This Week: 6 - HARVEST VILLAGE 8 - RFSD REPORT 11 - SPORTS 14-15 - ARTS 17 - CPA AWARDS Your nonprofit
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t s r u r ck ta The Sopris Stars Youth News Bureau brought home 15 of The Sopris Sun and Sol del Valle’s grand total of 38 awards from the annual Colorado Press Association’s (CPA) 2025 Better News Contest, with the final results having been announced on Aug. 29 during the annual CPA convention. Flip to page two for a column from the editor reflecting on the paper’s new record, and to page 17 for a complete list of awards earned by the team at your local, community-owned newspaper.
Volume 18, Number 30 | September 3-9, 2026
Placing trust in local news
What sets local news apart from the mass-information digi- our shining Sopris Stars, who launched their own paper last tal wormhole? Trust. This was one takeaway from the keynote October. This was the first year a student category was included speaker of the 147th Annual Colorado Press Association (CPA) in the contest, and The Stars set a high bar. Convention, Garry Pierre-Pierre, founder of the New York-based Such an achievement wouldn’t be possible without each Haitian Times. As many of you know, and at the risk of starting out member of the team, from our pool of correspondents filling this column sounding like a broken record, I couldn’t agree more. the pages of The Sun with 100% original content, to Sol’s Latino Ironically, mistakes provide that opportunity. Every correc- news team bridging the information gap, to every Sopris Star tion, letter to the editor, public apology should be an assurance rising to meet new challenges. that, “If they don’t get it right the first time, And for the sake of truthfulness, since taking they’ll let us know.” over as editor in April, playing catch up seems Trust has always been critical for local news, to be a regular part of the job. But I am consisand is as imperative today as it ever was. tently brought back to the present thanks to this During the convention, I had the opportalented group I have the privilege to work with. tunity to sit in on a roundtable with a few This reliance on one another rings true for Latino publishers from across the state. Hector the collective media climate in the Valley, too. Morales, the editor and publisher of Enterate I have to give credit to Megan Tackett, the Latino in Grand Junction, brought something up associate publisher of Aspen Daily News, for that resonated: People who recently felt free to planting this seed a few years ago, when she express themselves, now wish to be “invisible,” won CPA’s First Amendment Award as editor. to be left alone in order to remain safe. Historically, newspapers have competed to America has dipped back into old patterns, get the scoop, which is true still and crucial to when people feel judged because of the color lighting a fire under our asses, but partnerLETTER FROM of their skin, not just by factions of society, ships between local newsrooms have created a THE EDITOR but by the government. Through this regresculture of mutual respect and a core mission to By James Steindler sion, Latino and Anglo journalists are working fulfill our shared responsibility as journalists. together, the former nurturing trust and the latter using the As has become a tradition over the past five years, fellow luxury of access to dig deeper for information. Both comple- newsies from the Valley spend one evening during the convenmentary efforts take courage. tion together at the Denver Press Club, which has been harboring Members of our own community are tinged with the notion of journalists for more than 150 years, convening for the first time not belonging, a discomfort challenged by Sol del Valle through in 1867. And during the CPA awards banquet, members of these Spanish-language news and storytelling. The CoWest Noticias newsrooms sit together and cheer for one another, year after year. Collaborative, made up of several news agencies in the Valley sharIt’s not a stretch to say that the journalists of yesteryear, from as ing content for translation in Sol, including Latino-based outlets, far back as the incorporation of the State of Colorado and beyond, provides a weekly portfolio of investigative articles. Together, we would be proud. Because we are all carrying on this important keep the whole community informed and in the fold as best we can. work together. And we have something to show for it. The Sopris Sun, Sol And that includes you. The efficacy of the paper depends on del Valle and The Sopris Stars Youth News Bureau brought readers holding us accountable. So write a letter to the editor home an astonishing 38 awards after CPA’s Better News Contest when you see something was missed or wrong. When you tell Awards Banquet for work done in 2025, nearly doubling our yourself you don’t want to be that person, be that person. Because previous record from last year of 20. Two were for Sol del Valle this moment relies on all of us to preserve it. stories, by Felipe Perez and Jacqueline Flores Alvarez, which says a lot because each week only one of Sol’s many origi- For the long list of CPA awards brought in by your local, nal stories is translated in The Sun. Fifteen were earned by nonprofit newsroom, flip to page 17.
OPINION
LETTERS Support each other Sept. 10 is World Suicide Prevention Day — a day to remember, raise awareness and remind one another that hope and help are available. For Seed Peace, this day carries an especially personal meaning. Sept. 10 was also the birthday of Casey Piscura, whose life and legacy inspired the creation of Seed Peace: Casey’s Fund Supporting Farmers. Casey died by suicide, leaving behind a family and community determined to honor his life by helping others find support before it is too late. Suicide affects families, friends, workplaces and communities in ways that can last a lifetime. Farmers and agricultural producers face unique challenges, including financial uncertainty, isolation, long work hours, unpredictable weather and the pressure of carrying on a family business. Studies have found that farmers are at significantly greater risk of suicide than the general population. Yet too many people continue to suffer in silence. Seed Peace was created in Casey’s memory to support the health and well-being of farmers by helping provide access to mental health and wellness services. We believe that asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness, and that no farmer should have to face life’s challenges alone. On this World Suicide Prevention Day — and on Casey’s birthday — we encourage everyone to check in on the people
around them. A simple conversation, a phone call or the question, “How are you really doing?” can make a meaningful difference. If you or someone you know is struggling or experiencing thoughts of suicide, help is available. Call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Let’s break the silence, support one another and remind those who are struggling: You matter. Your life matters. And it is okay to ask for help. This Sept. 10, we remember Casey, honor his life and work toward a future where more people feel supported, connected and comfortable asking for help. For more information about Seed Peace and its FarmStrong health and wellness programs for farmers, visit seedpeace.org Bob Piscura Seed Peace
Thank you, Defiance
Music at Sopris
Wine & Dine for Life
On Sunday, Aug. 23, several hundred people gathered in Sopris Park for a summer concert. There was a local band, Mitt Spicy and the Blues Bandits, and an out of town act from Texas, Anthony Garcia and Los Diablos Tejanos. KDNK simulcast the show and the park was hopping. There is one more concert on Sunday, Sept. 13, with Aggie Flores and Tommy the Animal starting at 5pm. Please come and enjoy the music. Marty Silverstein Carbondale
2 THE SOPRIS SUN | soprissun.com | September 3-9, 2026
We at Mountain Valley Developmental Services (MVDS) had the great pleasure of floating the Colorado River with Defiance Rafting last week. It was a beautiful, sunny day to be out on the river! From one passenger, Bruce, who is also now MVDS staff: “As a former river guide (12 years) and guide instructor, I would like to offer a brief statement to Defiance Rafting. All six guides did an excellent job working with our group. They were very helpful attending to our clients, were respectful and I felt safe the whole trip, from the fitting of life jackets, the safety talk, transports and on the river. Well done, Defiance Rafting!” We all wholeheartedly echo his sentiments. It was an amazing day! Sara Sims Glenwood Springs
The Chris Klug Foundation (CKF) would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who helped make our 2026 Wine & Dine for Life gala such a magical evening! This annual awareness and fundraising event helps CKF share the lifesaving message of organ, eye and tissue donation, and support individuals nationwide before, during and after transplant. Wine & Dine’s Gold Level sponsor, The Hoffberger Family, are the reason this continued on page 22
Editor James Steindler 970-510-3003 news@soprissun.com Managing Editor Skyler Stark-Ragsdale Sol del Valle Editora Bianca Godina bianca@soldelvalle.org Digital Editor Ingrid Celeste Zúniga ingrid@soldelvalle.org Lead Editorial Designer Terri Ritchie Partnerships & Engagement Manager Luise Nieslanik Advertising Department adsales@soprissun.com Sol del Valle Marketing & Development Manager Margarita Alvarez margarita@soldelvalle.org Advertising and Special Section Designer Emily Blong Delivery Fred Kirschbaum Bartlett Proofreaders Lee Beck Tracy Kallassy Ken Pletcher Hank van Berlo Executive Director Todd Chamberlin 970-510-0246 todd@soprissun.com Board Members / Mesa Directiva board@soprissun.com Klaus Kocher • Kay Clarke • Eric Smith Roger Berliner • Elizabeth Phillips Anna Huntington • Loren Jenkins Carlos Ramos • Gayle Wells Jamie LaRue • Adele Craft
The Sopris Sun Board meets at 6pm on second Thursdays at the Third Street Center. The Sopris Sun, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation with a mission to inform, inspire and build community by fostering diverse and independent journalism. Donations are fully tax deductible.
Sincerest thanks to our Honorary Publishers for their annual commitment of $1,000+ Kathy & Carter Barger Lee Beck & John Stickney Karen & Roger Berliner Emily & George Bohmfalk Kay Brunnier Michelle & Ed Buchman Sandy & Paul Chamberlin Frances Dudley Sue Edelstein & Bill Spence Deborah & Shane Evans Greg & Kathy Feinsinger Peter & Mike Gilbert Michael & Nancy Kish Gary & Jill Knaus Jan & Warren Koster Bob & Dori Libson Lee Mulcahy Donna & Ken Riley Eric Smith Patti & George Stranahan Gayle & Dick Wells Elizabeth Wysong
Legacy Givers for including us in their final wishes. Mary Lilly Linda Criswell
Donate by mail or online: P.O. Box 399 Carbondale, CO 81623 520 S. Third Street #26 970-510-3003 soprissun.com/Donate The Sopris Sun, Inc. is a proud member of the Carbondale Creative District
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Snow on Sopris?
OUR UNDERWRITERS AND NONPROFIT PARTNERS!
The verdict is still out for the first snow on Sopris. The Sopris Sun received a postulation of a “very light dusting” on Aug. 30, but it was hard to say for sure. The SNOTEL site on McClure Pass detected 0” of snowfall so far this season, as of Sept. 1. Send your guesses of when snow will first reach Sopris to news@soprissun.com
Bears update According to an Aug. 31 Post Independent article, 39 bears have been killed in vehicle collisions within Garfield County this year based on data from Colorado Parks and Wildlife. That’s compared to just one case last year, the article continued. Additionally, Aspen Daily News reported on Aug. 30 that the Pauline S. Schneegas Wildlife Foundation has taken in 25 cubs, all of which were born in January and abandoned by their mothers this year. The wildlife foundation “rehabilitates [bears], then releases them into the wild,” the article stated. For tips to help the bears remain wild and prevent humanbear conflicts, visit bearwise.org
Highway 82 traffic lights On Aug. 31, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) began a region-wide effort to upgrade more than 200 intersections across Northwest Colorado, including along Highway 82 from Glenwood Springs to Aspen. The work, which will be conducted at night to minimize commuter impact, will include installing traffic light backplates — reflective borders around the lights that improve visibility. CDOT will also refresh light emitting diode (LED) traffic bulbs.
Governor for a Day
Alpine Bank Colorado Mountain College Nordic Gardens Hilary Porterfield Basalt Library
NONPROFIT PARTNERS Two Rivers Unitarian Universalist Carbondale Arts Colorado Animal Rescue
Interested in becoming an Underwriter or Nonprofit Partner? Email Todd@soprissun.com or call 970-987-9866
Interested in learning the ins and outs of civic life at the state level? The governor’s office is offering one seventh- or eighth-grade student from Colorado an opportunity to shadow Gov. Jared Polis. The winner of this new contest, Governor for a Day, will get “the chance to see firsthand how state government works, from sitting in on meetings to learning what it takes to lead Colorado,” according to a press release. The competition opened on Monday, Aug. 31, and closes Monday, Sept. 7. The winner will be announced on Sept. 14. Applicants can include a short video explaining their interest, along with a completed submission form at tinyurl.com/governorforaday2026
Carbondale Fire Equipment and three outdoor sheds caught fire midday Sunday, Aug. 30, at 455 Buggy Circle in Carbondale, across from Gianinetti Park. No injuries were reported. Carbondale & Rural Fire Protection District responded at 12:14pm, and quickly extinguished the blaze, keeping it from spreading to nearby structures or residences, according to a press release. Carbondale Fire was still investigating the cause, as of Sept. 1. Property and equipment from Roaring Fork Sign and Lighting Company and from excavation company Aspen Diggers, Inc. were damaged, according to Carbondale Fire Public Information Officer Jenny Cutright. Cutright said the total monetary and physical loss is yet to be determined.
High Country Volunteers Honor the 25th anniversary of 9/11 with High Country Volunteers, which is looking for up to 120 volunteers to take part in a 9/11 Day of Service at Colorado Mountain College’s Glenwood Center. Volunteers will pack 911 Project Sunshine activity kits for pediatric hospital patients in the region. “[Sept. 11] is a day of history that naturally causes us to stop and reflect,” High Country Volunteers Executive Director Mary Moon said in a press release. “It can also be a day that provides an opportunity to join our neighbors in acts of service to rekindle the spirit of unity and service that swept our nation after that tragic day.” Register to volunteer at highcountryvolunteers.org
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The results are in! For The Sopris Sun’s annual Sunflower contest that is. The winner, an 11’ 7” giant in the yard of Jeannine Ravenscraft, was huge when the submission was received on Aug. 17. Runners up included Clay Allen’s 11’ 5” (second place), Carbondale Library’s 10’ 4” (third place), Deb Cerri’s 9’, located in the Glenwood Community Garden, and Heritage Park Care Center’s 8’ 2” towering sunflowers. Pictured: Ken Pletcher extends a tape measure to the tippy top of this year’s winning sunflower as Darren Ravenscraft marks the measurement from the base. Photo by Jeannine Ravenscraft
Ruedi release decrease The Ruedi Reservoir releases decreased nearly 300 cubic feet per second (cfs) between Aug. 30 and Sept. 1, with the flow rate falling on Fryingpan river below the reservoir from 415 cfs to 156 cfs, according to the Ruedi Water & Power Authority. This release rate decrease of roughly 100 cfs per day will continue until further notice, according to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. The Ruedi releases began in early August to aid Grand Valley irrigators.
They say it’s your birthday! Folks celebrating another trip around the sun this week include: Samuel Bernal, Kim Kelly, Pat Pier, Ken Pletcher, Jeannine Ravenscraft and Kathy Webb (Sept. 3); Terry Kirk, Andrea Slaphake and Ralph Pitt (Sept. 4); Heather Craven, Stephanie Dibacco and Janelle Johnson (Sept. 5); Linda Bishop, Brisella Escalante, Ben Hoffmann, Randy Lowenthal, Lora Meraz, Jesse Payne, Peter Robinson, Nancy Taylor, Haley Thompson and Mindy White (Sept. 6); Gabriela Alvarez Espinoza, Richard Hart and Mario Tarin (Sept. 7); Jane Bachrach, Janet Boyle, John Bruna, Tris and Tag Speaker, Whitney Will and Halle Zander (Sept. 8); Ben Bohmfalk, Clay Hawkins, Kathleen Shannon and Annie Worley (Sept. 9).
fall sale Up to 50% off nursery wide Open to Landscape Professionals on 9/8 Open to the public on 9/14
Pumpkin Patch coming soon! Keep an eye out for our Fall Festival on 10/10! Hours:
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THE SOPRIS SUN | Your weekly community connector | September 3-9, 2026 3
CORE invites community to climate action expo KATE PHILLIPS Sopris Sun Correspondent
For the second year in a row, the Community Office for Resource Efficiency (CORE) is hosting its highly anticipated Green Expo on Sept. 11 at Aspen Meadows. Free and open to the public, community members will explore practical solutions to reduce carbon emissions. “The Green Expo really gives the community an opportunity to, in-person, meet local experts,” CORE Marketing and Community Outreach Coordinator Kimberly Marcum said. “They ask those questions and find real solutions they can apply in their own homes and businesses in our community.” Kicking off the Green Expo is the Solutions Showcase where attendees can learn about climate action progress and opportunities by engaging with over 20 businesses and organizations. Hailing from across the climate, energy and built-environment industries, the exhibition will feature a number of reputable local organizations including WE-Cycle, Holy Cross Energy, Sunsense, Mtn Bio, Mountain Air Mechanical, Inc. (MAM), Familia Verde and Aspen Center for Environmental Studies.
“And here we have our green energy exhibit.” “We were inspired to select a wider range of exhibitors that are in some way contributing to the advancement of clean energy, electrification and reducing carbon emissions,” CORE Development Coordinator Kate LaMair said. “It takes a village to make these changes happen. We really wanted to represent as many different sectors as we could.” CORE also invited partnership organizations demonstrating the nonprofit’s direct impact. At the Town of Carbondale’s booth, representatives will highlight the new Aquatics Center. A massive hit this summer, the Aquatics Center was designed by local
architecture firm Land+Shelter and is the region’s first allelectric pool powered by 100% renewable energy. The town will discuss surprising energy efficient data, the dynamic use of green energy and how they are maintaining the pool as a zerogas facility. “We partnered with [CORE] for a grant to help supplement the costs,” Town of Carbondale Aquatics and Health & Wellness Coordinator Brian Froelich said. “We did work with [CORE Project Manager] Ofek [Bruhis] on site who provided us great feedback and questions to ask when we were first starting our system.
It was information we hadn’t necessarily thought about.” Following the exhibition is the Future of Sustainable Buildings panel discussion. Led by five climate action experts, including CORE Chief Executive Officer Tara Stitzlein and Colorado Communities for Climate Action’s Advocacy Director Anita Seitz, the panelists will examine the technologies, design strategies, policies, financial incentives and grid resilience driving building decarbonization. “Our community buildings are the largest submitters of greenhouse gas emissions. The good news is there are many solutions
available,” CORE Director of Development and Communication Brittany LaClair said. “This panel will offer different perspectives from each of these sectors and will hopefully enlighten the audience where we are at currently and where we need to go to reach a net-zero future.” The Green Expo will end with a social hour for attendees to network with panelists and exhibitors. Ideally, the casual atmosphere will encourage attendees to ask questions about their specific projects and feel comfortable to adopt new solutions. “This will bring the community together and show that there are a lot of people who are on board and want to take climate action,” LaClair said. “We want to create a feeling of inspiration and community.”
Climate action affects everyone For the second year in a row Green Expo event sponsor Atlantic Aviation — an aviation infrastructure operator with more than 100 fixed based operation locations including the Aspen/Pitkin County Airport, and a general aviation leader in environmental stewardship and continued on page 16
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4 THE SOPRIS SUN | soprissun.com | September 3-9, 2026
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Vision from within KATALINA VILLARREAL Sopris Sun Correspondent
At 829 Pitkin Avenue, Glenwood Springs, a charming white-brick house with a notable garden stands welcoming to all who pass by. In the house, the mix of modern plush blankets over massage tables fits perfectly with the historic door frames and original glass windows. This is where Zach Parks, a blind massage therapist, runs his practice, Invision Massage Glenwood Springs. “I wanted to do something to play off of blindness,” Parks said of the name of the business. “It was just something we had come up with because of the play on words, like being blind and then you can envision what you want to do. And clients in massage have a vision of what they want or what results need to happen … so it kind of plays on every piece of it.” Another member of this business is Raider, Parks’ guide dog, who lays near Parks ready to greet clients. Parks jokes that Raider runs the place, and it almost seems true with the detailed oil painting of the handsome, darkhaired dog hung above the desk in the entry room. Sheila Mossman, his business partner, chuckles over the phone as Parks explains Raider got up to find her when he heard her voice. Mossman handles admin
and other work that is challenging for Parks to navigate. Parks began taking clients at the location last December. “The house came on the market in January of 2025, and we had been looking for a place,” Mossman explained. “We were thrilled to find it because it is a beautiful house, and it has a lot of character and a lot of history.” Mossman and Parks talked about the extensive renovation process of redoing the electrical, putting in a new HVAC system, adding a hallway to create two beautiful massage rooms, one for couples and the other where Parks usually works, and much more. Parks also shared that he has a woodshop in the basement and that he did a lot of the work around the house himself, like adding matching baseboards to a new hallway. “My daughter and I went into the basement and we just built it,” Parks said, pointing to the baseboards as he gave a tour through each room. He shared one special vision that has stayed with him from when he transitioned from being sighted to no longer being able to see. “I remember my kids being little. That’s how I picture them and see their faces still … but they’re not little anymore,” he said.
His kids, now 16 and 19, are both over six-feet tall, just like their father. Parks was 28 when he became blind. His total loss of vision happened over the course of five months. “I took a blunt force trauma to my right eye and got a bad surgeon, and here we are,” he explained. Before he went to school to become a massage therapist, Parks went to the Colorado Center for the Blind in 2017 where he learned home management, travel, technology and braille. He emphasized that braille was difficult to learn as someone formerly working in construction with very little feeling in the tips of his fingers. “Now that I do this, and I can feel different muscles and tendons and strands in people’s bodies, I could probably start to learn braille better now,” he said. Parks worked many odd jobs before coming into massage therapy and creating his practice. “Back in the day, it was a stereotypical blind person’s job,” Parks said, clarifying why he was originally apprehensive about becoming a massage therapist, “and I didn’t want to be a stereotypical person.” Today, Parks exudes joy and appreciation for his work. “I love it. I really enjoy it, and I get to talk to different people every day; I like to socialize,”
Zachary Parks and his guide dog, Raider, pose together in front of the historic house that is now home base for Invision Massage. Photo by Katalina Villarreal
he said. “I know a lot of people think it’s weird to talk during a massage, but I usually don’t start the conversation. A lot of times people are curious about me being blind and how we got here, and so then it opens up a door to talk about all kinds of stuff.” Parks’ practice is focused on massaging with insight and his sapience seeps into his practice. “I will say that Zach has an amazing memory, so never
question him when he remembers things differently than you do,” Mossman laughed along with Parks. “He’s not taking in visual stimulation so he remembers everything you say.” Invision Massage in Glenwood Springs also staffs certified female massage therapists. Find information about Zach Parks’ practice at invisionmassagegwsco.com
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THE SOPRIS SUN | Your weekly community connector | September 3-9, 2026 5
Rearranged Castle Creek development sees reapplication WILL BUZZERD Sopris Sun Correspondent
In early July, Harvest Roaring Fork, LLC resubmitted its application to construct a freshly rearranged Harvest Village, a 1,500-unit subdivision along Highway 82 between Carbondale and Glenwood Springs, after its application was denied in March of this year by a vote of 6-1. A hearing for the new application is yet to be announced. Harvest Village, formerly Harvest Roaring Fork, is a potential town-sized development on the former Sanders Ranch which would include nine neighborhoods, 55,000 square feet of commercial space, a 120-room hotel and enough housing for 3,000 to 5,000 people all on 283 acres. The new application seeks to address concerns surrounding density, traffic and environmental impact voiced by Garfield County staff and the Planning Commission. Richard Myers of Harvest Roaring Fork, LLC and Texas-based Realty Capital is optimistic that, with these changes, Harvest Village will benefit those looking for affordable housing in the Roaring Fork Valley. Four hundred fifty (30%) of the units in the development will be deed-restricted “resident only” workforce housing in one of the largest single contributions to affordable housing in county history. However, for community members in the volunteer-led Cattle Creek Confluence Coalition (CCCC), the application is still too big to stomach. Changes to the application include a reduction of density in the North and
A new rendering provided by the applicant pictures potential businesses and a reconstructed barn from the old Sanders ranch. The newest application retains the 55,000 square feet of commercial space from the previous application. Graphic courtesy of Harvest Roaring Fork, LLC
South Riverfront neighborhoods by approximately 40% to reduce environmental impact in those areas, a reduction of potential residential density from 1,950 to 1,500 by eliminating the possibility of ADUs on the subdivision and an expansion of transitional and buffer areas between the conservation easement and residential neighborhoods. The reduction of density in the Riverfront neighborhoods was accomplished by increasing the density in two other areas: North Frontage by an increase from 15 to 18 units per acre and Sopris by an increase from 8 to 9 units per acre. However, the minimum scale of the development remains the same overall. The resubmitted application was first
made publicly available in early July as part of the Colorado Open Records Act. However, a newer version of the application with minor spelling corrections is now available for viewing on Garfield County Planning’s website. When the Garfield County Planning Commission held a public hearing for the first version of the application on March 11, citizens of Garfield County filled every seat in the hall to voice their concerns about the application. While many acknowledged the need for affordable housing, a majority of the citizens who came to the podium argued that the development was simply too large and dense for the area. Many of the speakers in attendance that night were members of CCCC.
Glenwood resident John Neiley of CCCC was dissatisfied with rearranging rather than reducing the residential density in the newest application. “It’s like moving the deck chairs to the bow of the Titanic,” he said. With regard to traffic, the applicant estimated a 44% increase of traffic on Highway 82 at peak travel times. Myers said in an interview that his team had been given approved plans by the Colorado Department of Transportation for a new traffic light intersection along Highway 82. According to updated phasing in the newest application, the intersection would be constructed first in order to minimize traffic impact during buildout. Additionally, the intersection would come at no capital cost to Garfield County. In terms of benefit to Cattle Creek residents, Myers said that the new water system proposed in the application would extend to residents in Iron Bridge and the surrounding area, relieving them of their current need for wells. On the other hand, Neiley pointed out that while the applicant does have sufficient water rights in hand, it is an unanswered question as to whether over the next several years there will actually be sufficient water supply both for construction to occur without water having to be shipped in and to support the newly increased population once complete. Neiley also pointed out that the application uses form-based zoning, which is a set of guidelines typically used in urban design to allow for flexible development continued on page 19
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6 THE SOPRIS SUN | soprissun.com | September 3-9, 2026
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Roan Plateau public comment ends Sept. 11 ANNALISE GRUETER Sopris Sun Correspondent
An elk heard meanders on its winter range along Cattle Creek in Garfield County. Photo by Amy Hadden Marsh
Debate heats up around Amendment 84 AMY HADDEN MARSH Sopris Sun Correspondent
Coloradans will vote on an amendment this fall that would enshrine the right to hunt and fish in the Colorado Constitution. Proponents of Amendment 84 say hunting and fishing with traditional methods must be protected. Opponents say it is unnecessary and could irrevocably change future wildlife management in the state. Amendment 84 is backed by conservative, Wisconsin-based, pro-hunting group International Order of T. Roosevelt (IOTR), national lobbying firm 76 Group and hunter advocacy group Coloradans for Responsible Wildlife Management, which is led by Dan Gates. Luke Hilgemann is the CEO of IOTR and its 501(c)(4) advocacy arm, T. Roosevelt Action. “Because of our previous work — we’ve tried to pass this amendment in multiple states — we were asked to come in and consult on the ballot language that was being proposed,” he told The Sopris Sun. But, Gates said in a July 24 interview, that affluent Coloradans decided to run the language for the constitutional right to hunt and fish. “They reached out to the 76 Group, who’s a strategy company, a lobbying company and they do ballot initiatives and candidate forums and campaigns, and [76 Group] reached out to the International Order of T. Roosevelt about language.” And, Gates said, IOTR reached out to him. The T. Roosevelt Conservation Alliance, the issue committee registered in Colorado to support the campaign, spent $700,000 on petition signature collection this summer, according to the Colorado Secretary of State’s website. Joe O’Dea, a Republican businessman who unsuccessfully challenged U.S.
Senator Michael Bennet in 2022, contributed $25,000. The Wyoming-based Synapse Group was on the receiving end of the $700,000 for signature collection. The company president Jefferson Thomas was senior political advisor to O’Dea’s 2022 campaign. Twenty-four states have embraced the constitutional right to hunt and fish. Hilgemann would like to see all 50 states get on board. But, in Colorado, opponents like Eric Washburn, founder of Colorado Hunters and Anglers for Sensible Wildlife Conservation, say that hunting, fishing and trapping in Colorado are not in jeopardy and that Amendment 84 is about something else. “[The Right to Hunt campaign] is about overturning past successful efforts by Coloradans to ensure that hunting in Colorado is done ethically and in keeping with the expectations and sensibilities of the majority of the public,” Washburn said. Dan Gates said that Amendment 84 is meant to be a barrier. “It’s a device that can create obstacles in people’s attempts to try to take away hunting and fishing and traditional wildlife management opportunities.” Hilgemann agreed, citing 2024’s Prop 127, against trophy hunting of mountain lions and other big cats, and the failed HB25-1258, which sought to change state statute 33-1101 (4) that establishes hunting, trapping and fishing as the state’s primary wildlife management methods. “Unfortunately, in Colorado, we’ve seen over the last eight years more than 22 attempts to try and whittle away at hunting and fishing rights,” Hilgemann said. “This is an affirmative step forward to say that hunting and fishing deserve to be protected as a
Proponents of Amendment 84 say hunting and fishing with traditional methods must be protected. Opponents say it is unnecessary and could irrevocably change future wildlife management in the state.
continued on page 16
The public lands on Garfield County’s Roan Plateau remain in limbo. Multiple advocacy campaigns by coalitions of area sportsmen, conservationists and nonprofits have worked to conserve the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) acreage on the plateau from oil and gas development. The most recent victory, in the mid 2010s, has held for over a decade. Now, the area is the subject of another federal push for fossil fuel energy development. Local and regional groups have come together to engage Western Slope communities to counter the proposed oil and gas leasing. Early in the summer, BLM officials opened a 30-day comment period for a proposal to auction 125,744 acres of public and private land across Colorado to oil and gas drilling. That comment period was extended to 60 days in July. The scheduled December 2026 oil and gas lease sale includes almost 5,000 acres on the Roan Plateau spread across several parcels. On Aug. 12, the federal agency released a draft environmental assessment and opened an additional 30-day comment period set to close on Sept. 11. International conservation organizations like The Wilderness Society and Earthjustice are working with Conservation Colorado and Carbondale-based Wilderness Workshop to raise public awareness and push for public comments before the input window closes. The Roan Plateau sits in north-central Garfield County, and can be seen from Interstate 70 where the geologic feature called the Book Cliffs looms over the highway and the Colorado River. The plateau encompasses diverse ecosystems and climate zones including aspen groves, dense conifer forest, open sagebrush chaparral and canyons large and small. The plateau is over 3,000 feet higher than the river basin communities to its south. The environmental groups working to ensure the area’s continued conservation cite the Roan Plateau as a remaining intact landscape in Colorado. The BLM acreage on the plateau, which currently remains undeveloped by oil or gas lease use, hosts rare endemic plants and healthy ecosystems abundant with elk, deer, fowl, fish, bears and more. Wilderness Workshop noted in a press release that while there have been over 20,000 oil and gas wells drilled in Garfield and Mesa counties as of August 2026, the development has occurred almost exclusively on private lands or on public lands below the plateau itself. Eighteen years ago, when the Bush administration leased the majority of the Roan Plateau BLM land for oil and gas development, diverse Western Slope interest groups came together to oppose that use and instead conserve the land for recreation and for wilderness consideration. “By moving forward with these leases, the Trump administration is showing blatant disregard for West Slope communities, businesses, hunters, anglers and conservationists, who have urged the BLM to keep the Roan Plateau off the auction block,” said Juli Slivka, senior director of policy and programs at Wilderness Workshop. Slivka said the organization hopes BLM will “instead prioritize this truly unique Colorado landscape for wildlife habitat, pristine streams and backcountry recreation.” “With this comment opportunity, BLM has another chance to listen to the public and make a decision to defer these contentious leases and keep drill rigs out of the important habitats and watersheds on the public lands on top of the plateau,” Slivka said. Brien Webster, the senior public lands campaign manager for Conservation Colorado, accused the federal agency of ignoring the will of the people. “BLM is ignoring what Coloradans have been telling them for decades, don’t drill the Roan Plateau,” Webster said. “Colorado has spent decades working continued on page 16
The Roan Plateau in northern Garfield County hosts diverse ecosystems including pristine streams and forests that have long been protected by bipartisan Western Slope coalitions. Around 5,000 acres of plateau land are included in a proposed December oil and gas leasing sale; BLM is accepting public comment until Sept. 11. Photo courtesy of Wilderness Workshop
THE SOPRIS SUN | Your weekly community connector | September 3-9, 2026 7
RFSD REPORT
Mill levy override question going before school district voters in Nov. 3 election JOHN STROUD Sopris Sun Correspondent
EDITOR’S NOTE: John Stroud is a Roaring Fork High School track and field coach and a substitute teacher at several Roaring Fork School District schools. Voters in the Roaring Fork School District (RFSD) communities of Basalt, Carbondale and Glenwood Springs will decide whether to offset state funding decreases with a local mill levy override. The RFSD Board of Education voted unanimously at its first regular meeting of the 2026-27 school year on Aug. 26 to place the property tax question on the Nov. 3 ballot. If approved, the measure would generate an additional $5.6 million a year, which the district intends to put toward teacher and staff pay as the cost of living in the Roaring Fork Valley continues to go up. “Investing in staff is investing in students, and that is what we are attempting to do with this,” board member Lindsay Defrates said in casting her vote of approval. “Our district is demanding that we … increase achievement across all sectors, and to do that we must have educated, experienced professionals in our buildings, and we have to retain them,” she said. In a memo to the board, Superintendent Anna Cole noted that changes in
Colorado’s school finance formula will mean fewer per-pupil dollars coming from the state. However, state law gives local districts until June 2030 to ask their voters to approve a mill levy override (MLO) of up to 30% of their district’s total program funding in order to offset that decrease, she said. “For RFSD, the urgency of this moment is hard to overstate,” Cole wrote, citing a 2026 State Legislature study that reported an 18.66% increase in the cost of living within RFSD since 2023, making it the fourth-most expensive school district in Colorado in which to live and work. According to the tax proposal, the increase would be $17.18 per $100,000 of actual home value, per year; or $85.88 per $500,000 of home value. Sixty-seven percent of the MLO would be allocated to certified staff (teachers and principals) and 33% to classified (support) staff. Funds could not be used for district office staff or administrators, under the proposal. Several teachers spoke in favor of the proposal during the public comments portion of the meeting, and in written comments provided to the board. “I am in full support of this,” board member Kathryn Kuhlenberg said. “And I believe that leaving this money on the table would be a tragedy for our staff and our district.”
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8 THE SOPRIS SUN | soprissun.com | September 3-9, 2026
A school bus makes its way to drop kids off for the first day of school in Carbondale. A ballot question asking voters to approve a property tax increase will go before Roaring Fork School District communities on Nov. 3. Photo by Terri Ritchie
Meeting schedule change The board unanimously approved a resolution revising its regular meeting schedule for the coming year. Instead of two regular school board meetings and a pre-meeting work session each month, the board will now have a work session and only one regular meeting. These will typically take place back-to-back on the second and third Wednesdays of each month, except the holiday months of November and December and months with five Wednesdays. The full schedule can be found on the district website, at rfsd.k12.co.us/en-US
Language disparity Superintendent Cole’s regular report to the board included a look at the Back-toSchool Kick-Off presentation that was given for staff at each of the district schools during August before classes began. In it, she notes that there continues to be a disparity between student groups in terms of achievement, where students who
are still learning English lag behind their native English-speaking counterparts. The district’s five-year strategic plan emphasizes closing that so-called achievement gap, Cole said.
Budget Budgetarily, the district enters this school year with a balanced budget and is in better shape than in recent years as enrollment and corresponding state funding have declined. “We are not on our heels this year,” she said. Meanwhile, school efficiencies studies have focused on ways to run smaller schools better, rather than reorganizing or merging schools, Cole said. While some school districts have approached revenue declines in that manner, “we’re not there yet,” she said. If the conversation were to move in that direction in the future, it would involve a lengthy public process, and “you would hear it from us first,” Cole said.
State of the Crystal: Historic rock glaciers may be drying up ANNALISE GRUETER Sopris Sun Correspondent
The plane wings vibrated with each acceleration. The small craft picked up speed as it headed north, with the 9,223-foot Triangle Peak as the clear aviation waypoint some miles down the valley. It was the second of three EcoFlight excursions the morning of Tuesday, Aug. 25, coordinated in partnership with the Town of Carbondale to offer various community stakeholders an aerial tour detailing the state of the Crystal River Valley. The headwaters of the Crystal River are close to the Pitkin and Gunnison counties’ boundary on the western side of the central Elk Mountains. These tributaries feed into the watershed above the town of Marble, drawing water down from the 14,102-foot Snowmass Peak, 12,953-foot Mount Sopris, Geneva Lake and Yule Creek. The Crystal River Valley is one of the quieter watersheds originating from the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness. The water is home to multiple species of trout and riparian plants and animals. As it flows downstream, the river has long supported Carbondale-area agriculture and is a popular outdoor recreation area. The Sopris Sun boarded the flight for a first-hand look at how drought is impacting the watershed, and to learn more about Carbondale water projects and ongoing community-conservation efforts to obtain Wild & Scenic designation for the Crystal
Mount Sopris looms below an EcoFlight plane wing on Aug. 25. Photo by Annalise Grueter
River. The river flows for 40 miles to the confluence with the Roaring Fork River. EcoFlight is part of a coalition, along with Roaring Fork Conservancy and Wilderness Workshop, seeking the protective designation for the first 39 miles of the river. The Crystal River is one of a few in Colorado with no dams or out-of-basin diversions. In response to widespread community support for the Wild & Scenic designation, Gunnison and Pitkin counties, the Town of Marble, the Colorado River Water Conservation District and the West Divide Water Conservancy District signed an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) in late May, formalizing opposition to future
developments that would alter the watershed’s current status as a free-flowing river. Despite the support, the river has faced environmental challenges this year. As the source of drinking water for some 7,000 people in the Crystal and lower Roaring Fork valleys, it has also been integral for generations of agricultural production in the region. EcoFlight’s mission is to provide aerial perspectives to advocate for wildlands, watersheds and culturally important landscapes, thus Scott Wenning, the Town of Carbondale’s assistant public works director, said, “We’re just hoping to get a conversation started.”
Wenning added that the Carbondale water team believes that inflows to the Crystal River have decreased in recent years. Mount Sopris sits only a few miles southeast of town and the lower Crystal River. The mountain’s rock glaciers have been active during documented human habitation of the region. While Colorado once had many active surface glaciers, that surface ice has totaled only a few square kilometers throughout the state. Most of Colorado’s glacial ice in recent centuries has been within rock glaciers. The mass of eroding stone in these formations protects the ice from heat and sublimation, allowing slow melting to gradually feed watersheds.
Mount Sopris was one of these ice sources, with several large rock glaciers on its north side adding sustained water to the Crystal and middle-Roaring Fork watersheds. Wenning said that monitoring of inflows around the Nettle Creek headwaters on the northwest slopes of Sopris indicates that the source ice is nearly gone. He added that flows, which had been relatively consistent despite the drought, have decreased in just the past few years. Being aboard the EcoFlight, differences between the headwaters and lower stretches of the Crystal River were clear. Despite the ongoing “exceptional” drought, forests and meadows around and above Marble appeared lush and green, with only flatter, high-elevation terrain visibly dry. But farther north, ranchland and meadows around Carbondale and the Thompson Divide were yellow and brown. Although, some active ranches and golf courses were clearly identifiable with swaths of green amid faded forest and shrubland areas and parched, dormant fields. These types of visuals are the goal of EcoFlight experiences. The Town of Carbondale representatives who organized the recent Crystal River flights hope that this exposure will help motivate stakeholders to come together on local resource conversations, particularly to collaborate on solutions for water management along the stretch of river before the Roaring Fork confluence.
Mountain Fair sees 92% diversion rate Green Team serves community for another year RACHEL OWENS Sopris Sun Correspondent
At the 2026 Mountain Fair, the Green Team, a group of volunteers focused on waste diversion, achieved a 92% diversion rate, keeping 92% of the waste produced at the fair out of the landfill. Sixty-eight percent of that waste was diverted to compost and 30% was diverted to recycling, according to the team. “The Green Team helps to reduce the Fair’s footprint, or “fairprint,” by reducing, composting and recycling fair waste to keep it out of local landfills,” Green Team member Malcolm McMichael wrote in an email. “With the public’s help, thoughtful supply procurement and properly sorting waste stations
we have maintained a diversion rate of 90%-plus for many years.” The team, which gathered at Townline Trucks on Aug. 19 to celebrate this year’s accomplishment, has diverted 500,000 pounds of waste from landfills into either recycling or composting since they first started keeping records of their diversion in 2003. Green Team supervisors feel Mountain Fair’s 92% diversion of waste is a major accomplishment. “For example, the notable Outside Lands Festival in Golden Gate Park celebrates an 89% diversion rate,” Supervisor Jason White, who crunches the numbers on behalf of the team, wrote in an email. “They see about 225,000 attendees over three days and divert about 330,000 pounds from
Members of the Green Team meet up at Townline Trucks in Carbondale on Aug. 19, to celebrate their success at this year’s Mountain Fair. Photo by Rachel Owens
the landfill, or about 1.5 pounds per attendee. Our humble Carbondale Mountain Fair sees about 25,000 attendees and we diverted about 28,000 pounds this year, or nearly 1 pound per attendee.” To achieve this, Green Team has a lot of help and support.
The group consists of about 170-plus volunteers, and has the help of EverGreen ZeroWaste, a Carbondale-based wastemanagement organization, as well as Carbondale Arts. Consisting of people of all ages, the Green Team volunteers
said they chose to join the organization because they care about their home and planet, enjoy volunteering and find it meaningful work, appreciate educating people about waste diversion and find the events fun to be a part of.
THE SOPRIS SUN | Your weekly community connector | September 3-9, 2026 9
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10 THE SOPRIS SUN | soprissun.com | September 3-9, 2026
RAMS REPORT
Roaring Fork scores a pair of soccer wins, football drops back to JV only JOHN STROUD Sopris Sun Correspondent
EDITOR’S NOTE: John Stroud is a Roaring Fork High School track and field coach and a substitute teacher at several Roaring Fork School District schools. The Roaring Fork High School varsity boys soccer team picked up a pair of wins over the past week to move to 2-1 on the young season. The Rams hosted Telluride on Aug. 28, downing the Miners 7-1 after going up three goals to one in the first half, and collecting a 4-0 shutout in the second half. Senior Oliver Shook scored three goals and had an assist in the contest, and senior goalie Quentin Galbraith had three saves. The next day, the Rams made the short trip to Glenwood Springs, scoring a 3-0 win. Scoring stats were not posted for the game. Next up, Roaring Fork is scheduled to play on the road at Steamboat Springs on Thursday, Sept. 3, and the Rams are due back home on Sept. 9 for a matchup with intradistrict rival Basalt (6pm game time) at Rams Field.
Girls volleyball The Lady Rams volleyball team moved to 2-5 overall and 0-1 in 3A Western Slope League play this past week during a three-game home stand. Roaring Fork won 3-0 over 2A Grand Valley (25-20, 25-15, 25-19) on Aug. 25, followed by a 1-3 loss to 2A North Fork (11-25, 26-24, 14-25, 11-25) on Aug. 27, and a 0-3 loss to 3A league foe Gunnison (27-29, 11-25, 18-25) on Aug. 29. Games stats have not been posted to MaxPpreps. This week, the Lady Rams were to travel to play league rival Coal Ridge on Tuesday, before taking the Labor Day weekend off. Roaring Fork is on the road at Glenwood Springs on Tuesday, Sept. 8 (6:30pm varsity game time).
Football Following a 41-0 defeat at the hands of Gunnison in the season opener, the Roaring Fork football program has decided to cancel the varsity schedule and play a junior varsity slate of games instead, to be determined.
Softball The combined Basalt-Roaring Fork-Glenwood Springs girls softball team scored a pair of wins at home on Aug. 29, 17-14 over Valley and 13-11 over Platte Valley, to improve to 3-5 on the season. Against Valley, the Longhorns’ Elsie Mile had four hits and six runs brought in, and against Platte Valley, Hadley Ivy had four hits, including a home run, with three RBIs, while also pitching a complete game with two strikeouts and three earned runs.
Community track meet fundraiser Coming up on Monday, Sept. 14, at the Rams Field track (next to Carbondale Middle School) is the inaugural Carbondale Community All-Ages Track meet, from 5-7:30pm. This is a fundraiser for the RFHS Track & Field Team. The fee is $25 for adults to enter as many events as they’d like, and free for students K-12. Donations are welcome. Events will include 100 meters, 200M, 400M, 800M, 1600M, a 110M hurdle shuttle relay, 4x100 and 4x400 relays, high jump, long jump, shot put and a special 3.2 kilometer cross country race.
New AVSC alpine director says ski it all ALISON OSIUS Sopris Sun Correspondent
Growing up, Will Hadden played every sport. Soccer, lacrosse; road biking, mountain biking. He was in junior golf tournaments. No football, only because his school had no team. “I would’ve if I could’ve!” he said. He has been ski racing for 30 years. Hadden, age 38, is the new alpine director at Aspen Valley Ski & Snowboard Club (AVSC). Most recently coaching in Vail, he will be in charge of 200 athletes, children through college-age, and 30-plus staff, at AVSC. He moved to Basalt in July. As a teen, Hadden was a U.S. Ski Team hopeful, but put away that dream as a highschool senior. Instead he skied at the Division I level all four years at Williams College, Massachusetts, often ranked number-one — vying with Amherst — among national liberal-arts colleges. After college, Hadden, who is from Manchester, Vermont, coached two winters at Stratton Mountain School, the ski academy he’d attended from eighth grade on; coached the U.S. Ski Team development team for a year; and worked with elite alpine FIS/NorAm skiers over seven years at Ski & Snowboard Club Vail. While college athletes can burn out on their sports, Hadden seems to have transitioned naturally into coaching. “I thought for a long time that I would like to teach school,” he said; his mother did, and he likes the idea of mentorship. “We spend a huge chunk of our days with the athletes, and this can have a huge impact on a person. “I don’t know if it’s inherently about skiing,” he added, “but helping people to become the best versions of themselves. That could have been anywhere. It happens to be skiing, and I do like coaching.” Similarly, the move from Vail to Aspen seems logical because the boys he mostly worked with have launched, becoming successful on the NorAm circuit. Alex Krupka, 20, secured a spot on the Stifel U.S. Ski Team C Team. Julian Arthur, 21, of Middlebury College was second in slalom at the 2026 NCAA National Collegiate Skiing Championship. Hadden calls skiing a “volume-based game,” and pushes playing on the slopes. “You need to ski the whole mountain, pole plant, do the
Will Hadden, new alpine director, at AVSC headquarters below Aspen Highlands. Photo by Alison Osius
bumps. The really good [skiers] are going to be good at everything, and that’s what you’re trying to teach, and the biggest thing is love for it. “Some of them love powder skiing, some love gates,” he said, but variety “will just remind them how much fun it is. “I had a kid on ski team in Vail who loved to hit the jumps. The only rule was, he couldn’t do a backflip on the first run.” Ian Lochhead, a Vail colleague now coaching at the University of Colorado, said via text from Europe, “Will is one of the most dedicated coaches I’ve worked with. He believes deeply in the athletes.” Sylvan Kaufman of Eagle coached with Hadden at Stratton Mountain School, and, in leaving to work at the Vail ski club, hired him there. He called Hadden “very committed to the long and challenging process it takes to develop athletes.” The Sopris Sun interviewed Hadden at AVSC headquarters. This interview has been edited for brevity.
What was your home mountain? Bromley. I was with the Bromley Outing Club [race program]. It was cheaper than daycare, so that’s why my mom signed me up. She’ll tell you that. [Later] my sisters raced too. I was 6 or 7, might have been 8. When you’re that young, you’re mostly just skiing. Same with the U8 program here. Make
sure they are warm enough, eating candy and having a blast, and making friends.
When did you become dedicated? I was going five days a week in sixth grade, pretty much from that time on was a fulltime skier. Always at Bromley.
What moments stand out? I had a lot of awesome experiences, got to race in Europe a few times when I was older. I had a great group … a lot of local kids, [like a] kid of a ski patroller or parent who had ski raced. Our whole group ended up skiing at UVM, Dartmouth, Bates, UNH, etc. [Some] had bigger goals in high school. If we didn’t make the U.S. team, then we got to ski race in college. The level is not the Europa Cup. It was fun, it was great. A handful from the college era went on to the World Cup. It was a really strong group. I was hypercompetitive when I was in high school. [College] was a more fun environment. The great thing is you have automatic friends.
Anything to add? Alpine skiing is an incredible activity … You can choose your own adventure. It’s a lifelong activity. [Kids] can choose the trails, the friends to ski with … At the end of the day it’s about the community.
THE SOPRIS SUN | Your weekly community connector | September 3-9, 2026 11
CALENDAR THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3 JAZZ FUNK The Glenwood Springs Community Art Center hosts “Adult Jazz Funk Dance” from 11am to noon. Participants can continue their jazz and funk education with classes every Thursday at the same time and place through Sept. 24. Details at tinyurl.com/jazzfunkglenwood
Fall
Health Fair We are delighted to offer you, our community, the opportunity to take advantage of low-cost blood tests.
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Lab Tests Offered Includes CBC, CMP, Ferritin, Iron Panel, Lipid Panel, TSH and Uric Acid (Fasting Required)
• hsCardio CRP – $42 • Hemoglobin A1C & EAG – $44
AUTHOR TALK The Glenwood Library hosts Colorado Author Leslie Vedder, who will talk about her book, “The Siren’s Kiss,” at 3pm. For details, call 970-945-5958. TEEN LIBRARY COUNCIL Teens are welcome at the Basalt Library to take part in the Teen Library Council, where they’ll get a chance to share ideas and recommend library services and events. The session runs from 4 to 5pm. Details at tinyurl.com/ teenlibrarycouncil2026 TRUE NATURE True Nature hosts a cosmic sound journey with Danielle Klein from 6 to 7:15pm. Details at tinyurl.com/ soundjourneytruenature YOGA Unwind by joining “Yoga with Kula Yoga” at Iron Mountain Hot Springs from 6 to 7pm. The hot springs also hosts “Yoga with The Yoga Collective” on Friday from 8:15 to 9:15am. Details for both at tinyurl.com/kulayoga2026
Monday–Friday, 9 am–4 pm
• HealthScreen w/CBC – $79
ETHICAL LEADERSHIP Colorado Mountain College hosts “Ethical Leadership: Building Trust Through Public Service” from 1 to 4pm at the Morgridge Commons in Glenwood Springs, where attendees will explore community trust, the role of public service and more. Details at tinyurl. com/ethicalleadershipdetails
• PSA, Total – $47 • Vitamin D – $54 • T3, Free – $32 • T4, Free – $32 • CBC (Complete Blood Count) – $32
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12 THE SOPRIS SUN | soprissun.com | September 3-9, 2026
WHEELER COMEDY Comedians Kelsey Cook and Chad Daniels take the stage at the Wheeler Opera House at 8pm. Tickets at aspenshowtix.com
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4 REDSTONE ART SHOW AND SALE The 30th annual Redstone Art Show and Sale kicks off on the front and back lawn of the Redstone Inn. Proceeds from the event, full of art, workshops and demonstrations, will go toward scholarships for graduating high school seniors and community members who are expanding their art education. The show runs through Sunday. Details at tinyurl.com/redstoneartshow ‘STORYTIME PLAYGROUP’ Children ages 0-3 are welcome to listen to stories, engage in large motor movements and more in “Storytime Playgroup” at the Basalt Library from 10:30 to 11:15am. Details at tinyurl. com/storytimeplaygroup ART FRIDAY Children ages 7 to 13 are welcome to participate in the “Art Friday Create It! Art Challenge” at the Glenwood Springs Community Art Center, where they will use recycled materials to solve creative challenges. The class runs every Friday through Sept. 25. Details at tinyurl.com/ artfridaycreateit2026 CLAY CENTER SALE The Carbondale Clay Center hosts its annual student art sale, when adult working artists roll out their ceramic creations, today from 2 to 8pm, tomorrow from noon to 6pm and Sunday from noon to 3pm.
HIP-HOP CLASSES Youth hip-hop classes kick off at the Glenwood Springs Community Arts Center from 4:30 to 5:30pm, continuing every Friday at the same time and place through Sept. 25. Details at tinyurl.com/ hiphopglenwood MUSIC UNDER THE BRIDGE Starfish Enterprise plays from 4:30 to 7:30pm as part of Glenwood Springs’ “Music Under the Bridge” series in Bethel Plaza on 7th Street. Details at cogs.us/670/Music-on-7th CRYSTAL THEATRE Crystal Theatre screens “Coyote vs. Acme” at 7pm. The film also screens at 7pm on Saturday, 5pm (captioned) on Sunday and 7pm on Monday. Tickets at the door. FIRST FRIDAY Head on over to downtown Carbondale for September First Friday, featuring the Bonedale Flea Market, vintage goods, culinary delights, music by Mountain Jam, DJ sets by KDNK, street buskers, offerings from local businesses and more. The action-packed evening carries on from 5 to 8pm. Details at carbondalearts.com COMEDY SHOWS Thunder River Theatre Company and Elvecino Shows host “First Friday Comedy” at the theater at 8pm. Doors open at 7:30pm. Tickets at app.arts-people.com/?show=353030
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5
GRAND TRAVERSE RUN The 40-mile Grand Traverse Run kicks off from Crested Butte at 6am, with runners expected to finish at Ajax Park in Aspen between noon and 6:30pm. Details at cbnordic.org/ thegrandtraverse NATURAL FABRIC The Glenwood Springs Community Art Center offers a fabric dyeing workshop for adults from 10am to 1pm. Details at tinyurl.com/naturalfabric ‘TALK SAVES LIVES’ The Silt Library hosts Garfield County Public Health’s Mason Hohstadt for a discussion about suicide prevention, “Talk Saves Lives: An Introduction to Suicide Prevention.” The event begins at 2pm. For details, call 970-876-5500. TRUE NATURE Join True Nature at 5:30pm for “Andean Cosmovision & The Art of Reciprocity with Puyo Tarqui.” Details at tinyurl. com/truenaturereciprocity
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6
GRAND TRAVERSE BIKE The Grand Traverse Mountain Bike race starts in Aspen at 7am, with an expected finish between noon and 4pm in Crested Butte. Details at cbnordic.org/thegrandtraverse COMMUNITY MEDITATION True Nature hosts its “Self Realization Fellowship: Monthly Community Meditation” from 9 to 10:30am. Details at tinyurl.com/ communitymeditation2026 A SPIRITUAL CENTER Golden Sha runs an open discussion from 10 to 11:30am at A Spiritual Center in the Third Street Center, room 31. GLENWOOD VAUDEVILLE The Glenwood Vaudeville Revue show runs at 5pm in the organization’s space at 915 Grand Ave. The performance is chock full of high-energy dance, comedy skits, original music and more. Details at gvrshow.com
ONGOING EVENTS ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS The Meeting Place in Carbondale (981 Cowen Drive) offers “Hole in the Donut AA,” Monday through Saturday at 6:45am, plus “Daily Reprieve” at noon on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Find a full schedule at meetingplacecarbondale.org
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 7
LABOR DAY Many government offices are closed for Labor Day, including those of the Town of Carbondale and Garfield County. Emergency services are still available. The Garfield County and Basalt public libraries are also closed. Due to the holiday, Carbondale trash and recycling will be picked up on Wednesday. AQUATICS CENTER CLOSURE The Carbondale Aquatics Center closes following its last pool session of the season from noon to 7pm. ADDICTION RECOVERY Move beyond addiction with community support at True Nature’s “Concentric Recovery” from 5:30 to 6:45pm. Details at tinyurl.com/ concentricrecovery
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8
MAH JONGG The Glenwood Springs Library hosts Mah Jongg drop-in games from 1:30 to 3:30pm for players of all skill levels. Details at gcpld.org/events CRYSTAL THEATRE ALLIANCE The Crystal Theatre Alliance screens “The Breakfast Club” at 7pm in celebration of one year of operations. The alliance will also screen “The Neverending Story” at 7pm on Wednesday and “The Matrix” at 7pm on Thursday. Seating will be available on a firstcome-first-served basis; no tickets are required to attend. SOLO FLIGHTS Theatre Aspen’s seventh annual Solo Flights series, including six new works this year, starts with “Nash,” written by Hannah Benitez and Kevin Cloud, today at 4pm and Friday at 7pm, followed by “This is Not an Immigrant Story,” written by and starring Reza Salazar, today at 7pm and Friday at 4pm. Tickets at theatreaspen.org
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9
CLIMATE WAYFINDING Colorado Mountain College teacher and climate activist Sarah Johnson fills folks in on the meaning and purpose of community-forward climate wayfinding at the Basalt Library from 5 to 7pm. Details at basaltlibrary.org/events SOLO FLIGHTS Theatre Aspen’s seventh annual Solo Flights series, including six new works
this year, continues with “The Day I Accidentally Went to War,” written by and starring Bill Posley, today at 4pm and Saturday at 7pm, followed by “Crusades,” written by Jason Gray Platt, today at 7pm and Saturday at 4pm. Tickets at theatreaspen.org
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10
RANDOM CONVERSATION “The Lost Art of Random Conversations” author Tom Karrel hosts a talk and public discussion at the Glenwood Library from 5 to 7pm. For details, call 970-945-5958. DJ WORKSHOP KDNK DJ Da Walrus hosts an entrylevel workshop at the Basalt Library from 5:30 to 7:30pm. Details at basaltlibrary.org/events CARE FOR CAREGIVERS Breathe, meditate and take part in facilitated sharing during “Care for Caregivers” at True Nature from 5:30 to 7pm. Details at tinyurl.com/ careforcaregiverstruenature SOLO FLIGHTS Theatre Aspen’s seventh annual Solo Flights series, including six new works this year, continues with “Destroying David,” written by Jason Odell Williams, today at 4pm and Sunday at 7pm, followed by “Ruthless,” written by Liza Powel O’Brien, today at 7pm and Sunday at 4pm. Tickets at theatreaspen.org W.H. MACY AT TACAW William H. Macy hosts “Bill’s Room” at TACAW, featuring special musical guest Mandy Moore, today, tomorrow and Saturday at 8pm. Tickets at tacaw.org The events are sold out.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11
PARKINSON’S DISCUSSION Learn about Parkinson’s concepts and treatments with Dr. Tyler Orem at the R Glenwood Springs Community CenterE from 10am to noon. Register at parkinsonrockies.org/CWP/Glenwood ‘THE GREEN EXPO’ The Community Office for Resource Efficiency (CORE) presents “The Green Expo,” bringing together over 25 local businesses, organizations and experts for an exhibition, panel discussion and social hour focused on reducing carbon emissions. The event runs from 1 to 6pm at Aspen Meadows. Details at tinyurl.com/greenexpo2026
Find more upcoming events at www.soprissun.com/tag/curated-calendar
GRIEF IN MOTION Cath Adams, a certified grief coach, facilitates a weekly support group at the Glenwood Community Center from 9 to 10am. Call 970-384-6314 for more information. TAI CHI Community tai chi sessions are hosted every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9 to 10am at the Third Street Center. Newcomers are welcome. For details, email jhof@rof.net POWER PUNCH PARKINSON’S The Power Punch Parkinson’s classes are held every Monday from 9:30 to 10:30am at Defiance PT & Wellness in Carbondale (326 Highway 133, Suite 60), and the same time on Fridays at Midland Fitness in Glenwood (100 Midland Avenue). MOMMY MEET-UP The Glenwood Springs Library hosts a “mommy meet-up” on Mondays from 11am to 12:30pm for mothers and their babies ages 0 to 3. There will be play items provided for the little ones and coffee and conversation for the moms. GRIEF GROUP Navigate grief in a supportive, group
IN STITCHES The In Stitches Knitting Club meets at the Carbondale Library every Monday at 1:30pm. BOARD GAMES Kids (5 and up) play board games in the Treehouse Room at the Basalt Library Mondays at 4pm. Snacks provided. MARBLE MUSEUM The Marble Historical Society’s museum is open for the season from 11am to 4pm except on Mondays. Call 970-963-9815 for a tour. FARMERS’ MARKET The Carbondale Farmers’ Market takes place every Wednesday from 10am to 3pm through Sept. 30 at 4th and Main Street. RAGING GRANNIES All are welcome to join the Raging Grannies, singing for a healthy planet and a kind world, on Wednesdays at the Two Rivers Unitarian Universalists office at the Third Street Center from 4 to 5:30pm. ENGLISH IN ACTION Volunteer English tutors and developing learners meet for informal conversational practice at the Carbondale Library every Monday at 6:30pm. Interested in becoming a tutor? Email angela@englishinaction.org or call 970-963-9200. BABY STORYTIME The Carbondale Library hosts baby storytime at 11:30am on Tuesdays.
Community Education Classes WORKING WITH OTHERS MANAGE OR LEAD
Decision making, delegating, and managing creative, diverse, or challenging groups and people. Thurs, 5:30-8:30pm, 9/10-10/1
PILATES MATWORK w/Pamela Increase core strength, overall muscle tone, and flexibility with focused and precise techniques. Mondays, 10-10:50am, 9/14-12/7
PLEASANT DOGS
Bennett Bramson’s “Seven P’s...” basic and common-sense training tool for dog owners. Online Tuesday, 6-8:30pm, 9/15
OIL PAINTING
Demos, tips and advice as you paint. Some supplies provided. Tues, 5:30-8:30pm, 9/15-10/27
EXPLORATIONS IN MIXED WATER MEDIA
Explore watercolor, acrylic, casein, and gouache, with different materials and papers. Mondays, 9am-12pm, 9/28-11/9
CARBONDALE
690 Colorado Avenue
970-963-2172
t
Dede Osborn, MA: co-founder of a leadership training firm and taught Creative Leadership internationally for 30 years. She teaches “Working With Others...” and “Create a Personal Refuge...”
PHOTOGRAPHY 101
Learn to capture and process dynamic photographs and be a more confident photographer. Tuesdays, 6-8:30pm, 9/29-10/20
CELLPHONE PHOTOGRAPHY
Get great images you will want to frame, using quick and easy tricks available in your phone. Mondays, 6-8:30pm and Sat, 9am-12pm, 10/5-10/19
FROM RELIABLE EMPLOYEE TO RESPECTED LEADER
A 5-week class for adults ready to grow into supervisory, team lead, or middle-management roles. Online Tues, 4-6:30pm, 10/6-11/3
Scan for Community Ed
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Aspen Journalism Editor and Executive Director Curtis Wackerle is set to engage in a public discussion with Al Letson (pictured), host of investigative podcast “Reveal,” on Sept. 11. The event celebrates the role of independent, investigative journalism, and kicks off at 5:30pm in the Hotel Jerome. RSVP at tinyurl.com/ revealhostdiscussion Courtesy photo
ROARING FORK ZEN A Zen meditation community gathers at True Nature to sit from 8 to 9am on Mondays and 7:30 to 8:30pm on Wednesdays weekly.
environment with a licensed facilitator from 11am to 12:30pm on the first and third Monday of every month. The group is hosted at a home in Carbondale. Call 516-242-9365 for more information.
THE SOPRIS SUN | Your weekly community connector | September 3-9, 2026 13
Natalie Spears invites musical newbies to jam MYKI JONES Arts Correspondent
Art by Sofie Koski
Beginning Sept. 21, renowned local musician Natalie Spears will be hosting a nine-week beginner jamming and songwriting workshop for women and femme-identifying musicians of all levels, aged 16-plus, to come and find community, connection, style and to build their skill set. Spears, a lifelong musician and frequent collaborator with other talents in the state, said she felt called to create this space after spending parts of her career playing and jamming in male-dominated spaces. While Spears expressed gratitude for these experiences, she noted a difference in her music when she has collaborated with fellow women and femme-presenting artists, which she hopes to share with attendees. “I’ve spent a lot of my life playing music with a lot of men, which I have really loved and has fed me, but then I’ve also had these wonderful duo relationships with women, like Lizzie Plotkin and Ellie Barber, and I’ve mostly existed in female duos for a long time,” Spears said. “There’s just something different about the way women show up when it’s a women’s experience or femme-identifying experience. There’s something so nourishing about being in a creative relationship with somebody else in that way, from a harmonic standpoint, singing, and from a sensitivity to one another.” Spears also shared that the wheels of this particular workshop were set in motion when a few of her privatelytaught students expressed a desire to push beyond the fear of performing in front of others. Through this, Spears started inviting her students to a song-sharing circle. One of the last sessions was attended by all women,
14 THE SOPRIS SUN | soprissun.com | September 3-9, 2026
and the feedback from this encouraged Spears to deepen that experience for others. “We started with just a jam song together, and people really loved getting to experience playing together,” Spears said. “And all of these women were sort of expressing how much they loved having it be just women, too. It has felt like there’s been a long-standing demand from our community for offerings that help people connect and play music, and I wanted to fill that niche a bit by offering this workshop series.” Attendees can anticipate a relaxed, pressure-free start. Since Spears is welcoming women and femme-identifying people of all skill levels, there is space in this workshop for everyone. “A lot of people start out by saying, ‘I’m not musical,’ or ‘I’m not good enough,’ and I really wanted to do this workshop to dissolve those expectations that someone has to be a certain ability level to join a jam,” she said. “If someone can play one chord in time, even if they’re not playing all the chords in the song, it’s still a real service to the rest of us.” Spears said her main goal of the workshop is to help her attendees deepen their relationship to music and the act of creation. Through her experience, Spears has noticed the trend that performers fear they are not enough, a common worry that arises when performing for an audience. She hopes to guide players toward the joy of playing through her workshop. “I really want to support people in feeling confident that they can reach out to somebody else and ask if they want to play — and that they can,” she said. “I want to support people in leaning into their own creativity, art and expression in the world. If that’s through music, and there’s a way I can support that for somebody, I’m here for it.” To register or for information on upcoming learning opportunities, visit nataliespears.com/#home-section
Thunder River Theatre raises the curtain on 2026-2027 season MYKI JONES Arts Correspondent
“I think Missy chose us because there’s a huge element of improvisation in the show,” he said. “I’m looking forward to exploring some very serious themes in the play. At the same time, it’s incredibly funny and energetic.”
Professional theater, featuring many local talents in the industry, is returning very soon to Thunder River Theatre Company (TRTC) for its 2026-2027 season. Ahead of TRTC diving into its full-length plays lineup, it’ll kick things off with a First Friday Comedy Night, coming right up on Sept. 4 at 8pm. The event is the result of a collaboration between ElVecino Shows’ Diego Gonzalez and five other local comedians: Zoe Rom, Michael Robinson, Julie Gillespie, Michael Coyle and Garrett Hall. “I’m looking forward to getting back to TRTC,” Gonzalez said. “I am here to invite all of you to join us for a great show full of great comedians. I’m looking forward to seeing more and more comedy in Carbondale.” He noted that he and his wife have had many date nights at the theater over the years, and how he performed in his first play there. The first feature show of the season, running Sept. 11-27, will give audiences a look into the human experience of helping loved ones navigate mental health struggles. “Every Brilliant Thing” stars Cassidy Willey and is directed by Mike Monroney. The one-person show follows the story of an unnamed narrator whose journey to create a list of what’s worth living for begins at the age of 7, following their mother’s suicide attempt. The play has been making the rounds on Broadway, with big-name actors like Tracee Ellis Ross, Mariska Hargitay and Daniel Radcliffe having stepped into the role. “I already knew of the play and was fascinated by it. I was thrilled to see that [Artistic Director] Missy [Moore] had picked it for the season,” Monroney said. “I like how the role can be played by either a man or a woman, and in this case I am excited to collaborate with Cassidy Willey.” Monroney and Willey both happen to be a part of the Valley’s notorious Consensual Improv troupe, which will benefit the piece, according to Monroney.
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World premiere The second show of the season will be the world premiere of a play written by local playwright Kristen “K.D.” Carlson, “Beyond Reason.” Moore will direct the show, running Nov. 13-29, and looks forward to seeing the play, which was tailored during one of The Workshop play development series offered by TRTC, come to fruition. “The exciting thing about it is, as an artistic director, I’m putting my money where my mouth is, because it was the first show we developed through The Workshop,” Moore said. “For many years I’ve been saying, ‘If we develop and workshop new shows, at some point it would be great if we’re able to do the world premiere.” Carlson worked on the play for more than five years. It tells the story of the father of American psychology, William James, and two psychic mediums who spend an evening together trying to pin the distinction between séance and science. It takes place in 1885, but, according to Moore, rings true today. “[Kristen] has done a lot of research and work on this show, and I think it is a part of American history a lot of people are not really aware of,” she said.
Cassidy Willey rehearses for the one-person play and opener for the Thunder River Theatre season, “Every Brilliant Thing.” Photo by Emily Henely
a myriad of reasons. To be taking on a full production is such an honor,” Henley said. “Another exciting piece is that TRTC hasn’t had holiday programming in a couple of years, so bringing that back to our patrons is exciting.”
Christmas run
‘Jaws’
In time for the holidays, “Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some)” will run Dec. 11-20, and marks the directorial debut of TRTC’s Emily Henley. The show follows a group of three actors who decide to tell every classic Christmas story, while blending holiday traditions from around the world. “I feel excited to be directing our holiday show, for such
Starting off 2027, Jennifer Austin Hughes will direct “The Shark is Broken,” which will run Feb. 12-28, telling the story of Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss and Roy Scheider as they go through the process of shooting a 1975 blockbuster hit: “Jaws.” Hughes said that she hopes to evoke some nostalgia. continued on page 22
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THE SOPRIS SUN | Your weekly community connector | September 3-9, 2026 15
OBITUARY
Matthew ‘Hap’ Bruce April 3, 1945 - August 11, 2026 Matthew “Hap” Bruce lived a life of adventure, family, friendship and an abiding love of the mountains. He died peacefully surrounded by the people he loved most: his wife, Cindy, and his daughters, Whitney and Jenna, after a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer. Hap was born in Omaha, Nebraska, on April 3, 1945, to Marguerite and Matthew Holzapfel. He graduated from Bishop-Ryan High School and attended the University of Southern California through Navy ROTC where he graduated in 1968. He went on to serve in the U.S. Navy as a P-3 navigator, flying missions in the North Atlantic searching for Russian submarines off the coast of Iceland. His Navy service took him far from home and gave him an opportunity to see the world. But of all the places Hap traveled, it was the mountains of Colorado that captured his heart. Hap moved to Aspen in 1972, at a time when the town was still small enough for newcomers to become part of its fabric. In 1973, he and his best Navy friend, Joe “Swany” Schwanebeck, opened Marvin Gardens. Hap operated the business for the next 20 years, building friendships and becoming a beloved presence in the Aspen community. Hap met Cindy Strobel in 1976, and they were married on April 15, 1978. Their daughters, Whitney and Jenna, were born in Aspen in 1981 and 1985. After selling Marvin Gardens, Hap worked with Cindy at Aspen Mountain Christmas before joining Aspen Ski Tours, which eventually became Ski.com. That work allowed him to travel and ski all over the West. After more than four decades in Basalt, Hap and Cindy moved to Evergreen in 2022. While their address changed, the mountains remained an important part of their lives. Family, however, was always at the center of Hap’s life. He was a devoted husband, the very best girl dad and the most loving pops to his four grandsons. Those who knew him best will remember his warmth, his stories, his smile and his ability to make people feel at ease. Hap is survived by his beloved wife, Cynthia Bruce, his daughter Whitney Floersch, son-in-law Mark and grandsons Hudson and Bode; his daughter Jenna Meilach, son-in-law Jake and grandsons Roman and Asher; and his sister, Kim Nabity, her husband David and their children and grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his brother Mark. A celebration of Hap’s life will be held Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026, 11am at St. Peter’s of the Valley Episcopal Church at 200 Elk Run Drive, Basalt. Please wear happy colors for Hap! In lieu of flowers, those wishing to honor Hap’s memory may make a donation to the extraordinary team at Mount Evans Home Healthcare and Hospice in Evergreen, who provided compassionate care to Hap and his family during his final days. Donations may be made online through mtevans.org
CORE from page 4 sustainability — is offering a $300,000 challenge grant. Atlantic Aviation’s grant matches every contribution by 50%; CORE needs to raise $600,000 to receive the grant and the $900,000 impact. “CORE relies on philanthropic support. We just started fundraising in 2022 and it’s been a very important part of our funding strategy,” LaClair said. “We’re continuing to seek donations from individuals and corporate sponsors. The Green Expo has brought in a lot of great businesses, partnerships and business sponsors, including Holy Cross Energy and MAM.” CORE envisions a near future where 100% of the buildings in Pitkin, Eagle and Garfield counties are electric, efficient and contributing to the region’s health, safety and resiliency. To do so they center community education and engagement by incorporating events like the Green Expo into the Randy Udall Memorial Educational Program (RUMEP). In memory of CORE’s first executive director, Randy Udall, RUMEP advances energy education and climate action. “CORE’s work focuses on accessibility, whether that is through education, connections with local
contractors and other resources or through our financial incentives,” LaClair said. “We are trying to make these programs and projects more accessible to everybody.” A visionary leader, Udall developed critical partnerships with electric utilities and local governments to create Colorado’s first solar energy incentive program and the world’s first Renewable Energy Mitigation Program, a carbon tax on energy intensive development. CORE receives key funding from this initiative. As a free event, CORE hopes the Green Expo will have a wide reach. Marcum said this work affects everyone, from homeowners to local leaders and building professionals. “We don’t want any kind of [barrier] to entry,” Marcum said. “Everyone should be able to participate in this conversation.” CORE’s Green Expo is happening on Sept. 11 from 1 to 6pm at the Aspen Meadows McNulty Ballroom. Registration is required for this free and open-to-thepublic event. Visit aspencore.org/ green-expo to learn more.
ROAN from page 7 to conserve this landscape, and this sale threatens to undermine those longstanding efforts. Moving forward with these leases directly threatens one of the region’s most spectacular landscapes, including the recently designated Outstanding Waters on the Plateau.” Webster said that oil and gas interests already have around half a million acres of inactive oil and gas development leases across Colorado. Removing the Roan Plateau parcels would reduce the 2026 lease nominations by only 1% and continue preservation of those acres. “Ultimately,” Webster said, “the industry’s interest in this land pales in comparison
to the interests of local communities, sportsmen and wildlife. The Roan Plateau’s true value lies in its ability to enrich our region through conservation and recreation, far outweighing the need for unnecessary industrial development.” The BLM press release stated that it will use input from the public to complete its review of each Colorado land parcel nominated for the proposed December sale. Wilderness Workshop includes the Roan Plateau among its titled Wild for Good landscapes; the conservation nonprofit has a dedicated webpage and report on the plateau’s public lands and ecosystems.
AMENDMENT 84 from page 7 fundamental freedom that is protected by the constitution and can’t be changed by a political whim.” To that end, the language of the proposed amendment reads, in part: “Hunting and fishing are the preferred means of responsibly managing fish and wildlife populations.” But what happens if regulations — like closures or vaccinations — designed to protect wildlife or public safety, have the incidental effect of reducing hunting opportunities? The right to hunt and fish became part of the Florida state constitution in 2024 and is beginning to hamstring local wildlife conservation. A Marco Island city councilor recently proposed an ordinance restricting night fishing during sea turtle nesting season. After months of heated discussions, state wildlife officials in May said the ordinance was likely unconstitutional and it was withdrawn. “This is a fishing ban disguised as a sea turtle ordinance,” Jay Kohlhagen said in public comment at a Marco Island, Fla., city council meeting. Boulder resident and hunter David Kane formed Protect Colorado’s Constitution specifically to oppose Amendment 84 when it was still in its signature-gathering stage. “If CPW has to make certain decisions about wildlife management, they’ll have to always look through the lens of this constitutional amendment, if it passes,” he said. Kane disagreed with 84’s focus on game species and vague language about traditional methods. Hilgemann explained that the language points to hunting and fishing as the first options for wildlife management. “So if there is a huntable species or fish
16 THE SOPRIS SUN | soprissun.com | September 3-9, 2026
population that are in need of management, hunting and fishing are the preferred means of managing that wildlife,” Hilgemann said. “It doesn’t say ‘only.’” Kane said that because the traditional methods’ language is vague, hunters could challenge existing wildlife statutes — the spring bear hunt, for example, that voters banned in 1992. “Leg-hold traps and certain body-gripping traps are illegal in Colorado,” he added. “There’s some question whether they could challenge that in court.” But for Washburn, the language is clear. “We kind of see this as a very right-wing, MAGA culture war sort of initiative, which is really designed to repeal a lot of the wildlife reforms that Coloradans have established over the last 40 or 50 years to make hunting in Colorado more ethical, and frankly, less cruel,” he said. Hilgemann views hunting and fishing as inherent human rights. “We trace our collecting and gathering of protein all the way back to the beginnings of human history,” he said. “It’s a tradition that I think has been passed down from generation to generation, not only in America, but across the globe.” But, Justin Marceau, constitutional rights and criminal law professor at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, told The Sopris Sun that hunting is a state-regulated permission in Colorado — a licensebased privilege — and not an inherent right. “I mean, there were lots of things that happened in the old days, including, you know, things that we’re not very proud of now,” he said. “But we don’t say that all those should be enshrined in the Constitution because they happened when we were Neanderthals, right? I mean, that’s just not the way we think about law and progress.”
We don ‘t charge for obits.
The death of a loved one costs enough. The Sopris Sun is happy to publish local obituaries of a reasonable length, including a picture, for free. Email news@soprissun.com to submit one or for more information.
For the cowboys who still remain A few weeks ago, a cowboy died. Not the kind manufactured by movies, always flawless beneath a hat. He was a real cowboy: one who learned to read the sky, respect a horse’s spirit and understand that mountains are not conquered; they simply allow us to live near them. I did not know him for long. But some people do not need years to leave a deep impression. I remember how his voice changed when he spoke about his parents, their beginnings and the life they built among the mountains. He spoke not as someone repeating an old story, but as someone who could still see every sunrise, hear the hoofbeats and feel the cold of those early mornings. He told me about rising before dawn to ride out with the horses while the world still slept. He remembered the hard days, the cattle and moving animals across demanding country. He also remembered fishing in the river near the ranch. Beside that water, perhaps little needed to be said. The river moved, the mountains kept their silence and he found the peace known by those who have learned to live without fighting time. His love for horses began when he was barely GUEST a child. He grew up among rural schools, hay OPINION bales, livestock and long days of work. Life later led him down other roads, far from the ranch, but By Zulma A. Guarin Jaime never separated him from what mattered most. He always returned to the mountains, to horseback rides, fishing, campfires and the land where his family’s memories had taken root. Being a cowboy has never been only about boots and a hat. It means rising before sunrise because animals cannot wait. It means repairing a fence in the cold, watching a herd for hours and sensing the weather in the smell of the wind. It means knowing the land does not entirely belong to us: We receive it from those who came before and must protect it for those who will come after. The word “vaquero” comes from Spanish and traveled across these lands long before becoming “cowboy.” As a Latina, I am moved to think that many stories meet within that word: Hispanic and Mexican roots, the traditions of the American West, Indigenous peoples, and generations who survived by caring for animals and respecting immense landBeing scapes. In Colorado’s mountains, all those a cowboy has memories still ride together. But fewer cowboys of that generanever been only tion remain. Colorado is changing. about boots and a New roads, homes and ways of life are hat. It means rising arriving. Yet some still rise early to feed cattle, saddle their horses even before sunrise because when it snows and recognize every animals cannot wait. It animal without checking its brand. They preserve something no city means repairing a fence in can manufacture: an authentic the cold, watching a herd relationship with the land. When one of those cowboys for hours and sensing the dies, we lose more than a person; a way of reading nature, under- weather in the smell of the standing work and measuring wind. It means knowing wealth may also begin to fade. For them, being rich did not always the land does not entirely mean possessing more. Sometimes belong to us: We receive it meant a family gathered together, a it from those who came trustworthy horse, a good day of fishing and the chance to look at the mountains before and must at day’s end. protect it for those Perhaps the best tribute is not to turn who will come them into legends, but to honor the simple truth of their lives. We should listen to their after. stories while we still can. We should ask about their parents, their first horses, the difficult winters and the rivers where they learned to wait. I knew him only briefly, but long enough to remember the light in his words whenever he spoke about the mountains. Today I want to thank him: for his story, for the life he lived with honor and for reminding us that some people do not merely inhabit these mountains; they belong to them. As long as someone rises early to saddle a horse, cares for an animal with respect and pauses beside a river to hear the silence, the old cowboys will not have disappeared entirely. They will continue riding through the memory of these mountains. Translation assisted by AI.
Part of The Sopris Sun team wield their respective awards following the Colorado Press Association awards banquet on Aug. 29, including (left to right) Sopris Star intern Authur Cherith, Lead Editorial Designer Terri Ritchie, in-house cartoonist Larry Day, Editor James Steindler and Executive Director Todd Chamberlin. Photo by Miriam Busch
SOPRIS SUN, SOL DEL VALLE & SOPRIS STARS 2025 BETTER NEWS CONTEST AWARDS EDITORIAL 1st, Best Serious Column Writing - “As government steps back, we must look after our own” - Dave Reed 1st, Best Editorial Collaboration - “Dream Well” - Natalia Snider and Larry Day 1st, Best Sports or Sports Event Story - “Jeff Colt’s journey to ultra runner” - Annalise Grueter, Oliver Sutro 1st, Best Sports Column Writing* - “The ‘Pibe’ of my valley” - Felipe Perez 2nd, Best Agricultural Story - “Growing Together: Ten years at Two Roots Farm” - Kate Phillips, Will Sardinsky, Terri Ritchie 2nd, Best Business News/Feature Story - “Glenwood’s Downtown Drug, more than just a place to get your prescriptions filled” - John Stroud 2nd, Best Feature Story - “One century of learning … with Art Ackerman” - Myki Jones, Gus Richardson, Terri Ritchie 2nd, Best Humorous Column Writing - “The poop scoop” - Jim Duke 2nd, Best Public Notice Reporting - “Chacos Park design proceeds with best intentions” - Raleigh Burleigh 3rd, Best Politics Reporting - “Threat to public lands surfaced bipartisan resistance” - Annalise Grueter 3rd, Best Public Service Project - Black History Month series - Larry Day 3rd, Best Social Justice or Equity Reporting - “Mountain Valley residents ask for help” - James Steindler 3rd, Best Education Story - “Riverview’s daily student news broadcast bonds bilingual school community” - John Stroud 3rd, Best Editorial Special Section - Mother’s Day portraits - Klaus Kocher, Terri Ritchie PHOTO AND DESIGN 1st, Best Cover Design - “Raise a Cup of Kindness” - Will Sardinsky, Terri Ritchie 1st, Best Photography Portfolio - Will Sardinsky Media - Will Sardinsky 2nd, Best Feature Photograph - “Horsin’ around with Pair a Dice Carriages” - Will Sardinsky 3rd, Best Feature Photograph - “‘subject/matr/mother’” portrait - Will Sardinsky 3rd, Best Cover Design - “Moose on the loose” - Sindy Smith, Terri Ritchie OTHER/MIXED MEDIA 2nd, Best Event Promotion - Mountain Perspectives - Raleigh Burleigh, Terri Ritchie, Larry Day
1st, Best Junior Journalist Story - “Reflecting on cultural respect with local educators and spiritual leaders” - Vivienne Shapiro ADVERTISING 1st, Best News Media House Ad Promotion “A gift we give each other” - Todd Chamberlin, Emily Blong 1st, Best Print Ad - “Fund The Sun” cover wrap - Larry Day, Terri Ritchie, Emily Blong 2nd, Best News Media/House Ad Promotion - Fall Mailing Campaign - Terri Ritchie, Larry Day STUDENT JOURNALISTS 1st, Best Student Arts & Entertainment Column Writing - “Gaining ‘Perspectives’” - Gus Richardson 1st, Best Student Crime & Public Safety Reporting - “What’s the difference between service and emotional support animals?” - Arthur Cherith 1st, Best Student Editorial Writing - “Wishing upon The Sopris Stars” - Lou Gall 1st, Best Student Sports Column Writing - “X Games, behind the lens” - Isaac Sterling 1st, Best Student Education Story - “Teens take on public discourse” - Arthur Cherith 2nd, Best Student Arts & Entertainment Column Writing* - “Folklórico inspires community through dance” - Jacqueline Flores Alvarez 2nd, Best Student Photo Slideshow Gallery or Photo Essay - “Gaining ‘Perspectives’” - Gus Richardson 2nd, Best Student Education Story - “Every cell phone has a pocket at RFHS” - Vivienne Shapiro 2nd, Best Student Politics Reporting - “Must political diversity breed division?” - Anna Sophia Brown, Kate Ott 2nd, Best Student Editorial Writing - “Notes from Brazil” - Anna Sophia Brown 3rd, Best Education Story “Balancing AI at Glenwood High” - Arthur Cherith, Aurora Egan 3rd, Best Student Social Justice or Equity Reporting - “Immigration attorneys encourage undocumented residents to have a plan, and a lawyer” - Yesenia Benavides-Burgos 3rd, Best Student Sports Photograph - “We are the champions, my Rams” - Isaac Sterling 3rd - Best Student Sports or Sports Event Story - “Topping out as a team at CRMS” - Kate Ott *These awards are for works originally published by Sol del
Valle, and translated in The Sun.
THE SOPRIS SUN | Your weekly community connector | September 3-9, 2026 17
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a 18 THE SOPRIS SUN | soprissun.com | September 3-9, 2026
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The best little pour house in Colorado
HARVEST VILLAGE
Let me just start by saying that credit for the clever title of this column goes to Joanne Teeple, who ran for town council. Ironically, Joanne was the only one at the recent council meeting to point out the issue of the bus stop, or rather lack thereof, at the sparkling new Carbondale Aquatic Center. As I don’t live within town limits, I don’t get to vote on anything, but I’m still going to tell you what I think. I didn’t want a new summer-only pool with a price tag of $13 million. At least if it was year-round, the high school could have a swim team. And as long as I’m being honest, the way things are going in town, I’m not even sure I want the Pour House to reopen. I mean, how could it ever possibly live up to all the remarkable memories? Years ago, I was in the Pour House regularly — I don’t want to say nightly because it gives the impression I drank a lot, which I did. I was a bartender, my husband was a bartender, our friends were bartenders … We were still too young to know better, and we hung out in all the bars in Carbondale. Especially the Pour House. Skip Bell owned it then and I can see him standing there with a big grin on his face, welcoming us into the corner booth in the front window.
along specific code provisions. Neiley argued that this allows for too much ambiguity in what will actually be built. Furthermore, Garfield County hasn’t adopted form-based zoning, which means that development is liable to conflict with existing land use codes. The current zoning density on the site does not allow construction of the development as proposed. However, on May 21, Garfield County approved a revocation on the property for the unused River Edge PUD, which now allows the zoning density to be changed from Residential Suburban to Residential High. Prior to the hearing in March, CCCC organized a series of public information sessions to clarify the details of development with the community. The leading members of CCCC are still in the process of evaluating the new application, and it may not be until the official public hearing is announced that CCCC will organize more public outreach of its own. The public hearing has yet to be announced by Garfield County. According to Myers, the hearing will likely occur this fall.
We could easily fit eight or nine people in that booth, and we still had room to add a chair on the end if someone else showed up. The game was Drunken English Chicken, and we played it religiously. Sorta like a loud verbal Uno, we either played that or charades, with one person going outside to stand on the
Okay, you’re right. I do want to go to the Pour House again and sit in the corner booth … Maybe even resurrect a round of Drunken English Chicken for old times’ sake. sidewalk and act out their clues, while the rest of us kept guessing and drinking and laughing on the other side of the window. Back then, the Pour House was a place you could walk in and 90% of the time you would see someone you knew. John Martin had his usual spot at the far end of the bar, even before he convinced Sue Rogers to go in with him, buying out Skip, who stayed on as manager for several
years. And the bar itself played a big part in the “good-old-days” feeling you got by just walking through the door. With all the cowboy memorabilia on the walls, and the giant room-length mirror behind the bar, it truly felt timeless. Maybe the mirror played a bigger part in the atmosphere than I realized at the time, reflecting a rosy image of all of us hanging out together, in a rustic restaurant where anything and everything was not only possible, but had probably been done before. We’ve all heard Carbondale’s sordid red-light district stories, and some of us who have been down under the Dinkel building even believe said stories. While we all want to see local businesses succeed, it’s important we don’t change our town’s story and end up like Aspen. Those poor chuckleheads are building a whole new airport with taxpayer money to accommodate billionaires’ private jets, like the kind made by General Dynamics. Yes, that Crown family. So many coincidences for such a small town! In Aspen, the rich get richer and the poor can take the bus. But Carbondale has always been more of a working man’s town. Rodeo Thursdays, random Tuesdays, Last Saturdays — in
OPINION
Ps & Qs By Jeannie Perry response to the tourist success of First Fridays, we went to the Pour House on the last Saturday of the month to get a proper martini from Bert Meyers. Dancing on the bar, flipping endlessly through the jukebox, or even just sharing nachos while watching hockey with the rest of the locals bellied up to the bar, there was always a strong sense of place. The Pour House embodied the suspension in time that Carbondale experienced from my childhood until Covid. A good long run, in a great place to be. Okay, you’re right. I do want to go to the Pour House again and sit in the corner booth … Maybe even resurrect a round of Drunken English Chicken for old times’ sake.
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THE SOPRIS SUN | Your weekly community connector | September 3-9, 2026 19
ASPEN & SNOWMASS Pitkin county Library Hyman Avenue Box Wheeler Opera House Box Snowmass Town Park Station Aspen Valley Hospital Mi Chola Snowmass Clarks Market Snowmass Mall Alpine Bank in Snowmass Alpine Bank in AABC BASALT & EL JEBEL Willits General Store Alpine Bank ANB Bank Basalt Quick Lube Basalt Regional Library Big O Tires El San Miguel Box Casa Tequila CC’s Cafe Whole Foods Eagle County Courts Crown Mountain Express Lube El Jebel Mobile Offices El Korita Hightone Autobody El Jebel Laundromat Mountain Family Health Cazadores Scottie’s The Basalt Store Timbo’s Hightone Automotive and Tires CARBONDALE 3rd St. Center Alpine Bank Carbondale Library Main St. Box Catherine’s Store Food Truck Carbondale Recreation Center City Market Carbondale CMC Edna’s Hair Salon Gloria’s Boutique Garcia’s Jalisco Grill La Fogata La Perla La Placita La Roca Lift-up Sunburst Valley Meats First Bank GLENWOOD SPRINGS Glenwood Springs Library Centennial Park Box Comfort Dental Coin Laundromat Glenwood Recreation Center Glenwood CMC El Yaqui First Bank Frida’s Glenwood Hot Springs Yampa Hotsprings Valley View Hospital Impuestos Seguros La Michoacana Mountain Family Health Post Office Garfield County Human Resources Sal Mex Tequila’s Tony’s Bakery Super Taco Alpine Bank on Grand Ave New Castle New Castle Library City Market Carniceria Elias Hacienda San Miguel Post Office Tapatios Alpine Bank SILT Silt Library La Placita 2 La Placita Market LeMora Pizza Silt Roundabout RIFLE Cafe y Pasteleria Galea East Ave & 3rd St. Box City Hall Box E 12th St. Box El Patron El Rincon Jalisco Grill Mercado San Jose Momma’s Nachos Mexican Dining Paleteria La Korita Promex Bakery Remington Square Spyderwash Tapatios La Baja Espresso Rifle Library Imperio Variedades Dinora Diversity Salon Alpine Bank on 4th St Alpine Bank on Airport Rd PARACHUTE Nalini’s Taqueria Jalisco El Tapatio City Hall Box Parachute Library Running Burrito Lift-up Fifty Shadz Salon Sinclair Vero’s Mexican Bakery
Look for stories like this in this week’s Sol del Valle!
Full edition is available every Friday afternoon on newstands and at businesses from Rifle to Aspen
A story of love, survival and resilience comes to Aspen BIANCA GODINA Sol del Valle
The one-man show, “This Is Not an Immigrant Story,” will come to Aspen as part of the six “Solo Flights” that Theatre Aspen will present from Sept. 8–11. The show, taking the stage at 7pm, Sept. 8, and 4pm, Sept. 11, will be the only one of the six performances to include a portion in Spanish. Reza Salazar, star of the one-man show, explains that approximately 10% of the performance will be in Spanish and 90% in English. Through theater, faces and sounds, the story tells itself. Salazar describes it as “a very compelling story that connects with a lot of people. We all have a mother or someone who has taken care of us.” The story follows his experience with his mother, working as clowns throughout South America. “It’s a story of survival and resilience,” he said. Salazar continued, “It’s a love story, learning how to love my mother. When all those things from the past come back to us. To heal, cure and transform that motherand-son relationship, I started writing this story to learn how to love her at this stage of our lives.” In this one-man show, Salazar will portray several characters, including his mother. He explains that the performance was born from “the feeling that all the stories of my mother and me were going to be forgotten, and all those identities, adventures, very beautiful stories, celebrations and pains.” The title also holds an important meaning for Salazar. “The word immigrant has become something so dangerous, so stained,” he said. “One of the reasons I was inspired to write this story is to define what an immigrant is.” For Salazar, migration is part of the history of humanity. “Human beings have survived by migrating to take care of ourselves, our families and our community. We have always been in constant transformation,” he said. He continued, “It’s a rescue. Sometimes we put people on a one-dimensional plane, and we are three-dimensional. We love, we
Reza Salazar (pictured) will perform “This is Not an Immigrant Story” with Theatre Aspen at 7pm, Sept. 8, and 4pm, Sept. 11. Photo by Kirra Cheers
want to work, we have fears and we get angry.” His goal with his one-man show is “to give a little bit of focus to that. There is more in common between us as human beings and with immigrants as well than there are differences.” Salazar wants to keep his audience captivated throughout the 90-minute performance. “Imagine having a very diverse audience, different walks of life, social statuses. For 90 minutes, being able to listen to a story that everyone can connect with in some way.” What is a one-man show? For Salazar, the answer lies in the very essence of theater.
“In its purest essence, this is my philosophy of theater: it’s connection, communication, storytelling. At its most basic, we do it every day without knowing,” he said. “You’re telling a story and it’s the most basic thing. It’s something very natural for us Latinos, especially. We are always telling stories.” As he talked about his memories of Latin America, Salazar recalled a simple scene that, for him, represents the essence of theater. “I remember in the parks, a person surrounded by people, and you don’t need lights or music, just one human being making 30 people around him laugh,” he said. For Salazar, that image captures
what he hopes to bring to the stage in Aspen. “That is the essence of what I am doing. One human being, me, for 90 minutes in Aspen, in a theater with very few lights.” According to Theatre Aspen, “The festival features a ‘Pay what you will’ ticket structure for the matinee performances, starting at just $15 per show, as well as passes and individual tickets.” Theatre Aspen will welcome six artists during the weekend of Sept. 8–11. For more information, visit theatreaspen.org/ events/solo-flights Translation assisted by AI.
Follow Leonardo Occhipinti’s “Nuevo Mundo” in Sol del Valle every week in Spanish.
Bianca Godina — Editor • bianca@soldelvalle.org | Margarita Alvarez — Advertising • margarita@soldelvalle.org www.soldelvalle.org • info@soldelvalle.org • 970-510-0234 20 THE SOPRIS SUN | soprissun.com | September 3-9, 2026
Share your works in progress with readers by emailing illustrations, creative writings and poetry to fiction@soprissun.com
Comparte tus proyectos creativos aún en proceso con nuestros lectores. Puedes enviarnos un correo electrónico con tus ilustraciones, creaciones literarias y poesía a fiction@soprissun.com
Twin trouble By Tom Mercer Carbondale-ish
Alan Baxter was a confirmed bachelor. He lived on a quiet street in a quiet Midwestern town, and largely kept to himself. He did not belong to any clubs or organizations in town, and very few town residents even knew his name. He led a quiet life, and his outings were mainly limited to the bank, the grocery store or the town’s only theater. Alan did, however, have one distinction that set him apart from most other people — he had a twin brother he had not seen in years. Although the brothers were identical in appearance, they could hardly have been more different in nature. As fate would have it, Alan would soon be reminded of their extreme differences. It was a quiet Saturday afternoon when he heard someone knocking on his front door. Alan was somewhat startled as he rarely had any visitors. Nonetheless, he went to the front door and opened it, and to his complete amazement, there stood his twin brother, Robert, whom he had not seen in years. Alan invited Robert in and they sat and talked into the late afternoon. It was only when the shadows of the trees in his yard lengthened that Alan realized that he would need to go to the grocery store to pick up food for their dinner. The grocery store was just around the corner from Alan’s house, so he excused himself and began his short walk to the store. It wasn’t until he reached the door of the store that he realized that he had forgotten to bring his wallet and cell phone. So, Alan turned around and headed back to his house, and was utterly shocked to discover that his brother had locked him out of the house. Alan knocked on the locked door, but
The Earth moved between the moon and the sun on Aug. 27, eclipsing as much as 96% of the moon’s surface in some areas. The celestial event, pictured here, was caught on a Nikon D850 from the front yard of a Carbondale resident. Photo by Tommy Sands
there was no response. He looked in the front picture window, but Robert was nowhere to be seen. He went to the back door of his house but it was also locked.
not allow it. Alan’s twin had explained to the officer that he was the owner of the house, and he had proved his identity by producing Alan’s identification cards and driver’s license.
He could only think of one option. He walked downtown to the police station and requested their help. The police asked to see his identification, but as Alan reached for his wallet, he remembered that he had left his house without it, which made the officer he was talking to suspicious. Still, the officer agreed to give Alan a ride back to the house in an attempt to resolve the problem.
The officer said, “Look. You two are clearly twins, but the gentleman in the house produced documentation that proves that he is the owner of the house and that he has been having trouble dealing with you — particularly in regard to you making repeated claims to his property. I don’t relish the prospect of getting involved in family disputes, so I am going to strongly recommend that you leave your brother alone and stop bothering him.”
They arrived at the house and pulled into the driveway. The officer instructed Alan to wait in the car while he confirmed that it was actually Alan’s home. He saw Robert answer the door and the two men talked for several minutes, then the officer returned to the squad car. Alan asked if he could go into his house, but the officer said he could
VESPERTILIO By John Neiley Glenwood Springs
He hasn’t got one single feather His wings are made of soft leather Like a miniature bear He’s all covered with hair He squeaks what he utters Instead of flying he flutters Like a leaf on the wind He pivots and spins
Alan was speechless. He hadn’t seen this coming, and now he had no way of entering his own home — and because he had walked to the grocery store, he didn’t even have the keys to his own car.
So, let’s all tip our hats
That night he had his first experience sleeping in a homeless shelter.
Who devours that pesky mo-skeeter!
To these fine acro-BATS Cuz there ain’t nothing neater Than this voracious eater
THE SOPRIS SUN | Your weekly community connector | September 3-9, 2026 21
LETTERS event happens. Thank you, Captain Jeff, Russell, Joanie and Helen, for your incredible generosity over the years and deep commitment to CKF. We would also like to thank our Silver Level supporters, the Brodsky Family. Thank you, Randy and Julie, so much for your ongoing support of the CKF mission. Finally, thank you to our Bronze sponsors, Klug Properties. Our sponsors ensured every dollar raised from the event goes directly to the CKF Mission! Thank you to our community sponsors, including the Snowmass Club, Viceroy Snowmass, Schramsberg Winery and Sashae Floral. We are so grateful to all of our table sponsors, including Alpine Bank, White Elephant, Ritz-Carlton Aspen Highlands, Klug Properties and Chris and Missy Klug, as well as our individual ticket purchasers. We would also like to recognize everyone who supported our silent auction and various games throughout the evening — both the kind and generous local businesses and the attendees who participated. The highlight of the evening is honoring our CKF Award Recipients for their incredible contributions to the donation and transplantation communities. Thank you to our 2026 winners for their passionate service and spirited efforts to support and advance organ, eye and tissue donation and transplantation. Congratulations to our Hero Award winner, Kristen Cowan, our Bounce Back, Give Back Award winner, Alison Conklin, and our Community Champion Award winner, Dr. Osama Gaber. One final thank you to Kate Phillips and The Sopris Sun for sharing their amazing journeys. On behalf of the CKF staff and board, thank you! We look forward to Wine & Dine 2027! Live Life, Give Life! Chris Klug Foundation
Godes for Garfield Jonathan Godes has the experience and record we need on the Garfield Board of County Commissioners (BOCC). Godes has devoted the past 25+ years to community service. He founded and served as executive director of two nonprofits, the Early Childhood Network and a Boys & Girls Club, and currently serves as the director of the I-70 Coalition, working to improve safety and transit through the I-70 corridor. As former two-term mayor of Glenwood Springs, Godes led the city’s transition to a 100% renewable electric grid and secured about $80 million in grants for water, transportation and community projects. He has taken a stand on critical local
from page 2
issues facing our communities, from protecting the Thompson Divide to opposing the Uinta Basin Railway project and the Rocky Mountain Industrials quarry expansion. Godes clearly has what it takes to confront the shenanigans we’ve seen on the BOCC for years, including participating in climate-denial conferences, taking control over the library board, spending our tax dollars to sue Glenwood Springs, cutting off funds for our local Planned Parenthood and refusing to participate in regional solutions for workforce housing and transit. Godes’ Republican opponent has no record of taking a stand on major local issues, like protecting Thompson Divide or opposing the Uinta Basin Railway project, which would have transported 5.5 million gallons of waxy crude oil every day through New Castle and our scenic Glenwood Canyon. He didn’t even vote in Colorado’s 2022 or 2018 general elections. Godes’ opponent was handpicked by the Republican commissioners to serve on the Planning Commission for the past 13 years. With a history of staying silent on urgent issues, he is unlikely to challenge the current commissioners and their endless bad decisions. In the words of the musical character Alexander Hamilton, “If you stand for nothing … what’ll you fall for?” Godes has demonstrated that he is willing to fight and deliver for the people of this county. Please join me in voting for Jonathan Godes for Garfield County commissioner. Debbie Bruell Carbondale
GAME Act As a Colorado resident and public-land user, I’m asking Rep. Jeff Hurd to reconsider the proposed GAME Act before introducing it in Congress. The proposal would transfer approximately 2,158 acres of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land near Consolidated Reservoir outside Glenwood Springs into private ownership as part of a larger land exchange. In return, approximately 2,103 acres of land would become public. I support acquiring private land when it provides genuine benefit to the public. But this proposal raises an important question: Why should Congress bypass the normal BLM land-exchange process to accomplish it? The BLM has established procedures for evaluating land exchanges, including public involvement and valuation. Those safeguards exist for a reason. When continued on page 23
TRTC from page 15 “I saw the play near Colorado Springs last year, and I was absolutely fascinated watching the story of the men who created these characters I’m so obsessed with,” she said. “I’m excited to get a chance to dive into it and be a part of that legacy in my own way.”
‘The Revolutionists’ Finally, “The Revolutionists” will run April 30 to May 16. Directed by Kate Gleason, this farcical comedy follows Olympe de Gouges, Charlotte Corday, Marie Antoinette and Marianne Angelle as they navigate the landscape of the French Revolution. “We’re going to have a lot of great conversations with this show,” Gleason said. “I think about the dynamics of feminism, female friendship across different cultures and social classes and what liberation looked like for these women… what revolution really meant for them.” For tickets and showtimes, visit thunderrivertheatre.com 22 THE SOPRIS SUN | soprissun.com | September 3-9, 2026
LETTERS
from page 22
PARTING SHOTS
the public land is transferred to private ownership, the public should be able to see the appraisals, understand the relative values of the properties, evaluate the access implications and consider alternatives before the deal is approved. The issue is bigger than one ranch, or one exchange. If Congress establishes a precedent for transferring valuable public land directly to private interests through legislation, what prevents similar requests elsewhere? We should also be asking whether the public benefits being promised require giving up these particular BLM acres, and whether there are alternatives that would provide those benefits without sacrificing existing public land and its connectivity to surrounding public lands. This is not an argument against every land exchange. It’s an argument for transparency and fair public process before public land becomes private land. Representative Hurd should release the supporting appraisals and analysis, allow meaningful public scrutiny and reconsider the bill before moving it forward. Public land belongs to all of us. Congress should not make decisions about giving it away without a meaningful opportunity to examine the deal first. Heather Lafferty Carbondale
To: Rep. Hurd The current land swap you are proposing will not benefit the general public or your constituents on the Western Slope of Colorado. The Out of Bounds Ranch, owned by B. Scott Smith and Tiffany Smith, wants to possess 2,158 acres of pristine irrigated Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land near Cottonwood Pass and Fisher Creek in exchange for 2,103 acres of private land at Timber Valley Ranch (1,020 acres) and Cow Creek Ranch (1,083 acres) near Rifle. For the land exchange, the Smiths would buy Timber Valley Ranch, which is steep terrain with pines, oak brush, pinyon juniper and sagebrush. It is advertised as a hunting paradise. Smith would also purchase Cow Creek Ranch, which is also steep with pines, oak brush, pinyon juniper and sagebrush and has abundant wildlife for hunting. Exchanged for: The 2,158 acres with excellent irrigation water rights, where the Consolidated Reservoir supplies many neighboring ranches in this area.
Artist and historian John Williams (left) refirbished the Tree Ring Project and returned it to Promenade Park on Aug. 29, along with helpers (left to right) Alex Crawford, B.D. Scroggins, Richard Vollero, Harley Stroh and Beau Beauchamp. The rings on the old trunk are used as a timeline of Carbondale history. Photos by Bonnie Williams
So basically the Smiths will buy steep, brush country outside of Rifle to trade for verdant, irrigated, natural wildlife habitat in the Roaring Fork Valley. This is not a fair trade. This land swap will not benefit your constituents. I point out that you and Republicans are abandoning “We the People” for the extremely wealthy in our nation. BLM lands are supposed to be “our land” not for the wealthy just because they can take what they want. Your priorities are misplaced. Holly McLain Carbondale
LETTERS POLICY: The Sopris Sun welcomes local letters to the editor. Shorter letters stand a better chance of being printed. Letters exclusive to The Sopris Sun (not appearing in other papers) are particularly welcome. Please, no smearing, cite your Need a ride? Call us at 970-355-4961 facts and include your name and place of Private Rides residence or associaEvents tion. Letters are due to news@soprissun.com Weddings by noon on the Monday Eagle-Aspen-Grand Junction before we go to print. Airport Rides
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Congratulations to Darlene on 50 years of service with Alpine Bank. Thank you for your dedication, guidance and commitment over the past five decades. Your contributions have made a lasting difference, and we're proud to celebrate this incredible milestone with you.
Darlene Livsey AVP, Secretary/Treasurer
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THE COMMUNITY AD SPACE BELOW IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY ALPINE BANK THE REDSTONE ART FOUNDATION PRESENTS
Your phone doesn't need you. They do. Heads Up Parenting! A Community Forum on Smart Screentime and Healthy Development for Children 0 - 3 Years
THE 30TH ANNUAL
Reds ne A Sh And Sale LABOR DAY WEEKEND
Thursday, September 24, 5:00pm – 6:30pm What: Free Community Learning and Discussion Opportunity for Parents, Providers and Physicians – All interested community members welcome! Co-hosted by Mountain Valley Developmental Services and Heads Up Parenting, an Initiative of Western Colorado Community Foundation
Where: Glenwood Springs Community Center 100 Wulfsohn Rd, Glenwood Springs, CO 81601
Why: Panel expertise and community discussion on the challenges and opportunities for smart screen use and the hallmarks for healthy development for parents of children 0-3 years.
Includes: Dinner, Speakers and Discussions, Free Resources, Chance to Win Gift Cards from Mountain Sprouts Play Cafe and KidVentures Indoor Playground and More! Free to attend but RSVP required. Seating is limited. Thanks to generous funding from El Pomar Foundation
http://bit.ly/hup-mvds
24 THE SOPRIS SUN | soprissun.com | September 3-9, 2026
Friday, September 4 to Sunday, September 6 At the Historic Redstone Inn Photography by Betsy Botsford
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS OPENING RECEPTION AND SALES Friday 6:00-8:00 pm with music from DJ Koko Love EXHIBITS AND SALE Saturday and Sunday 10:00am - 5:00pm Music from Mitch and Michelle on Saturday from 1:00-3:00pm DEMONSTRATIONS AND WORKSHOPS Saturday and Sunday 10:00am - 2:00pm
Thank you to our supporters and sponsors
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT
redstoneartfoundation.org
Support the Arts in the Roaring Fork Valley and Crystal River Valley 30% of Proceeds Suport the Jack Roberts Memorial Scholarship and Redstone Art Foundation Learn more about the Art Show at redstoneartfoundation.org/ upcoming-events/art-show-2026
reds ne a FOUNDATION