedal.com or email jnderge@gmail.com Harmony Cleaning and Organizing Residential, offices, commercial and vacation rentals, 970-403-6192.

HaikuMovieReview ‘The Adam Project’ Ryan Reynolds time travels to meet a tiny version of himself – Lainie Maxson

Lowest Prices on Storage!

Inside/outside storage near Durango and Bayfield. 10-x-20, $130. Outside spots: $65, with discounts available. RJ Mini Storage. 970-259-3494.

BodyWork Lotus Path Healing Arts Now accepting new clients. Offering a unique, intuitive fusion of Esalen massage, deep tissue & Acutonics, 24 years of experience. Call Kathryn, 970-201-3373.

Thurs. – Sun., April 21-24 Yakima bike rack, barbeque, skill saw, 2 sleeper couches, rattan chairs + much more. 288 Animas View Dr. 9 a.m.-3p.m.

Massage by Meg Bush LMT, 30, 60 & 90 min., 970-759-0199.

CommunityService Free Alzheimer’s Webinars Designed to help families understand the changes that come with the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. Registration required.

To register, go to tinyurl.com/yc7fay9k or call 800-272-3900.

• “10 Warning Signs of Alzheimer’s” 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. Thurs., May 5; 1 - 2 p.m.

Wed., May 19; and noon - 1:30 p.m.

Tues., June 14.

• “Understanding Alzheimer’s and Dementi”a – 4:30 - 6 p.m. Thurs., April 21; noon - 1 p.m. Tues., May 3

NewspaperOrigami

ForSale Catahoula Pups Ready for new home. $100, cash only.

1 girl, 1 boy left. Located in Durango.

970-355-8897 Reruns Home Furnishings New inventory including French provincial dresser, carved vintage Indian low table, art, awesome vintage iron bench, laps, décor and decorative pillows and more … Come in today! 572 E. 6th Ave. Open Mon.-Sat. 385-7336.

Wanted Cash for Vehicles, Copper, Alum, Etc. at RJ Metal Recycle. Also free appliance and other metal drop off. 970-259-3494.

Services RSE Handyman Service Home repair - Yard work - Odd Jobs 970-903-0449 Marketing Small & Local Businesses Media, website building and content editing, copywriting and editing, newsletters, blogs, etc. for small, local, independ-

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A tulip

April 21, 2022 n 23

24 n April 21, 2022

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