20 07 09

Because every town needs a park, a library and a newspaper

Carbondale’s weekly

community connector

Volume 12, Number 22 | July 9 - July 15, 2020

THE TIMES THEY ARE A CHANGIN'

When Wick Moses snapped some shots from Tick Ridge in 1970, Colorado Rocky Mountain School was all but alone in this frame. In the intervening 50 years, Carbondale has grown considerably, and when we took a trip up the hill to recreate the photo, we captured differences a lot deeper than a slight mismatch of seasons. And that's to say nothing of the new City Market complex — see page 3.

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OPINION

Exxon, The Sun, and our future However, I have to wear a broad hat here. We are a community newspaper and if we start drawing lines on who can and can’t advertise, then we fail to be a free press and a viable community newspaper.

Where do we stop? Who can advertise: pot shops, alcohol, guns, Republican ads, police ads, real estate ads, City Market, bank ads, Ski Co ads, healthcare ads”? The list goes on because I can guarantee some of our ads offend people on the right as well as those on the left.

We have succeeded through this downturn because I try to work with all local businesses, even those that I might not personally agree with. It allows us to have the funding to give away free and/or very discounted ad space to nonprofits and struggling small businesses.

So, I totally am with you, but given my seat, there is no soul lost here. Until we are all driving alternative fuel vehicles, the local Exxon Station is a local business and a probably an important contributor to the Town’s tax base. Which gives me pause, under your scenario should the town stop taking their sales tax?”

The writer of the email later wrote me back thanking me for my response. There are greater implications here though. Today,

we are living in a society where we feel like we have to attack one another and make people believe the way we believe. Even if we agree on the goal, that very attack mode pushes people away, instead of bringing us together.

In this case, both the sender of the email and I both value the same thing — want to achieve the same goals. We want to save the planet for future generations and for the diversity of all the species that call it home, but in this quest we see the world from different places.

We must recognize many of us have the same goals, we sometimes choose a different path getting there. We are so divided, that we often blind ourselves to this notion and the goal we share, is lost in the commotion.

After a challenging year, I have made it a goal of mine to have more empathy, compassion and understanding, and not attack someone before I find out more about them and where they are coming from. We all have different experiences, different backgrounds, education and we need to be okay with people having differing opinions. We can openly debate the merits, but we don’t need to stoop to attack the messenger.

As for the ad, when it comes down to it not running an Exxon

ad is not going to change the world, it’s not going to make someone run out and buy an alternative fuel vehicle. However, what if that ad supports paying a writer to write a story on how Glenwood Springs, Carbondale, Basalt and Aspen are building a network of fast chargers here in the Valley, so that those who own electric vehicles can easily charge on the commute up and down the Valley? That alone might change people’s perception and maybe help push people to buy alternative-fuel vehicles and make our air quality here in the Valley much better.

If that is the case, then my vocation has become my advocacy — and that, my friends, that is not selling my soul or the soul of the paper; it is making change happen. It is simply living in today’s world as it is today, and seeding the grounds to help make our community better place tomorrow and the next day, by having a free (in money and thought) and viable community newspaper that inspires, informs, and builds our community.

One lesson I have learned this year is not to believe everything I think I believe. So I am open, what do you think? In an openhearted kind manner, please feel free to reach out to me at adsales@soprissun.com.

Prophet vs. profit

Ban fireworks

True independence

Dear Editor: Each year around this time, Mr. Ray Cordova brings explosives to the consistently and distressingly hot and dry Roaring Fork Valley for profit.

While doing so, he boldly indicates — in very large letters — his allegiance to another Prophet: Jesus. Given the danger to life and property that his product poses to the valley it seems clear which "profit/prophet" has earned most of Mr. Cordova's allegiance.

Since "Dick" Miller showed us recently just how easy it is to incinerate large portions of land, wildlife and structures, perhaps Mr. Cordova could sell bibles instead of bombs and flags instead of fireworks.

There is no shortage of people wrapping themselves in religion and patriotism for personal gain these days, so Mr. Cordova doesn't stand out in that regard. What is salient about Mr. Cordova, however, is that his pose and his product is an immediate danger to the rest of us.

Bill Parish Carbondale

Dear Editor: July 3, 2020 marks the twoyear anniversary of the Lake Christine Fire.

As we all know, this was a human-caused catastrophe. But for the heroic effort of our first responders, this disaster would have been unimaginable. Current wildfire risk is remarkably similar to conditions on July 3, 2018.

Although use is banned in Garfield County, the sale of fireworks is not. It simply defies reason that these incendiary devices will be purchased in this community but not discharged here.

Under Colorado law, County Commissioners have the authority to ban the sale of fireworks. Red flag warnings have been issued regularly. Drought conditions persist. Banning the sale of fireworks should have taken place long ago. Shame on our elected officials for not protecting this community.

Ed Holub Unincorporated Garfield County

Dear Editor: The National Election Reform Committee (NERC) has just issued a new historical document titled: New Declaration of Independence/We The People.

NERC is a group of leaders of the Independent voter movement who are launching a national campaign to declare independence from the two major political parties, the Democratic Party and the Republican Party.

Currently, the Democratic and Republican Parties control elections in all 40 states. They virtually control all executive, legislative and judicial offices at the state and national level. NERC believes that we have reached that point in American politics where not just Independent voters, but all independent-minded Americans need to demand the end of the two parties' control over America's election system through their control of ballot access.

We have reached that moment in American History where all Americans need to escape the Party Voter Prison which the two

major parties have imposed on all of us with decades of corruption and oppression. The U. S. Constitution does not begin in the name of “we the parties", but rather, it begins with three unambiguous words: "we the people." This is a "we the people" campaign. It's about "we the people" declaring our independence from the party voter prison, and taking back ownership of America's election system.

Randy Fricke NERC (nerc.blue)

by Todd Chamberlin Advertising Manager This past week, The Sopris Sun ran a banner ad on the front page for the local Exxon Station.

Not long after it was posted on the website, I received an email as a result from a concerned reader, who said, “Please never let Exxon advertise on your cover again. Really gross and unworthy of the Sun’s cover.

How much did the paper’s soul cost exactly?”

It took me a bit not to get defensive, but wrote my reply.

“The owners of that location have been advertising with us for years.

They were under the Valero brand before. I get you have an agenda and I agree with that agenda. It’s been my life’s advocacy. I drive an electric car and have been on the board of the Sierra Club. I have an environment conservation degree, and am a former Park Ranger.

Sincerest thanks to our

Honorary Publishers for their annual commitment of $1,000+

Email marilyn@soprissun.com for more information.

Jim Calaway, Honorary Chair Kay Brunnier Scott Gilbert – Habitat for Humanity RFV Bob Young – Alpine Bank Peter Gilbert Umbrella Roofing, Inc. Bill Spence and Sue Edelstein Greg and Kathy Feinsinger Carolyn Nelson Jim Noyes True Nature Healing Arts Nicolette Toussaint Jill and Gary Knaus Megan Tackett Ken & Donna Riley Michelle & Ed Buchman CoVenture Lee Beck and John Stickney Shane Evans

Legacy Givers

for including us in their final wishes.

Mary Lilly

And all our SunScribers and community members for your support.

It truly takes a village to keep The Sun shining.

LETTERS

We need to teach the truth Dear Editor: In first grade, I was told that Columbus discovered America, that the Indians taught the Pilgrims how to plant corn so they could survive and the First Thanksgiving was celebrated with peace and thanks with the Indians.

In fifth grade, I learned the Vikings had arrived in North America around 1000 AD. Obviously, the Columbus story was wrong, and as I learned much Continued on page 10

The views expressed in opinion pieces do not necessarily reflect those of The Sopris Sun. The community is invited to submit letters up to 500 words to news@soprissun.com. Longer columns are considered on a case-by-case basis. The deadline for submission is noon on Monday.

2 • THE SOPRIS SUN • soprissun.com • July 9 - July 15, 2020

Donate by mail or online.

P.O. Box 399 Carbondale, CO 81623 520 S. Third Street #32 970-510-3003 www.soprissun.com Editor Will Grandbois • 970-510-0540 news@soprissun.com Advertising Todd Chamberlin • 970-510-0246 adsales@soprissun.com Graphic Designer: Ylice Golden Reporter: Roberta McGowan Delivery: Tom Sands Proofreader: Lee Beck Current Board Members Raleigh Burleigh, President Marilyn Murphy, Vice President Linda Criswell, Secretary Klaus Kocher, Treasurer Kay Clarke • Carol Craven Megan Tackett • Gayle Wells Donna Dayton The Sopris Sun Board meets at 6:30 p.m. on second Mondays at the Third Street Center.

Contact board@soprissun.com to reach them.

Founding Board Members Allyn Harvey • Becky Young Colin Laird • Barbara New • Elizabeth Phillips Peggy DeVilbiss • Russ Criswell

The Sopris Sun, Inc. is a proud member of the Carbondale Creative District The Sopris Sun, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation. Donations to The Sun are fully tax deductible.

‘A forgotten battle’ Carbondale’s fight against development on new City Market land

By Isabel Hicks Special to The Sopris Sun

Eager City Market shoppers may not realize the historical significance of the land below their feet when they walk through the store’s shiny new doors this fall.

The lack of opposition to development on this land is notable. City Market is Carbondale’s single greatest sales tax contributor, and the Town found it was losing potential revenue when people chose to go to another town with a nicer store. In addition to the grocery store, the lot will have 115 residential units and a building supply store called Builders FirstSource.

The painless project approval marks the end of a long, hard-fought battle over development versus conservation that lasted for nearly 50 years. The land that the City Market stands on originally belonged to the Ute people, though after European conquest it became the Bar Fork Ranch in the late 1800s.

After World War II, Harald “Shorty” Pabst, who would later become the mayor of Aspen, moved to the valley and purchased the ranch. In 1953, he donated the land to John and Anne Holden, founders of the Colorado Rocky Mountain School (CRMS). The 350 acres Pabst donated would serve as the base for the new co-educational boarding school.

Today, the campus center of CRMS is called the Bar Fork to celebrate the land’s historical use.

At CRMS, the land served as a working ranch for years. Its use was zoned agricultural until the early 1970s, when 57 acres of CRMS land were annexed into the Town of Carbondale and rezoned as commercial.

“The town was interested in adding real estate to its footprint so that it could have more businesses and generate more sales tax revenue,” said Joe White, the Director of Finance at CRMS. The school worked in partnership with the town to rezone the land for commercial use

“because that would bring the greatest value both to the school in terms of a land sale, and because the town needed more commercial businesses for their tax base,” said White.

“I think having a [large] parcel in town zoned commercial, without any specific vision for the future development of the property, created a lot of issues for the Town over the years,” said Carbondale Planning Director Janet Buck.

Indeed, the CRMS Board of Trustees disagreed on the best use for the land.

George Stranahan, a conservationist who served on the board from 1968-1978, said that a significant amount of time was spent discussing what to do with the land.

“The conservative [members] of the board would always say ‘let’s just sell it, invest the land in bonds, and every year we sell the bonds,’” said Stranahan. “My standard is good versus bad. You get a piece of land, you conserve it. You don’t sell it.”

In the mid ‘70s, CRMS sold a portion of the rezoned land to developers “when it was in a tough financial situation,” said White.

Stranahan said he remembered thinking “let’s resell some land and shut these people up,” as a board member during the land sale.

The land, called the Kay PUD, is now home to businesses on Dolores Way, such as The Paint Store and Double Diamond Moving and Storage.

The rest of the land remained under CRMS ownership for nearly twenty years.

In 1997, CRMS listed 19 acres of the property on the market, and it was purchased by a California developer named Brian Huster in 1999 for $5.1 million. CRMS used part of the revenue from the land sale to purchase 29 acres of land on the west side of the Crystal River from Beulah Wilson. The land cost around $1 million and was donated as a conservation easement to the Aspen Valley Land Trust. “The rest of the proceeds… were put in what we call the ‘buildings and grounds fund’ to help us maintain and improve facilities,” said White.

" One important

component of the plan was to maintain the Town’s small compact form."

In 1970, most of Carbondale fit in a single frame (photo by Wick Moses). Since then, it has sprawled west and south (photo by Will Grandbois) — with the new City Market among the latest expansions.

After developers acquired the land, there were two more Planned Unit Developments (PUD) on the property voted down by Carbondalians. The first was the Crystal River Marketplace, a $50 million, 330,000-squarefoot shopping center that would have included a Home Depot. The proposal for the marketplace passed through the Board of Trustees, but angry Carbondalians started a petition to overturn the board’s decision and ultimately voted down the board’s approval in 2003.

The same thing happened in 2012, when voters turned down the Village at Crystal River, a proposed 125,000-square-foot PUD that would have included a grocery store, office space, and up to 164 residential units.

It wasn’t until 2016 when plans for a new City Market on the unoccupied land were passed with little opposition. Why the shift in public opinion?

“I think the difference is the type of development,” said Buck. “The previous proposals ... included big box stores. One of the proposals included a PIF, which is a type of tax that customers would pay to help offset the developer’s cost for public improvements.”

Buck said that “buildings were too tall,

The Sopris Sun, to our family, is the visual way to stay in touch and connected to our sweet Carbondale community. I personally love the columnists, the positiveness in the articles and seeing new and familiar faces of people I know and care about doing amazing things.

I’m so very grateful to have our Sopris Sun paper up and running during these times we are all collectively facing. Thank you to each and everyone who put forth the effort, love and dedication to make our community newspaper happen for the benefit of all of us. ~Alejandra Rico

and there was a sameness about the whole 24 acre site. People thought we could do better.”

In 2013, a year after the Village at Crystal River fell through, Carbondale wrote a new community-created guide for development in the city.

“One important component of the plan was to maintain the Town’s small compact form. To have infill rather than sprawl,” said Buck.

Carbondale rewrote their development code with the community’s vision in mind.

Some key components were avoiding large box buildings, incorporating sustainability standards, and expecting developers to pay their costs for development, said Buck.

When Stranahan first heard the land he fought to conserve would finally be developed, he said it was like “a battle forgotten.”

“It was something he cared about years before, but he had moved onto other battles,” his wife Patti Stranahan said.

When City Market finally opens to the public, the hard-fought war will be over. “Why does a fight take a long time?” Stranahan asked. “Because the opposition is good. Back and forth [that many] times… that’s a pretty good fight.”

Because every town needs a park, a library and a newspaper.

How to Help:

— Tax-deductible donations — Online: soprissun.com Mail a check: PO Box 399, Carbondale, CO 81623

THE SOPRIS SUN • Carbondale’s weekly community connector • July 9 - July 15, 2020 • 3

SCUTTLEBUTT Carry The Sun

Rural in the 1950s,” detailing life during the decade following the end of World War II, especially among individuals who were growing up in rural America during that time. Built around incidents, memories and attitudes of Meredith’s own life in that decade, along with that of many of his friends and classmates it examines national issues such as Civil Rights, nuclear concerns, McCarthyism, the Korean War and other issues. It compares rural life to urban living in terms of educational and recreational opportunities, exposure to the fine arts and other life experiences including jobs and careers. “Real, Rural” is currently available via Amazon.com.

The Sopris Sun is seeking a reliable individual to help with newspaper deliveries during the COVID crisis. The job pays $200 weekly for about eight hours of work spanning Wednesday evening through Thursday morning.

Teams of two that wish to split the work and compensation are also welcome to apply. For details, email raleighjburleigh@ gmail.com or call 456-6929.

Mask on Need a mask to respect Carbondale’s mask ordinance? Carbondale’s AgeFriendly Community Initiative (CAFCI) will be providing free masks from 10 to 11 a.m. July 14 at the front door of the John M. Fleet Pool; and from 6 to 7 p.m.

July 16 at the covered section outside the Carbondale Rec. Center. Please wear a face covering to pick up your mask. Email cafci@agefriendlycarbondale.org or call 366-6460 for more information.

And a movie The Crystal Theatre continues to offer online rentals to potentially pair with weekend concessions. From July 10 through 16, catch “The Booksellers” a documentary on these scholar/ detective/businessperson hybrids whose personalities and knowledge are as broad as the material they handle. You can also still stream “John Lewis: Good Trouble” and “Diana Kennedy: Nothing Fancy” – visit crystaltheatrecarbondale.com for info and tickets.

It’s alive!

While the outdoor Sopris Music Festival event was cancelled, Steve’s Guitars is continuing to stream live music each Friday. Catch The Brothers Band (featuring John Paul Riger) with Rodrigo Arreguin opening beginning at 7:30 p.m.

July 10 at grassrootstv.org.

I believe I can fly Rifle Garfield County Airport Director Brian Condie has been honored by the Colorado Department of Transportation’s Division of Aeronautics and the Colorado

Get real Larry K. Meredith, author of “This Cursed Valley” has recently published a new book: “Real, Rural: Growing Up

Aeronautical Board by being named the state’s “2020 Aviation Professional of the Year.” The award recognizes “an aviation professional who exhibits complete dedication to their community and airport, as well as for their outstanding contributions to the Colorado airport system.”

Make work work If you’re over 50 and felt that your voice isn’t heard by decision-makers and elected officials in Denver, here’s your chance. You can help influence Colorado’s policies on older workers in the pre-and post-COVID eras from the comfort of your home and in a few minutes: just visit bit.ly/ CTNWorkforceSurvey and answer a survey. It’s all part of an effort called Changing the Narrative, geared at informing and advising state officials, county decision-makers, nonprofit organizations, and employers who are beginning to rehire as the state opens up.

They say it’s your birthday Folks celebrating another trip around the sun this week include: Will Grandbois, Judith Ristchard and Kristin Garwood ( July 9); Peter Gilbert and Rita Marsh ( July 10); Bill Spence, Art Ackerman, Bob Young, Monica Munoz, Joanne Kaufman and Danny Muse ( July 11); Valerie Rose, Ian Bays and Rebecca Self ( July 13); Ben Isak Green and John Tolan ( July 14) and Meghan Gillespie ( July 15).

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A crew of local off-road enthusiasts recently took the initiative to remove a truck from the Crystal River after it slid off the road to the Crystal Mill.

Photos by Troy Gawart

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It’s all in the family — Novus style

By Roberta McGowan Sopris Sun Staff It’s a dream many business owners have — that their kids choose to follow in their footsteps and join the family’s company. That scenario doesn’t always happen, but in the case of Bonedale’s Novus Auto Glass owners, it sure did.

David and Diane Zamansky purchased their franchise in 1995 which was first located in Basalt and then moved to its present Carbondale location in 2008. That’s where the business, recently purchased by son Jake, still operates.

David opened the business with his solid mechanical inclinations but no auto glass repair experience. He noted Novus founders invented the resin used in windshield repair in 1972.

He and Diane jumped in with both feet and landed solidly as a Roaring Fork Valley fixture. There he added windshield replacement and mobile services to its menu. After being in business for 25 years, David and Diane decided to retire.

“It seemed natural for Jake to take over,” David recalled. “We’re both so proud of Jake,” Concerning the current pandemic crisis, Jake said, “This is a tough time for all of us as a community. Here at Novus we only have two concerns:

Keep employees and customers safe and lay no one off."

Jake, a Roaring Fork Valley native, is well known in the region. He started skiing at age 2 at Buttermilk Mountain and then joined the Aspen Valley Ski Club (AVSC) moving steadily up the ranks. He was inspired by his father, who once trained with Aspen’s Andy Mill, a former alpine ski racer on the U.S. Ski Team and a two-time Olympian.

Growing up near Aspen, Jake Zamansky learned to ski fast before he was a teenager. He's been a Ski Racing Junior of the Year and won Federation International de Ski (FIS) level races in Europe and North American titles.

A multi-event racer, he scored his first World Cup points during the 2009 season and earned a giant slalom start at the World Championships.

Jake persevered with ski racing, even after a few setbacks, and was able to rejoin the United States Ski Team.

He then qualified for the olympic team and competed as a giant slalom ski racer in the 2010 XXI Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver. He tired of all the travelling as an alpine ski racer and decided to stay in one place: Carbondale.

Now living in Missouri Heights, Jake, his wife Tara Davikas and their two children, Meadow, 7, and Bowie,

Jake Zamansky prepares to work on a vehicle's windshield, as parents David and Diane look on.

Photo by Roberta McGowan 5, are very wildlife friendly, having appeared in various video games. In fans of snow sports and motorcycle planted over 100 trees on their land.

2001, Dakides was on the cover of enthusiasts. This past Father’s Day, they Both children enjoy skiing and Sports Illustrated and was named "The rode from Carbondale to Lake City snowboarding, and Jake urged other Coolest Sports Woman in 2001.” A and back again, an experience Diane parents, “Start' em young.” long-awaited documentary on her life described as “400 miles of smiles and Dakides was a successful “Against the Grain” was released in 1200 plus turns.” snowboarding competitor, winning 2019, Jake also enjoys this motor sport. three X Games gold medals and Growing up Jake started helping He once remarked, “Why is it every a silver. At the 2001 Sims World out at Novus as a 15-year-old. time I come home it snows? I just want Championships Tara was first in “But now,” Jake said, “My five-year- to ride my motorcycle.” slopestyle and fifth in big air. She also old son Bowie announced he will only Always the adventurer, Diane likes received ESPN's Snowboarder of the wait til he’s 13,” adding that Meadow to repeat this quote by Charles Darwin, Year award. hasn’t decided on her own career path. “It’s not the strongest of the species that She has appeared as a cover model David and Diane are enjoying survives, nor the most intelligent, but for various sports magazines and has their retirement. They’re still both avid the one most receptive to change.”

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Follow the concrete road

By James Steindler Sopris Sun Correspondent We’ve been through a gloomy stint lately, but there’s some color coming in downtown. No, don’t worry, it’s not autumn yet — enough surprises, right? No, these bursts of color are the doing of local artists’ expression and a community that has got their backs.

But what could artists possibly be using as their backdrop at the 300 block on Main street, where free exterior wall space is surely dwindling..oh...oh wow…

The street itself has become the canvas for a new masterpiece in the works by local artists Chris Erickson and Stanely Bell.

Fortunately for these creatives, back in the late ‘70s Carbondale did what many artists are encouraged to do: it took a risk. Albeit a risk perhaps less advisable at the time.

On July 6, 1981 the mayor signed an emergency ordinance in conjunction with the Board of Trustees to use a recent sales tax increase to fund its issuance of $1,750,000 worth of revenue bonds to pay for the concrete paving of Main Street and other nearby side streets. At the time, the administration projected large growth rates and figured

the booming population coupled with the sales tax increase would cover the cost of the bonds and their high interest rates.

“The idea was the concrete streets would be semimaintenance free and in the long run they’d be an asset,” said John Foulkrod, former trustee, “but in the short run they were much more expensive.”

Folkrod served from 1982-92, coming on board just after the streets were concreted. It quickly became obvious to him and his fellow board members that the town was in fact, “Not generating the revenue we needed to cover the cost of the bonds and the town was financially in dire straits.”

In 1983 the board passed a consecutive ordinance to refinance the bonds and obtain more reasonable interest rates.

Furthermore, the construction of the Sopris Shopping Center and the opening of the current (soon to be old) City Market began to generate increased sales tax revenue. According to Folkrod, through both these efforts combined, “In the longer term we were able to survive it.”

“I think in the long run maybe it was a good thing but in the short run at the time it almost broke the town,” Folkrod

reflected. Indeed, today the street takes far less maintenance than the alternative.

Back then, “It was quite the controversy but not a lot of people know that now because most of that historical knowledge has gone,” Folkrod stated.

As of late we’ve seen controversies over the same million dollar street but compromise is beginning to peer through where there would be cracks had the street been paved in asphalt.

The original COVID-19 response plan was having one lane traffic through the 300 block daily but was not unanimously favored by business owners there. Consequently, on June 30 Carbondale Trustees called a special virtual meeting to order and passed a motion aimed at compromise.

The section will be completely closed off to traffic from 4-10 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

On Sundays, the roadway will remain open to traffic as most restaurants on the block are closed.

Artists still get to lay down their vibes with paints, motorists get to drive both directions for most of the day and local business owners on the block each got a The Main Street mural project continues to unfold — thanks in part to the quirk bit of what they wanted. of concrete. Photo by Mark Burrows

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6 • THE SOPRIS SUN • soprissun.com • July 9 - July 15, 2020

Carbondale is slowly (and sometimes suddenly) sinking

By Will Grandbois Sopris Sun Staff The sinkhole that recently disrupted traffic on Highway 133 is far from the first of its kind in the Carbondale area.

In fact, the geology of the area is unusually conducive to such collapses, according to Colorado Mountain College Professor Emeritus Garry Zabel.

“We have the largest concentration of sinkholes in the state of Colorado,” he noted.

That’s because of the layers of gypsum — officially the Eagle Valley Evaporite — that underlays much of the midvalley. The soft, salty rock was formed from what was left behind when an inland sea dried up, and it’s prone to dissolving again at the first opportunity.

In what’s known as the Carbondale Collapse Zone, enough rock has dissolved away that the whole valley floor is 4,000 feet lower than it would be otherwise. The impact is particularly obvious thanks to layers of volcanic rock in Missouri Heights, which were laid down flat but now tilt toward town.

“They’re tilted at a pretty high degree angle.

That’s what kinda keyed geologists to start thinking about the collapse issues we have around here.” Zabel noted. “The valley sunk down, the edge of the affected region tilted down. Mt. Sopris, being an igneous intrusion, wasn’t affected by this collapse. It’s kind of an anchor.”

But the process is far from complete.

“You look at the salt content of the springs, and you can determine that the volume of gypsum being dissolved is huge,” Zabel said. “And when that gypsum gets more close to the surface, then

Above: Red dots mark a plethora of sinkholes in and around Carbondale. Courtesy graphic Left: Water rushes out of the ground near El Jebel — carrying dissolved gypsum with it.

Photo by Will Grandbois you’re going to have more dissolution of the salt.”

And that’s where the sinkholes come in.

“They begin as cave-like features in the gypsum bedrocks under the glacial outwash sediment,” Zabel explained. “Typically, the larger the cavity, the more apt it is to move up toward the surface as the ceiling continually collapses.”

In areas where the gypsum is overlaid by clay-rich sandstone, the effect can be somewhat mitigated, with slow settling instead of sudden collapse — an ongoing challenge for home construction closer to Glenwood Springs. But in Carbondale, the gravelly sediment on top of the

gypsum is well suited to filling in any gaps it finds, leaving holes on the surface.

Sometimes, it’s easier to just let it be. A prime example is the large sinkhole at the base of White Hill, which is simply used as an overflow pond for the ditch system. That approach is less viable when one opens up in someone’s back yard — or under a roadway.

Ty Ortiz, Geohazards Program Manager for the Colorado Department of Transportation, sees a resulting road closure perhaps once every couple of years — putting it way down on his worry list.

“I don’t get a ton of sinkhole emergencies like

the one in Carbondale,” he said. “It’s still rockfalls and avalanches that are the big safety delays.”

His team has learned to tackle sinkholes on a case-by-case basis from filling them if they’re shallow enough to creating a “land bridge” in one place along Interstate 70.

“There’s a stretch along I-70 just outside of Gypsum where you’ll notice a lot of up and down in the road,” he noted.

Of course, mitigation efforts aren’t absolute, so as with rockfall, Ortiz has a simple solution: “The risks can be lowered just by being aware of your surroundings as you drive down the road.”

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Hunting, fishing licenses required in wildlife areas

By Jason Blevins The Colorado Sun

Fishers Peak, near Trinidad.

Carol Duecker lives in Grand Junction and likes to raft the Ruby-Horsethief section of the Colorado River, using the boat put-in in Loma and taking out in Utah. It’s one of the more popular stretches of the Colorado River, with remote sections of pristine canyon and easy paddling through about 25 miles of Bureau of Land Management land. And the put-in at Loma is a State Wildlife Area, which means every adult paddler using the boat ramp will need a fishing or hunting license.

The Colorado Wildlife Commission in late April approved new licensing rules for visitors to the 350-plus State Wildlife Areas and nearly 240 State Trust Lands.

“We are seeing a lot of unintended use of these properties and these lands were acquired for specific wildlife purposes using hunting and fishing dollars,” said Travis Duncan, a public information officer with Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

So anyone 18 or older visiting the roughly 600 properties across Colorado will need to have a hunting and fishing license, beginning July 1.

A fishing license costs $35 for residents and $97 for non-residents, and all licenses, except one-day fishing and hunting permits, require a $10 habitat stamp. The state parks pass is not valid for access to these properties.

“We want folks to hunt and fish on these properties,” Duncan said.

Information officers like Duncan have been answering a lot of calls from residents as officers on the ground begin warning visitors of the new licensing regulations. It’s been a “good educational opportunity,” Duncan said of his colleagues’ efforts to share the North American funding model for wildlife conservation that relies heavily on fees collected from selling

Beaver Lake is among the areas affected. Photo by Sue Rollyson hunting and fishing licenses.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife, which does not receive taxpayer dollars, collects 10 percent of the revenue generated by the Colorado Lottery — roughly $3.4 billion over the last 36 years — but that goes toward the state’s 41 parks. Wildlife areas and trust lands that are managed for protecting animals and their habitat are supported by angler and hunter license fees.

In recent years, wildlife officials have reported increases in people hiking,

biking, paddleboarding, camping and driving off-road vehicles in areas managed for wildlife. In some places, officials have found people setting up semi-permanent living situations.

Many visitors assume that recreation in those areas is free, Duncan said.

“But if you are out recreating, it has some kind of impact and it has some kind of cost,” he said.

Fines for violating the licensing rules start at $139.50.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife has spent the last three years studying

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its funding model and budgets as the agency projects shortfalls of $30 million a year for wildlife and $11 million a year for parks by 2025.

The 2018 Future Generations Act allowed CPW to raise the cost of park entrance and license fees to help grow the number of acres open for public access. In 2019, the parks and wildlife commission approved a multi-year plan to double the size of its Public Access Program, with a goal to reach nearly 1 million acres by 2021.

Earlier this year the state finalized its purchase of the state’s newest park,

“That seems like a large impact for an area that is used constantly by boaters,” she said. “Does flaring past a State Wildlife Area trigger the need for that fee? I think boaters like to stay legal of course and want to do whatever they need to do … but, what is it, $45, now?

That seems onerous, especially for someone heading out for a quick float or a weekend on BLM land.”

Duncan said the rule now is all access to all state wildlife and trust lands requires a license. But wildlife officials are looking at possible exceptions, even though none have been identified.

“Our message is pretty simple: We want people to be on these properties for their intended use,” he said.

This story first appeared in The Outsider, the premium outdoor newsletter by Jason Blevins. Visit coloradosun.com/join to learn more or become a member.

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BRANCHING OUT

By Geneviéve Joëlle Villamizar Stumbling through riverbed boulders and log jams, the beams of our headlamps were lightsabers, slicing erratically through black night.

Snowmelt sloshed in my 20-year old waders. My friend George shivered, soaked up to shrinkage. Neither state though, dampened our mirth. Out after dark, we felt like kids at play.

Crossing a marsh, odd pinpoints of light pulsed in and out amid the sedges and grass — mountain fireflies?! It was a kicker that sent us over the top. What a night.

In his push for a shift in humankind's role on the planet, scientist and thinker E.O. Wilson writes a reality where “the invisible appear, the small grow large, and the immense complexity and beauty of life are more clearly revealed.”

In my 20s, it took so much to make me feel alive — fear, triumph. Epics, fails. Climbing. Dirt bikes. (Still love

The complexity of aliveness

all that.) Remember when you were a kid and the days seemed so short?

So much to discover and know and learn? Ranger Rick and then National Geographic were portals to the planet “out there.” Indigenous tribes, fantastical beasts, vast cave networks, inconceivable river gorges, massive rock walls and mountain ranges — all stirred a hunger for the grandiose.

Somewhere along my way, the outdoors inverted and climbing turned to fishing. From sending up to diving down. From the 6” of fissure in front of me to the meeting point of fly and stream. An unknown universe unfolds beneath the “film,” that flashing, whispering, burbling, ever shifting mirror of the water’s surface. So much unseen is connected to that singular point of contact, above and below— and still, inside of me.

I don’t know what will happen when I approach a stretch of water, but I do know this: the most potent memories are those that E.O. Wilson wrote of. Why does the flash of a brookie make me gasp? Where else, kneeling in a creek, can I stare into the blinking eye of a cow moose, towering above me? How does rainfall dissolve the veil between river and sky, becoming one— and how is it that I “feel” it?

“Feeling” is the most significant draw to fishing.

I fished a creek recently, thinking the runoff had dropped. It had been a raging white water, flooding the banks

and side channels on an earlier hike, and I had been counting the days to get back. Oh, so beguiling, it fell through dense forest with a lush understory rich in diversity. Fallen behemoth trees and car-sized boulders created huge pourovers, long runs and alluring pocket water.

Upon return, I was 10 again, poking upstream, far from the trail. I giggled on my second cast when a rainbow tossed my hook mid-air and disappeared. But I saw her! A few more roll casts, and my rod tip bent and quivered, a small but strong life at the other end. The dank tang of river and fish filled my senses as I marvelled over his luminous dots and colors — Nature’s design of depthless patterns matched the splash of scattered sunlight, the flow of water, and shifting river bottom. Slipping the barbless hook from her lip, I held her under the water, making sure she was raring to go and released her. As my eyes returned to the larger world, I watched a 130-pound bear spring from the water and into the woods.

Torn between “oh my god!” and “holy shit!” there’s no way to describe the chemical flood or electrical storm my amygdala let loose. Shaking, I ducked into a hollow in the bank, behind a log jam.

Earlier, at the trailhead, I had lingered, sipping a beer, slowly arranging my pack; stroking my nerves through journaling, letting the reality of solitude sink in. Far from the lovely burble I had hoped for (music pouring

and spilling from every direction) it was a steady roar-meets-whoosh, obliterating sound. The creek was rather high, still — but fishable, I told myself. I didn’t want to just “quit” or hike.

Tying my river boots where I decided to first drop into the creek, I had noticed a dead fish at my feet. I picked it up and studied what turned out to be my first sculpin sighting, hoping awe would dispel my anxiety.

No, this isn’t a sign, Geneviève. (Being alone exponentiates fear and stress.

Talking to myself helps.)

So hiding there along the river bank, I was already at the threshold of fear, just being there. Seeing the bear, I half hoped to see it again, half wanted to high tail it home. With Fumbelina fingers, I pulled my iPhone from my fly bag hoping to capture a memory, and promptly dropped it in the river. Frantically retrieved it; shook it out; blew on the holes— phew it still worked. And dropped it again.

Seriously, Geneviève.

I did finally pull myself from the river.

Of all the “feelings” I need to learn to listen to, it’s this one, the adrenal dump. It warps my senses and makes me clumsy. I rush, making rash decisions: I’ve been rescued by climbing rangers. Gotten stitches longboarding. Been bucked and nearly trampled by a resentful horse. All trying to push through fear. While I did tell my housemate where I was

going, I was but a moving pinpoint on a topo map at 1:24,000. What if something happened to me?

Hiking back to my car and a cold beer was a mental wrestling match, my old me and present me duking it out.

Was I a coward? A fool? Was I still selfishly chasing fear and epics?

As I shed my gear and watched the dusk settle in, my 48-year old self pulled out the piece that brought peace. Unlike my 20s and 30s, when I had nothing to lose, this wasn’t a foolhardy “pushing through fear” to up my score.

It was an innocent desire to see and feel — be in the world more— just as when George and I lit up, like the fireflies all around us. Ventures of reasonable risk and containable fear are a part of feeling alive. In the moment I experienced that bear scramble, as George and I did, up the river bank, I felt alive. Like you do, perhaps, when you see wildlife or pets mating. And for me, equally so when I pick a stone from the river bottom — the variety and action of nymphs squirming on its underside also enliven me.

I think our capacity to feel is a measure of our connection to the “immense complexity and beauty of life.” When the invisible appears and the small grows large, and we can appreciate that? That is aliveness. That is why I fish.

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OPEN Mon - Fri 9:00-6 | Sat - Sun 10:00-5:00 THE SOPRIS SUN • Carbondale’s weekly community connector • July 9 - July 15, 2020 • 9

PAGES OF THE PAST

Ode to our mountain From the archives of the Valley Journal and Sopris Sun

July 10, 1980 Redstone residents took advantage of Independence Day to dedicate their new town park between the river and the boulevard. Pitkin County pitched in to purchase the lot across from the general store, and Ruth Chacto spearheaded the effort to develop it. MidContinent furnished heavy equipment for landscaping, Bleu Stroud and the Mountain View Inn provided local marble and Greg, Tim and Brian Tonozzi installed it.

In other news… Three young adults were injured when a Jeep careened off West Main Street and into an adjacent back yard.

July 12, 1990 Brother Raymond of St. Benedict’s Monastery penned a poem to Mt. Sopris: “You loft tons of Rock and Ice Breath down on me from endless height.

Your gleaming face etched so precise, Motionless in altering light Some days you hide, not to be found — For friends the clouds are gathered round To talk maybe, to gather storm To chat a while and then be gone.

And then your visage anew I see, Aged, worn, without a tree; Jagged, shadowed lines that flee with each new ray of sun to be.

Some days I think I’ll climb your face, To search your chasmed slopes snowface, King of all this mountain chain, unsurpassed in height or fame.

Your visitors are rare I hear, For who could drink your famished air Even eagles darn not fly or try To reach your summit sky.

Other mountains round just frown Dreaming of your white-capped crown.

Brooding with their heads below

Ne'er to know your cool-clean snow.

I’ve seen you on a cloudless day, With sun upon your face, each ray; I’ve seen you after storm and rain, Had lashed your face with hail and pain.

You make no noise, just whistle-wind.

And sit and gaze all day on end; To witness your thinly -air To that great plan that put you there!

In other news… John Hoffman and Bill Morrow debuted the “Bonedale Network Early Warning System (B-NEWS)” — a sculpture designed specifically to hang banners for major events.

July 6, 2000 A 74-acre open space was established adjacent to the historic Emma township, with help from numerous local organizations and grants from Great Outdoors Colorado and the Division of Wildlife. Among the elements preserved were wetlands, valley-floor agriculture, wildlife migration corridors and the potential for improved trail systems and recreational access.

In other news… Jeff Groom offered to sell the property at the intersection of highways 133 and 82 to the Town — but it didn’t look like the municipality had the money (at least until two decades later, when Aspen Valley Land Trust helped out).

July 8, 2010 Carbondale’s pending purchase of the Sopris RV Park had longtime residents scrambling to find a new place to live. Although the deal wasn’t set to close until October, the owners were expecting everyone out by the end of the month. The Town declined to intervene, noting that the 7.5 acre property was zoned as a recreational campground, and should never have had permanent residents in the first place.

In other news… Sparked by a bottle rocket, a brief blaze near Cattle Creek scorched three acres.

10 • THE SOPRIS SUN • soprissun.com • July 9 - July 15, 2020

LETTERS later, the gratitude of settlers to Indians changed when white men wanted their lands.

I felt betrayed by my elementary history books. When I learned that the Indigenous peoples of the Americas probably walked over the Bering Strait 20,000 years ago I realized we are all immigrants.

As we celebrate American independence, let’s rethink how we teach history. It is very possible that the racism in the US comes in part from all children not learning the full truth of the first peoples of the Americas and the horrible suffering enslaved Africans incurred, a repression that continues today through some white Americans actions towards African-Americans.

Ninety percent of the first peoples to live on this continent died from diseases brought by Europeans.

Sophisticated societies had developed agriculture, architecture and astronomy to rival any known in Europe but they did not have guns or steel. If they didn’t perish from disease, they died by the sword and firearms.

When gold and silver were discovered in the West, white men broke treaties with Indians and stole their lands to mine minerals wherever it suited their greed. The US government ordered the bison herds slaughtered to destroy the food source of Plains Indians and force them into starvation and subjugation.

Teaching the truth of our history could awaken Americans to understand the horrible loss of life that has led to comfort and wealth for some in this country and to poverty and oppression for others.

Americans must learn humility from an early age so that we develop empathy rather than the arrogance that undermines much of US politics. Our nation’s record on civil rights is abominable.

Remember: All men are created equal. And we still need to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment so that all women are equal and make sure all people have access to excellent education and social justice!

Illène Pevec Carbondale

Continued from page 2

An odd juxtaposition

Smithy thanks

Dear Editor: An article last week in a local paper described how the Colorado budget crisis will result in a cut of $12,000,000 meant to help 3,000 people with developmental disabilities. Below that article on the same page we learn that a house in North Star sold for $12,500,000.

Gerry Terwilliger Basalt

Dear Editor: As we all muddle through Covid-19 I’m eternally reminded to express gratitude. Publicly, I would like to express my gratitude and accolades to Jared and the family/ crew at the Smithy.

They are the foundation to the success of this community anchor.

The food, atmosphere, service and consistency at the Village Smithy are time tested and deserve bragging rights! Along with everyone else they’ve had to adapt to survive.

Cheerfully, they greet their neighbors and accommodate “to go orders.” Mindful of circumstances, they did a redesign within and installed a take out window! Now open, they have created a lovely outdoor dining experience in the yard! Within their walls, they display local art, refreshed monthly.

My aprons have successfully danced out of the Smithy for three years. I missed my month of May this year due to COVID-19. Jared kindly invited me to display an apron at the entrance along with masks!

After sewing and gifting 60+ masks, I accepted the task! Eventually, I asked a friend to share this endeavor.

On a side note, there was a batch with faulty elastic that I would like to offer repair to those recipients (please accept my apologies) who witnessed failure. This might also happen if a mask is too small. Leave me a note in the money vase at the Smithy with your phone number and I will call you! Thanks so much for your support.

Deborah Evans Carbondale

Do your part Dear Editor: Social intercourse in the time of Corona is like Russian roulette.

We know that some of us are infected but unaware that they are transmitting the virus. Could be me, or it could be you.

Epidemiologists tell us that wearing a mask dramatically restricts the spread of the disease. This gives us a better opportunity to reopen our schools and our economy, and reduces the likelihood that many of us, especially seniors and those with pre-existing health conditions, will wind up on a ventilator, or six feet under.

This might seem like a nobrainer, but a significant minority of our citizenry objects mightily to the requirement, or even the expectation, that they wear a mask.

Their belligerence threatens the life, liberty and pursuit of happiness of their fellow Americans. Why would anyone refuse to perform this simple act of goodwill?

Surely you’re not so self-centered as to think only of your own personal comfort. You might survive the Corona with few or no symptoms, but what about dad, or your dear sweet granny? Your insistence on exercising your “rights” could put someone you love in an early grave.

While we wait for an effective vaccine, please don’t stand in the way of re-opening our economy, our schools, our public institutions, by refusing to wear a mask. Show respect for the essential workers who put their lives on the line for us every day. We can live with this virus and still function as a society, but only if we all do our part.

Ed Colby New Castle

Double standard Dear Editor: Why do we see a conspiracy in being asked to wear a mask, but we don’t see one in people sickening and dying?

John Hoffmann Carbondale

All for naught Dear Editor: Dark as a dungeon Diogenes roams D.C. Shines a light in vain JM Jesse Glenwood Springs

PARTING SHOTS

It was a pretty quiet Independence Day weekend in Carbondale, but it seems like someone didn't get the memo that fireworks aren't allowed under Stage 1 Fire Restrictions. At least, that's the suspected cause of a flare-up behind the Days Inn on July 2 (photo by Paul Luttrell) that crews quickly quashed (photo by Frank Nadell).

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THE SOPRIS SUN • Carbondale’s weekly community connector • July 9 - July 15, 2020 • 11

We Need Your Help ...

Pay it forward!

Gift advertising spreads love ...

Helping hands The Sopris Sun is the only nonprofit newspaper in the Roaring Fork Valley. As a nonprofit, we have made it part of our mission to support other nonprofits and charity organizations in our community. During this difficult time, our team is even more committed to promoting worthy causes.

Exponential giving When individuals and companies underwrite adverting for nonprofits in The Sun, they help not just one charity, but also allow the newspaper to provide employment to the people who work to bring you quality reporting each week. These

generous underwriters are helping to ensure that the entire community continues to benefit from free, local, independent journalism.

Most importantly, these ads get the help to those who need it!

Paying it forward Since the beginning of the year, generous underwriters have sponsored over $18,000 in free advertising to critical nonprofits such as Lift-Up, National Alliance on Mental Illness, Carbondale Homeless Assistance and others. To them, we would like to express our gratitude. From our staff, freelancers, and all the folks who have been helped by these organizations, we wish

to extend a big THANK YOU! These gifts have truly made a difference in many lives.

Gift an ad today!

Please consider sponsoring ads for local nonprofits.

You can even underwrite a promotion for a struggling beloved local business.

Best of all, you can make a difference in our community without breaking your wallet, because we provide advertisements starting at as little as $25 a week.

Call Todd to chip in!

Todd Chamberlin 970-987-9866 adsales@soprissun.com

Because every town needs a park, a library and a newspaper.