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Making a mark
10 years of Cosecha Textiles
KATE PHILLIPS Sopris Sun Correspondent
At Cosecha Textiles, the rhythmic whirl of sewing machines and steady ding of tack hammers and mallets creates a symphony of sound that sparks inspiration. It is here cherished heirlooms are restored and revived as beginner and experienced sewists gather to create their own timeless pieces. Amidst the workroom’s laughter and artistry, Cosecha founder and owner Claire Wright is celebrating 10 years of entrepreneurship and finding her purpose.
“The sparks are always flying [in the workshop],” Wright laughed during a recent Sopris Sun interview. “I feel like I’m really doing what I’m supposed to be doing … In the workshop I rarely realize that 14 hours go by. I barely realize that 10
years of owning my business has gone by. Every day feels fun and exciting and I love what I do.”
Based in the Crystal Valley, Cosecha is a full-service upholstery workshop that uses high-quality and durable fabrics, detailed craftswomanship and environmentally-friendly options to help customers reimagine their connection to home and comfort. Currently, services include community education, artful restoration, bespoke furniture and custom designs. Whether it be an original concept created from recycled materials or a complete redesign of existing furniture, Wright centers her work around sustainability and storytelling.
continued on page 6
From frame to cushion, Cosecha Textiles is the Roaring Fork Valley’s sustainable solution to upholstery. Celebrating 10 years, founder and owner Claire Wright uses her keen eyes and exquisite craftsmanship to breathe new life into timeless pieces for your home.
Photos by Olivia Emmer/Olive and West
A liberal’s hopeful lament
In the mid-1970s I worked for a welfare director named Dave Kelly. Lumber was the regional economic driver and our county’s biggest employer. With mill workers on a prolonged strike, many families applied for food stamps. Dave told his staff that income was the only eligibility criterion and instructed them to grant all income-eligible families.
Mill management complained to the conservative county commissioners, who argued that because strikers’ incomes were voluntarily reduced, they were ineligible. When Dave kept issuing benefits, the commissioners summoned him to a public meeting. The Welfare Department was in an old building needing frequent repairs, and Dave enjoyed making some of them personally. Busy with a carpentry project the day he was summoned, he appeared in overalls and a t-shirt. The commissioners told Dave their concerns: He was taking sides in a labor dispute, strikers’ incomes were voluntarily reduced, the county might be liable if benefits were unwarranted, etc. Dave responded with a single sentence: “Gentlemen, I will not take food away from hungry people.” Then he stood, turned and went back to his carpentry project, leaving his stunned employers looking at one another.
OPINION MATURE CONTENT
By Ron Kokish
Dave was correct about the law, the county lost nothing and he kept his job. But the reason I loved working for him was that he didn’t argue about regulations, which he understood far better than the commissioners. In fact, he didn’t argue at all. He simply asserted a non-negotiable human concern.
I was younger then, certain that we — people like Dave and I — would make a better world. I had good reasons for optimism. The Vietnam War was ending. We were winning the struggle for civil rights. We had declared war on poverty. The San Francisco hippie movement was filling our county’s countryside with cooperative living experiments — some right on the three-acres my wife Niki and I owned. Bob Dylan sang what we were feeling:
“Your sons and your daughters are beyond your command, Your old road is rapidly agin’.
Please get out of the new one if you can’t lend your hand, For the times they are a-changin.”
WE, of course, were the sons and daughters. The road was ours to take. But 50 years later, it’s not just a mean-spirited little band of rural politicos wanting to take food away from people. It’s the president and Congress of the United States. What happened? We got older, times kept “a-changin,” but we didn’t. We ignored and ridiculed people with different ideas, among them some
LETTERS
of our own sons and daughters. In 1980, those people elected Ronald Reagan President, and, in 1981, labor lost the right to support strikers with food stamps. Among other setbacks, unions lost influence, tax rates for the wealthy were lowered, wealth inequity grew dramatically, abortion returned to state control, as did voting rights in states previously under federal supervision, immigration is still a mess and corporations became people. I’m inclined to say we were too smug and blew it. But did we? We established social security income to support the elderly and individuals with disabilities. We created the earned income tax credit and expanded it six times. We added and expanded the child tax credit. We enacted the Women, Infants and Children Program to provide nutrition aid for young families. Despite strikers losing access to food stamps, we expanded the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to include more people and increase benefits. The Affordable Care Act massively expanded access to health insurance. We made it more acceptable for fathers to stay home and decreased pay inequity for women and minorities. Gay rights were established and expanded, with same-sex marriage becoming a federal right. We’ve made inadequate but significant progress towards a sustainable environment. These are not small gains. They reshaped countless lives. At worst, our record is mixed.
Politically, 2024 was a year when many of our children and grandchildren abandoned us. About 47% of voters under 35 voted for Donald Trump. But this happened during the “Reagan Revolution,” too, with 55–60% voting for him in 1984. Younger people tend to want change, but they’re not stupid. Reagan delivered what they wanted, and in 1988, his successor, George H. Bush, kept 52% of the youth vote. Recent polls show Trump’s approval rating among young voters at 20%. They wanted change, they didn’t like what they got, they’re ready to move on, and Dylan is still singing:
“Don’t stand in the doorway, Don’t block up the hall, For the times they are a-changin.”
Have I been blocking the hall? Maybe! I didn’t mean to, but neither did our parents. Face it, Biden, our transition President, didn’t transit. Harris/Walz were status quo. We could have done better. Maybe we still can, if we follow Dave Kelly’s example of acting with compassion and moral clarity, qualities always available to anyone with the courage to use them.
Mature Content is a monthly feature from Age-Friendly Carbondale.
Re: Harvest Roaring Fork
Kudos to Jon Waterman and The Sopris Sun for front page coverage of the proposed Harvest Roaring Fork development. Excellent reporting. Thank you Delia Malone for speaking so candidly about the decimation of wildlife and the ecosystem that is reemerging from an earlier hopeful developer. This area is one of the last stretches of undeveloped land and is priceless. Emily Miller Ironbridge
Re: Carbondale building codes
Perhaps if the building department is overwhelmed, it should simplify some of the code. I’ve been told that building departments in the Valley recently added requirements that solar PV panels, even those mounted flush to a pitched roof, be approved by a structural engineer. That’s after 20 years of successful installations without this time, expense and paperwork. In the last few years, a national movement has been trying to simplify permitting for solar PV, which is far more difficult in most of the U.S. than overseas. Yet somehow local jurisdictions are going in the
other direction. A couple of installers told me that Carbondale adds more time than other local jurisdictions because it won’t review a solar application until the utility has approved it, and Xcel can take many weeks for this.
The article last week mentioned HVAC and energy-related expenses and delays at a few specific jobs. However, heat pumps get installed up and down the Valley without this drama. I’ve worked with energy code development and application, and perhaps some sections of the energy performance code are “not fit for purpose” for some jobs here. At the same time some sections may not be appropriate for efficient decarbonization in a very cold climate.
Perhaps other parts of the building code have become too stringent. An experienced carpenter mentioned that he’s required to place more or stiffer joists under new floors, but his old floors are still standing strong. Fire and sprinkler and plumbing and electrical requirements keep rising too. It’s claimed these reduce risks, which makes them hard to resist. But perhaps the code has gone from preventing 1 in 10,000 risks to preventing 1 in
10,000,000 risks. And is the “risk” in some cases just potential cracking of sheetrock?
Fred Porter Carbondale
Keep on turning
As the 2025-2026 ski season rapidly approaches, I wish to take this moment to thank the Aspen Skiing Company for working with me toward their heartwarming decision to recognize and encourage those of super advanced age to continue their participation in their beloved sport of skiing.
So, let it be known that effective immediately, those intrepid individuals, having reached the lucky age of 90, will now be welcome to ski any of the four Aspen mountains FOR FREE.
I, personally, hope to take advantage of this new policy, however I’m sure it will be limited to very brief, very sunny, mid-week turns.
Thank you again, Geoff Buchheister, and your entire organization for this greatly appreciated recognition. Don Flaks Carbondale
Editor Raleigh Burleigh 970-510-3003 news@soprissun.com
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Reader survey
The Sopris Sun and Sol del Valle are asking readers, and yet-to-be readers, to take a few minutes to complete an online multiple-choice survey to help the papers gauge community engagement. Thank you for chiming in! Find the survey at www. tinyurl.com/SoprisSolsurvey
Kindergarten age entry
Roaring Fork School District announced that beginning next school year, incoming kindergartners must have turned 5 years old before Aug. 15 of the year of entry. The cutoff had been Oct. 1 birthdays. To ease the transition, parents of children turning 5 years old between Aug. 16 and Oct. 1 of 2026 can request an exception for the 2026-2027 school year. More information is available at www.tinyurl.com/ RFSDentry
Beaver conservation
Ahead of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits coming back online (but with federal eligibility adjustments still looming), Roaring Fork and Colorado River Valley communities rallied at least 45 food drives (www. liftup.org/ongoing-food-drives) to fill Lift-Up pantries and offset the impact locally. “We have literally received tens of thousands of pounds of food,” said Lift-Up Interim Executive Director Elyse Hottel. Lift-Up volunteers served 539 households (1,553 individuals) and processed 75 new registrations the first two weeks of November. Pictured here: Gella Sutro, Leslie Newbury and Roshni Slali of Coldwell Banker Mason Morse, which was among the groups that set up a food drive, stand beside a haul outside of the Carbondale City Market. Folks interested in hosting a food drive can visit www.liftup.org/host-food-drive — monetary donations and volunteers are also needed! Courtesy photo OUR UNDERWRITERS AND NONPROFIT PARTNERS!
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Colorado Parks and Wildlife has released its draft Beaver Conservation and Management Strategy and is seeking public input through Dec. 17. A major wildlife conservation movement is emerging to prioritize the ecosystem benefits from this species and increase populations in appropriate habitats. Learn more and provide input at www.EngageCPW.org
Basalt Mountain mitigation
A wildfire mitigation project on Basalt Mountain resumed this week and is expected to continue through the beginning of December, operating Mondays through Saturdays, with the exception of Thanksgiving Day. Staging will take place on Piñon Drive, the Hillside Drive trailhead and at Wilds HOA off Promontory Lane. Access to the Basalt Mountain trail system is closed for safety. Slash piles will remain throughout the cleanup area to dry out for one to two years before being reduced to ash during a controlled burn carried out in partnership with Roaring
Fork Fire District. Learn more at www.basalt.net/forestry
Indy Pass closed
The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) closed Highway 82 over Independence Pass, from Aspen to Twin Lakes, for the winter season on Nov. 17. CDOT temporarily closed the pass on Nov. 15 due to a storm that brought several inches of snowfall, but extended it through the season due to the amount of snow and more storms in the forecast. This was still late compared to previous years. Last year, the pass closed on Oct. 31, and in 2023 it closed Oct. 30.
Final warning
The warning period for Glenwood Springs’s newly installed speed camera ticketing system will soon end, according to a Nov. 17 press release. Speeders caught
on one of the traffic cameras in select areas can expect to be ticketed going forward. “Consider this your final warning,” the press release stated.
See smoke?
The White River National Forest announced that it will begin burning piles of debris this fall and winter and into the spring, including on 100 acres southwest of Glenwood Springs and 19 acres seven miles south of Carbondale. Burning will take place periodically as weather permits and site-specific burns will be announced on roadside signs and the Forest Service’s website and Facebook page.
Ollella
Ellie Barber, known locally for her Pearl & Wood collaboration with Natalie Spears, is headed to NPR’s Tiny Desk with her solo project, Ollella. “After applying to
the Tiny Desk Contest four times and finishing as a finalist twice, NPR decided to invite us to do the real ding dang thing,” Barber wrote. “Holy. Bananas.” After recording in Washington, D.C., the video is scheduled to go live toward the end of January.
They say it’s your birthday! Folks celebrating another trip around the sun this week include: Mike Metheny and Rosie Sweeney (Nov. 20); Morris Mineo and Crystal Tapp (Nov. 21); Karen Barbee, Lindsay Hentschel, Maria Mork, CJ Trane and MinTze Wu (Nov. 22); Michael Gorman and Kellee Morris (Nov. 23); Crystal Mariscal, River Morgan, Matthew Thomas and Casey Weaver (Nov. 24); Kathy Flanigan, John Lopez, Steve Puzick, Jillene Rector and Neiby Vargas (Nov. 25); Dan Richardson, Terra Lindsay and Hunter Taché (Nov. 26).
As winter hits Carbondale, residents stoke their fireplaces
RAY K. ERKU
Special to The Sopris Sun
Cathy Britt sliced apples on her kitchen counter and looked at an ironcast wood stove in an adjoining living room. It’s a Norwegian-made Jotul. The kind with a nostalgic swinging door and a black stove pipe.
“We can’t imagine not having it,” she said. “It’s just so part of the house.”
Cathy, a former Carbondale gift shop owner, lives with her husband Jeff in a cozy house tucked away in the woods past the Crystal River Ranch. Small cowpies greet visitors at the entrance while wild turkeys graze on the property. Massive piles of firewood also sit downhill from the Britts’ front porch.
Not surprisingly, Jeff, 70, is busy swinging an axe over his head before each winter. The longtime contractor prepares kindling from either wood scraps he salvaged from construction sites or logs acquired from Xcel Energy, which recently cut down about 40 trees underneath powerlines in the Carbondale area.
increase. Meanwhile, according to Holy Cross Energy, which wholesales natural gas from Xcel, it anticipates residential customers will see a 3-5% rate increase in 2026.
But for any Carbondale residents interested in saving on energy costs, does indoor wood burning truly help?
“Yes, it’s definitely a cost-saving measure,” said Jenna Weatherred, a Holy Cross Energy vice president and community relations department head. “But there are consequences for everything.”
You get warm three times ... Cutting it down, stacking it, then burning.
- Jeff Britt
With snow in the forecast this week, Jeff’s goal on Wednesday, Nov. 12 was to whittle down the wood to about 12-14 inches in size. That way, it’ll be just small enough to fit in the Jotul wood stove and keep the Britts nice and warm as the Roaring Fork Valley reaches freezing temperatures.
“When it gets cold out, we can raise the living room area 10 degrees,” Jeff said. “I don’t burn it all the time. But when my wife gets chilly, I make a fire for her.”
Burning energy
Heating costs are increasing in the Roaring Fork Valley. In March, the Colorado Public Utilities Commission approved Black Hills Energy to implement a 6.7% electricity rate
t
Indoor burning in Carbondale and the greater Garfield and Pitkin County areas is allowed under certain rules. Garfield County Community Development Director Glenn Hartmann said provisions limit one clean burning solid fuel device per home in new subdivisions, a restriction implemented in 1999. The device must also be approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Among Carbondale’s indoor fire burning restrictions, any new installations of fireplaces must adhere to Colorado Air Quality Control Commission or EPA standards, according to the Town.
“It’s releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere,” Weatherred said.
A
tradition
Kathy Strong estimates having about 200 regular clients from Carbondale. The longtime owner of K & K Lumber in Silt said customers either make the trek down Highway 82 and Interstate 70 with dump trailers and pickups or they simply get the firewood delivered.
A delivery, made possible by a K & K’s 12-foot-by12-foot dump truck, equates to about 2.5 cords — more simply, 128 cubic feet of stacked firewood. The 47-yearold lumberyard charges $620 per load, and typically
Bonedalians refill twice yearly, Strong said.
“They love it because they bring their dogs with them if they want, or they bring their kids,” she said. “When the snow flies, they’re going to be loading in here again.”
For the Britts, their wood consumption is a little more modest. After a season of filling their kitchen and living room with scents of juniper and pinyon emanating from their trusty wood stove, it equates to about one cord of firewood, Jeff said.
“You get warm three times,” he said. “Cutting it down, stacking it, then burning.”
Carbondale resident Jeff Britt removes a tarp from a pile of firewood on Wednesday, Nov. 12. Photo by Ray K. Erku
Sunlight gets a face-lift(s)
JAMES STEINDLER
Contributing Editor
The rain came in troves Sunday night in Glenwood Springs and Carbondale, which, hopefully, is a tell of a powder season ahead at Sunlight Mountain Resort. In any case, the local ski hill has finished replacing two lifts, of the three total there, ahead of its anticipated opening day on Dec. 12.
Avid skier Blake Lockard grew up down valley, and can’t quite recall the first time he got on a lift at Sunlight, because he would have just been 2 or 3 at the time. Up until about fourth or fifth grade, however, Lockard does remember needing “a boost” onto the old lifts.
“They used to say, ‘If you could ride the lifts at Sunlight, you could ride the lifts anywhere,’” said Travis Baptiste, Sunlight’s director of business development, with a laugh. With the upcoming season, the unofficial phrase will become merely sentimental.
minutes.” With the upgrade, he’s counting on not being left swinging as frequently. To help with the still inevitable — but hopefully shorter — periodic stalls, the new lifts will include three-person (Segundo) and four-person (Primo) seats, providing more social stimulation on the way up, which Lockard also appreciated.
As of last week, Primo was undergoing inspection by the Colorado Passenger Tramway Safety Board (CPTSB) and crews were wrapping up some finishing touches, including electrical work, on Segundo before its inspection.
They used to say, ‘If you could ride the lifts at Sunlight, you could ride the lifts anywhere.’
- Travis Baptiste, Sunlight Mountain Resort
The “Primo” and “Segundo” lifts — towers and all — were swapped out over the summer. The third lift, “Tercero,” was installed in the late ‘80s, when Primo was cut at its midstation and no longer reached the bottom of the hill. The outgoing Primo lift was originally installed in 1966. The original Segundo came from Aspen Mountain and was installed at Sunlight in 1973.
“It’s the largest project that Sunlight has ever tackled in its history,” Baptiste said. “We loved our aging lifts, but at some point you’ve got to upgrade, so here we are.”
“I’m just looking forward to less stops,” said Lockard, “because there have been times I’ve been stopped on Primo or Segundo for like 30
CPTSB inspects every lift in Colorado at least twice a year, including for winter and summer licensing and one surprise inspection during the operating season. It wasn’t required of Sunlight to replace the aging lifts, which would have likely, with regular maintenance, passed inspections for quite a few more years to come, according to Baptiste.
The brand-new Primo lift was manufactured by Leitner Poma out of Grand Junction.
The new-to-Sunlight Segundo lift, however, comes from Arapahoe Basin, where it operated as the Lenawee lift for 19 years. Leitner Poma secured the towers for both lifts and carried out the technical aspects of installation.
A handful of local contractors also assisted significantly with the project. Baptiste said, “Every crew we have had step foot on our mountain has been nothing but professional.”
When asked about the cost of the project, he said it was the biggest investment in the history of Sunlight, but wouldn’t give a figure.
continued on page 19
A crew choppers in the top part of a tower of the new Segundo lift at Sunlight earlier this fall. The two new lifts will include padded seats and comfort and retention bars for a more relaxing and safe ride up the mountain. Courtesy photo
COSECHA
Speaking to the impact of using upcycled materials and her deep reverence for the planet, she said, “We have to take stock of what it is and why we are consuming, and we have to do what we can to slow things down.
“I see so much potential in every piece,” she empathically added. “I don’t want things to go into the landfill and become trash, but instead to become something beautiful, usable and valuable. Something that’s been given attention.”
A self-taught maker from a young age, Wright is now a master of her craft who produces captivating, artisan-level furniture. In Cosecha’s online gallery and shop, each concept tastefully weaves together clean lines with vibrant color palettes and bold patterns to create striking, conversation-starting pieces.
Notably, the shop has a sophisticated and functional mid-century modern couch that was carefully reinforced by Wright. She chose to reupholster the couch’s front with French green velvet accented by high-quality graphic upholstery remnants. The soft green tone is beautifully complemented on the back with a cream-colored canvas featuring an original geometric pattern handpainted by local artist Chris Erickson. This marks a recurring collaboration between the two makers.
For Wright, honing her craft also means she can increase accessibility for everyone across the socioeconomic spectrum.
“It feels important to me to grow my business so I can hopefully affect bigger change in my community, which hopefully has a positive ripple effect into the world,” Wright said. “[That change] can be as small as teaching someone how to mend the hole in their jeans and then they feel empowered to continue fixing their things … to educating an interior designer about different options over purchasing new.”
“Cosecha” is the Spanish word for harvest, and is a thoughtful nod to Wright’s bilingualism and desire to cultivate a community rich in creativity. On the first Wednesday of every month, she invites the public to attend a free, bilingual “Do It Yourself” (DIY) evening where attendees gain full access to the workshop, including upholstery and sewing tools, machines, tables and supplies. With gentle professional insight, amateurs and hobbyists can reinvigorate motivation or start an entirely new project. Creatives looking to dive deeper can also attend an upcoming workshop. While the three-day “Intro to Upholstery” class quickly sold out, Cosecha’s single-day workshop, “Intro to Upholstery Sewing - Make your own box cushion(s)” still has space available. Wright emphasized, “For the record — all of my classes are designed for beginners. I will help you succeed!”
Exuding warmth and whimsical brilliance, Wright creates a safe space where new skills can be learned, mistakes can be made and the foundation for a lifetime of creativity and confidence can flourish.
“Upholstery and sewing are one of the five original industrial arts … I really hope that as we shift culturally and as a human race that we can understand our impact and that this tool can feel really accessible no matter where you are and how you want to relate to it,” Wright concluded. “I hope everyone feels welcome and able to approach me with their ideas or projects … I want Cosecha to feel like a place that is a resource for all people.”
Grab a friend and your projects, because the next DIY night is happening on Dec. 3 from 4 to 9pm. To learn more about upcoming workshops and Cosecha’s extensive offerings, visit www.cosechatextiles.com
Claire Wright, photo by Olivia Emmer/Olive and West
Awakening authenticity with SOULutions app
MYKI JONES
Sopris Sun Correspondent
Mindy Arbuckle came to the Roaring Fork Valley shortly before the COVID19 pandemic caused the world to pause temporarily. She has spent her time here falling in love with the grounded, expansive and communal nature of the locals. Having cultivated a community within the Valley through her yoga classes at True Nature Healing Arts, as well as her work as a holistic and spiritual life coach, musician, author and master of crystalogy, Arbuckle’s latest business endeavor aims to foster a space for individuals to step into their most authentic selves with expanded conscious awareness. It’s as accessible as whatever pocket holds your cellphone.
Her new app, SOULutions, launched in October and features teachings of movement, breathing, meditation and other practices to foster mindful connection within oneself and with the world around us.
“These people here in our valley are a perfect example of the people that I serve with my app,” Arbuckle told The Sopris Sun. “But it’s meant to be a bigger container. Instead of it just being me as a local yoga teacher at True Nature, I have the ability to tap into people across the country, truly across the globe, helping them find their truth and get through the stress of that with mindful practices and ways to overcome the difficulties of this world.”
Arbuckle has moved in the world of yoga and wellness since 2001, when
she first took up the practice professionally. She ran her own studio in the Denver metro area until moving to the Valley in late 2019 and she continues to teach yoga at festivals across the country every year. Throughout her time as a yoga instructor, Arbuckle said she’s remained dedicated to practicing what she preaches to her students.
“I’m not one of those teachers who say to do one thing and then I’m completely doing the opposite. I really try to live the expression of my teachings. I also try to listen to the divine I work with — the Divine Mother specifically — and she keeps asking me to create. It’s so much easier for me to create those things than to ignore,” Arbuckle stated.
She continued, “There’s a hardship in ignoring what the Divine is asking of you. So I listen, and she keeps telling me to have a bigger container. So I decided that I would create a bigger container through a platform.”
Prior to the creation of SOULutions, Arbuckle was working with a platform called Kijabi. While it did serve as a container for a bigger and beautiful group atmosphere, she said it didn’t quite align with what the Divine Mother and the communities she serves were asking. So, she took a leap of faith by responding to a random email about app development from someone she had previously networked with. She described the process of launching her new platform as
something that fell into place seamlessly.
“I decided to get the app so that it could be a temple in your pocket. You can use your tablet, phone or computer, and find sacred practices that are going to fit into your daily life, and to the rhythm that’s already been created, but now we can elevate it through mindfulness, sacred practices, meditation and yoga and crystal healing and all these beautiful things that I get to offer people. It felt like this was divinely conspired for me to be able to do this, and the people have the container, and all I had to do was put in the beauty and the practices which I’ve been teaching for 25 years,” she explained.
Arbuckle hopes to connect users with sacred feminine energy, something people of all genders can benefit from stepping into. This energy, she said, can help bring the collective of humanity back
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“The sacred feminine was the majority of human history, like, that’s who was really at the beginning of time, who held the power, and it was harmony and love and generosity and connection and compassion and understanding, which were the sacred values that everybody held,” Arbuckle shared. “We’ve now ended up with this patriarchal power here that is all about control and isolating people into groups so that they don’t feel connected anymore to other people, and it’s misplacing humanity’s greatness. The sacred feminine is a way to bring back balance and harmony.”
SOULutions is available for $33 monthly on both the Apple and Google app stores. For more information, visit www.mindyarbuckle.com
Right now, your donation will be doubled — and could go even further through Colorado Gives matching and incentive funds. The first $50,000-$75,000 donated by December 31 will be matched dollar for dollar.
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Local yoga instructor Mindy Arbuckle launched SOULutions in October, offering movement, breathing, meditation and other practices with total convenience. Courtesy photos
Trustees take conservative approach to 2026 budget
RALEIGH BURLEIGH
Sopris Sun Editor
After honoring Veterans Day with a day off, Nov. 11, trustees held their regular meeting on Nov. 18 to continue drilling down on a 2026 budget. All were present.
Following student of the month awards, a consent agenda was approved including meeting minutes and a contract for improving irrigation and landscaping at the Jail and Cabin History Park with All Around Property Maintenance Inc. for $20,600.
During trustee comments, Jess Robison announced that Clean Energy Economy for the Region submitted an application for the Colorado Energy Office’s Local IMPACT Accelerator grant on behalf of Carbondale. Erica Sparhawk mentioned that the Special Events Task Force will meet on Dec. 17 at 5:30pm at Town Hall to review 2025 events on town properties and plan for 2026 — all are welcome to attend. Colin Laird gave a shout-out to the Northern Lights — “Wow, unbelievable” — and stated that due to Garfield County’s $9 million budget shortfall, Roaring Fork Transportation Authority’s Hogback bus route serving the western end of the county will be cut.
Town Manager Ryan Hyland shared that the Eighth Street sidewalk project is now complete and the futsal court near City Market will soon be open to the public. Trustees then received their monthly pool update. Tammy Tucker with Wember said that everything is on track for opening
in May, and the public sidewalk should be open again next month. Trustee Ross Kribbs inquired about a trail between the Forest Service building and pool, connecting Main Street to Sopris Park. Parks and Rec Director Eric Brendlinger confirmed that pathway will be sealed.
“I’m a little confused as to how we should address this,” said Kribbs. “It was brought up a number of times, didn’t get traction anywhere, didn’t get a response.”
Mayor Ben Bohmfalk contested, “You brought it up a number of times. It was
never brought up as a design change. I’ve trusted they’ve heard those comments, looked at it, didn’t see it as feasible.”
“I definitely agree with Ross,” Trustee Chris Hassig chimed in. He suggested requesting the Forest Service add a gate to their chainlink fence, illuminating the usefulness of that access for handicap parking during Mountain Fair. Sparhawk thought a narrow, unlit alleyway there could be “sketchy.”
Moving on, trustees approved updates to Appendix A of the Municipal Code — the
fee schedule. This included a 10% increase to water and waste water rates, a 33% increase to park rental feeds and additional increases for Parks and Recreation amenities. A 3.2% increase to trash and recycling rates was approved in September.
Among the changes, recreation punch passes will double up for use at the Rec Center and pool. Brendlinger described undergoing a feasibility study to determine those rates, which looked at nearby pools for a benchmark. Discounted season passes will be sold from January to the pool opening date — $240 for adults, $180 for youth and seniors, $550 for a household (two adults, one youth).
Next, trustees reviewed community grant appropriations totaling $155,763. Local nonprofits could request up to $7,000 each. Trustees then individually allocated funds according to the budget, which was averaged out to determine the awards. Staff was directed to continue tweaking the formula given KDNK, Roaring Fork Youth Orchestra and High Country Sinfonia were mistakenly penalized with two trustees involved in those organizations placing $0 to avoid a conflict of interest.
Lastly, trustees got another overview of the 2026 budget. Bohmfalk commended Hyland and Finance Director Ola Verploegh for “the clearest one page of our budget I’ve ever seen.” This budget forecasts a 0% increase in sales tax for 2026, based on 2025 revenue through September and 2024
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Hazel Patera was among six students of the month honored at Tuesday’s meeting. Congratulations also to Isla Sohner, Cedar Brehm, Lewis DiCuollo, Sofia Hernandez-Candela and Caroline Suhrbier. Screengrab by Raleigh Burleigh
Term limits, a Highway 82 analysis — and that’s just the public comments
AMY HADDEN MARSH
Sopris Sun Correspondent
“I maintain it is high time to legislate for term limits for all elected [Garfield] county positions,” offered Carbondale resident Susan Rhea during the public comment period at Monday’s Garfield County Commissioners’ (BOCC) meeting. For the second week in a row, a small crowd showed up at 8am to speak before the BOCC dove into the day’s agenda. And for the second week in a row, the public comment period lasted a full hour.
Rhea wanted to have a conversation about term limits. After a bit of a rocky start, she spoke about her years of public service in an attempt to create common ground with the BOCC and then gave a brief history of term limits in Colorado. “In 1994, the State of Colorado passed a statewide ruling about term limits for public office,” she explained, referring to Colorado Amendment 17, approved by just over 2% of voters.
Rhea added, “In 1998, when John Martin was one of the county commissioners, Garfield County, along with most of the rural counties, eliminated the term limits rulings.” According to Colorado Counties, Inc., 58 of Colorado’s 64 counties eliminated term limits between 1996 and 2021.
In her Nov. 12 letter to the editor published in The Sopris Sun, Rhea
questioned the BOCC’s approach to their own term limits in light of how they took control of the county library board of trustee appointments. She wrote, “If the library would benefit from more frequent turnover of its board members, wouldn’t the county benefit from more frequent turnover of its members?”
She posed the same question at Monday’s meeting. She also pointed to changing times and economics, stating that new voices are necessary to run the county. Jankovsky pointed to the importance of institutional knowledge. Rhea added that the idea of term limits needs to be reviewed and possibly put before voters again.
“There is term limits [sic],” said Commissioner Mike Samson. “And it is called an election.” He continued, “I’ve been a commissioner now 17 years. It’ll be 20 years.” He added that he plans to retire at the end of his current term. “The people have the right to decide, and if the people want to take the initiative and get it on the ballot and so on, then that’s how they can do that. But there’s an election every four years for one of us here, and the people of Garfield County have re-elected me for 20 years.”
Jankovsky said that it took him one full term to get used to the job.
Samson said he is tired of revolving door legislators and has seen how term limits
have hurt smaller counties. He added that a “bad commissioner” would need to go and took the time to opine about liberal politics. “I really, really, really hope and pray in my heart that Garfield County stays a conservative county,” he said. “I see what happens when liberal-type people, New York City, whatever, San Francisco, they take over places and it is a detriment not only to the people that live in that city or that county or that state, but it is a detriment to our nation.”
Commissioner Perry Will said he’s not a big fan of term limits, citing the benefits of institutional knowledge.
Moving on to more public comment, Glenwood Springs resident Siri Olsen expressed concerns about Highway 82. “With our population growth and the attendant vehicular traffic that comes with that, we feel that our current transportation infrastructure is overloaded,” she said.
Olsen cited 2024 Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) data showing
27,000 vehicle trips daily at the lower end of the Roaring Fork Valley. “I believe we need a study done in conjunction with CDOT and other appropriate local jurisdictions,” she said. “We need to define what is truly the safe carrying capacity of Highway 82.” She suggested an analysis of the highway and mentioned that, according to CDOT, local government, such as the BOCC, needs to initiate a request. CDOT’s Mark Bunnell and Chris Barnes were also on-hand. “We do not feel like we are going to safely be able to get out of this valley should the need arise due to a wildfire or some other emergency,” Olsen added. Wildfire, weather, local evacuation routes and strategies from around the West were discussed. Samson liked the “ready, set, go” method for the Lee Fire in Garfield and Rio Blanco counties this summer. The discussion mirrored what could happen during a future work session, which was suggested.
continued on page 15
In the fall of 2024, a young male bald eagle began courting the female at Aspen Glen. Her previous mate was killed by a car on Highway 82. Now, recent photographs by Steve Harding show that the female has accepted her new beau and they are building a nest.
Board approves grant applications to CDOT to support planned purchase of 23 new buses
ANNALISE GRUETER
Sopris Sun Correspondent
As the calendar year heads to a close, Roaring Fork Transportation Authority (RFTA) is preparing for future grant opportunities and long-term projects. The Nov. 13 board meeting included much momentum-focused conversation. The board also reviewed a second draft of the organization’s 2026 budget with plans to vote on the final version in December.
There were no public comments at the November meeting. Board member Alyssa Schenk, however, shared that a Snowmass Village resident suggested more messaging around off-season bus routes.
Chair Greg Poschman (Pitkin County) mentioned a few letters from the public regarding bike safety on the Rio Grande Trail, especially related to e-bike speeds. He stressed that addressing those concerns is a priority for the organization. Rachel Richards (Aspen) proposed forming a task force with members from RFTA,
Pitkin County and other stakeholders to work on a comprehensive strategy for managing safety along the trail.
David Johnson, director of sustainability and legislative affairs, presented details about a grant application to the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) for its Clean Transit Enterprise Capital Call for Projects. Should it be granted, RFTA staff intends to use the funds to add 10 electric buses to its fleet and some additional charging equipment at the Aspen and Glenwood Springs facilities. The total cost is estimated at $19.5 million, and RFTA is requesting 80%, or $15.5 million, from CDOT. The board was asked to commit $4 million toward the purchase.
Johnson outlined another grant application to CDOT’s Division of Transit and Rail, which asks the state to cover 80% of costs for seven new diesel buses and six hybrid buses, along with associated infrastructure. RFTA would contribute $3.4 million, should the state agree to its request of $16.7 million.
The board quickly approved both applications for submission to CDOT. Railroad Corridor and Trails Director Angela Henderson provided an update on a new educational initiative: “Railbanking 101.” The program will inform associated governments and the public about the history of the Rio Grande Trail and Railroad Corridor and its strategic importance. Details will include the timeline of acquisition, the transition from active freight use to railbank status and the reasons for protecting the corridor for long-term, multi-modal use.
Director of Finance Paul Hamilton and Budget Manager David Carle
walked the board through revisions to the second draft of the 2026 budget. The adjusted elements were highlighted for reference in the board packet.
Kurt Ravenschlag delivered a detailed CEO report. He relayed that following a tour of RFTA’s facilities, the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project chose to honor RFTA with a leadership award for its commitment to energy efficiency. In addition, Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers, a local trail-maintenance nonprofit, thanked the transit authority for transporting volunteers to the Maroon Bells for trail improvement efforts there.
continued on page 18
RFTA is applying for 23 more buses from different CDOT funds. The organization is seeking 80% of funding from the State for 10 more electric, six hybrid and seven diesel buses.
Courtesy photo
Rams, Longhorns land
a few among fall sports
All-Conference
JOHN STROUD
Sopris Sun Correspondent
The 3A Western Slope League All-Conference selections have been announced upon the recent conclusion of the boys soccer and girls volleyball seasons.
For Carbondale’s Roaring Fork High School, making First Team All-Conference in soccer were senior Jason Clemente and junior Cal Stone.
Stone was the leading scorer for the Rams this season, amassing 12 goals and 15 assists through 17 games.
Clemente complemented from the midfield position, helping to set up the Rams’ attack and contributing four goals and two assists himself.
Basalt was also represented among the First Team selections by senior midfielder Marco Gonzalez.
Earning Second Team picks for the Rams were senior Peter Brennan and junior Randy Candela, and for the Longhorns was senior Mik Levy.
Honorable Mention picks went to juniors Wesley Serrano and Cristian Turcios for the Rams, and senior goalkeeper Erik Palomeres for the Longhorns.
selections
League Athlete of the Year was Coal Ridge senior midfielder Peter Ortiz; Goalkeeper of the Year was senior Jaxon Hartley of Aspen; and Coaching Staff of the Year honors went to League champion Steamboat Springs.
For volleyball, Roaring Fork junior setter Tess Hayes was named Second Team. Hayes had 377 assists and 37 aces from the service line to lead the team in those categories. She also had 131 digs.
Lax standout signs to play D1
The combined Roaring Fork-Glenwood Springs-Basalt girls lacrosse team has produced its first NCAA Division 1 recruit in Glenwood Springs High School: senior Jordyn Miller.
Miller officially signed last week to play lacrosse for Eastern Michigan University.
“Playing D1 always seemed like such a reach to me,” Miller told the Glenwood Post Independent in an interview during her signing ceremony at GSHS on Nov. 12. “Especially coming from the Valley, I know that getting seen and getting to play college is super hard because we’re so small.”
Roaring Fork District high schools combined lacrosse teams for both boys and girls in order to achieve adequate numbers, with the girls team based out of Roaring Fork High, and the boys at Glenwood Springs.
For her high school career thus far,
through three varsity seasons and 49 games for the Rams, Miller has scored a total of 107 goals and had 60 assists. A whopping 58 of those goals came during her junior year, and she’ll look to add to the total when she takes the field with the Rams this coming spring.
You might expect that a small-town newspaper would only report on local people and events. But at the Sopris Sun, they write about how global issues affect us, even in this remote place. They report on how the world touches us and the ways we deal on a local level with big issues like tolerance, fairness, hunger, housing, the environment and more. At the Sopris Sun, they know we’re all in this together, not just here but all over the world.
—Linda Criswell
for
Glenwood Springs High School senior Jordyn Miller, center, with parents Dahl and Jana Miller, at her official signing last week to play lacrosse for Eastern Michigan University. Miller was a four-year member of the combined Roaring Fork-Glenwood-Basalt lacrosse team. Photo courtesy of Jordan DeCrow, GSHS Athletics
CALENDAR
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20
THIRD THURSDAY BOOK CLUB
The Third Thursday Book Club discusses “James” by Everett Percival at the Carbondale Library from 2 to 3:30pm.
INTRO TO SOURDOUGH
Learn the basics of bread making, and then take home a sourdough starter, at Rock Bottom Ranch from 5:30 to 7:30pm. Register at www.aspennature.org
‘ORNADA’
Sunlight Mountain Resort screens the world premiere of Armada Ski’s “ORNADA” at its shop on 9th Street in Glenwood Springs at 5:30pm. Tickets at www.tinyurl.com/ORNADA The film screens again at the Wheeler Opera House tomorrow at 7pm. Tickets at www.wheeleroperahouse.com
WOMEN’S GROUP
The Common Roots Women’s Group reflects on this month’s theme, “wintering,” at HeadQuarters in Basalt from 6 to 7:30pm. Anyone 18 and up who identifies as a woman is welcome. Register at www.headq.org
SPANISH CONVERSATION CLU
Beginner to intermediate Spanish speakers practice together at the Carbondale Library every third Thursday from 6:30 to 8pm.
AI: FUTURE OR HYPE?
Eric Wiseman with Edward Jones leads a conversation on artificial intelligence and investment opportunities at 13 Midland Avenue from 6:30 to 7:30 — no registration necessary!
HEALTHY SNACKING
Chef and author Ricki McKenna teaches participants how to make healthy on-the-go snacks from 6:30 to 7:45pm at the Third Street Center. Details at www.tcfhf.org
GARRISON KEILLOR
Garrison Keillor hosts an evening of stand-up, storytelling, audience sing-alongs and poetry at the Wheeler Opera House at 7pm. Tickets at www.wheeleroperahouse.com
JERRY’S MIDDLE FINGER
Jerry’s Middle Finger, a group of professional musicians passionate about Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead, comes to TACAW at 8pm. Tickets at www.tacaw.org
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 21
FALL BLOOD DRIVE
The Vitalant Blood Mobile will be accepting plasmic donations at Sopris Lodge in Carbondale from 10:30am to 2pm. Register at www.soprislodge.com
RECOVERY YOGA
SOUND JOURNEY
Danielle Klein facilitates a cosmic sound journey at True Nature from 6 to 7pm. Registration at www.truenaturehealingarts.com
CRYSTAL THEATRE ALLIANCE
The Crystal Theatre screens “Rental Family” this weekend and next with Friday and Saturday showings at 7pm and Sunday matinees (captioned) at 5pm.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 22
ART MATTERS
The Project Shop screenprints
“Know Your Rights” cards in English and Spanish at S.A.W. (525 Buggy Circle, Carbondale) from noon to 4pm in solidarity with #FallOfFreedom, a nationwide invitation to artists celebrating diversity.
WINTER ON THE MOUNTAIN
The Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park kicks off its Winter on the Mountain season with a visit from Santa Claus from 4 to 7pm and fire dancers performing at 6 and 7pm.
MUSIC ON MAIN
Mountain Tide Provision Co. (423 Main Street, Carbondale) presents Hanna von Bernthal performing live music from 5 to 7pm. Artist Lindsay Anna Jones will have work on display and Marble Distilling will offer a special tasting.
PINK TO BLACK
The Pink to Black concert experience, a collaboration between Thunder River Theatre and El Dorado, opens its second season with Heady Hooligan opening for Magic Beans at 8pm at Thunder River Theatre. Tickets at www.thunderrivertheatre.com
LIL FISH
nOOnz and Ben Ben Ben open for French DJ Lil Fish at TACAW at 8pm. Tickets at www.tacaw.org
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 23
SPIRIT & SONG
Musician Mateo Sandate guides group singing at A Spiritual Center (Room 31 at the Third Street Center) from 10 to 11:30am.
SOBER SUNDAY SESSION
McMission Presents brings musicians Dank Cilantro, Jeeradoe S. and Heady Hooligan for a family-friendly dance party at Craft Wellness (160 Midland Avenue, Basalt) from 11:30am to 2:30pm.
BREATHWORK
Allison Alexander guides breathwork at True Nature from 6 to 7:30pm. This offering is free thanks to Pathfinders. Registration at www.truenaturehealingarts.com
IRIS DEMENT
The Meeting Place (981 Cowen Drive, Carbondale) offers free yoga for people in addiction recovery at 5pm.
NEW MOON WELLNESS
The Yoga Collective in Glenwood Springs (1512 Grand Avenue) offers yoga nidra, breathwork and sound healing from 6:30 to 8pm.
‘RUMORS’
Aspen Community Theatre brings their production of “Rumors” to the Ute Theater in Rifle tonight and tomorrow at 7pm and Sunday at 2pm. Tickets at www.utetheater.com
FRIDAY AFTERNOON CLUB
James Freeborn performs alt-folk music at the Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park from 4:30 to 7:30pm.
Folk artist Iris DeMent performs at the Wheeler Opera House at 7:30pm. Tickets at www.wheeleroperahouse.com
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 24
LADIES NIGHT AT EAGLE CREST
Eagle Crest Nursery hosts a ladies night from 6 to 8pm. Details at www.eaglecrestnursery.com
WEAVING WISDOM
True Nature hosts an intergenerational gathering of women sharing wisdom from 6:30 to 8pm.
PLANT-BASED POLUCK & FILM
The Center for Human Flourishing hosts a Thanksgiving-themed plant-based potluck and relevant film screening at the Third Street Center from 6:30 to 8pm. Details at www.tcfhf.org
Carbondale Homeless Assistance is sponsoring a free feast at the Faith Lutheran Church in Carbondale (1340 Highway 133) on Thanksgiving Day. All are welcome to drop by for a meal and good company anytime between 11am and 1pm. These couple of wild turkeys spotted in the Carbondale area will likely keep a safe distance, however. Photo by Ray K. Erku
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 25
‘MINDFUL METRICS’
Learn how to use certain technological tools and apps to help reduce stress and enhance mental wellness at the Basalt Library from 2:30 to 3:30pm. Details at www.basallibrary.org
CODING CLUB
Aspen Science Center’s Coding Club meets at the Carbondale Library from 3:45 to 4:45pm. Details at www.aspensciencecenter.org
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 26
MENORAH-MAKING
The Carbondale Clay Center hosts a menorah-making workshop from noon to 3pm. Pre-registration is required at www.carbondaleclay.org/workshops
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27
THANKSGIVING
Local libraries, government offices and many businesses will be closed for turkey stuffing today. Garfield County Libraries close at 5pm on Nov. 26.
CARBONDALE TURKEY TROT
Carbondale’s annual Turkey Trot kicks off at 9:30am at the Rec Center. Register in advance at www.bit.ly/Cdale-Turkeys or sign up day-of from 8:30 to 9:15am.
BASALT TURKEY TROT
The Basalt Education Foundation hosts a 5K Turkey Trot at 9:30am sharp. Sign up in advance at www.givebutter.com/2025-Turkey-Trot or register day-of from 8:30 to 9:15am.
FREE MEAL
Faith Lutheran Church (1340 Highway 133, across from Wells Fargo Bank in Carbondale) offers a free drop-in meal between 11am and 1pm sponsored by Carbondale Homeless Assistance.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 28
THANKSGIVING DETOX
The Yoga Collective (1512 Grand Avenue, Glenwood Springs) offers a class focused on digestion and liver health from 9 to 10:30am.
HOTEL COLORADO
The Hotel Colorado’s 35th annual lighting ceremony begins with a craft fair in the Devereux Ballroom at noon. A live ice-carving demonstration will take place in the courtyard at 2pm, when Glenwood Springs Historical Society Gingerbread competition will also kick off inside. Symphony in the Valley will perform at 4pm. Other performances follow with the lighting ceremony at 7pm, followed by A Band Called Alexis with a Christmas show. (Mr. Claus will be around all day.)
ROADSIDE AMERICA
Chris Weist and Roadside America perform at Steve’s Guitars at 8pm.
EASY JIM
Easy Jim performs Grateful Dead music at the Belly Up tonight at 9pm. Tickets at www.bellyupaspen.com
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 29
LANDFILL CLOSURE
The South Canyon Landfill will be closed today due to the City of Glenwood Springs’ holiday schedule, but is open Friday, Nov. 28 during regular hours.
ADOPT A PET
Journey Home Animal Shelter hosts an adoption event at Petco in Glenwood Springs from 10am to 1pm. Questions? Call 970-625-8808.
REDSTONE ILLUMINATION
Redstone hosts its annual Grand Illumination, starting at 5pm with a stroll from Propaganda Pie down the Boulevard to Redstone Park for the tree lighting and then onto the Redstone Inn for some hot chocolate by the bonfire just outside. Santa and his elves will be at the Inn till 7pm. More details at www.redstonecolorado.com
PAULA POUNDSTONE
Comedian Paula Poundstone performs at the Wheeler Opera House at 7pm. Tickets at www.aspenshowtix.com
JOHN K FURTHERMORE
Former Further guitarist John Kadlecik performs at TACAW at 8pm. Tickets at www.tacaw.org
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 www.meetingplacecarbondale.org
ROARING FORK ZEN
A new Zen meditation community based in Carbondale gathers for meditation at True Nature to sit from 8 to 9am on Mondays and 7:30 to 8:30pm on Wednesdays weekly.
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.
Surls’ ‘Reflections’ installed at the Bush Presidential Center
MIKE DE LA ROSA
Arts Correspondent
Last week, I spoke with artist James Surls about his artwork’s installation at the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum, located on the campus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. The commission sits in a historically sensitive context. A Texas native, Surls noted previous disagreements with the former president’s policies, including being among thousands who signed the “Bush Step Down” petition published in the New York Times as an advertisement in 2006 by the activist group World Can’t Wait. Against that backdrop, the sculpture installed at the library seems to carry a tension between a devotion to civic cooperation and reservations about power. Yet, this tension doesn’t read partisan and instead seems to move toward reconciliation.
The Bush Center presents itself as “a nonpartisan institution advancing the timeless values of freedom, opportunity, accountability and compassion.” Its permanent exhibition includes replicas of key White House rooms like “The Situation Room” and currently features “Unity Through Sports,” which highlights civil rights history through athletics. The Center also hosts the policy-oriented Bush Institute, which in some areas breaks with contemporary Republican orthodoxy: It promotes constructive immigration reform, supports global aid partnerships and recently ran a media campaign for “civility” as a core democratic virtue. The Center doesn’t archive many of the Bush administration’s most controversial decisions, including
disputes about the legitimacy of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars or the expansion of federal surveillance, but it also doesn’t appear to glorify or justify them. Instead, it reframes the former president’s legacy through broad values like economic growth, global health and international freedom, often with a cadence at odds with current party rhetoric.
For the library, Surls presented “Reflections,” a roughly 23-foot arrangement of dual-sided carved flowers emerging from a central
steel mesh. The sculpture’s symmetrical composition means it can be approached from any angle. Surls remarked, “In essence you’re looking at the two sides of things, it’s a psychological mirror… based on the place where it’s going.” The work is made of over 90 cedar flower petals, all hand-carved by Surls using wood from his Texas land. From afar the petals appear uniform, but up close each is rugged and distinctly shaped with a hand axe into an organic topography.
Flowers, for Surls, function like fractals, or the swirl of hair on a baby’s crown. They are naturally occurring “patterns of growth” that serve as the vocabulary of his work. Their intensity bridges cosmological and emotional registers. Surls reflected, “If you’ve ever driven a car at night in a blizzard, it’s horrifying. Then you put your lights on bright and think, my god, it’s [everywhere]: it looks like a Monet lake, just covered in lily pads. You’re
continued on page 15
James Surls holds his granddaughter, Maya, in front of “Reflections” at his studio in Carbondale.
Photo by Robert Millman Photography
immersed.” This elusive rhythm of structures that feel both underlying and viscerally physical, guides the impact of “Reflections.”
Asked how an artist might take up historical responsibility or approach reconciliation, Surls refused to generalize a sensitive topic. He said he can only do it the way he knows how, which for him begins with wood. Borrowing from Will Rogers’ famous humanitarian line, “I never met a man I didn’t like,” Surls said he has never met a piece of wood he didn’t like. The relationship is direct for “Reflections” — the cedar came from a tree stripped by a tornado. All the wood is from a remnant trunk that was left standing bare, “like a telephone pole.” Surls admired the trunk’s survival and tenacity, which seemed able to hold the symbolic weight the institutional commission required.
Touching on the current political climate, Surls said we are “out of balance.” He said, “We’ve got to do what some call mid-course corrections, tweak the trajectory.” He avoided partisanship in his diagnosis. Instead, he focuses on deeper, fundamental structural imbalances. This perspective can be seen in recent sculptures, in which an installation of seemingly charred wood surrounds a viewer, with hidden tools sprouting from branches. These tools appear sometimes sharp and menacing. They move with the same natural growth patterns that animate his other work, but here the forms suggest an additional latent violence. To me, they ask whether a capacity for harm carries the promise of future violent consequences. It’s a kind of Chekhov’s gun for ideological conflict: Must these hidden tools be used, or can the branches return to reaching without armament, toward the heavens?
Considering our precarious time of polarization, Surls’ alignment with the Bush Center reflects a persistent interest in reconciliation. He told me, “Regardless of whose institute it is, I consider it to be an honorable endeavor.” That endeavor, for him, is also personal and local. Speaking about partisan differences, he mentioned his brother, who sits firmly across the aisle. Surls said, “We grew up in the same house, he is a great father and a good man. I don’t agree with him. I can still check my guns at the door, so to speak.”
Both the installation and his relationship with his brother model a kind of armistice, a peace gesture, that feels rare and urgently needed right now.
revenue for October through December. Verploegh explained that every 1% accounts for approximately $97,000. If revenue comes in above this projection, it will be added to the fund balance.
Returning to an earlier discussion, trustees elected to proceed with undergrounding utilities at Chacos Park while dialing in construction documents in 2026. Hyland suggested this will help hone in on the true cost of that project with respect to other capital needs.
Some contention arose surrounding Rec Department requests for $30,000 toward new sand at the Miners Park volleyball courts and $80,000 for
GARCO from page 9
Funding became a sticking point. Jankovsky questioned the outcome of such an analysis even if funding were obtained. “Realistically, if we agree and vote on a letter to CDOT asking for that study, what’s the reality of that even happening?” he queried. “We get very little funding for improvements in this region.”
Speaking of the state legislature, Samson took full advantage of the opportunity to commentate. “I don’t think Garfield County is represented very well by our state legislator right now. I really don’t,” he said. “And I think that is a perfect example of gerrymandering; I don’t think she [Elizabeth Velasco] represents us.”
Democrat Velasco represents Colorado District 57, which includes Garfield County. She serves as vice-chair of the Energy and Environment Committee and as the majority co-whip.
Samson added that Velasco was on the agenda for a BOCC meeting earlier this year, but did not call or show up. The Sopris Sun reached out to Rep. Velasco for comment, but did not receive a response before press time.
CARBONDALE
Revolving Loan Fund
bleachers at the pickleball courts — both one-time costs. “I worry about creeping expectations,” Hassig stated. “We’re not a public country club.”
“We’re not trying to make difficult cuts to our budget,” Robison argued in favor of the improvements. “The budget proposed is balanced and conservative. Why not go with this?”
Given other priorities (housing, public bathrooms, streetscaping), Hassig, Kribbs, Laird and Christina Montemayor voted to eliminate that $110,000 from the 2026 budget. Bohmfalk, Sparhawk and Robison voted in favor of keeping it. The split vote fell in favor of saving the money this coming year.
Olsen urged the BOCC to press on. “It’s not acceptable to me to just say, ‘Well, we shouldn’t do anything because we can’t afford it,’ or, ‘What are we going to do with it anyway?’” She wants Aspen to create more workforce housing to reduce traffic impacts on 82. “I am tired of my quality of life and my safety being degraded by this assumption that if we plunk some new housing project in Spring Valley or wherever, we’re all going to pretend that [it will] bring us workforce housing.”
She called it a bait and switch and said it’s time to do something different. “Maybe it’s time we start addressing the macro issues and start saying ‘no’ to this stuff,” she said.
Other issues officially on the agenda included a brief presentation by Colorado Parks and Wildlife about the new bison rulemaking, updates from Alpine Legal Services and other nonprofits and updates from the county’s Public Health Department and Human Services.
You can view the entire meeting on the Garfield County website: www.garfieldcountyco.gov
The Town of Carbondale developed the Carbondale Revolving Loan Fund (CRLF) to enhance the ability of local busine secure the necessary capital to finance start-ups, operations, or expansion The loan fund was set up in 2002 with a partnership with the USDA The Town and USDA both contributed $50,000 In addition to providing access to cap CRLF is designed to help stimulate job creation and retention Loans are available to new or established businesses within the town limits of the Town of Carbondale To-date, the fund has $150,000 to loan to for-profit and no businesses based in Carbondale
CRITERIA
Loan proceeds may be used for business reasons, including real estate acquisition, construction, and equipment
Funds cannot be used for the refinancing of existing debt Applications will be considered on the basis of the character of the applicant, the applicant’s capacity to repay the loan, collateral and/or other sources of capital, and conditions affecting the applicant’s ability to repay the loan
The guideline for the amount to be requested is $5,000 to $25,000 The interest rate will depend on several factors such as the type of collateral, financial strength of the applicant, and the overall risk Fixed rates of interest will range from 3% to 5%
The term of each loan will depend on repayment capabilities and the purpose of the loan Repayment is monthly and loans are usually no longer than a 36-month term (3 years)
CONTACT
Scan QR code for more information or contact the Carbondale Chamber: 970-963-1890, chamber@carbondale com
The CRLF is made possible by the Town of Carbondale The Carbondale Chamber is not affiliated with the Town of Carbondale, rather assisting the Town by overseeing the marketing & promotion, and certain aspects of the administration of this program The loan funds are in no way exchanged with the Carbondale Chamber
Wildlife crossings make economic and ethical sense
Tom Cardamone is the board chair of Roaring Fork Safe Passages, a nonprofit intent on providing wildlife crossings in the Roaring Fork Valley.
Wildlife crossings over and under highways save lives, are cost effective and enhance the vitality and ecological functioning of the large landscapes they connect. These crossings require community engagement and creative strategies to get them done. They exist all over North America and Europe. We can do it here.
As I was shepherding the science-based Roaring Fork Watershed Biodiversity and Connectivity Study (2018-2022), I made many presentations around the community and always found enthusiastic support for the idea of wildlife crossings. That study is now a model for a statewide biodiversity study and also provides a foundation for Roaring Fork Safe Passages, a nonprofit formed by Cecily DeAngelo that’s focused on getting wildlife crossings done locally.
Colorado, more deer in some herds are likely killed by cars every year than by hunters.* Wildlife accidents in the stretch from the Aspen/Pitkin County Airport to Woody Creek have cost motorists, first responders and others an estimated $10 million minimum in the last decade.
That’s just one of several hotspots for wildlife vehicle collisions from Aspen to Glenwood.
A global perspective can spur action, too. In a world where wild mammals in 1850 were equal in biomass to humans and our livestock (50/50), the wild portion is now just at 4%, with humans and livestock at 96% of mammalian biomass globally. Ours is a watershed where the ratio today is 50/50. Nature still has half here, and we residents bear some ethical responsibility to keep it that way.
“I love this grant because it supports environmental education, sustains habitat restoration, protects clean air, water, and food and healthy ecosystems, all of which are essential foundations for a healthy community.”
- Christy Mahon, VP of Development ACES inspires a lifelong commitment
to the
earth
through
ecological and environmental education since 1968 and is a grant recipient of the Pitkin County Healthy Community Fund.
The voter supported Healthy Community Fund assists the Pitkin County community by providing grants to nonprofit organizations that provide critical health and human services and community resources.
Learn more at: pitkincounty.com/hcf
Wildlife crossings can reduce roadkill by 80-90%, avoiding costly wildlife vehicle collisions, averaging as much as $25,000 to $75,000 for a deer or an elk accident, respectively. Importantly, crossings enhance the vitality of wildlife populations by providing access to good habitat and allowing genetic mixing. All these outcomes add to the strong public appeal beyond simply ending the jarring experience of driving a highway sometimes littered with carcasses.
Since 2022, Roaring Fork Safe Passages has advocated for wildlife crossings in the Roaring Fork Watershed, and notably has conducted community-supported feasibility studies with private and public funding. These professional feasibility studies are determining the most effective and practical locations for crossings. A recent community survey demonstrated strong support for the concept of wildlife crossings, with 95% of 730 respondents registering support.
The devilish details lie in funding, particularly in today’s political climate. But these are long-term projects that stretch beyond any particular administration. It’s important to be laying the groundwork now, so when engineering and funding are accomplished we, the community, can get to work.
Success in taking on the challenge of highway crossings involves some motivation. My motivation is knowing that, in
Yes, wildlife contributes immeasurably to the quality of life, for both residents and visitors. But also consider that wildlife watching, fishing and hunting drive an economic engine in Colorado that is larger than skiing. Wildlife activities generate $7.6 billion annually, while winter activities including skiing/ boarding, backcountry touring, cross country skiing and snowmobiling generate $6.6 billion. We’d be both ethically and economically wise to do all we can to steward wildlife and all biodiversity.
I’ll leave you with an analogy: At a certain age you are increasingly likely to know someone who is enjoying prolonged health and vigor with the simple intervention of a coronary artery stent. It’s a very small medical device with enormous health benefits — a little mesh tube that props open narrowed or blocked heart arteries. Stents restore blood flow to the heart muscle and provide the ability to exercise and live normally and fully.
Like stents, wildlife crossings are highvalue items that are also priceless for the beneficiaries, and cost effective. Crossings save lives and restore healthy functioning of ecosystems by opening up blocked wildlife corridors to revitalize entire landscapes and wildlife populations. Whether it’s a friend, a family member or a living wild landscape, we have the means, the tools and the motivation to save and enhance lives.
To learn more and get involved, visit www.roaringforksafepassages.org
*This roadkill rate is based on Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) estimates that 2% of the mule deer population is killed annually by vehicles, together with anecdotal evidence from CPW, Colorado State Patrol and the Colorado Department of Transportation that 70-80% of wildlife vehicle collisions go unreported. Estimates are used to arrive at these numbers in the absence of hard data.
GUEST OPINION
By Tom Cardamone
The first secret I ever kept was who I loved. It was also, in the end, one of my greatest gifts — the first step toward living my authentic life.
I grew up in Green Mountain, a quiet part of Lakewood that rolls into the foothills west of Denver. On the surface, everything looked ordinary: cul-de-sacs, weekends playing baseball, cheering for the Broncos, Sunday dinners with grandparents. But by fifth grade, I knew I was different. My heart beat faster around certain boys. It wasn’t sexual — it was longing. I just wanted to stand near them. To belong.
Growing up silently gay in the ‘80s meant growing up afraid. AIDS dominated the news and was labeled the “gay plague.” President Reagan didn’t publicly say the word “AIDS” until tens of thousands of people were already gone. Some churches called it punishment. Politicians called us immoral. Kids told jokes they didn’t understand.
But the hardest part wasn’t the hate from strangers — it was silence from people I loved. People who said, “I love you, but…” and then voted for Amendment 2 — the 1992 Colorado ballot measure that banned local governments from
Coming out, coming home
protecting LGBTQ+ people from discrimination in housing, employment and public life. I still remember standing alone on a Lakewood street corner with a hand-painted “No on 2” sign. Some people wouldn’t look at me. Others rolled down their windows to shout or spit. That kind of hate settles in your bones.
So I hid.
I brought boyfriends home from college and introduced them as “just friends.” I avoided anything that might label me — choir, theater, even certain friendships. I became skilled at being half-known.
Ironically, I came out publicly before I came out privately. During protests against Amendment 2 at the University of Colorado, I gave an emotional speech. News cameras filmed it. The clip aired locally, then nationally. People assumed I was gay. I hid behind, “I’m just very liberal,” because saying “yes, I’m gay” still terrified me. I didn’t officially come out to my family until a few years later, when I fell in love with the man who became my partner for 22 years. No dramatic speeches, just quiet honesty. And to their credit, my family stayed. Imperfectly. Sometimes awkwardly. But they stayed — with love. And
OPINION
VOICES
RADIO HOUR
By Todd Chamberlain
Fear quietly shrinks your life.
slowly, years of fear began to lift.
Looking back, I wish I’d come out sooner. Not because I owed the world my story, but because hiding from myself cost me things I didn’t know I was losing: creativity, authenticity, closeness, joy. Fear quietly shrinks your life.
My first kiss with a boy didn’t happen until college. His name was Blaine. It happened in a quiet dorm room at CU Boulder. No fireworks or dramatic
music — just nervous laughter, cheap cologne and my heart pounding so loud I thought he could hear it. When he leaned in, I froze — not because I didn’t want it, but because I did.
For a brief moment, everything was still. No shame, no politics, just the soft truth of being seen. Innocent. Clumsy. Terrifying. And perfect.
Then the fear rushed back. What if someone finds out? What does this mean? I tucked it all back inside, but I never forgot it. It was the first time I felt a glimpse of the life I would someday be brave enough to live.
I’ve since survived a brain tumor, seizures, depression, heartbreak and now prostate cancer. None of those things broke me, but hiding did. Illness taught me life is too short to live only halfway. Being seen isn’t always safe, but being unseen was slowly erasing me from my own life — my identity, my health, my joy, my will to keep going. So I chose the light over disappearing quietly into the dark.
Coming out hasn’t been one moment, or one conversation, or even just about being gay.
It’s a practice — choosing truth over fear, again and again, so you can stay alive and connected to
others. Some days, it still scares me. That little boy from Lakewood still lives inside me. But now he has a voice. He has a community. He has a home.
If I could go back, I’d tell him to remember when it hurts: “You are allowed to be who you are. You are allowed to love who you love. You are not alone — even when it feels like it. It won’t always hurt this much. And someday, you will help someone else feel less alone too.”
I don’t always get it right, but today the compass I try to follow is simple. Compassion over judgment, truth over silence, courage over comfort, love and empathy — even when it’s hard or inconvenient.
Scan the code below to read a letter from Todd to his fifth-grade self and join the discussion on Mountain Perspectives:
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Handwritten letters: increasingly vital in our digital age
As a member of the “chronically online” Generation Z, I am well acquainted with how technology seems to be fused with the human hand. I discovered the art of letter writing four years ago, when I began a pen pal correspondence that has since flourished into an irreplaceable friendship. I believe handwritten notes are an essential tool to combat the loss of interpersonal relationships and strengthen offline connectivity, especially in the remote Roaring Fork Valley.
“Letter writing?” you may ask. “Why? Who has time for that? Isn’t it impractical?” Put simply: yes, it is. But what if I told you inconvenience is one of its most
Within a society that places such an emphasis on time, orienting our days toward maximum productivity, our actions have lost an element of thoughtfulness. I, too, am guilty of limitless to-do lists and cram-packed schedules. Admittedly, I even pencil “send letters” into my calendar. Yet handwritten notes offer something our efficiency
In our age of instant gratification, we now have shorter attention spans than goldfish, averaging at
This inability to focus on any one task for prolonged periods of time results in a constant mental hopscotch. Social media platforms, such as TikTok, have reduced our ability to fixate on longer media. Handwriting, by contrast, acts as a litmus test: is what you wish to say worth the time it takes to labor over each word?
GUEST OPINION
By Natalie Stephens
The process is slow, and therefore demands consideration. When you purchase stationary, scrounge around for a pen and lament over imperfections, you are forced to think critically on what is worthwhile.
Handwritten notes, more broadly, are easily misinterpreted as selfless. On the contrary, letters are a reciprocal relationship, bettering both the sender and receiver. Not only will you benefit from furthering intimacy through written correspondence, but you may also find introspection therapeutic. In fact, the perks are boundless. Letter writing is a meditative practice: you may articulate your thoughts, allow yourself to rest in an ever-moving world and find peace in the repetitive scrawl upon
For both parties, letters function as a written record, with a physical performance that is evident throughout history. Handwritten notes also stimulate creativity and imagination by engaging with the senses.
Though a quick “happy bday” or “how r u?” text may suffice, a handwritten message requires the investment of time. If time is money, then more value is placed in letter writing, representing a higher caliber of thoughtfulness.
Nonetheless, I am not encouraging a social media purge. In fact, there is much good to be said of instant messaging and the communication barriers technology bridges. Only next time you reach for your device, consider what value a thank-you card, letter, postcard or even a “thinking of you” memo note may hold. Letters are written not for the sake of practicality, but instead to open windows into the soul. Opt, however briefly, to be a snail(mail) in a world of attention-deficient goldfish.
Natalie Stephens is a young, homeschooled local to the Roaring Fork Valley. She has taken classes at Colorado Mountain College for numerous years and studied at programs abroad and plans to matriculate into college next year.
Ravenschlag also provided an update on the Zero Fare October and November initiative, which resulted in ridership increasing by 3.3%, cumulative of its regional routes, in October 2025 compared to October 2024. Operations staff observed that additional resources would be necessary to accommodate that level of demand.
Ravenschlag shared that staff is still finalizing data, but he expected a full report on the pilot program in January.
The next board meeting will occur on Dec. 11 at 8:30am at Carbondale Town Hall. The public can also join via Webex. An agenda will be available at www.rfta. com a week ahead of the meeting.
Wanted: qualified trustees
The Garfield County Public Library District is seeking trustees (our word for library board members) to fill three vacancies. (For more information, visit www.bit.ly/GCPLD-wanted). Applicants do have to live in Rifle, New Castle or Parachute.
By the end of the year, the Rifle position will have been vacant for six months, due to delays in the county’s management of the appointment process.
In New Castle, Brit McLin will be up for reappointment after his first year, as he completes the term of Crystal Mariscal. The Board of County Commissioners are requiring even the trustees they interviewed and appointed themselves to reapply.
Michelle Foster is termed out in Parachute. Her great depth of community insight and experience will be sorely missed. Thank you, Michelle. Congratulations, you lucky folks at the western edge of the county for the gift of her time.
The Commissioners have never really said what they’re looking for in trustees. Nor have they said how the commissioners evaluate their performance. But surely we all can agree: We should have good trustees.
I’ve been a library administrator for 40 years and have formed some opinions about what makes someone qualified for the job. Here’s the list:
resources to help our communities make sense of the world. We need open-minded people alert to the environment around us.
OPINION
3. Trustees should be principled. This does not mean that they never change their minds. It means that the library, a public institution, is based on some core premises. At a minimum, trustees are thoughtful stewards of public funds. They are aware of our mission, our purpose in public life. That purpose is this: Libraries reflect the topics of our times, the things people are talking about. Libraries preserve lines of investigation and knowledge.
4. Qualified trustees don’t impose private values on public institutions or seek personal financial gain. While trustees should argue and vote their consciences, they are also committed to the integrity and transparency of public deliberation.
LITERATE LIFE
By Jamie LaRue Garfield County Public Library District
1. Trustees should be interested in and (ideally) already connected to their community. They are representatives of their town’s region. Six of our positions are tied to zip codes (Parachute, Rifle, Silt, New Castle, Glenwood Springs and Carbondale). Another board seat, currently held by John Mallonee, is at-large. Qualified trustees are paying attention to the information needs of their neighbors. To that end, we look for a spread of ages, backgrounds and life experiences. For instance, roughly half of our business is in children’s books. So it’s good to have parents of young children. Between 30-40% of our population is Hispanic. Right now the biggest gap on the board is a native Spanish speaker.
2. Trustees should be curious. We live in a time of great and sometimes wildly contradictory change. Libraries provide
5. Trustees should be concerned with the public good. Why do we invest in public libraries? Because we believe they make things better. They grow children’s brains (see our 1,000 books before kindergarten initiative). They assist community members trying to find their life’s work (a curated list of resources in print and online). Libraries build community (through programs, meetings and discussion groups).
6. Trustees should be brave. The sad fact is that today’s environment is more focused on personal attacks than public policy. If you take any position at all you’ll be targeted or punished by someone. But all of that is a distraction, an attempt to dominate discourse, to turn it away from the issue to the individual. Civic courage means fearlessness of inquiry, not cowering from some real or imagined mob.
7. Trustees should hold themselves accountable. Annually, our trustees fill out and discuss a personal and group scorecard, assessing their knowledge and performance. Not all public boards do.
Do you want to build a healthier, more respectful, more thoughtful, more informed community? Apply to be a library trustee. We need you.
The new lifts could attract more visitors to Sunlight, and Baptiste acknowledged that’s a key part of his role there, but added that this “is really a community move.” The intent is to turn a profit and also provide locals, particularly aging users, a more comfortable and safe experience.
Lockard is confident the new lifts won’t change the classic appeal at Sunlight, certainly in comparison to the exponential development at the four-mountains managed by Aspen One over the years. Still, there’s a bittersweet element to the transition, considering the nostalgia for many the old two-seaters evoke.
“There’s not many of those center-pole, two-person chairlifts left around,” said Baptiste. “It’s so exciting to have a new project, but it’s a little sad, too, because those lifts have put in some serious work and carried generations of human beings to a great skiing experience.”
Luckily, there’s a good chance locals will come across old Primo or Segundo chairs, perhaps in a neighbor’s backyard or on their porch, since they were sold and auctioned off over the summer. Lockard, in fact, scored a Primo seat. And some are still available: about 20-25 from Primo and seven from Segundo. People intent on keeping a piece of Sunlight history can request to purchase their own by emailing info@sunlightmtn.com
The power of giving Every contribution counts
I have to be honest and admit that this month marks the beginning of my favorite time of the year. Not just for the celebrations and delicious meals, but also for that beautiful energy that invites us to embrace, connect — and give.
I grew up in a household of three siblings, the daughter of immigrants, slowly learning to feel proud of my Mexican roots. And what a beautiful gift that has been. My parents, without ever saying it outright, taught us to give without expecting anything in return. Every time we visited Chihuahua, I watched my dad invite a child to share a meal or buy a toy during the town fairs, remembering his own difficult childhood when Santa Claus would bring him a little bag of peanuts, tangerines and hard candy.
I also grew up watching my mom bring scarves and blankets to elderly people: lifelong friends, men and women she had grown up with. Her life’s mission blossomed into a nonprofit project that turns 6 years old this year: El Club de Abuelitos. Each week they bring life and joy to the grandmothers and grandfathers of our valley, creating a space where they feel loved, heard and embraced with the purest sincerity.
The guide is shared weeks before Colorado Gives Day, which has taken place on the first Tuesday of December since 2010. It is the largest online giving event in Colorado, falling this year on Dec. 9. Thanks to Colorado Gives Day, organizations like Sol del Valle and The Sopris Sun can continue providing services to our communities from Parachute to Aspen.
It’s something special, the energy you receive from spending time with a population that is sometimes so forgotten. Seeing the sparkle in the eyes of dozens of elders in Mexico who gather every year for a few hours of joy is truly transformative. How beautiful it has been to take these life lessons from my parents and grow up saying “yes” to every opportunity to contribute another drop in the proverbial bucket.
This month marks the fourth consecutive year of The Sopris Sun’s initiative to publish a guide featuring more than 100 local nonprofit organizations. The guide invites us to learn about their work and to open our hearts to give a little of what we have. Last year, thanks to your generosity, more than $1 million was raised for all participating organizations.
Your generosity allows us to provide a platform in Sol del Valle where we share news in Spanish, art, culture and community. As they say, “every dollar counts.”
We are living through difficult, confusing and complicated times, but today I invite you to take a moment to bring light and hope to the organizations that keep our valley thriving. From our local Spanish-language newspaper to projects that bring art, support physical and mental health, offer legal services and protect our precious nature. I encourage you to take a look at the nonprofit guide included in last week’s Sopris Sun; each organization provides an essential service. I hope you can choose your favorite and contribute your own drop of “water.”
As we close out the year, I wholeheartedly invite you to continue giving smiles and life to others and, at the same time, to our beautiful valley.
Sol del Valle and The Sopris Sun exist thanks to our sponsors, our partners at the CoWest Noticias Collaborative (Aspen Daily News, Aspen Public Radio, Aspen Times, KDNK, Post Independent, Radio Tricolor) and, above all, thanks to people like you who continue to believe in the importance of having an informed community and a Spanish-language print publication.
Sol del Valle continues to be a bright light in the Valley because of you. Thank you for allowing our roots to grow strong. You are already helping us write the next chapter.
Support us by sharing the newspaper, spreading the word or considering a donation at www.bit.ly/coloradogivessdv
Follow Leonardo Occhipinti’s “Nuevo Mundo”
SOL DEL VALLE EDITORA Bianca
Share your works in progress with readers by emailing illustrations, creative writings and poetry to fiction@soprissun.com
Creating a Monster
By Tom Mercer Carbondale-ish
Victor Smith and Archibald Thomas had been close friends in earlier years. They grew up in the same small town, both attended the same college, and both men shared an acute interest in programming and the development of Artificial Intelligence, which is commonly called “AI.” Both men wanted to test the limits of the miraculous new technology, and both shared a competitive nature that would eventually produce unwanted results.
The concept of Artificial Intelligence is not a new thing. In fact, early efforts to develop AI began in the 1950’s. Early developers introduced vast amounts of information, images, text, data and sounds into a program. Then the program used algorithms to identify patterns in the provided information. The program is then able to make predictions, identify objects, and understand language. Victor and Archibald wanted to further refine AI’s abilities, but their efforts eventually resulted in an intense competition. Both men dreamed of the fame and fortunes that would be theirs as a result of their successful refinement of AI, but as their work progressed, their friendship dissolved.
Victor took steps to thwart Archibald’s work, which he accomplished by introducing an informa-
tional “poison pill” into data that he knew would be downloaded into Archibald’s AI data, thus poisoning the program’s existing data ... However, Archibald had taken the precaution of incorporating a program that would automatically detect and destroy the poison pill. As a result, Archibald developed a similar poison pill and found a way of introducing it to Victor’s AI program.
Both men had made trial versions of their AI programs available to local governments and businesses, but the chaos that resulted from the downloads produced horrifying results. Traffic lights began to change at seemingly random intervals, travelers missed their flights, bank accounts disappeared in a flash and historical records were altered to the point of becoming unrecognizable.
When the competitive AI developers realized that their programs were the cause of the chaos, they both agreed to rectify the situation by recalling and then destroying their programs. The initial chaos caused by the competing AI programs ended peacefully, but the creators of the programs were haunted by the results of their experiment, just as Victor Frankenstein had been by his creation of the Frankenstein monster.
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
Throw-away Child … Who Cares?
By Nancy Bo Flood
Thin wizened child Hungry eyes watching, Darting. Your home, a viaduct’s shadow, a barren lot, scattered glass, a torn tent Trash.
You sit atop a stack of tossedaway treasures, A broken bike, sodden smelly shirts, orange peels.
Newspapers make do as bed and blanket.
Who reads your favorite stories of Pirates, lost boys, a Peter Pan rescue?
Where is your night-time book of happily ever after? Where? Who cares?
Hunger is the world’s silent catastrophe. Even here in Garfield County, four thousand people experience food insecurity. Half of those individuals are children. Twenty percent are elderly. Chronic hunger means not having enough food for the body and brain to grow and function properly. Healthy strong people means a healthy strong community.
Is it a stairwell to Victor or Archibald’s laboratory? Or to the top of the Jupiter Lighthouse in Florida? ... We may never know for sure ... Photo by Tom Mercer
Trump is building something that is important, and actually for all of us.
It is going to be a beautiful space for many purposes and for many occasions. Meeting with heads of state, for example, during dinners at long tables, like we saw on TV a few weeks ago at Windsor Castle in England — with many other heads of
Where would we, or could we, entertain countries appropriately in that manner? Not several ministers or dignitaries just in
We could have an appropriate space with prepared dinners (or lunches) and set up tables, flower arrangements, candles. We have magnificent chefs, wines from our own estates or other countries, beautiful china, glassware, crystals, silverware.
Isn’t this better than just a simple, boring, uninteresting room nobody will remember except for what was perhaps not discussed? We cannot always count on good weather for a planned meeting. The Rose Garden
Would not a planned ballroom be better than a tennis court or even a big
And, isn’t it important to also show our youth how it could (or should) be done in a very internationally elegant way?
This ballroom isn’t done with the people’s money. We should be grateful and appreciative that Trump has the taste and means and experience to treat this country and our foreign dignitaries and friends with something tasteful and beautiful; for showing all of us, and our youth, how beautiful America is; and for eventu-
Brigitte Heller
Is it a disease or an addiction? A syndrome or a cult of hate? No matter the adjective, Trump Derangement Syndrome is a real thing. He’s been called “Hitler,” “fascist,” “racist,” “rapist,” “Russian pawn” et cetera ad nauseam. He’s been senselessly sued, implausibly impeached twice and lived through two assassination attempts.
The Donald got shot in the head and jumped up shouting, “fight, fight, fight.” He won the ‘25 election that day. Trump is a billionaire who could buy anything on Earth. Instead, he serves our nation because he wants to make America great again.
But Trump’s adversaries butchered that phrase to “MAGA.” Kind of makes it sound like evil erupting from the depths of hell through a volcano. He might not sound prim and proper, but Trump is genuine. He doesn’t need a poll to tell you what he believes.
Donald Trump says biological men shouldn’t play in women’s sports or use their bathrooms. He knows that voter ID laws are not racist as proven by increased voter turnout in Georgia in ‘22 and ‘24. Unlike Biden who lied that our borders
were secure, Trump actually secured them. Trump doesn’t agree that mutilating children’s bodies is “transgender care.” And those examples are just the tip of the proverbial ICEberg. (Pun intended.)
I watch liberal media and even force myself to suffer 10 minutes of Rachel Maddow occasionally. Cackling Kamala’s book tour is hilarious. Which is why I still find Democrats amusing. They come up with the funniest stuff. Queens for Palestine? Why not a Pride parade in Gaza?
Remember Joey talking about oil cancer or his uncle being eaten by candles? Biden’s feeble “don’t” would have been funny if it wasn’t so sad and useless.
Trump stopped illegal immigration from day one. He settled seven international conflicts in just nine months. He’s waging war on murderous drug cartels and bringing law enforcement to Democrat-run cities in chaos.
I believe the three best presidents in my lifetime were not politicians: Eisenhower was a soldier, Reagan was an actor and Trump was a successful capitalist. We really got it right on the third guy. A capitalistic success to guide a capitalistic society. So, like Charlie Kirk used to say, “Let’s discuss this. Prove me wrong.”
Bruno
Kirchenwitz Rifle
DTS
Avid supporters of the president regularly accuse critics who denounce his contempt for the rule of law, blatant corruption, reckless policies and juvenile behavior of suffering from “Trump Derangement Syndrome.” But, I think the Trump true believers have a much worse disorder. It seems to me that due to their blind devotion to their unstable leader, Trump’s followers are victims of “Deranged Trump Syndrome.”
TDS is harmless, but DTS has the potential to put us all in harm’s way. I would encourage DTS sufferers to embrace sanity before our fragile democracy is irreparably damaged.
JM Jesse Glenwood Springs
Driving Informed
State Patrolman Packard advises: Penalties for violating the new handsfree law start with a $75 fine and two license suspension points for the first offense. First-time violators can have the charge dismissed if they provide proof of purchasing a hands-free accessory such as dashboard mounts or car speakerphone systems to comply with the state’s new law. Repeat offenders face higher fines and more license suspension points.
“Using a device behind the wheel is a five-second blindfold for any driver,” Packard said. “No text message, phone call or social media post is worth the risk.” Spread the word.
Diane Reynolds Glenwood Springs
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 facts and include your name and place of residence or association. Letters are due to news@soprissun.com by noon on the Monday before we go to print.
LEGAL NOTICE
PUBLIC NOTICE OF PETITION OF NAME CHANGE
Notice is hereby given that Maria Juventina Flores filed with the Garfield County Court on Oct. 22, 2025, Case #25C136, to legally change her name to Maria Juventina Membreno de Flores.
Published in The Sopris Sun November 20, 2025.
The Northern Lights returned above Carbondale on Nov. 12. Photographer Tommy Sands captured this shot at 7:30pm with a 30-second exposure.
SPRUCE UP THE SUN ART CONTEST!
It’s that time of year, when e Sopris Sun invites young people to submit artistic entries for its annual Spruce Up e Sun contest. e winning illustration(s) will be featured on the cover of the Dec. 18 holiday issue. Contestants, or their parents, can submit scanned submissions to news@soprissun.com or place a hard copy in the submission box outside of e Launchpad in Carbondale (76 South Fourth Street). Preschoolers through high school seniors are welcome to submit.
¡EMBELLECE
EL SOL!
Ha llegado la época del año en que Sol del Valle invita a los jóvenes a presentar obras de arte para su concurso anual Embellece el Sol. La(s) ilustración(es) ganadora(s) aparecerá(n) en la portada de la edición navideña del 18 diciembre. El tema de este año es Armonía Navideña, las obras deben re ejar el tema, y, por favor, abstenerse de utilizar brillantina.
Theme: Holiday Harmony
Temática: Armonía
Navideña
RULES:
• Students from kindergarten to high school are invited to enter
• Paper size: 8 1/2” wide x 11 high”
• A variety of media is permitted, but not glitter or three-dimensional elements
• Bright, bold colors are recommended
• Please write the child’s name, age, grade, school and a parent’s contact information (on the back of the page)
REGLAS:
Deadline: DECEMBER 12
Fecha Límite: 12 DE DICIEMBRE
• Estudiantes de kindergarten a high school están invitados a entrar
• Tamaño de papel: 8 1/2 x 11”
• Se puede utilizar una variedad de materiales, pero no destellos ni elementos tres-dimensionales
• Se recomienda colores brillantes
• Por favor, incluir el nombre del artista, su edad, curso, escuela y información de contacto para su pariente (en la parte atrás de la página)
“Grassroots
TV is a community strengthening organization. The community members themselves determine, create and share all of the programming with their neighbors, using media to build a deeper sense of belonging.”
- John Masters, Executive Director of Grassroots TV GrassRoots provides access to affordable, high-quality video production and digital content to foster civil discourse and cultural interaction and is a grant recipient of the Pitkin County Healthy Community Fund.
The voter supported Healthy Community Fund assists the Pitkin County community by providing grants to nonprofit organizations that provide critical health and human services and community resources.
Learn more at: pitkincounty.com/hcf
Last Year’s Winner
For more information, contact / Para
información: news@soprissun.com / 970-510-5003
DROP OFF/ ENTREGA:
The Launchpad, 76 S. Fourth Street, Carbondale MAILING/ POR CORREO: P.O. Box 399, Carbondale CO 81623
Carbondale Homeless
Assistance
is accepting donations for the winter season.
Carbondale Homeless Assistance is looking for donations to reach our fundraising goal of $10,000. Last year CHA provided over $4,000 in cash to individuals needing assistance in Carbondale, and sadly the need is increasing. Please give whatever amount you can to help support this local cause.
We are accepting:
Ski Coats (fall/winter) Durable, Waterproof
Boots (fall/winter)
Heavy Duty, Cold weather
Sleeping Bags (fall/winter)
Extreme cold
Tents (anytime)
Two man and three man cold weather and waterproof
Gift Cards (anytime) to Subway, City Market, Peppino’s, Bonfire, Village Smithy, etc.
Money (anytime)
To be used to buy socks, gift cards for food & supplies
Please be sure items are in good, clean condition. CALL 970-963-5177 for more information.
