The Durango Telegraph - Sept. 11, 2025

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4 I quit you Turns out, breaking up with mountain biking isn’t that hard to do by Addy Santese

5 Urns and undies

Things that make you go “hmmm” in the Grand Canyon by Marjorie “Slim” Woodruff / Writers on the Range 10 Got tomatoes?

Never fear – the Toddfather is here with a simple, sensational sauce by Ari LeVaux

EDITORIALISTA: MISSY VOTEL missy@durangotelegraph.com

One step at a time After devastating accident, local highliner back with renewed mission by Missy Votel

CAST: Addy Santese, Marjorie “Slim” Woodruff, Ari LeVaux, Jesse Anderson, Lainie Maxson, Rob Brezsny & Clint Reid

SUPPORT CREW: JENNAYE DERGE jennaye@durangotelegraph.com

STAFF REPORTER: SCOOPS MCGEE telegraph@durangotelegraph.com

The Durango Telegraph publishes every Thursday, come hell, high water, tacky singletrack or mon-

ster powder days. We are wholly independently owned and operated by the Durango Telegraph

Ear to the ground:

“He took the Suby to college with his hot dog roaster and Bob Ross waffle maker.”

– #freshmanpriorities

Nifty and sixty

Diehard skiers and snowboarders will want to circle Sat., Nov. 22 on the calendar – that’s the day Purgatory will officially fire up the bullwheel on its 60th season.

In addition to celebrating its 60th birthday, the local ski hill is touting lift tickets as low as $9 when buying ahead online with the resort’s demand-based system (Opening Day tickets are currently $14). There will also be expanded snowmaking and free skiing for kids 12 and under.

“We are thrilled to invite skiers and snowboarders to celebrate 60 years of Purgatory,” Dave Rathbun, Purgatory Resort’s general manager, said. “This achievement is a testament to the support of our community and the dedication of our amazing team and our loyal guests.”

To help kick things off, Purgatory will host a party and ski swap on Sat., Sept. 27, at the resort. The day will feature live music, food and drink specials, games, giveaways, and a ski swap (replacing the dearly departed Hesperus Ski Swap, RIP.)

And while the Gelande Lift will not be getting off the ground this year due to various delays and snafus, Purg does have some other exciting news in the capital improvements department.

On the cover

The well-worn snag tree on top of the Cliffrock Loop at Twin Buttes points the way for bikers./ Photo by Missy Votel

ADDRESS: P.O. Box 332 Durango, CO 81302

PHONE: 970-259-0133

E-MAIL: telegraph@durangotelegraph.com

AND SUBSCRIPTIONS:

For starters, snowmaking has come to the lower Lift 8 section including Blackburn’s, lower Ray’s and the Legends Bypass. That’s right – hopefully no more rock dodging and core shots on the way to the lift. Can we get a hallelujah? (Now if only they could do something about getting some water back there – just saying, skiers get thirsty.)

Next up, the resort is installing a brand spanking new Campbell Scientific SnowVue system. We really have no idea what this is, but it sure looks fancy. According to the powers that be, it will provide “real-time snow depth measurements and track 24hour snow totals, storm totals and cumulative snowfall, giving skiers and riders clear, consistent updates to plan their days on the mountain.” Hey, it’s got to be better than the old snow stake, which let’s just say, delivered some creative snow totals.

In addition, guests can expect expanded Wi-Fi coverage (hopefully this means no more dead zones on the backside), new streaming cameras for live mountain conditions, an improved Purgatory app, ongoing trail work to clear brush and hazard trees, and a “Paradise Pizzeria refresh.”

Alas, no news on the fate of Hesperus Ski Area, which was closed last season because of purported lift issues. Stay tuned …

LaVidaLocal opinion

Dear Mountain Bike,

I’m sorry to do this to you, but I think it’s time we put the hydraulic disc brakes on our relationship. Even though this decision has been a long time coming, I need you to know it’s not you. It’s me.

Okay, that was a lie. It’s you.

Do you remember the other day, when you accused me of viewing you as a chore? You were right. You have become a chore, and anyone who says mountain biking doesn’t feel like exercise is completely delusional. I can’t keep put ting in hours and hours of effort with you just for five minutes of fun. It’s not worth it anymore.

From the start, everything has been an uphill battle with you. Instead of giving me butterflies in my stomach the way you did during that first test ride in the alleyway of 2nd Ave Sports, lately you only seem intent on giving me a cardiac event. The simple fact of the matter is that I’m not enough for you. Neither is my lung capacity. You’ve made that abundantly clear.

I know this letter might come as a bit of a surprise because, by Durango standards, you’re a total ten. Eleven-speed, technically. But a good relationship isn’t built on specs. Despite the fact that I spent over an hour at the bike shop getting sized specifically for you, we’re just not a good fit together. We want different things.

For example, I want to go on casual rides to feel the wind in my hair and a whimsical smile spreading across my face at the pure, childlike wonder that is riding a bike. You, on the other hand, want to crawl at a grueling 2 mph for the entirety of a 3,000 ft uphill climb, constantly lurking 15 feet behind a group of hikers like a mountain lion stalking its prey, then come rocketing up those same hikers’ asses on the downhill with no warning whatsoever. I’m just not that kind of girl, Mountain Bike.

I think part of the problem is that I never really had the constitution to be with you in the first place. You’re inherently daring. A natural risk-taker. A ba-

Thumbin’It

Southwest Colorado was awarded $100,000 in grants from CPW to help reduce human-bear conflicts and provide bear-resistant trash cans and code enforcement. We’re still in the thick of it folks, lock it up.

A sigh of relief for Colorado’s 225,000 self-insured, with the state passing a bill to help offset premium increases in the event the federal government doesn’t extend premium tax credits by the end of the year. Without the bill, folks could see premiums increase as much as 50% and even more here on the Western Slope.

Purg may not be getting its new chair this season, but hey, there’s going to be snow-making on the backside at the bottom of Lift 8! Our bases thank you!

dass. Meanwhile, every free personality quiz I’ve ever completed online has indicated that I’m a categorical weenie with a bright future in library sciences. I thought I could change myself for you, but the truth is that I could never change enough to become the type of person to confidently and unironically wear Pit Vipers in public. That’s half the mountain biker aesthetic right there. The other half is combining knee-length shorts with knee-high socks, and to be honest, I’d rather die. Just hurl me over the handlebars, all right?

Actually, that brings me to another point of contention in our brief but fraught relationship. I can’t help but feel like you derive some kind of sick pleasure from seeing me suffer – both mentally and physically, but especially physically.

“Live Fast, Die Young” might be your personal motto, but in the hellscape of our modern American healthcare system, I can’t afford to wind up with broken bones ... or a broken heart. That’s why I think we should call it quits before we really hurt each other.

Listen, Mountain Bike, we’ll always have the good times we shared. Remember when we first got together, and I had to figure out how to wrestle you onto the overly complicated (and overly expensive) bike rack just to go anywhere?

What about all those times we had to pull off to the side of the trail because we’d hit a mild incline, and I thought my heart was going to explode out of my chest? The sheer embarrassment of being passed by a cycling herd of 8-year-old Devo kids? Do you remember that? I sure do. And who could possibly forget the constant inconvenience of having to shuffle past you in my garage, absolutely obliterating my shins on your pedals on a nearly weekly basis? Ah, memories.

Nothing has ever been easy between us, Mountain Bike, but please, don’t make this breakup harder than it needs to be. Someday you’re going to find someone who loves you the way you deserve to be loved. Until then, you roll out of my life, and I’ll roll out of yours.

(On an unrelated note, if anyone’s in the market for a barely used XL Kona Mahuna with 29” wheels, hit me up. I know where you can get a pretty sweet deal.)

SignoftheDownfall:

Yet another heart-wrenching ICE deportation story, with longtime area father, husband and “dreamer” Martin Geobany Terrazas, 33, arrested in Bayfield in what his devastated family described as a heavy-handed, cartel-style sting of masked and black hoodie-wearing “agents.” Again – who are these people?

Just when you thought things couldn’t get any grosser: the DRAWING. We will never be able to unsee it.

When not making lewd doodles, Trump’s latest pastime is taking aim at offshore wind farms. He has even hired a former fracking executive as his energy secretary to go around saying the Paris climate agreement is “silly” and climate change is “not that big of a deal.” Sweet.

United States of Shamerica

“LARP” stands for “liveaction roleplaying,” and it usually involves a bunch of nerds pretending to be wizards. But for 29-yearold Bartosz Bruski, of Poland, it’s centered on pretending to be white trash from Ohio. Five years ago, he and a group of friends built a literal trailer park outside of Warsaw where they’d get into character and pretend to do typical American stuff, like cooking meth and dying because they don’t have universal healthcare. Now, Bruski’s group has more than 200 participants who spend weekends living in assigned trailers. After their story went viral last month, people from actual Ohio got offended because they thought it was AI-generated fake news. But the disbelief is understandable given that Bruski and his friends are skinny and have all their teeth.

WritersontheRange

Talking trash

From cremains to corned beef, hikers leave plenty of traces

Part of my job as a Grand Canyon educator is picking up stuff a hiker drops or leaves behind next to a trail. Some of the things I’ve found this summer lead me to wonder what the John Muir they were thinking. Recent trail finds include but are not limited to:

• A fast-food burger, in the original wrapper. I suppose they left it for the timid woodland creatures, except if fast food isn’t good for us, why would critters want it?

• Someone’s last remains. When a hiker pointed out a shiny object off the trail, I clambered over rocks to find a sealed urn of cremains, which is illegal to leave in a national park. Local tribes have also asked that visitors avoid doing this for religious considerations.

I reported finding the urn to park rangers, and for the next month was identified as “the lady who found the body.”

• A can of corned beef. We found this on day three of a seven-day backpack. Those who abandoned it surely thought, “Oh, whoever finds this shall fall upon it with glee!” Except we had enough food, thanks. Rather than carry a three-pound can of beef, though, we ate it, and yes, it was vile.

• Balloons. I risked life and limb one day clambering down a scree slope after what I thought was an abandoned backpack only to find deflated balloons. It is a lovely thought to release balloons to honor a friend. But creatures can get tangled in the strings or eat them to serious ill effect.

• Mascara wand. I understand that many women cannot bear to be without their makeup, but on the trail? For one thing, you are all sweaty and dirty, or at least, I am. In the same vein, I have come across dis-

carded bottles of cologne. Perhaps the owners finally realized that no perfume can cover up the smell of a long hike.

• Glow sticks. Tied to the trees. Not only are they plastic, they’re toxic to any animal who chews on them.

• Double boiler filled with rice. It might make sense to find this in a campsite, but 4 miles up the trail?

• Underwear. I do know about these situations. Someone has an unavoidable emergency and no TP so they use whatever is at, um, hand.

• Plastic tooth floss picks. Oral hygiene is important. However, most people do not leave their toothbrush behind, so why leave the silly things that only weigh one-tenth of an ounce?

• A five-pack of beer. I assume they drank one and left the rest for later, then did not find tepid beer palatable. But stashing items along the trail is problematic. We never know if you are really going to pick it up later, or if you just got tired of hauling it around. So best to keep it with you.

• Laminated photographs. These are often left as a memorial. Does your loved one really want you to honor them by littering public lands with their portrait?

• One shoe. How does one hike out with one shoe? Although I did once meet a hiker wearing a single shoe and sock, one for each foot. Another time, we found a jacket, then a shirt, then a pair of pants, then socks. I guess they kept the shoes.

• A hemostat used to compress a blood vessel. Was someone prepping for emergency surgery?

• An empty backpack. How did they get their gear out?

• A full backpack, including, among other things, a queensized bed sheet, a beach towel, canned food and two hardback books. Rumor has it that the hapless hiker yelled, “I can’t do this!”, grabbed a bottle of Gatorade and threw the pack off the trail. At this point, the hiker was 5 miles from the trailhead.

The first rule of “leave no trace” is to plan ahead. Perhaps one should sit down with one’s supplies and ask: Do I really want to lug these books, this frying pan, that good bottle of wine?

If yes, more power to you and keep on lugging! Just make sure you take it all back out with you.

Marjorie “Slim” Woodruff is a contributor to Writers on the Range, writersontherange.org, an independent nonprofit dedicated to spurring lively conversation about the West. She is a Grand Canyon educator. ■

Unsavory, unnatural and some very questionable items found in the Grand Canyon makes one wonder what people are really doing in our national parks./ Telegraph illustration

SoapBox

E-bikes and courtesy

I’m a newcomer to La Plata County; I’ve only been here 18 years.

For most of that period, I’ve walked about five days/week on a dirt county road in the eastern part of the county. There are years when I have not seen another walker on the road. There is a modest amount of car traffic, from none some days, to perhaps 10 for the hour that I walk. I wave to drivers, most of whom return the wave, some of whom I’ve chatted with. I wasn’t walking recently when ICE was doing a stop and detainment on the road thankfully, but that’s another issue.

Over the years, I’ve walked the Animas River Trail at times. I hadn’t done that much recently and was unpleasantly surprised when I did so last week. With the advent of electric bikes, I felt seriously endangered while walking. Many electric cyclists travel at speeds which, should a collision with a pedestrian occur, could cause serious injury. I feel much more endangered by the twowheeled traffic by the Animas than I do by the four-wheeled traffic on the county road. There are frequently driv-

ers in a hurry on that road, but they seldom seem to endanger me. Another Colorado town with bike paths posts speed limits, and there are occasional police bike patrols. I’ve not seen either in Durango. Of course, the best solution to this hazard would be cyclists exercising common courtesy, which many do.

I urgently ask electric cyclists to ride prudently and safely before a serious accident occurs. If you’re in a hurry, ride the city streets and take your chances instead of expecting pedestrians to take theirs. Thanks.

– Andrew Zeiler, eastern La Plata County

Save our forests

Please act now (deadline Sept. 19) to save our forests and wildlife. Trump wants to gut the Roadless Rule, which would enable his order to log millions of acres of national forest and increase the threat of wildfires, erosion and impacts on wildlife. (To learn more, read Mitch Friedman’s Sept. 4 article in the Telegraph, “Forest for the Trees.”)

Trump’s plan is to log the big trees; however, for fire remediation, one cuts

D-Tooned/by Rob Pudim

the small pole-size trees. Logging large trees would damage watersheds, increasing erosion and drying out the soils. Forests act as sponges and release moisture through their leaves to cause precipitation. Our national forests are

habitat for a multitude of wildlife, which must be protected. One-third of America’s birds are in decline, as are insects, fish, amphibians, reptiles and mammals. Species extinction on Earth is occurring due to our destruction of for-

ests. In addition, forests are a carbon sink, which combats global warming.

So write your comment by Sept. 19 to protect the Roadless Rule and our forests. Go to: Regulations.gov and search: FS-2025-0001-001. Contact your senators and representatives asking them to oppose increased logging on our national forests.

Also tell them to oppose Boebert’s bill to delist wolves in the Lower 48, the delisting in Colorado of the lesser prairie chicken and greater sage grouse and any weakening of the Endangered Species Act.

To oppose the shooting of 450,000 barred owls in our national forests, contact senators and the Department of Interior.

Endangered polar bears, arctic fox, caribou herds and migrating birds need more protections, not less. Act now and every day. Our voices make a difference.

And last but not least, contact Rep. Hurd to oppose HR 65 which would exempt the Department of Defense from protecting endangered species and adhering to the Endangered Species Act. Military bases are large areas that have many endangered species which must be protected, and this sets a terrible precedent for other landholders having endangered species.

– Margaret Mayer, conservation lead, SW Sierra Club, Durango

Portrait of an immigrant

Last week I was driving along one of Colorado’s busier streets. In an area dominated by small shops and chain stores, I noticed a man at the curb selling flowers and mangoes. Not an unusual site on

thoroughfares in many parts of the country. That he was Mexican became fully apparent when I pulled off to purchase a bouquet and a couple of mangoes. He didn’t speak English, and I flunked Spanish three times but somehow, with smiles and counting fingers, we got the transaction done.

As I drove off, it occurred to me that that man is incredibly courageous.

There he is, every day, alone on a busy street, putting his integrity and presence out there for thousands to see. On that hot, busy corner, breathing all that toxic exhaust, he’s working at making an honest, if small, living, to support himself and probably a family. He embodies what this country professed to value for generations.

He’s not working angles; he’s not stiffing his supplier; he’s not cheating his customers; he’s not assaulting women or degrading children. Instead, he is living out the bootstrapping ethic so lauded in our American mythos.

He dares to start at the bottom, to work honestly and hard. Slowly, through grit and determination, he aims to start climbing toward what was called the American Dream. He dares to publicly stand on a first rung of the American economic ladder. He dares to stand where he is incredibly vulnerable to simply being disappeared by either the masked and brutal thugs of ICE or others of the badged and lawless among us who prey on those who are named as targets by their fellow thugs in the White House.

He’s young, he’s married, he and his wife likely have a child or two whom they love, nurture and fiercely protect. It is for them that each and every day,

on a busy street corner, he takes up a place in American society. Each and every day he faces into a ginned-up hurricane of hatred and racism. He braves this storm invented by the rich, the powerful and the connected, to divide, conquer and deliver even more of your money and mine to the obscenely wealthy. Each and every day, as he goes to do his best for them, this young man kisses his family goodbye and wonders if he will see them 15 hours later.

He is a man of deep integrity who knows that sacrifice in the face of very real threat and fear is the one toe hold he can give his family on the ladder of hope. By simply standing on that corner, working to make an honest living, a stranger in an ever-stranger land, he is saying to all of us that the freedom to provide for your family is precious indeed. He is saying to all of us that defense of that freedom is worth the personal battle with fear and the very real danger that each and every day brings in a land that each and every day sees more and more of its freedoms ripped away.

Standing on that corner fearful, yet unblinking in the face of tyranny, he is a living signature on this country’s founding declaration of the inalienable human right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness ... John Hancock’s was writ no larger.

– Paul Garrett, Bayfield

‘Relief’

A few degrees less  air, water and sun angle  Sigh “ahhh” to Autumn

– Karen Carver, Durango

Back on top

After harrowing flying accident, local highliner returns with renewed mission

You could say Durango resident and world renowned highliner Sean Englund is a hard guy to keep down. In October 2023, a near-fatal speedflying crash off Smelter Mountain almost ended not just his flying and highlining careers, but his life.

Nearly two years after the accident, the 29-year-old –who suffered too many broken bones to list as well as a spinal injury – is introspective. He knows such risks come with the territory, especially when that territory is all too familiar.

“Accidents happen close to home where your comfort level is high, and your complacency can also be high,” said Englund, who underwent several surgeries and months of intense physical therapy. “There’s a lot of things that play into it. Things happen quickly. I had appropriate certifications. I take safety very seriously.”

An avid outdoorsman, Englund holds nationally recognized certifications in paragliding and avalanche safety. He is also a board member of the International

Slacklining Association and is a certified instructor. Over the last few years, he has successfully rigged technical and record-setting highlining routes all over the world. And despite the setback, he shows no signs of stopping. Since the accident, not only has he made good on a promise to fly again, but he has won international highlining speed competitions and laid down first routes everywhere from an ancient church in Germany to the Royal Gorge. But, he admits the accident has taken a toll physically; he can’t quite compete at the same level as before. “My body is just not the same, and I’m OK with it. I have other ambitions now,” he said.

Those latest ambitions are to share his passion for highlining – as well as love for its little sister sport, slacklining (done close to the ground, typically between two trees) – through his new company, Uncharted Lines.

“I had a lot of down time, because I couldn’t walk or do anything physical,” he said of his forced convalescence after the accident. “I had to stay motivated and inspired, so I decided to launch my company that I always dreamt of doing but never had time for.”

Englund started Uncharted Lines in January 2024 and considers its mission twofold: to host competitions in conjunction with the ISA, and to help grow interest in and understanding of the sport. “At our core, we are working to further the sport through direct exposure like performances and competitions,” said Englund, who has a crew of four working alongside him. “The other main facet is advocating for the sport of slacklining. We work with different entities in the area, the Hive being one of them, to do free clinics and try to get slacklining in front of more youth.”

To that end, Englund recently hosted the Art in Motion event at Buckley Park, which drew about 100 of the slacklining curious. In addition to slacklining clinics, the day also included yoga, mobility and mindfulness training – all necessary ingredients for a successful foray into the sport.

An Eagle Scout who graduated high school on the East Coast, Englund first got into slacklining as a student at Fort Lewis College, where he graduated with a degree in geography and cartography in 2020. He said highlin-

Sean Englund during his record-setting 2.16km highline outside Bend, Ore., in May 2023. It took about 2½ days to rig due to weather delays, with 17-18 individuals involved. The rigging involved use of the “curtain rod” method, which he also plans to use on a 4km line Oct. 4 in Moab./ Photo by Daniel Teitelbaum

ing and slacklining were a respite from the rigors of studying, which were compounded by learning disabilities. “Highlining was my get away. It was my quiet space from all the daily stresses of life,” he said. “School was hard for me, so slacklining truly gave me that outlet to step away. I couldn’t think of anything when I was on the line or else I’d fall off.”

In addition to providing an outlet, it also helped the self-professed introvert meet others. “Slacklining out on the quad allowed me to meet people – that’s where I met a lot of my friends that I still have today,” he said.

Englund, who got his first sponsor when he was 19, said there are a lot of misconceptions around the sport, namely that it is dangerous. However, he said highlining is actually safer than rock climbing, due to safety measures and redundancies that are built in, from double anchors to highliners being roped in, so when they fall they can climb back onto the line.

down that door because of the legality of it.”

Ah yes, that good, old American tradition of liability, which goes hand in hand with that other thorny topic: access, the historic bane of unorganized sports from rock climbing and skateboarding to, yes, even snowboarding once upon a time. Englund said he keeps his natural highlining endeavors to mostly BLM land, where regulations are more lax. But he said he hopes wider exposure to the sport will lead to broader acceptance and, ultimately, access.

He also noted that when it comes to other adventure sports, lining has a relatively low financial barrier and is accessible to almost anyone.

“It is a very cheap, low-cost adventure sport. It’s $80, and you can do it by yourself in the park,” he said. “Skiing, rockclimbing, mountain biking – I love all those hobbies and personally recreate in all of them – but the reality is, they are very expensive. Not everyone can afford all this. I’m trying to provide people a way to be outside and connect with each other.”

On the performance side of his business, Englund said he wants to keep pushing for things that have never been done in the world of highlining. “I knew I always wanted to do more urban highlining. It’s very prominent in Europe, yet in the U.S. no one has really broken

Since launching, Uncharted Lines has done seven projects –one being what Englund calls the “most advanced urban highline” that’s been done in the United States to date. The feat took place between two hotels in Virginia Beach, Va., during last spring’s Jackalope Festival (a sort of up-and-coming X Games). He also has his sights set on performances at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be held in North America, as well as the 2028 Summer Olympics in L.A.

And while seeing highlining as an actual Olympic sport may be a ways off, Englund said he sees it as a lot like rock climbing in the ’90s: fringe and misunderstood. “Do I believe we could get to a similar place as rock climbing is today: yes. Do I think we could be as established as having eight indoor climbing gyms like in Denver? No – we’re still in the fringe and misunderstood … for now,” he said.

But, that fringe is getting bigger by the day. “It definitely is a growing sport; competitions are ever growing,” he said, adding that he is taking leave from his day job as a GIS specialist to attend the International Speed Highline Championships in China in a few weeks. “I was just in Europe for two different speed highlining world cups, and all continents except Africa were represented,” he said.

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young

And they aren’t just young twentysomething guys, with one of his fiercest competitors Dayoung Cheong, a female from South Korea.

In the meantime, while Englund waits for his sport to become a little more mainstream and understood, he will keep returning to his happy place on the line. Even if doubts or nerves creep in (yes, even Englund admits to having a healthy fear of heights) – which, it turns out, is a great metaphor for life in general.

“Sometimes, you just need to commit, and it’s going to feel uncomfortable and it’s going to feel weird, and you’re not going to know the outcome. But you’re going to know you should be there doing exactly what you’re doing,” he waxed somewhat philosophically. “It feels good exploring the ‘What if?’ You’re going to have to push through those hard times and know it’s going to work out – a body in motion stays in motion … breathe, put the music on and just go walk and have fun.” ■

Englund
a
slackliner during the Art in Motion events on Aug. 16 in Buckley Park./ Instagram screengrab
Englund, center, and his Uncharted Lines crew after a recent highline mission on Durango’s Twin Buttes./ Courtesy photo

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StateNews

New order

Rule change for Land and Water Conservation Fund raises alarms

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum is making changes to a popular conservation program in ways that have some environmental groups crying foul.

In a secretarial order, Burgum is limiting how much money from the Land and Water Conservation Fund can be used. Established in 1964 to fund conservation and recreation by acquiring land, protecting resources, and providing grants to states, the fund is primarily is supported by fees from offshore oil and gas drilling.

Burgum’s new order prioritizes land acquisitions for U.S. Fish and Wildlife and the National Park Service, which some say will result in discouraging land acquisition for the Bureau of Land Management. It also calls for selling federal lands to states, requires a governors and local leaders to agree to any federal LWCF acquisitions, and would limit the ability of nonprofits to participate.

The order does not apply to the U.S. Forest Service, which is overseen by the Department of Agriculture.

Known as “Order 3442,” the Interior Department said it “is designed to provide clarity and consistency in how the Land and Water Conservation Fund is implemented, while aligning with the Trump administration’s priorities of cutting red tape, promoting outdoor recreation and ensuring responsible stewardship.”

But some conservation groups argue it is doing the opposite, putting up barriers to the program. “It is rather stunning to see Secretary Burgum come in and, for no reason at all … really try to kneecap this conservation program,” Aaron Weiss, deputy director at the Center for Western Priorities, said. He said the LWCF has been a successful bipartisan conservation program under past administrations.

available, or if all of these top-down restrictions are put on what types of projects can get done, then fewer and fewer of them will get done and places will be lost to the highest bidder.”

One example of a project that could not happen under the new order is the South San Juan project. The BLM used LWCF money to acquire land in Southwest Colorado to support outdoor recreation, public access and resource protection.

transferring federal lands to states because those lands very often then get privatized or sold because there are not the same type of overarching protections for state lands,” he explained. The fears also come on the heels of an attempt by Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, to include public land sales in the One Big Beautiful Bill.

However, not all conservation groups share these concerns over the order.

Miely

Weiss expressed a number of concerns about the new policy, from attacks on the rights of private land owners to going after nonprofit organizations.

Amy Lindholm, national coordinator of the Land and Water Conservation Fund Coalition, said the new order is severely restrictive. “That’s going to have a really negative impact on Colorado’s public lands because there are parcels up for sale within the boundaries of our lands all the time,” she explained. “If Land and Water Conservation Fund dollars are not

One of the biggest concerns her group has is that the order restricts a landowner’s rights to sell their land to whoever they choose, by requiring local approval for those sales. “No other landowner in America has to get the sign off of their governor or their local county commissioner to sell their land,” she said.

At the same time, conservation groups are concerned about the provisions restricting land sales to the federal government; others are flagging the likelihood public lands could be transferred in the opposite direction.

That’s the biggest concern for Devin O’Dea, western policy manager for Backcountry Hunters and Anglers. He fears the new order could be a back door to selling off public lands.

“We've long emphasized the risks of

Isaiah Menning, external director at the Utah-based American Conservation Coalition Action, said the LWCF was a conservation success of the first Trump Administration. The president signed legislation permanently authorizing and funding the LWCF.

“We support the intent of the order,” Menning said, adding that it’s re-centering the mission of public lands “for the benefit and enjoyment of the people.”

“There are times when states are better positioned to manage federal lands and can do it in a better way,” Menning said, pointing to a deal in his home state of Utah that saw federal lands sold to the state for a park. “Some of the concerns that you’re seeing from groups aren’t extremely warranted.”

For more from Colorado Public Radio, go to: www.cpr.org. ■

A BLM sign in northwest Colorado. A new rule issued by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum would prioritize land acquisition for U.S. Fish & Wildlife and national parks over BLM lands while calling for the sale of federal lands to states./ Photo by Hart Van Denburg, CPR News

FlashinthePan

Talkin’ tomatoes

The Toddfather offers up a simply sensational tomato sauce for the season

This is a fun time of the year to be Chef Todd English. Which, chances are, you aren’t, but you can still enjoy this sunny moment, the cusp where summer meets autumn, in the same ways the fourtime James Beard Award winning chef, restaurateur and cookbook author does. For one, we can finally eat tomatoes, as well as cook, dream, gush and, best of all, not frown upon them.

For English, even after decades of immersion in the tomato lifestyle, the magic that began in his grandmother’s kitchen still hasn’t faded. “It’s one of the most beautiful fruits. And it’s a vegetable. It’s savory, and it’s sweet. It goes with aioli, mayonnaise and other sauces, and pairs with so many foods,” says English, who refuses to serve tomatoes out of season due to his, “loyalty to their perfection.” The names of his restaurants, like Olive and Fig, betray his fiercely ingredientforward approach to cooking, which is less about fancy footwork and more about expressing the inner beauty of his raw materials.

These days, English and his chefs have been plunging deep down the fresh tomato rabbit hole, cranking out jam, leather, gazpacho, soup (alongside the occasional grilled cheese sandwich), smoked heirloom sauce, yellow tomato Bloody Marys and many variations on the Chef’s all-time favorite tomato pairing: with blue cheese. He mentioned a particular heirloom tomato sandwich with whipped gorgonzola as being the absolute pinnacle, but emphasized that any blue cheese, in any context, should work.

“Gorgonzola, Roquefort, Stilton, Maytag. It doesn’t matter. Blue cheese and tomato is one of the greatest things in the world to eat.”

I told him a story about a farmer friend who, at the end of market, offered me as many heirloom tomatoes as I wanted. These soft, cracked, thin-skinned balloons of tomato juice were too ripe to store until the Tuesday market and too cumbersome for the food bank people. Thus, they were destined for compost.

Through the phone waves I could feel the chef nodding gravely at the tragedy.

“Heirloom tomato sauce freezes really well,” he offered. I was equal parts surprised to hear it and kicking myself for not having already tried it. English promised me a recipe, which I will pass along at the end of this column. I ended up making several quarts of it, after bringing home about 15 pounds of free yellow and red heirlooms.

Years before launching his storied 45-year career in the restaurant industry, young Todd would peel and can tomatoes with his grandma. Today, his professional focus has arced away from opening restaurants and more toward the impact of diet on longevity. He has served in advisory roles in several initiatives and educational programs that aim to understand and

communicate about Blue Zones, areas on the planet where people seem to live longest.

Specializing in Mediterranean cuisine has made English an instant authority on olive oil-based eating. And while fat choice is a crucial dietary consideration, Blue Zones are about lifestyle as much as diet, he says, about the company around the table as much as what’s on the table. And, ideally, about the work that went into putting the food there.

“The Blue Zone lifestyle includes eating food in season. Naturally. Unprocessed. Rich olive olive oil or high omega 3 fatty acids. It’s about community. Enjoying each other. How you help each other out. That’s what is keeping the centennials out working in the fields.”

The more he discussed the Blue Zone lifestyle, the more I thought about his attitude toward the tomato, and the respect for the tomato lifestyle he learned from his grandmother. It’s the simple things. Done humbly, with care, that keep us going.

Another reason why it’s good to be Todd English these days are the artichokes, with like tomatoes he refuses to deal with out of season. “I used to go to an artichoke festival in Campania,” he recalled. “They would build a bonfire 10 feet long, 3 feet wide and pour olive oil, garlic and nepitella – an extra fragrant, oregano-like mint – over the artichokes and then bury them in the coals below spits of roasting lamb. When the coals died, they would dig up the blackened artichokes, cut off the burnt parts and serve them with olive oil, lemon juice and lamb.”

In season or not, I don’t think I would ever eat another artichoke again after trying them that way. But then again, if it was prepared with care, why not?

Here is the aforepromised recipe for yellow heirloom tomato sauce. It has so much flavor, despite hav-

ing so few ingredients. In other words, a Todd English recipe. If using it on pasta, you can simply simmer the pasta in the watery sauce and skip the boiling water.

Roasted Yellow Heirloom Tomato Sauce

• 3 lbs yellow heirloom tomatoes (halved or quartered, depending on size)

• 1 large sweet onion, sliced

• 6 cloves garlic, peeled

• 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 1 Tbsp white balsamic vinegar (or champagne vinegar, for brightness)

• 1 tsp sea salt

• ½ tsp black pepper

• 1 tsp sugar (optional, balances acidity)

• 1 small bunch fresh basil (about ½ cup leaves, loosely packed)

• 1 sprig fresh thyme or oregano (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).

2. Arrange vegetables: Spread tomatoes (cut side up), onion slices and garlic cloves on a parchmentlined baking sheet.

3. Drizzle with olive oil and vinegar. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and sugar (if using). Scatter thyme/oregano if desired.

4. Bake 35–45 minutes until tomatoes are caramelized and slightly blistered, onions softened and garlic golden.

5. Transfer everything to a blender or food processor. Add fresh basil and blend until smooth (or leave a little chunky if you prefer texture).

6. Pour into a saucepan and simmer gently for 10–15 minutes to deepen flavors. Adjust seasoning to taste. For a silky sauce, strain through a fine mesh sieve. Stir in a touch of butter or olive oil before serving for extra richness. If pairing with seafood, finish with a squeeze of lemon for brightness. ■

Stuff to Do

Thursday11

Durango Pride: Mocktails & Bingo, 1-3 p.m., FLC Student Union Plaza

HOPE Network for anyone facing cancer, 2:303:30 p.m., Cancer Support Community SW Colorado, 1701 Main Ave., Ste. C

Crafternoons, 4-5:30 p.m., Durango Public Library, 1900 E. 3rd Ave.

“Share Your Garden” surplus produce distribution, 4:30-6 p.m., Animas Valley Grange, 7271 CR 203

Ska-B-Q w/music by Shane Finn, 5 p.m., Ska Brewing, 225 Girard St.

Weekly Dart Tournament, 5:30 p.m., Union Social House, 3062 Main Ave.

“Books and Blankets” outdoor family gathering, 5:30-6:30 p.m., Sunnyside Library, 75 CR 218

Happy Hour Trail Work, 5:30-7:30 p.m., location TBD, sign up at www.durangotrails.org

Open Mic Poetry Night, 5:30-8 p.m., The Subterrain, 900 Main Ave.

Jeff Solon Jazz, 6-8 p.m., Lola’s 725 E. 2nd Ave.

Paradise Pizza Trivia Night, 6-8 p.m., Purgatory

Pete Giuliani plays, 6-9 p.m., 11th St. Station, 1101 Main Ave.

Adam Swanson Ragtime, 6-9 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

Rob Webster plays, 6-9:30 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.

Trivia Night on the Plaza, 6:30-8:30 p.m., The Powerhouse, 1333 Camino Del Rio

Cult Movie Night, featuring a Coen Brothers classic, 7 p.m., Mancos Opera House, 125 Grand Ave.

“Beyond Neoclassical” with cellist Ian Maksin, 7-8:30 p.m., Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave.

The Magnolia Brass Quintet, 7-8:30 p.m., FLC Roshong Recital Hall

Kirtan Chanting, 7-8:30 p.m., Pause Yoga Studio, 1970 E. 3rd Ave., Ste 111

Durango Pride: Aria Petty One’s Drag Trivia, 7-10 p.m., Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave.

Friday12

Artists Richard J. Oliver and Michael Clark opening reception, 5-7 p.m., Durango Creative District Gallery, 1135 Main Ave.

Durango Devo Film Festival, 5-9 p.m., Chapman Hill

Pete Giuliani plays, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Baron’s Creek Vineyards Tasting Room, 901 Main Ave.

“History of the San Juan Cutthroat,” 6-7 p.m., Durango Public Library,1900 E. 3rd Ave.

Tom Ward’s Downfall plays, 6-8 p.m., Durango Winery, 900 Main Ave.

Matt Rupnow plays, 6-9 p.m., Union Social House, 3062 Main Ave.

Dustin Burley plays, 6-9 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.

Adam Swanson Ragtime, 6-9 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

Friday Nights at Fox Fire, 6-9 p.m., Fox Fire Farms Winery, 5513 CR 321, Ignacio

Summer Sounds Concert with Colony Funk, 6-9 pm, Memorial Park, 1800 Greene St., Silverton

Unitarian Universalist Recital Series featuring artists Helen Goode, Carolyn Beck and Cynthia Williams, 7 p.m., 419 San Juan Dr.

A Night of Improv, 7-9 p.m., Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave.

Durango Pride: Pride Dance, 6-10 p.m., EsoTerra Ciderworks, 558 Main Ave.

Clinton Scott plays, 7-10 p.m., 11th St. Station, 1101 Main Ave.

Durango Star Party with SJMA and the Durango Astronomical Society, 7-10 p.m., SJMA’s Durango Nature Center, 63 CR 310

Saturday13

Bird Outing, 8-10 a.m., SJMA’s Durango Nature Center, 63 CR 310

Durango Farmers Market on Main, 8 a.m.-12 noon, Main Ave.

Bayfield Farmers Market, 8 a.m.-12 noon, Saturdays thru Oct., 1328 CR 501, Bayfield

Durango Pride Parade, 10 a.m., Main Avenue

Ute Knowledge Exhibit Opening, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Animas Museum, 3065 W. 2nd Ave.

Plein Air Festival, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Butterfly Ranch and Granite Peaks, 611 W. HWY 160

Artist workshops with Richard J. Oliver and Michael Clark, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Durango Creative District Gallery, 1135 Main Ave.

Community Picnic and Apple-Pressing, 11

a.m.-2 p.m., Animas Valley Grange, 7271 CR 203

Pride Festival, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Buckley Park

Yarn Meetup, 1-3 p.m., Durango Public Library, 1900 E. 3rd Ave.

DNF Harvest Fest, featuring music by Mojo Birds, 3-8 p.m., Rotary Park

“The Crimson Curtain” book signing with author E.B. Golden, 4-6 p.m., Maria’s Bookshop parklet, 960 Main Ave.

Farmington Hill plays, 4-7 p.m., Mancos Brewing, 484 HWY 160

Crimson Kiss plays, 5-8 p.m., Gazpacho, 431 E. 2nd Ave.

The Harvest Table annual fundraiser dinner for the La Plata Family Center, 5-8:30 p.m., 2997 CR 215

Dave Osborne plays, 6 p.m., Union Social House, 3062 Main Ave.

Matt Rupnow plays, 6-9 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.

Adam Swanson Ragtime, 6-9 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

Ethan J. Perry plays, 6-9 p.m., EsoTerra Cider, 558 Main Ave.

John Cross & The New Relics play, 6:30-10 p.m., Whistling Horse Trail off Florida Rd. (follow the signs)

The Rev plays, 6-9 p.m., 11th St. Station, 1101 Main Ave.

Magi and The One Heart Orchestra w/ John Reeve, 8-10 p.m., The iNDIGO Room, 1315 Main Ave., #207

Sound Underground EDM Night, 9 p.m., The Subterrain, 900 Main Ave., Ste. F

Sunday14

Artist workshops with Richard J. Oliver and Michael Clark, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Durango Creative District Gallery, 1135 Main Ave.

Forest Thump plays, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. 11th St. Station, 1101 Main Ave.

Plein Air Festival, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Butterfly Ranch and Granite Peaks, 611 W. HWY 160

Damn the Moon plays, 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Durango Coffee Co., 730 Main Ave.

Purgatory Oktoberfest, 12 noon-4:30 p.m., Purgatory Resort

Celebration Cultural Latinoamericana, 12

AskRachel

Hang up and walk, up in arms and a crummy gift

Interesting fact: Actually, the right to draw arms probably IS enshrined in the Constitution, but only if you uphold that pesky First Amendment freedom-of-speech business upon which everything else depends in a functioning democratic republic.

Dear Rachel,

I see that it’s now against the law to talk on a hand-held cell phone while driving, with exceptions. Do you think the city will make it a law that talking and looking at your phone while walking on the new WIDE sidewalk is a violation? My friend got hit head-on by a talker who was looking at his phone. A bump and go, but OK.

Dear Walkie-Talkie,

– Chatty Kathy

Absolutely not, because this is America. It’s a matter of moments until a high-ranking government official appeals this driving phone ban to the Supreme Court, where a 6-3 ruling will overturn it – all because you brought it

noon-7 p.m., Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 419 San Juan Dr.

Blue Moon Ramblers play, 6-9 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

Weekly Peace Vigil & Rally for Gaza & Palestine, every Sunday, 4 p.m., Buckley Park

Blue Moon Ramblers play, 6-9 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

Devin Scott plays, 6-9 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.

Monday15

American Sign Language Learners Group, 5:30-6:30 p.m., Sunnyside Library, 75 CR 218

Terry Hartzel plays, 5:30-10 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

Meditation and Dharma Talk, 5:30 p.m., Durango Dharma Center, 1800 E. 3rd Ave., Ste. 109 or online at www.durangodharmacenter.org

“Living with Wildlife” Colorado fish, wildlife and parks series, 6-7:30 p.m.,

to their attention with your letter. I do think walk-and-texters should have to wear neon flags on tall poles, though, just like those recumbent cyclists use for safety.

– Shut up and walk, Rachel

Dear Rachel,

Have you seen THE DRAWING? You know what I’m talking about. The creepy self-incriminating one. The words are bad enough until I realized the (young) woman’s body has no head and no arms. Not just “not included on the page” but actually missing. What does this say about the (I hate to use the word) artist?

– Unarmed

Dear Mannequin,

The right to draw arms is not enshrined in the Constitution. Not that it would much matter if it were. We as a nation are much more okay with taking away people’s arms than we are with taking away their arms, if you know what I mean. It’s much harder to exer-

Durango Public Library, 1900 E. 3rd Ave.

Terry Rickard plays, 6-9 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.

Tuesday16

Twin Buttes Tuesday MTB Ride, 5:30-8 p.m., Twin Buttes MTB Trailhead

Terry Hartzel plays, 5:30-10 p.m., Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

Rotary Club of Durango: Club members share 2025 Rotary International Convention experiences, 6-7 p.m., Strater Hotel, 699 Main Ave.

“History Live!” Cookbook Club, 67:30 p.m., Durango Public Library, 1900 E. 3rd Ave.

Randy Crumbaugh plays, 6-9 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.

Open Mic, 7 p.m., Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave.

“The Eagle and the Condor Flying Together,” indigenous culture presentation, 7 p.m., The Sunflower

cise that Second Amendment right to defend ourselves against a tyrannical government without limbs! It’s also harder if, you know, it was never actually about defending ourselves against a tyrannical government at all. – Disarming, Rachel

Dear Rachel,

I appreciate people doing nice things for birthdays. But I also hate when people bring things just for the sake of bringing things. Like recently, a friend brought a carton of crummy grocery-store cookies to a get-together that did not require cookies. It just happened to be on a birthday. A couple of people nibbled politely but we threw most of the cookies out because they were terrible. How can we stop gratuitous and wasteful gesturing?

– No-Cookie Monster Dear Stone Cold, In a world rife with dangers, injustices, misappropriations and people

Theater, 8 E. Main St., Cortez

Wednesday17

Weekly Bird Walks, 8-9:30 a.m., Durango Public Library Botanical Gardens, 1900 E. 3rd Ave.

Breakfast Club Trail Work Day, weekly, 8 a.m.-10:30 p.m., location TBD, sign up at www.durangotrails.org

Twin Buttes Farm Stand, weekly, 36:30 p.m., Twin Buttes, 165 Tipple Ave.

Chocolate & Wine Tasting, Women’s Resource Center fundraiser, 5:30-7 p.m., Animas Chocolate & Coffee Co., 940 Main Ave.

Terry Hartzel plays, 6-9 p.m., The Diamond Belle Saloon, 699 Main Ave.

Chuck Hank plays, 6-9 p.m., Office Spiritorium, 699 Main Ave.

“Chasing Ghosts: A Ride with the American West’s Most Notorious Outlaw,” a conversation with Brett Davis and Andrew Gulliford, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Center of Southwest Studies, FLC

Email Rachel at telegraph@durango telegraph.com

walking while using their cell phones, you’re going to gripe about cookies? Even a crummy grocery-store cookie beats no cookie at all. And I’d rather live in a world where we gift each other gratuitous cookies instead of wildly horrifying birthday drawings. Give it a rest and eat the damn cookie.

– A tall glass of milk, Rachel

Open Mic, 7 p.m., EsoTerra, 558 Main

Comedy + Karaoke, 7 p.m., Starlight Lounge, 937 Main Ave.

Ongoing

Silverton Creates! Celebration of the Arts, thru Sept. 20, Silverton

“Two Sides to Terbush” Dale Terbush solo exhibition, thru Sept. 25, Blue Rain Gallery, 934 Main Ave., Unit B

“Chopping and Stacking Glaspens” exhibit by Lucille Olechowski, thru September, Recess Gallery at Studio &, 1027 Main Ave.

“Nature’s Tapestry in Plein Air,” through Oct. 25, 5-7 p.m., Durango Arts Center, 802 E. 2nd Ave.

Upcoming

Ska-B-Q w/music by Rob Webster, Thurs., Sept 18, 5 p.m., Ska Brewing, 225 Girard St.

Spanish Conversation Hour, Thurs., Sept. 18, 5:30-6:30 p.m., Durango Public Library, 1900 E. 3rd Ave. Sept. 11, 2025 n 13

FreeWillAstrology

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Hindu goddess Durga rides a tiger and carries weapons in her 10 hands, including a sword, axe, and thunderbolt. Yet she wears a pleasant smile. Her mandate to aid the triumph of good over evil is not fueled by hate but by luminous clarity and loving ferocity. I suggest you adopt her attitude, Aries. Can you imagine yourself as a storm of joy and benevolence? Will you work to bring more justice and fairness into the situations you engage with? I imagine you speaking complex and rugged truths with warmth and charm. I see you summoning a generous flair as you help people climb up out of their sadness and suffering. If all goes well, you will magnetize others to participate in shared visions of delight and dignity.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Born under the sign of Taurus, Maya Deren first expressed her extravagant creative urges as a writer, poet, photographer, clothes designer and dancer. But then she made a radical change, embarking on a new path as experimental filmmaker. She said she had “finally found a glove that fits.” Her movies were highly influential among the avant-garde in the 1940s and 1950s. I bring Deren to your attention, Taurus, because I suspect that in the coming months, you, too, will find a glove that fits. And it all starts soon.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): In medieval times, alchemists believed mercury was a sacred substance and divine intermediary. They knew that it’s the only metal that’s liquid at room temperature. This quality, along with its silvery sheen (why it’s called “quicksilver”), made it seem like a bridge between solid and liquid, earth and water, heaven and earth, life and death. I nominate mercury as your power object. You’re wellsuited to navigate transitional states. You may be the only person who can speak in riddles and still make sense. It’s wisdom wrapped in whimsy. So please offer your in-between insights freely. PS: You have another superpower: You can activate dormant understandings in both other people’s hearts and your own.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): In the Pacific Ocean, there’s a species of octopus that builds its lair from coconut shells. The creature gathers together husks, dragging them across the seafloor, and fits them together. According to scientists, this use of tools by an invertebrate is unique. Let’s make the coconut octopus your power creature for now, Cancerian. You will have extra

power to forge a new sanctuary or renovate an existing one, either metaphorically or literally. You will be wise to draw on what’s nearby and readily available, maybe even using unusual or unexpected building materials.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Contemplate the meaning of “invisible architecture.” It will be a theme for you in coming weeks. Structures are taking shape within you that may not yet be visible from the outside. Bridges are forming between once-disconnected parts of your psyche and life. You may not need to do much except consent to the slow emergence of these new amazing expressions of integrity. Be patient and take notes. Intuitions arriving soon may be blueprints for future greatness. Here’s the kicker: You’re not just building for yourself. You’re working on behalf of your soul-kin, too.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): A supple clarity is crystallizing within you. Congratulations! It’s not a brittle or rigid certainty but a knack for limber discernment. I predict you will have an extra potent gift for knowing what truly matters, even amidst chaos. As this superpower ripens, you can aid the process by clearing out clutter and refining your foundational values. Make these words your magic spells: quintessence, core, crux, gist, lifeblood, root. PS: Be alert for divine messages in seemingly mundane circumstances.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): The Mesopotamian goddess Inanna was called “the Queen of Heaven.” Her domains were politics, divine law, love and fertility. One chapter of her mythic story tells of her descent into the underworld. She was stripped of everything – clothes, titles, weapons – before she could be reborn. Scholars say she was on a quest for greater knowledge and an expansion of her authority. And she was successful! I propose we make her your guide and companion in coming weeks. You are at the tail-end of your own descent. The stripping is almost complete. Soon you will feel the first tremors of return – not loud, not triumphant, but sure. I have faith that your adventures will make you stronger and wiser.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): In ancient Rome, the dye called Tyrian purple was used exclusively for garments worn by royalty and top officials. It had a humble origin: murex snails. Their glands yielded a pale liquid that darkened into an aristocratic violet after sun, air and time worked upon it. I’m predicting you will be the beneficiary of comparable alchemical transformations in the coming weeks. A modest curiosity could lead to a

major breakthrough. A passing fancy might ripen into a rich blessing. Seemingly nondescript encounters may evolve into precious connections.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Bees can see ultraviolet patterns in flowers that are invisible to humans. These “nectar guides” direct bees to the flower’s nectar and pollen, functioning like landing strips. Let’s apply this as metaphor for your life. I suspect life is offering you subtle yet radiant cues leading you to sources you will be glad to connect with. To be fully alert, you may need to shift and expand the ways you use your senses. The universe is flirting with you, sending you clues through dream-logic and nonrational phenomena. Follow the shimmering glimmers.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): At the height of her powers, Egyptian pharaoh Hatshepsut declared, “I have restored what had been ruined. I have raised up what had dissolved.” You now have a similar gift at your disposal. If harnessed, you will gain an enhanced capacity to unify what has been scattered, to reforge what was broken and to resurrect neglected dreams. To fulfill this, you must believe in your own sovereignty –not as a form of domination but of devotion. Start with your own world. Make beauty where there was noise. Evoke dignity where there was confusion.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): In the Himalayas, there’s a flower called Saussurea obvallata – the Brahma Kamal. It blooms only at night and for a short time, releasing a scent that legend says can heal grief. This will be your flower of power for the coming weeks. It signifies a rare and time-sensitive gift, and you must be alert to gather it in. My advice: Don’t schedule every waking hour. Leave space for mystery to arrive unannounced. You could receive a visitation, inspiration or a fleeting insight that can change everything. It may assuage and even heal sadness, confusion, aimlessness or demoralization.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): The human heart beats 100,000 times per day, 35 million times per year and 2.5 billion times in an average lifetime. It’s the most reliable “machine” ever created, working continuously and mostly without special maintenance for decades. Although Pisceans aren’t renowned for their stability and steadiness, I predict in coming weeks, you will be as staunch, constant and secure as a human heart. What do you plan to do with this grace period? What marvels can you accomplish?

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

Announcements

White Rabbit Fall Book Sale & 12th Anniversary Celebration. 128 W. 14th St., Sat. Oct. 11, 11–4. Pay what you want, take what you need & tell your friends!

ForSale

Reruns Home Furnishings

Patio sets, bistros and yard art. Also looking to consign smaller furniture pieces. 572 E. 6th Ave. Open Mon.-Sat.

Lost/Found

Cid Come Home

Last seen in Durango, July 21, 2024, by St. Columba Church. He is chipped, missing left canine tooth, white, big black spots, green eyes. Reward. 970-4036192 .

Classes/Workshops

All Levels Yoga Thursdays 10am, Smiley Room 32. Props provided. Accessible class for continuing beginners who want to focus on functional movement and fundamental actions within standing, seated, twisting, forward and backward bending postures. www.k-lea.com (303) 819-9076

Aikido Crash Course

Is Aikido sprint tai chi? Dancing for ninjas? You decide. Try the fast, fun $8 weekly crash course Mondays 5:30615pm. Must register online: durangoaikido.com

Wanted

Books Wanted at White Rabbit Donate/Trade/Sell 970 259-2213

Services

Boiler Service - Water Heater

Serving Durango over 30 years. Brad, 970-759-2869. Master Plbg Lic #179917

Chapman Electric

Specializing in remodels, repairs, and additions both big and small. Local and reliable. Colorado Licensed Master Electrician. Mike 970-403-6670

Electric Repair

Roof, gutter cleaning, fence, floors, walls, flood damage, mold, heating service.

BodyWork

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

CommunityService

Dog Fosters Needed Parker’s Animas Rescue needs foster

families to provide temporary homes for rescued dogs: parkersanimal rescue.com.

Find Relief & Support

Free community yoga classes at Smiley Building Room 20A: “Yoga of Recovery” (Tues. 10-11:15): Address addictive habits in a supportive environment. “Pain Care Yoga” (Tues. 4:30-5:45): Pain management and improved movement. innerpeaceyoga therapy.com/locations/durango/

Dementia/Alzheimer’s Caregivers

Support Group and information/resources to those caring for a loved one with dementia/Alzheimer’s 1st, 3rd & 5th Wednesday of each month, 10:30 a.m. –12 noon, La Plata Senior Center, 2424 Main Ave. For info., email cajunmc@gmail .com or go to www.alz/org/co

‘Deep Cover’ Improv actors must say ‘yes’ but audiences should say ‘no’ to this – Lainie Maxson

Community Compassion Outreach at 21738 HWY 160 W is open Tues., Wed. and Fri. 9 a.m.- 4 p.m. for case management, client services, snacks, drinks, meals and support for those with substance-use disorders and co-occurring mental health issues. Saturdays Coffee & Conversations, 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Thursdays Harm Reduction, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

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