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Standing tall Carbondale's Fourth of July kids' parade was as fun as ever with this stilt walker showing patriotic pride for a hopeful future.

Photo by Raleigh Burleigh

connections since 2009

Volume 14, Number 22 | July 7 - July 13, 2022

OPINION

Ps & Qs

By Jeannie Perry

I recently went down to the big city of Denver, and WOW! I felt like Country Mouse showing up at the door of an old family friend in my worn-out coat and hat, carrying an old square suitcase.

Such a busy, bustling place, yet everyone just goes about their own mouse business. Standing on the sidewalk near my old stomping grounds, I could still feel Denver in the summer some forty years ago…

In the summer between sixth and seventh grade, my best friend and I roamed the city on our bikes and the bus, from Cherry Creek to Cranmer Park to Elitch Gardens— when it was way out on 38th Street.

Now Elitch’s is located right downtown, and the light rail connects the city like never before.

Although, riding the train gave me an eerie, disconnected feeling as we sped along through the burgeoning metropolis with no human conductor on board.

Nowadays, my phone knows Denver better than I do.

Sometimes in the Roaring Fork Valley, we lose reception— not to mention just plain losing our phone somewhere on the trail… But, in Denver there was no lapse in connection for me

LETTERS

Arnie goes to the big city

or the sentient being that is my Samsung Galaxy A42 5G, or, as I like to call it, Arnie.

Arnie is a nice, nonthreatening, gender ambivalent name for the device that literally holds all the pertinent information of my life, don’t ya think?

As a GenXer, I realize how useful and important Arnie can be, but in times of crisis I would not hesitate to leave it behind because I know that I can survive in the natural world all by myself. I do wonder if the schedule for updating our phones aligns with the planet in any way. Like, are updates planned around the new moon or some other planetary pattern? Or are they completely random? Is there even such a thing as completely random when we’re talking about A.I.?

I’m ready for robots. As cold and impersonal as they are, they are reassuring in their reliability. And they are sure-as-shit preferable to some of the nutters we have in government these days. I think A.I. is the perfect candidate to introduce a refresher course on the constitution for these guys.

America is not a Christian country; it is a country where you are free to be a Christian— or any other religion you choose. And, that is the key to this country’s prosperity: free choice. We’re like a toddler, give us a choice or prepare for the meltdown.

I enjoyed my time spent in the shiny big city, and they sure do have some fun toys, but I’m always appreciative to get back to our dusty little mountain town. As fast as things are changing in Carbondale, it is still a friendly place to live and let live; and thank goddess for

Correction: Stacey Bernot was Carbondale’s youngest mayor, and the town’s first woman to hold that office, serving from 2010 to 2016, not 2014 as printed in last week’s article, “Thompson Divide protection reaches ‘high-water mark’ in Senate committee”.

Dangerous by design

the spotty cell service midvalley that religiously drops calls, allowing me and Arnie time to ignore all the stuff in our calendar that we haven’t done today and might just put off tomorrow…

The urgency we feel right now to protect our nation from a major backslide is real, but as long as we all respect each other’s choices, there is hope — despite the poetry of the Democrats.

Roses are red, Violets are blue, Do something — for the love of god, Democrats, We already voted for you.

- Samantha Bee

Well, except for the increasing number of us who felt it necessary to vote Republican for the first time in a long time, in an attempt to head off those in the grand ole party who seem hell-bent on leading us, like a pack of gun-toting lemmings, right off the cliff. We may never be able to get the bath water hot enough again, but at least we are exercising our right to choose.

We have not given up and we will not go back. We will stay calm and carry on as though it’s still illegal to hang the Vice President on the steps of the Capitol, as though women are an equal base in our society, as though the power of the people outweighs that of a few obsolete patriarchal zealots.

Roses are red, Violets are blue, Do something — for the love of god, Democrats, We already voted for you.

- Samantha Bee

Editor

Raleigh Burleigh 970-510-3003 • news@soprissun.com

Contributing Editor James Steindler

Editorial Graphic Designer Hattie Rensberry

Advertising Graphic Designer Alyssa Ohnmacht

Delivery

Frederic Kischbaum

Proofreader

Ruth Hollowell

Executive Director

Todd Chamberlin 970-510-0246 • adsales@soprissun.com

Current Board Members

board@soprissun.com Klaus Kocher • Kay Clarke Lee Beck • Megan Tackett Gayle Wells • Donna Dayton Terri Ritchie • Eric Smith • Roger Berliner The Sopris Sun Board meets at 6:30 p.m. on second Thursdays at the Third Street Center.

The Sopris Sun, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation with a mission to inform, inspire and build community by fostering diverse and independent journalism.

Donations are fully tax deductible.

Sincerest thanks to our Honorary Publishers

for their annual commitment of $1,000+

A honeybee loads up their saddlebags with pollen on their hind legs over the long 4th of July holiday weekend. Photo by Tommy Sands

equitable, accessible and enjoyable places to walk. They do this by giving people and communities the resources to effectively advocate for change. After talking with local residents, Sue and Niki decided that their sixmonth project would be to document dangers to pedestrians and cyclists along Highway 133. They would then provide the BPT with these documented incidents, some research on possible solutions and a request for action.

Documentation is the only way to demonstrate ongoing dangers to Carbondale’s residents. You can make 133 less dangerous by doing the following: 1. When you have a near-miss or someone doesn’t give you the right-of-way in a crosswalk along 133 between Cowen Drive and Hendrick Drive, call the Police Dispatch Center (970-625-8095) and tell them you want them to document the incident. You do not have to do this at the time of the incident. You can wait until you get home.

2. Share an anecdote by sending an email to dangerous133@agefriendlycarbondale.org Niki Delson, Co-Chair CAFCI

Highway 133 through Carbondale is dangerous by design and an aesthetic eyesore that slices our town in two. You can help!

Have you ever pushed a crosswalk light and experienced a near-miss when a driver didn’t give you the right-of-way?

If so, you are not alone. Within the past three months, there have been at least four documented incidents of near misses. Most of us do not think about making a police incident report. We just heave a sigh of relief that we are still alive.

Sue Zislis and Niki Delson, representing the Carbondale Age-Friendly Community Initiative (CAFCI) and the Bicycle Pedestrian and Trails Commission (BPT), have fellowships to America Walks, a leading national nonprofit that advances for safe, 2 • THE SOPRIS SUN • soprissun.com • July 7 - July 13, 2022

Roger and me I can’t ski like Roger Marolt or any member of his family, but I can share his frustration getting a couple of his columns summarily dumped by the powers that be at The Aspen Times. You see, I had the same thing happen to me at Carbondale’s Sopris Sun and for the same reason — because these protectors of the public sensibilities felt the columns might offend somebody they didn’t want to offend.

One of my columns was a stinging indictment of the hypocrisy of Christians, not Christianity, and the other was an assessment of the state of print journalism in the Roaring Fork Valley that was particularly critical of the Glenwood Springs Post Independent. I should point out my columns were spiked by two different editors of The Sopris Sun, while Marolt’s bit the dust at the hands of The Aspen Times publisher, Ogden Newspapers, who fired the editor-to-be for printing one of them.

A veteran ink-stained wretch once told me if a newspaperman isn’t pissing somebody off, they’re not doing their job. There was a saying in journalism school — the A students stay at the continued on page 22

Lee Beck & John Stickney Kay Brunnier Michelle & Ed Buchman Toni Cerise CoVenture Sue Edelstein & Bill Spence Deborah & Shane Evans Greg & Kathy Feinsinger Peter & Mike Gilbert Gary & Jill Knaus Carly & Frosty Merriott Mama Sandy & Lee Mulcahy James Noyes Ken & Donna Riley Patti & George Stranahan Anne Sullivan & John Colson Megan Tackett True Nature Healing Arts Elizabeth Wysong Alpine Bank

Legacy Givers

for including us in their final wishes.

Mary Lilly

Donate by mail or online: P.O. Box 399 Carbondale, CO 81623 520 S. Third Street #26-B 970-510-3003 soprissun.com/Donate The Sopris Sun, Inc. is a proud member of the Carbondale Creative District

Cranking up the volume on cancer awareness

By Kate Phillips Sopris Sun Correspondent

Mark your calendars and grab a friend because you won’t want to miss the second annual Anna Lynn Cunningham Foundation (ALCF) benefit concert at the River Valley Ranch (RVR) driving range on Friday, July 22.

The gates open at 5:30 p.m. and locals’ favorite Shady Lane will take the stage before the Coloradobased group, Big Head Todd and the Monsters (BHTM), jam the night away. “[BHTM has] a huge following locally, but their music is international,” Julie Warren, cofounder of ALCF said. “When we look at bands for this venue we look for a certain energy and excitement that people can dance and sing along to. It just matches what we’re trying to accomplish, which is just a lot of positive energy.”

Positivity is key to Warren and her husband, Red Cunningham, because it reminds them of their daughter, Anna Cunningham, who emanated a bright, positive demeanor despite her unimaginable reality.

At the age of 13, Anna was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma, a rare form of pediatric cancer.

She bravely fought the disease for 3 years before her passing in February 2019.

“The whole time she was sick she was always positive and grateful that it wasn’t another kid fighting,” Warren said.

In 2020, Warren and Cunningham co-founded ALCF to honor Anna’s spirit and raise awareness and funding for other children with cancer.

“We started the foundation as a way to give back to organizations that supported us during her fight and to help other families who are going through pediatric cancer battles,” Warren shared. “It’s a way for us to keep her legacy alive, but to also support other people.”

The couple — who also operate Golf at RVR and the Homestead Bar and Grill — began brainstorming charity events that would bring the community together.

“When we took over the golf course in 2019, we saw the driving range [and envisioned] ways that the community can be more a part of it,” Warren explained. “It came to me that a concert out there would be really awesome and would align with the meaningfulness of this whole cause to us. We needed to go big.”

And, indeed they did. In its first year, the event headlined Brett Dennen and raised over $50,000 for the Children’s Hospital Foundation, Camp Wapiyapi, and Brent’s Place — all organizations

that support families battling pediatric cancer.

According to Warren, Camp Wapiyapi is a summer camp for children with cancer and their siblings to enjoy free of charge. The camp is almost entirely operated by volunteers.

Brent’s Place, she continued, is a “housing facility in Denver near Children’s [Hospital Colorado] that allows families and their children who are ill…to stay for free in a clean and safe environment that is specially designed for kids with low immunity.”

Expressing gratitude for the organizations, Warren said, “This is what you discover when you enter this world that we don’t all know about, that there are these incredible heroes taking care of these families and kids.”

This year, Warren said, proceeds from the concert will go to a Roaring Fork Valley child who is currently battling Osteosarcoma and to the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, in honor of a young girl who recently lost her battle to cancer and was an acquaintance of Anna.

Concert-goers can further support the cause with direct donations, or by purchasing food and drink on-site at “Food Truck Alley,” with eats from Gaijin Ramen House, The Rolling Fork and Slow Groovin BBQ. Reflecting on the community’s

PLANNING & ZONING COMMISSION

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Open seats on the Town of Carbondale Planning & Zoning Commission and Board of Adjustment.

Contact John Leybourne 970.510.1212.

Applications may be found at www.carbondalegov.org or at Town Hall.

Applications are due by August 1, 2022 at 5 pm.

Honoring the legacy of Anna Cunningham (pictured above), the ALC Foundation benefit concert on July 22 will raise funds for families battling pediatric cancer. Photo courtesy of the Children's Hospital Foundation

enthusiastic feedback about last year’s inaugural event, Warren said, “It’s a lot of work, but we have a great production and a lot of supportive people who make it really professional. We’re really lucky to have so many talented people in this valley who help us put on the show.”

“It’s a good feeling to take something really painful, really sad, and turn it into something

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General admission and VIP ticket options for the ALCF benefit concert can be purchased at www.bit.ly/AnnaLynnConcert Warren added that kids 10 and under get in for free, but must be accompanied by an adult. Everyone is encouraged to ride their bicycles.

Visit www.alcfoundation.net to learn more about the foundation’s mission and Anna’s legacy.

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THE SOPRIS SUN • Your weekly community connector • July 7 - July 13, 2022 • 3

SCUTTLEBUTT

What's the word on the street? Let us know at news@soprissun.com

Bobolinks nesting

Carbondale closures

Bobolinks, a grassland-dependent bird species in severe decline (its worldwide population dropped by 59% from 1970 to 2014), have been spotted nesting at Glassier Open Space. Pitkin County Open Space and Trails contacted the property’s agricultural lessee to negotiate the postponement of hay cutting on about five acres with financial remuneration while the nestlings fledge.

Two projects may temporarily interrupt Carbondale commuters. Eighth Street is closed at the Rio Grande Trail for approximately three weeks while a raised crossing is constructed. Main Street, meanwhile, is closed between Second Street and Third Street while a waterline is tied in for the new building at 234 Main Street (allegedly a bakery is in the works).

Dorais gray

The workforce scoop

Pitkin County Commissioners and the Rock Creek Association announced on July 1 a pause in litigation regarding public use of Dorais Way to access Filoha Meadows.

According to a joint press release, “The pause will allow the parties to engage in good faith discussions that seek to permanently resolve the issues” with litigation having begun more than two years ago. Public use of Dorais Way through Sept. 30 is limited to pedestrians and cyclists; motorized vehicles and dogs are not allowed.

COVID testing Free, state-sponsored PCR testing is now only available in Carbondale, Tuesday through Friday from noon to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Valley COVID Lab offers testing with same-day results for $120, Monday through Friday from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m., and operates at the same location (the parking lot behind the Recreation Center). Free rapid antigen tests are available for pick-up at the Rifle Public Health office (195 West 14th Street) on weekdays during business hours.

COVENTURE’s summer podcast series kicked off with a four-part series highlighting economic resiliency in partnership with Roaring Fork Leadership.

The series continues with conversations hosted by Mike Mercatoris, an agent at Slifer, Smith, Frampton and Forbes Real Estate. Find this and other business resources at www.coventure.io

Human-Nature Garden The Carbondale Age-Friendly Community Initiative (CAFCI) has received a 2022 AARP Community Challenge grant. This will enable CAFCI to create the Human-Nature Garden on the Rio Grande Trail west of Eighth Street (with help from horticulturist and Sopris Sun columnist Geneviève Villamizar).

Zombie fish Colorado Parks and Wildlife is on the hunt for the long-lost Yellowfin cutthroat trout, a native species last spotted in Twin Lakes waters at the turn of the 20th Century.

It’s not unprecedented; both the Greenback cutthroat trout and San Juan River cutthroat

Rex and JoAnn Coffman celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary on June 29th with four generations of Coffmans present. Married in North Platte, Nebraska in 1952, they moved to Carbondale in 1958. Courtesy photo

trout were rediscovered after being deemed extinct. Aquatic biologists Alex Townsend and Greg Policky will spend the next few summers surveying hundreds of wetlands, streams and ponds in search of the Yellowfin.

Printer needed Colorado Wild Public Lands, a nonprofit dedicated to tracking land exchanges and advocating for the public’s interest, is on the hunt for a working printer. If you have one that you no longer need, email coloradowildpubliclands@ gmail.com to get in touch.

They say it’s your birthday!

Folks celebrating another trip around the sun this week include: Jeremy Bennett, Sheija Binshaban and Melanie Finàn ( July 8); Kristin Garwood, Will Grandbois, Barbara Jackson and Judith Ristchard ( July 9); Peter Gilbert and Rita Marsh ( July 10); Art Ackerman, Joanne Kaufman, Monica Munoz, Danny Muse, Mellie Rose, Bill Spence and Bob Young ( July 11); Ian Bays, Ariana Gradow, Rebecca Self and Summer Scott ( July 13).

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Heritage Park remains strong as ever

By James Steindler Contributing Editor

Aging is tough, so it’s a good thing there are local resources to assist folks getting up there in life. One such treasure helped give rise to it all: Heritage Park Care Center.

Once construction of the building was complete, Heritage Park opened its doors in 1987 and has served as a nursing home for the

community ever since.

Life Care Centers of America (LCCA) purchased the business 26 years ago, according to Alexis Marone, Heritage Park’s current executive director. LCCA operates more than 200 care centers in 28 states.

Over the duration of the pandemic, Heritage Park experienced two changes in leadership. Seth Anderson took over as the head administrator in August 2020 and stayed

Helen Faust (left) and Ruby Pearce share a laugh during the early days at Heritage Park.

Faust was quoted for saying, "Old age is not for sissies." So, it's a good thing Heritage Park is there to give such toughies a helping hand. Photo from Valley Journal Archives

on until February this year. Also in February, Marone came on as an administrator in training under the supervision of an interim administrator. Having passed her licensure exams at the end of May, Marone was officially declared the new executive director on June 10.

Heritage park provides skilled nursing care for short- and long-term patients and residents. Within the same building, but in a separate wing, they have a secure memory care unit for patients battling severe Alzheimer’s.

On the same campus, at 1200 Village Road, but in a different building altogether, residents enjoy the benefits and, yes, freedoms of assisted living.

The facility is licensed to house up to 118 residents at a time, including the 28 assisted living units. Its staff also provides outpatient services which range from speech therapy to physical and occupational therapies.

Marone touted the facility for being “unique in the fact that we have a 3,000-squarefoot therapy gym with state-of-the-art equipment, including our hydrotherapy pool and Alter-G treadmill, for both inpatient and outpatient therapy services.”

Sound enticing? Luckily for prospective residents, there is not currently a waitlist for any of Heritage Park’s services.

At the moment, residents range from 50 to over 100 years old. Marone explained, “Each referral we receive is evaluated on a case-bycase basis” to determine whether a prospective client would be a good match and what part of the facility would best meet their needs.

Assisted living residents, or their families, are expected to pay out-of-pocket for the extended stay. Marone is not one to exaggerate or oversell something and simply stated that “Heritage Park assisted living is [with]in a comparable price range to other

assisted living facilities in our area.”

The main unit services, such as longterm care, however, can be covered under Medicaid, Marone said.

Pandemic mode “The beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic was hard for all types of senior living services due to the stringent guidelines we have had to follow,” reads a statement prepared by the Heritage Park team. “In the beginning of the pandemic there was a complete restriction to visitation for the residents.”

Across the nation, and many parts of the world, such restrictions resulted in extended care residents being isolated from their communities and families.

Heritage Park continues to follow guidelines set forth by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. While the red carpet has been rolled out to welcome visitors once again, they are required to wear a mask while in the building. Employees are also required to wear a well-fitted mask. Residents can choose to go without, but extra masks are available should the need arise.

“While the COVID-19 pandemic is still ongoing, Heritage Park … is continuing to promote the well-being of our residents,” stated Marone. She added that their devoted staff has resumed organizing “activities and outings to promote a sense of normalcy” among residents.

“The Heritage Park Care Center has a great sense of community among the residents and staff members,” said Marone. “As the new executive director of the facility, I have enjoyed meeting and getting to know the residents, staff members and visitors. This facility has a great reputation with the community, even as the COVID-19 pandemic has continued.”

THE SOPRIS SUN • Your weekly community connector • July 7 - July 13, 2022 • 5

Carbondale joins Mountain Chamber Alliance

By Jeanne Souldern Sopris Sun Correspondent

The Carbondale Chamber of Commerce and four other Roaring Fork and Colorado River Valley chambers (Aspen, Basalt, Colorado River Valley and Glenwood Springs) have joined the Mountain Chamber Alliance (MCA) to strengthen partnerships across the central Rockies region.

Existing MCA member chambers include: Buena Vista, Crested Butte/Mt. Crested Butte, Grand Lake, Gunnison, Gypsum, Salida, Steamboat Springs, Summit and Vail Valley.

MCA was created to help advance public policy goals that enhance economic vitality and oppose those that could negatively impact communities and businesses across the mountain region.

Andrea Stewart, executive director of the Carbondale Chamber of Commerce, began working at the chamber in August 2008; she’s been the executive director for the past 10 years.

Stewart spoke to The Sopris Sun about the recent announcement.

The Carbondale Chamber is a non-partisan, not-for-profit 501(c)(6) business association. Its associated businesses pay dues for a three-year membership period.

The chamber works closely with the Town of Carbondale (TOC), the Third Street Center, Carbondale Arts and the Carbondale Creative District. The TOC does not have an economic development department. Still, alongside these and other community partners, Stewart said, “We do what we can to be the voice of businesses

in our community.”

In addition, Stewart explained, “We work very closely and have great relationships, in my humble opinion, with other chambers up and down the Valley.”

The Carbondale Chamber has over 440 members — the majority of which operate in Carbondale. However, Stewart elaborated, some members are based throughout the Roaring Fork and Colorado River Valleys — including in Grand Junction — and reach as far as Denver.

“We're seeing more and more members, especially within the past two years, ‘digital nomads’ [who conduct their business entirely over the internet], with businesses based outside of the Valley,” Stewart shared.

Part of MCA’s intent is to apply the collective impact of chambers across the central Rockies to ensure that the mountain communities have a voice in regional and state issues — including within the Colorado Assembly.

With the 2022 Colorado Legislative Session having wrapped up in May, Stewart anticipates MCA, with a larger alliance, gaining more momentum when the next session convenes in January 2023.

MCA has identified key priorities and common themes impacting mountain regions.

These include workforce housing, transportation, early childcare, tourism funding and destination management, short-term rentals, workforce development, broadband and healthcare. ”Carbondale isn’t the only community seeing these issues; these topics are impacting all of our mountain regions,” Stewart explained.

“I'm excited to be one of the partners on this,

working with our fellow alliance members to share resources and ideas and be that larger voice for business[es] because we depend on them,” she continued.

The pandemic proved, not only that we rely on businesses for goods and services, but many of them are social gathering places.

“What’s unique about our community — we’re talking about eclectic, fun hippies and this amazing heritage with our ranching culture — is that it’s so cool that all of this can blend into one unique community,” Stewart stated. “Carbondale is a great place to do that. It is the epitome of vitality, partnerships and working together.”

The chamber hopes to bolster “a small sliver of the success of our businesses by helping them get their names out there and [providing opportunities] to communicate and network to create those partnerships.”

The Tourism Council of Carbondale (along with First Friday) comes under the chamber umbrella. Stewart said they work closely with the Colorado Tourism Office, a division of Colorado’s Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT).

Stewart, who also serves as the board chair of the Association of Colorado Chambers of Commerce, said, “Whether it's something that our valley is being faced with or another chamber throughout the Alliance, it'd be great to be able to support one another in some capacity.” Courtesy photo

With Carbondale’s designation as a Certified Creative District under OEDIT’s Colorado Creative Industries, “We have amazing opportunities right here in Carbondale, which I think helps put us on the map. At the state level, we can say, ‘We're doing great things too! Come support us.’ I think that message is getting clearer.”

In part, MCA also hopes to level the playing field concerning the attention and resources afforded the Front Range. “This is an opportunity to be a stronger voice advocating for our businesses. As mountain, rural and resort regions, sometimes we get forgotten, but by becoming an MCA member, our local voices will be amplified,” Stewart concluded.

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135 Main Street 6 • THE SOPRIS SUN • soprissun.com • July 7 - July 13, 2022

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970.963.2529

Doing business at the crossroads of culture

By Stella Guy Warren Special to The Sopris Sun

In elementary school, my mom and I would take weekly trips to Garcia’s Market and La Fogata, on the hunt for platanos fritos con crema —a traditional Central American dish with fried plantains. Sweaty palmed, I would approach the counter and attempt to order my food in broken Spanish. The experience was almost always as uncomfortable as it was valuable to my communication and interpersonal skills.

Spanish classes in middle and high school grew my understanding of grammar, conjugations and pronunciation, but sometimes lacked an authentic and experience-based setting to practice. Capping off my senior year at Colorado Rocky Mountain School, I departed campus to pursue a threeweek project in any area of interest. As such, I channeled my inner, sweaty-palmed, fifth-grade self and returned to these restaurants to hear their stories, ask them questions and push my conversational Spanish-speaking skills. Working through language barriers can feel uncomfortable, but this is entirely outweighed by the connection these conversations allow.

When you turn off Highway 82 and onto 133 heading into Carbondale, you’re greeted by Garcia’s Market on the right.

Sitting at the crossroads of Latino and Anglo communities in Carbondale, the vibrant orange building has been a staple for as long as most locals can remember. Named after founding owners Leticia and Samuel Garcia, the business is known for its family recipes and authentically fresh food.

Most notable are the tacos, says Franciso Rivera, the current owner: “My business runs because, well, everybody likes tacos.” This sentiment is echoed throughout other Latino-owned businesses in Carbondale.

Tortilleria La Roca has acted similarly as a culinary cornerstone for the community. Opening in 1999, La Roca and their hand-made tortillas quickly became notorious throughout the Valley. Although they are most popular for their tortillas, selling between 6,000 and 7,000 on an average day, La Roca’s display counters are also chock-full of dried chilis, Mexican candies, chips, fresh salsas, cheeses, seasoned meats and more.

Manuel Ruiz, owner of La Roca, moved from Chihuahua, Mexico to Colorado with his family when he was five years old. Growing up in the Valley, Ruiz began to recognize a growing immigrant population from Chihuahua and other neighboring states in the Mexican Sierra. “I wanted to do something for the Latinos here,” he said. “I opened La Tortilleria — starting it out small — with the hope of providing them the jobs and products that the people in my community require.”

Manuel Ruiz at Tortilleria La Roca, photo by Stella Warren

Estela and Marta Serrano outside La Fogata, photo by Stella Warren

Although La Roca was originally founded to serve the Latino population, it has become well-loved by composite communities. “The majority of my customers are AngloAmerican,” Ruiz notes. But Carbondale’s multicultural and multilingual environment has not posed an obstacle to his business. Ruiz reassures, “There is no language barrier when we all do our best to understand each other. Everyone here is very kind and appreciative of our work, and that’s all that matters.”

This reflection was reiterated across town at La Fogata, a Salvadorian restaurant that opened its doors in 2016.

“Most people tell us that they can’t say much,” says co-owner Estela Serrano. “I think people might get embarrassed when they feel uncomfortable trying to speak a different language, but it’s a beautiful thing when we can practice together.”

Originally from Usulután, El Salvador, sisters Estela, and Marta Serrano moved to Carbondale in 2000. With the hope of bringing traditional family recipes to the Carbondale locale, the Serranos launched a booth at Mountain Fair,

serving hand-made pupusas and ceviche. Their pupusas (a corn tortilla stuffed thick with beans, meat or cheese) were widely loved by fairgoers.

Encouraged by the community's response, the Serranos blossomed their annual booth into a restaurant with help from family and friends.

“Our biggest challenge was creating a menu. We knew people loved our pupusas and ceviche, but we needed to expand beyond that,” says Estela. They began to incorporate an array of family recipes, ranging from seafood and enchiladas to fried plantains and yucca.

Aside from their esteemed pupusas, family is at the core of La Fogata's success. “Everything we make is unique to our home in El Salvador and to our family,” Estela noted.

Business rooted in family also rings true for other local proprietors. “Our goal has always been to bring a piece of our family to yours — from our hearts to yours,” says Desireé Curiel, co-owner of Axkawa, a family-owned Mexican restaurant in downtown Carbondale. Although they are a fairly new addition to Carbondale’s food scene, Axkawa began as Señor Taco Show, a longtime favorite for tacos and margaritas.

“Most people don’t know that Axkawa is the continuation of Señor Taco Show, not a separate enterprise. But mostly, people just don’t know how to pronounce our name,” says Desireé.

“Osh-Ka-Wa,” she enunciates, explaining how the word translates to “abundance” in Nahuatl, the indigenous language of the Aztec people. She explained that in Mexico, corn is the “food of abundance” — a cultural and culinary staple. Incorporating corn into their menu was easy, but the Curiels further embodied this notion of abundance in their interior design.

Beyond a typical dine-in experience, art of corn archetypes adds a special flavor to the restaurant’s atmosphere. “Each art piece in the restaurant is the visual representation of corn,” says Desireé — the prints and paintings are designed to exhibit the pattern, texture and shapes of sacred maize. In modern America, and now the entire globe, corn is the bedrock of our diet. Corn and corn derivatives can almost always be found in all processed foods.

Despite its omnipresence, we tend to forget the history of corn and its particular importance in South and Central American communities. Latino-owned businesses like Axkawa re-instill the cultural ethos of abundance into our lives and stomachs.

Whether it be through sharing food, language or culture, there are places in Carbondale that offer us all the privilege to be a part of something greater than ourselves and our respective bubbles.

“It’s a beautiful thing when we can practice together,” said Estela. “This is how it works in language exchange.” I am deeply grateful for the practice, the people and the places that allow me to overcome the discomforts my younger self felt while learning a second language.

The solution, Estela continued, is just to keep trying.

Everything about Axkawa, once Señor Taco Show, is the culmination of the Curiel family. Photo by Stella Warren

THE SOPRIS SUN • Your weekly community connector • July 7 - July 13, 2022 • 7

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

Visit soprissun.com to submit events

Pro-choice demonstrators joined the Fourth of July parade in Redstone to protest the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Photo by Elizabeth Key

THURSDAY, JULY 7 YOUTH ART PARK Carbondale Arts invites the community to celebrate the forthcoming Youth Art Park with a fundraising campaign kick-off at the Rio Grande Trail behind Carbondale Town Hall from 4 to 6 p.m.

STEM BBQ The Aspen Science Center hosts families for tasty food, fun activities and a presentation by a physicist at the Aspen Center for Physics in Aspen at 5 p.m.

Tickets are at www.bit.ly/ASCBBQ and also available for July 14 and July 21.

HAPPY HOUR DANCE Tatiana Desardouin, founder of Passion Fruit Dance Company, leads a drop-in dance class at The Launchpad at 6:15 p.m.

More info at www.danceinitiative.org FIRE OF LOVE 5Point initiates a summer film series with “Fire of Love”, the story of a French couple exploring volcanoes, at The Arts Campus at Willits at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are at www.tacaw.org

FRIDAY, JULY 8 SUPREME COURT The Aspen Institute hosts Professor Neal Katyal and author Ruth Marcus discussing the Supreme Court at the Greenwald Pavilion at 4 p.m. For tickets, visit www.aspeninstitute.org/community

AFTER-HOURS MEDICAL CARE ASPEN VALLEY HOSPITAL

ART OPENING Carbondale Arts presents a new solo exhibition by painter and sculptor Tania Dibbs in the R2 Gallery with an artist talk at 5:3 0 p.m. and reception from 6 to 8 p.m.

CRYSTAL THEATRE “Elvis” shows nightly at 7:30 p.m. except on Sunday (with a 5 p.m. showing instead) and MondayWednesday (with the theater closed).

After-Hours Medical Care

A convenient, cost effective way to receive the compassionate care you deserve without a visit to the ER. Scan the QR code for directions and more information.

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8 • THE SOPRIS SUN • soprissun.com • July 7 - July 13, 2022

NICK WATERHOUSE The Arts Campus at Willits presents Nick Waterhouse performing with an eight-piece band at 8 p.m. The concert is free with registration at www.tacaw.org

SATURDAY, JULY 9 STEWARDSHIP WEEKEND Backcountry Hunters and Anglers and Wilderness Workshop spend the weekend improving wildlife habitat on the Roan Plateau. Meals and beverages will be covered and camping gear can be arranged.

To RSVP, visit www.bit.ly/RoanStewards SO MANY POSSIBILITIES Thunder River Theatre Company presents a cabaret performance celebrating the music of Stephen Sondeim tonight at 7:30 p.m. and tomorrow at 6 p.m. Tickets at www.thunderrivertheatre.com

SUNDAY, JULY 10 REGENERATION TALK The Center for Human Flourishing and Gwen Garcelon present part two of “Regeneration: Grief and Restoring Wholeness for the Work Ahead” at 7th Elder on Canyon Creek from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets at www.bit.ly/Garcelon2

PUBLISHER 101 Learn to make business cards, newsletters and more using Microsoft Publisher at Basalt Library from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Registration and more info at www.basaltlibrary.org SUNDAY CONCERT The Cruz Contreras Band performs a free concert in Sopris Park from 3 to 7 p.m.

TRUE NATURE TOUR Ture Nature co-founder Eaden Shantay leads a tour at 3 p.m. To RSVP, see www.truenaturehealingarts.com RISE UP GALA Bridging Bionics Foundation hosts a fundraiser at the Hotel Jerome in Aspen at 6 p.m. with a performance by celebrity dancers Aron Anderson and Jasmine Takàcs. Tickets at www.bit.ly/BBriseup SOUND HEALING Dr. Zachary Cashin leads a sound healing journey at True Nature from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Tickets at www. truenaturehealingarts.com

MONDAY, JULY 11 DANCE CAMP Claudia Pawl and Katrina Toews lead kids ages 7-10 in a week-long bilingual dance camp, July 11-15, 9 a.m. to noon daily, at the Glenwood Springs Library. Registration and more info at www.gcpld.org

TUESDAY, JULY 12 MAKE BELIEVE BAND Will Parker and the Make Believe Band perform original songs at the Basalt Library at 10 a.m. More info is at www.basaltlibrary.org STEAMPUNKED! Garfield County Libraries teaches children about simple machines at the Glenwood Springs Library at 11 a.m. and the Carbondale Library at 2 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 13 WINDOWS BASICS Learn the ins and outs of your Windows computer program at 1:30 p.m. at the Basalt Library. Registration and more info is at www.basaltlibrary.org BEYOND THE USUAL A new mixed-media group show opens at the Aspen Chapel Gallery in partnership with Pathfinders and in memory of Alan Roberts with a reception from 4 to 7 p.m.

ALPINE RUNNING Annalise Grueter discusses her new guidebook “Colorado Alpine Trail Runs” at the Basalt Library starting at 5:30 p.m.

TIME TO TALK Aspen Strong offers “Time to Talk,” an online mental health support group on the second Wednesday of each month from 6 to 7 p.m. Register to join at www.tinyurl.com/myvkzhb3 PALLIATIVE CARE Senior Matters brings Dr. Brandy Drake, with Valley View Hospital’s palliative care unit, to discuss palliative care and hospice services at the Glenwood Springs Library starting at 6 p.m. Register at www.ValleySeniorMatters. org for in-person or online attendance.

LIVE MUSIC Valle Musico plays at Heather’s in Basalt at 6:30 p.m.

STEVE’S GUITARS Giulia Millanta performs at Steve’s Guitars at 8 p.m.

FURTHER OUT THURSDAY, JULY 14 OUTSIDE / IN Judy Bejarano of IMPACT Dance, in collaboration with Aspen Dance Connection, performs outside, then inside, at the New Castle Library at 10 a.m., Silt Library at 1 p.m. and Carbondale Library at 6 p.m.

LEGAL CLINIC Basalt Regional Library hosts a free legal clinic for parties without an attorney from 2 to 5 p.m. To sign up, call 970-927-4311.

HIROYA TSUKAMOTO Virtuoso guitarist Hiroya Tsukamoto returns to the Valley with a concert at the New Castle Library at 3 p.m.

EIA BENEFIT English In Action holds its summer benefit with guest speaker Roya Hakakian, author of “A Beginner’s Guide to America: For the Immigrant and the Curious”, at the Hotel Jerome starting at 5 p.m. Tickets and more at www.englishinaction.org/summer-benefit CARTOON TALK The Aspen Institute hosts Emma Aleen, The New Yorker’s cartoon editor, and art critic Ben Davis on the changing nature of cartoons in America at the Paepcke Auditorium at 5 p.m. For tickets, visit www.aspeninstitute.org/community FULL MOON DANCE Alya Howe guides ecstatic dance at 13 Moons, south of Carbondale along Highway 133, from 6 to 8 p.m. No registration is necessary, for details contact AlyaHowe@me.com HAPPY HOUR DANCE Alyson Boell-Marchand leads a drop-in dance class at The Launchpad at 6:15 p.m.

More info at www.danceinitiative.org LIVE MUSIC Rodrigo Arreguín performs at Heather’s in Basalt at 6:30 p.m.

FRIDAY, JULY 15 SWEET ROOT The Peace Garden Summer Concert Series continues with Sweet Root performing at True Nature Healing Arts starting at 5:30 p.m. Those who can’t make it inperson can listen live on KDNK radio.

CONSENSUAL IMPROV Thunder River Theatre Company presents Consensual Improv performing at 8 p.m.

SATURDAY, JULY 16 BASECAMP RESTORATION Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers leads an overnight restoration trip at Marble Basecamp. For details, visit rfov.org/calendar YARN TIME Roaring Fork Yarn Club invites all yarn crafters to Sopris Park for a morning of knitting and crocheting from 9 to 11 a.m.

Extra needles, hooks and yarn will be available, but people are encouraged to bring their own.

SOPRIS LODGE The new retirement community in Carbondale, Sopris Lodge, hosts its grand opening from 3:30 to 6 p.m. People can tour the completed facility, enjoy live entertainment

by The Sunday Morning All Stars and Sopris Lodge chefs will dish up a taste of what residents enjoy daily. Register for this event at www.soprislodge.com/grand-opening OUTSIDE / IN Judy Bejarano of IMPACT Dance, in collaboration with Aspen Dance Connection, performs outside, then inside, at The Arts Campus at Willits. The show starts at 7 p.m.

Tickets and info at www.TACAW.org JACK IS BACK Basalt Library shows “Pirates of the Caribbean” outside the library at 8:30 p.m.

More info is at www.basaltlibrary.org

SUNDAY, JULY 17

INDEPENDENCE BIRDING Roaring Fork Audubon leads a trip in pursuit of the White-tailed ptarmigan.

The three-to-four mile hike begins at the Independence Pass parking lot at 7 a.m. To RSVP, email chris.daniels@gmail.com SOUND BATH Danielle Klein leads a healing vibrations sound bath journey at Kula at 6 p.m.

Tickets at www.kulayogaonmain.com LIVE MUSIC Tim Veazy performs at Heather’s in Basalt at 6:30 p.m.

MONDAY, JULY 18 SCIENCE OF MUSIC The Aspen Science Center and Aspen Music Festival and School are teaming up to explore the science of music at Harris Concert Hall at 6 p.m. Tickets at www.aspenmusicfestival.com

TUESDAY, JULY 19 CIRCUS The Salida Circus presents an interactive performance of “The Turtle and the Fisherman” at the Basalt Library at 10 a.m.

ARCHIVES TOUR The Aspen Historical Society offers a “backstage” tour of their archives at 11 a.m. RSVP is required by emailing info@aspenhistory.org

WEDNESDAY, JULY 20 VACCINES AND BOOSTS The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment Mobile Vaccine Clinic administers vaccines and boosters at the Basalt Library from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

MATERIA MEDICA True Nature offers a three-part workshop on herbal medicine on July 20, Aug. 24 and Sept. 20 from 5 to 8 p.m. Tickets are available for a single session or the whole series for a discount at www.truenaturehealingarts.com

THURSDAY, JULY 21 STEVE’S GUITARS Megan Burtt performs at Steve’s Guitars at 8 p.m.

FRIDAY, JULY 22 CORINNE BAILEY RAE Grammy-award winner Corinne Bailey Rae performs at the Wheeler Opera House at 7:30 p.m. Tickets at aspenshowtix.com

SUNDAY, JUL 24 COAL BASIN WORK DAY Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers leads a family-friendly volunteer work day at Coal Basin Ranch from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The day will conclude with a celebratory meal after planting native grasses, willows and shrubs.RSVP at rfov.org/calendar THE DEER The Deer performs at Steve’s Guitars at 8 p.m.

ONGOING UNDER THE SUN Join Sopris Sun correspondents and guests for Everything Under The Sun, airing every Thursday on KDNK at 4 p.m.

WILD WEST RODEO Carbondale’s summer rodeo series continues at the Gus Darien Arena every Thursday through August 18.

Gates open at 5:30 p.m. with slack at 6 p.m. and grand entry at 7:30 p.m.

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FREE YOGA True Nature offers a free yoga class on Sundays through August in the Peace Garden at 10:30 a.m. Mats and props are not provided.

ART PARTY Aspen Art Museum’s Sunday Sunset Dance Party lasts through the summer at its Rooftop Cafe from 5 to 9 p.m.

THE SOPRIS SUN • Your weekly community connector • July 7 - July 13, 2022 • 9

Between the bull market and a bare paycheck

Pamala True with her Labrador, Choco. He is one year and three months old. He has probably moved seven times by now in his short life. Photo by Elizabeth Key

By Elizabeth Key Sopris Sun Contributor The current housing crisis in the Roaring Fork Valley is putting many working-class locals on the brink of homelessness. Wages are falling far short of the Valley’s cost of living; long-term locals are having their housing sold out from under them; and unique communities are being washed out as a result.

Lynn Kirchner has owned Amoré Realty in Carbondale since 1993. For the past nine years, she has run Carbondale Homeless Assistance, an organization that aids the Valley’s homeless with securing food and other necessities. Kirchner has noticed a growing category of the almost homeless over the past four years. She offers seminars and educational events to raise awareness about the crisis in the Roaring Fork Valley. She says homelessness in this valley is often caused by displacing “incidents,” as opposed to substance abuse or mental illness.

Kirchner gives the example of a recent incident involving longtime locals, “He was renting a three-bedroom, 2.5-bath house for about $1,500 a month, and it’s an incredible deal, but his landlord realized he could sell the house for close to a million dollars … so he just put two long-term tenants that have been with him 15 years out on the street in 30 days…” Kirchner explains that the market value of what those tenants had is now akin to $3,500 per month.

To be considered in a secure, self-sustaining financial position, a person must have enough savings to pay their bills for 18 months without income, says Kirchner. People who attend her seminars often find this statistic shocking when they realize the almost homeless category includes their demographic. An increasing percentage of the population lives paycheck to paycheck, or only has a few months of savings.

Kirchner says, “One missed day of work, one flat tire, one sick kid … puts you in that almost homeless category because you do not have the means to sustain yourself. That is the way the majority of the working class live in our valley … people are living on the edge.”

Landscape gardener Pamala True moved to Carbondale in 2004. She is a longtime local who has fallen into the recently but not chronically homeless category. Since June, she has lived in her tent with her dog, Choco. True has experienced several displacing “incidents” where her long-term rentals suddenly became unavailable.

True says, “The greed is through the roof. There is no compassion in raising someone’s rent $1,000 a month or doubling it … I feel

like we are losing a lot of our community spirit. Everything is about money.” Not only have the rents become unaffordable, but the practice of requiring first, last and security deposits has also become a standard. This approach puts renters in a position where they must come up with thousands of dollars upfront.

When asked if she intends to leave the valley, True says, “Carbondale is my community. I love Carbondale, Carbondale is my home. I don’t want to leave my home … It takes years, two decades, to develop being part of a community.” If True leaves the Valley, she not only loses her community but her source of income from her landscaping clientele.

The pandemic has inspired a mass migration of city dwellers to rural territories. Newcomers compete with locals for decreasing housing inventory, exacerbating the inflated rents. The extreme demand for housing has Carbondale constructing apartment blocks reminiscent of urban areas. Still, these new housing options do little to satiate housing demand.

True says, “Carbondale is soon going to be gone, and there will be all new people here. Unless you own a house that you bought a long time ago, then we are just not going to be able to afford to live here.” She asks, “Where is the compassion? It is very sad and tragic to me because Carbondale is so special, and we are losing it so fast.”

According to Kirchner, there is a general lack of services and solutions for this housing crisis. “It’s got to be a county-wide, areawide commitment,” she says. The I-70 commute adds expenses — especially with the increasing cost of gas — and extra time away from home. It also increases the likelihood of homelessnessinducing “incidents” for Valley workers.

Many long-term locals are defeated by this new housing dynamic. True has nowhere to go and no family safety net. She is camping out with a positive attitude, hoping for a helping hand from her community. “It’s just really grim,” she says, “and a lot of locals are dealing with this.”

Pamala True invites the community to contact her with any housing options, including pet/horse and house sitting, by calling 970-309-7113.

Garfield, neighboring counties prepare for solar surge

By Dave Reed CLEER communications director Representatives of five counties gathered June 24 for an all-day conference in Rifle to compare notes and discuss strategies for preparing for an expected surge in utility-scale solar development.

The roster of other participants at “Harnessing Solar Benefits for Western Colorado” — including staffers from nearly a dozen solar developers, several nonprofits, the Bureau of Land Management, Club 20 and Sen. John Hickenlooper’s office — demonstrated that the topic has become one of mainstream interest.

The regional conference was the second of three being conducted around the state by the Colorado Solar and Storage Association (COSSA). Garfield Clean Energy, a collaboration of local governments and other major employers that works to accelerate progress toward clean energy goals, co-hosted.

“Two years ago, this conversation probably would have been premature,” COSSA executive director Mike Kruger told attendees. “Two years from now, it will probably be too late. That’s why we’re having this conversation right now.”

While participants came from different political and ideological perspectives, they seemed to be in broad agreement that an increase in large solar and storage projects was inevitable, and that it represented an economic development opportunity for Western Slope communities if properly planned for.

In opening remarks, Garfield County Commissioner Tom Jankovsky noted that “this

is an ideal county for solar” and said he expects solar to be part of an “all-of-the-above approach” to achieving energy independence. He added that a 10-megawatt project currently in development near Parachute — the county’s largest to date — is expected to generate $1 million in property taxes annually.

Kruger noted that a number of factors are driving the solar land rush. The state of Colorado has adopted a greenhouse-gas reduction roadmap that anticipates the construction of 9 gigawatts of renewable energy by 2030, and utilities are planning massive requests for proposals to help meet that goal and their own commitments.

Utilities are also motivated by the long-term price stability of renewables, he said, and all the more so with the current spike in energy prices.

While most of the investment is going into wind farms on the Eastern Plains, Kruger said the utilities want to diversify their portfolios with some solar projects in Western Colorado.

“Putting them all in the same geographic place, with the same weather, is putting all your eggs in the same basket,” and that isn’t good for grid reliability, he said.

The potential opportunity for counties is significant, said Katharine Rushton, a renewable energy consultant for Clean Energy Economy for the Region (CLEER), the Carbondale-based nonprofit that runs the programs of Garfield Clean Energy.

Rushton reported on a 2021 study of the solar and storage potential in Garfield, Eagle and Pitkin counties, which estimated the market potential of community-scale solar on private

10 • THE SOPRIS SUN • soprissun.com • July 7 - July 13, 2022

COSSA conference, photo by Anna Dunn

land in the three counties to be more than 230 megawatts — enough to supply nearly a quarter of current electricity consumption.

Full development of that potential would yield $26 million in additional property tax revenue, $31 million to landowners in the form of lease payments and $110 million added to the local economy over 30 years, according to the report.

Garfield Clean Energy was a major funder of the study, and it has played a key role in promoting solar development in the county. In recent years, it has organized the successful Solarize rooftopsolar program, helped local governments make their building codes “solar-ready” and provided technical assistance on projects such as the recent installation at Colorado Mountain College’s Spring Valley campus.

Solar developments can add to a county’s net bottom line, noted Page Bolin of AES Clean Energy, because they generate property tax revenue without incurring extra costs such as road maintenance. “The solar project just kind of lays there. … You get the revenue without the impact.”

Matt Mooney, vice president of development

of Balanced Rock Power, reassured attendees that there’s little risk of rural countryside being blanketed by solar panels. By his calculations, even the massive 4-gigawatt request for proposals that Xcel Energy is expected to release this fall will result in only about 12,000 acres of solar — a “postage stamp” in comparison to the 31 million acres of agricultural land in Colorado.

To the concern that solar could take valuable agricultural land out of production, Bolin responded that the lease income from such projects can actually help farming families hold onto land that they might otherwise have to sell for permanent development. Michael Baute, an expert in regenerative energy and carbon removal with Silicon Ranch Corp., described how animal grazing operations can coexist with solar installations.

Other speakers allayed fears about chemical leakage from broken solar panels (the panels actually contain only inert materials), the fire risk of onsite battery storage systems (they have sophisticated fire-suppression systems and are subject to strict fire codes), terrorism (solar and continued on page 17

Sol del el

Conectando comunidades desde 2021

Valle

Volumen 2, Número 19 | 7 de julio - 13 de julio, de 2022

Agentes federales exigen recortes sin precedentes en el uso del agua del río Colorado Por Olivia Emmer Traducción por Dolores Duarte La corresponsal de Sopris Sun, Olivia Emmer, entrevistó al reportero de agua y medio ambiente de KUNC que cubre la cuenca del río Colorado, Alex Hager, sobre la reciente demanda de la Oficina de Reclamación a los usuarios del agua del río Colorado. La entrevista ha sido editada por motivos de espacio y claridad. ¿Podría resumir brevemente el reciente edicto del gobierno federal a los usuarios del río Colorado?

El gobierno federal dice que debemos conservar de 2 a 4 millones de acres-pies (maf ), la cual es una tonelada de agua. Para contextualizar, el estado de Colorado utiliza un poco más de 2 maf cada año. Los siete estados que componen la cuenca del río Colorado -Arizona, California, Colorado, Nuevo México, Nevada, Utah y Wyoming- tienen un plazo de 60 días para elaborar un plan de conservación de esa cantidad de agua. ¿Existen precedentes de este tipo de demanda?

Ciertamente hay precedentes para este tipo de demanda, pero es una cantidad sin precedentes. ¿Tiene la Oficina de Reclamación autoridad para decidir cómo se conserva el agua si los estados no pueden elaborar un plan para el final del verano?

Hay quien lo discute. Algunos de los estados creen que sus derechos de agua están protegidos legalmente y que el gobierno federal no podrá cumplir esa amenaza. Hay otros que piensan que es viable y probable que el gobierno federal pueda intervenir y hacerlo.

Esta demanda pondrá a prueba tanto la capacidad de colaboración de los estados como la autoridad del gobierno federal. ¿Por qué son tan importantes los lagos Powell y Mead?

Cualquier embalse, desde Ruedi hasta el lago Powell, es una forma de tener en cuenta el hecho de que el agua no llega en lotes constantes cuando es suministrada por la madre naturaleza.

Algunos años son muy húmedos y otros muy secos. En la cuenca del río Colorado existe una extensa red de infraestructuras creadas por el hombre que permite espaciar la obtención de agua y llevarla a los lugares donde se necesita, independientemente del clima.

El lago Powell y el lago Mead son los dos mayores embalses del país. Son los mayores y más importantes piezas de aseguranza contra los años de sequía. Después de más de dos décadas de sequía, están realmente agotados y se acercan al punto en que podrían caer por debajo de su capacidad de generar energía hidroeléctrica.

Lo que vemos aquí es una gran demanda de agua frente a un suministro cada vez menor. Cada año hay menos agua en el sistema porque el cambio climático provocado por el hombre hace que sea más caliente y más seco. ¿Quién representa a Colorado en este tipo de negociaciones?

Colorado está representado por la Junta de Conservación del Agua de Colorado, un organismo gestionado y financiado por el Estado.

El Pacto del Río Colorado dividió el agua del río Colorado a partes iguales entre los estados de la cuenca alta de Colorado, Nuevo México, Utah y Wyoming (7.5 maf/año) y los estados de la cuenca baja de Arizona, California y Nevada (7.5 maf/año). ¿Qué más podría decirnos?

Cuando tomamos decisiones sobre quién puede utilizar el agua del río Colorado y dónde, las reglas básicas se definen en el Pacto del Río Colorado. Sin embargo, como se redactó hace 100 años, y tanto la cantidad de agua como el número de habitantes de esta región han cambiado drásticamente, resulta muy difícil operar y compartir el agua tal y como se necesita hoy en día. El Pacto del Río Colorado creó un sistema llamado "apropiación previa". Esencialmente, si tienes los derechos de agua primero, eres el que tiene la prioridad

A medida que la sequía y la demanda reducen el agua en el lago Powell, su nivel corre el riesgo de llegar por debajo de las compuertas de la presa de Glen Canyon que envían el agua a la central eléctrica. La Oficina de Reclamación, que gestiona la presa, teme no sólo la pérdida de energía hidroeléctrica, sino también daños en las turbinas y otras infraestructuras. Foto del 14 de abril de 2022 por cortesía de Ecoflight, una organización sin fines de lucro con sede en Colorado que promueve la educación para una administración más atenta de los recursos mediante

para usarlos. No se basa en si tu uso es más importante, sino en si tu uso fue el primero.

Dado que la agricultura es el principal usuario de agua en la cuenca, ¿los expertos dicen cuál creen que será el papel de los derechos de agua agrícolas en este plan de conservación?

Es muy probable que gran parte del agua que compone esos 2 ó 4 maf de agua conservada proceda de la agricultura. Entre el 70% y el 80% del agua de la cuenca del río Colorado se destina a la agricultura. Mucha gente dice que, simplemente porque constituye un volumen de agua tan grande y porque no queda mucha agua para conservar de las ciudades, podría ser lo primero en desaparecer. A las ciudades les gusta jactarse de que utilizan el mismo volumen total de agua que en los años 70, a pesar de haber crecido en cientos de miles de personas.

Así que si se reduce el uso del agua en la agricultura, ¿tienen los expertos alguna idea de lo que ocurrirá con el costo y la disponibilidad de los alimentos?

Este es uno de los grandes interrogantes. Muchas decisiones sobre la gestión del agua en occidente se han tomado para que no se produzcan estos efectos desbordantes en la economía, en los bienes de consumo y en la forma en que la gente espera llevar su vida.

Ahora la actitud está cambiando, y la gente está empezando a ver posibilidades muy reales de que el precio de los bienes de consumo y que ciertos aspectos del estilo de vida van a tener que cambiar porque la situación del agua se ha vuelto muy drástica.

Cuando dice "aspectos del estilo de vida", ¿se refiere, por ejemplo, a comer lechuga fresca en enero?

Creo que eso está sobre la mesa, pero quizás un poco más lejos. Creo que de forma mucho más inmediata, los lugares que todavía tienen exuberantes céspedes verdes probablemente van a desaparecer. No es difícil imaginar que, en el futuro, habrá que hacer cambios sustanciales en la disponibilidad de productos frescos y en nuestra dieta si la situación del agua sigue avanzando en la dirección en que lo está haciendo, como indica la ciencia.

La Oficina está tratando de proteger el lago Powell y el

lago Mead, pero a largo plazo, ¿existe un escenario en el que se renuncie a uno de ellos?

Sí. Todavía es una teoría un poco extraña, pero hay algunas personas razonables que dicen que deberíamos empezar a imaginar un futuro sin el lago Powell. Una de las razones por las que el lago Powell existe es porque el Colorado Compact dice que la cuenca alta tiene obligaciones de entrega a la cuenca baja. Así que, cada año, la cuenca alta tiene que asegurarse de que una determinada cantidad de agua fluya desde el lago Powell hasta el lago Mead. El lago Powell es la forma en que la cuenca alta se asegura de tener suficiente agua para enviar.

Un argumento habitual es que la cuenca alta utiliza menos agua de la que le permite el pacto, pero la cuenca baja utiliza más y, por tanto, la carga de la conservación del agua recae en los estados de la cuenca baja. ¿Puede comentar sobre esto?

En lo que respecta al uso del agua, hay un mundo de acusaciones.

A la cuenca alta le gusta recordar a la gente que tiene que hacer reducciones cada año para asegurarse de que envía toda el agua que necesita. Argumentan que están usando menos y esa es una mentalidad que ha sido fundamental en su mensaje hasta ahora.

Será interesante ver si pueden seguir diciendo cosas así, ya que la situación del agua obliga a plantearse cuestiones realmente difíciles sobre quién puede usar qué y dónde.

En el contexto de esta decisión en particular, es posible que Colorado y toda la cuenca alta intenten llamar la atención de los agentes federales y digan que no tienen autoridad para obligarnos a conservar y que toda la conservación debe proceder de la cuenca baja, pero, de nuevo, ya veremos cuando tengamos más detalles sobre este plan si deciden jugar. ¿Algo más que desees añadir?

Este problema no va a desaparecer. Durante mucho tiempo la gente ha dicho: "Haremos estos planes si la hidrología no cambia, si el agua no vuelve". He hablado con muchos climatólogos y no hay ninguna buena razón para creer que el agua va a volver. Esto está mal y va empeorando. Estas conversaciones sobre quién va a utilizar el agua van a tener que continuar porque el agua no va a regresar.

Otra masacre en las noticias

Por Crystal Mariscal Editora Contribuyente

Seis personas sin vida y al menos dos docenas de heridos es el saldo reportado hasta el 5 de julio, por el tiroteo que sucediera en Chicago, durante el desfile de la celebración de la Independencia de Estados Unidos que se conmemora el 4 de julio.

El presunto atacante de 21 años de edad, abrió fuego contra la multitud, dándose a la fuga y ocho horas después fue aprehendido por las autoridades. Todos los medios nacionales e incluso los ojos del mundo por medio de los medios de comunicación internacionales volvieron a poner los ojos en nuestro país. A menos de dos meses de la masacre en Uvalde, Texas en una escuela elementaria, donde dos maestros (personal de la escuela) y 19 estudiantes fueron asesinados por un joven de solo 18 años de edad. Otro joven de 19 años de edad apareció en las noticias del New York Post. Fue arrestado el martes, 5 de julio, por presuntamente amenazar con llevar a cabo un tiroteo masivo en su lugar de trabajo.

En junio del 2022, 65 votos a favor y 33 en contra fue el resultado en el Senado estadounidense al pasar un proyecto de ley para controlar el porte de armas en la nación. Lo que presume ser una ley bipartidista con nuevas restricciones de armas de fuego así como una gran alocación de miles de millones de dólares en fondos para la salud mental y la seguridad escolar.

Verificaciones de antecedentes mejoradas para compradores de armas de fuego menores de 21 años es algo de lo que incluye esta ley. Todo esto aprobado antes de esta última balacera. A lo que claro, toda ley toma tiempo para entrar en vigor.

Mientras los partidos políticos presionan para ver sus agendas escalar.

Todos tendremos un punto de vista sobre el control de armas, algunos con datos y ejemplos, otros basados en sentimientos, pero mientras el diálogo parece convertirse en un debate más y más complicado, nuestros jóvenes están pidiendo a gritos por ayuda. Los padres de familia quizás ya no saben qué más hacer con sus hijos, y necesitan ayuda. La pregunta que nos queda es ¿qué hacemos como comunidad y como padres para prevenir algo así?

Vivimos en un valle donde hay recursos, tenemos que aprender a pedir ayuda, y para eso es reconocer que hay un problema. Para los padres que

sus hijos son pequeños, no tomen esto a la ligera, ellos escuchan lo que está sucediendo, tomen tiempo para ellos, no solo para hablar sino para escuchar, qué significa “prestar atención a lo que uno oye”.

No olvide tomar tiempo para escuchar a su propio cuerpo y mente, estas noticias pueden causar estrés y/o ansiedad. Al igual que la comida que consumimos y sabemos que no nos va a caer bien, también hagamos lo mismo con nuestras mentes, y la mente de nuestros hijos.

A continuación les dejo una lista de recursos comunitarios donde puede pedir ayuda: Ayuda con salud mental - Línea de Crisis de Colorado 1-844-493-8255 o envíe un mensaje de texto con la palabra TALK al 38255 YouthZone 970-945-9300 Buddy Program 970-920 -2130 Comunidad de fe, diferentes y distintas iglesias tienen programas o ministerios para niños, adolescentes y jóvenes adultos, animese a contemplar esa opción.

12 • EL SOL DEL VALLE • soprissun.com/espanol/ • 7 de julio - 13 de julio de 2022

Donaciones por correo o en línea P.O. Box 399 Carbondale, CO 81623 970-510-3003 www.soprissun.com Editor Raleigh Burleigh • 970-510-3003 news@soprissun.com Editora Contribuyente Crystal Mariscal Directore Artístico Hattie Rensberry Diseñadora de anuncios Alyssa Ohnmacht Traductoras Jacquelinne Castro y Dolores Duarte Distribucion Frederic Kischbaum Executive Director Todd Chamberlin • 970-510-0246 adsales@soprissun.com Miembros de la Mesa Directiva Klaus Kocher • Kay Clarke Lee Beck • Megan Tackett Gayle Wells • Donna Dayton Terri Ritchie • Eric Smith • Roger Berliner el Sol del Valle agradece por su apoyo a: MANUAS, FirstBank y Alpine Bank The Sopris Sun, Inc. es una 501(c)(3) organización benéfica sin fines de lucro.

Contribuciones financieras son deducibles de impuestos. ¡ESCRÍBENOS! Para contribuir ideas y contenido al Sol del Valle, escribiéndonos a: sol@soprissun.com Para comprar espacio publicitario en español, inglés, o ambos, mándanos un correo electrónico a:

adsales@soprissun.com

También se puede contactarnos llamando a 970-510-3003.

OPINIÓN

Otra Perspectiva Por Crystal Mariscal

Mientras que la menor de mis hijas y yo disfrutamos una deliciosa comida en un restaurante de Glenwood, tomábamos el tiempo de conversar sobre su próxima nueva vida como universitaria, entre emociones encontradas me di cuenta que es un tema que poco a poco es más frecuente entre familias latinas.

Mis amistades más cercanas fueron a la universidad, estudian o tienen hijos que están en ese mismo proceso que mi hija, lo cual sirve como apoyo a la hora de hacer preguntas para tener una mejor idea, ya que siempre hay algo nuevo que aprender.

En el 2022, los números de la población fueron revelados por la oficina del censo del país, pero no necesitamos estadísticas para ver cuantos negocios latinos hay en cada municipio o ciudad

El futuro es latino a lo largo del Roaring Fork, incluso en Aspen. No hablo solo de limpieza y construcción, sino desde restaurantes hasta oficinas de impuestos, agentes de bienes raíces, etcétera. Pensar que la migración va a parar es un sueño guajiro, ya que cada día hay nuevos puestos de trabajo que necesitan ser llenados y no hay trabajadores. Claro, no una migración donde ponga la vida de las personas en peligro o donde cobra vidas, como lo que acaba de pasar con el trailer en Texas, una noticia que todavía no logro digerir.

Así que ¡Estados Unidos tiene un futuro latino! Somos los latinos los que seguimos reproduciéndose en familias de un promedio de cuatro, mientras que otras culturas solo llegan a tener un hijo o máximo dos.

Un buen tiempo para hacer una desintoxicación de lo que queremos perseverar y de lo que no. Replantearnos los valores morales que estamos inculcando y formar nuevas generaciones más resilientes.

Nuevos líderes surgen cada vez, con sueños, planes y deseos de hacer impacto en la comunidad. Más y más graduados, personas valientes se arriesgan a iniciar su negocio y algunos otros aspiran a puestos de gobierno. Vida, libertad

y la búsqueda de la felicidad es una frase muy conocida escrita en la Declaración de Independencia de Estados Unidos. Y como residentes de este país es justamente lo que día a día intentamos hacer.

“Aquí estamos y no nos vamos”, es otra frase de activismo muy usada entre latinos, y como irnos si aquí es casa.

“Nuestro país no es aquel que nos vio nacer sino el que nos dio para comer”, dijo Emma Saucedo, dueña del restaurante Frida en Glenwood Springs. “Extrañamos incluso a nuestro cielo, aunque sea el mismo, en nuestro lugar de origen se ve diferente, pero aquí estamos”, agregó Saucedo quien tomará tiempo para charlar con mi hija y conmigo.

Llega una etapa donde todo lo aprendido quiere corregir a los que van aprendiendo para que no comentan los mismos errores, en mi caso me tomo un par de lecciones aprender que si cambiaba la estrategia de corregir a asesorar y guiar a nuevos líderes me daría mejor resultado.

Comencé por poner un taller completo, donde lleva diferentes fases, pero la primera es enfocarnos en el yo. Una de las cosas clave es hacer las cosas

"Cuando digo que el futuro es latino, no lo digo para intimidar otras culturas, lo digo para aplaudir a la nuestra." “intencionalmente”, ser intencional con todo, incluso si me voy a tomar un descanso mental, eso significa no saturar mi mente con contenido de redes sociales. Pero, si voy a tomar un descanso para divertirme o solo para ver qué está pasando en las aplicaciones de mi teléfono, entonces soy intencional con mi tiempo.

Ser intencional hasta para comer. Antes mientras conducía de una reunión a otra tomaba tiempo para comer, ahora busco el balance intencional. Claro que no siempre lo logro, pero es algo en lo que estoy trabajando intensamente.

8 DE JUNIO-28 DE SEPTIEMBRE

Aprender a decir “no puedo”, después de haber hecho mi propia búsqueda, de haber sido intencional al dedicar tiempo para completar esa tarea y seguir sin poder lograrlo, entonces aprendo a decir “no puedo, ¿me puedes ayudar?”. Mi deseo es no solo crecer en números, sino crecer en conocimiento, y claro económicamente.

Cuando digo que el futuro es latino, no lo digo para intimidar otras culturas, lo digo para aplaudir a la nuestra. Así como pensamos que mundo les vamos a dejar a nuestras generaciones, pensemos en qué país les dejaremos.

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4 0 0 R O B I N S O N S T R E E T, B A S A L T TA C A W. O R G

EL SOL DEL VALLE • Conector de comunidad • 7 de julio - 13 de julio de 2022 • 13

Traducción por Jacquelinne Castro

CHISME DEL PUEBLO

Nido del tordo charlatán

El tordo charlatán, una especie de aves dependiente de pastizales en severa disminución (la demográfica mundial bajó un 59% desde 1970 hasta el 2014), ha sido visto anidando en Glassier Open Space. Open Space and Trails del condado de Pitkin contactó al arrendatario agrícola de la propiedad para negociar el aplazamiento del corte de heno en alrededor de cinco acres con retribución financiera mientras las aves salen del nido.

Dorais Way

El comisionado del condado de Pitkin y la Rock Creek Association anunciaron el 1 de julio una interrupción en litigio con respecto al uso público de Dorais Way para acceder a Filoha Meadows. De acuerdo con un comunicado de prensa, “la interrupción permitirá a los grupos que participen en discusiones de buena fe que buscan resolver permanentemente los asuntos” con disputas que ya habían empezado hace ya más de dos años. El uso público de Dorais Way hasta el 30 de septiembre está limitado a peatones y ciclistas; vehículos motorizados y mascotas no están permitidas.

Pruebas de COVID

Pruebas PCR patrocinadas por el estado gratuitas están disponibles en Carbondale, de martes a viernes desde mediodía hasta las 5 p.m. y los sábados de 8 a.m. a 2 p.m. Valley COVID Lab ofrece pruebas con resultados el mismo día por $120, de lunes a viernes desde las 8:30 a.m. hasta las 11:30 a.m., y opera en la misma ubicación (en el estacionamiento detrás del centro de recreación). Pruebas rápidas de antígeno gratuitas también están disponibles para recoger en la oficina de salud pública de Rifle (195 West 14th Street) durante los días de semana en horas de trabajo.

Cierres en Carbondale

Dos proyectos probablemente interrumpan a viajeros de Carbondale. La calle ocho está cerrada en el Rio Grande Trail por aproximadamente tres semanas mientras se construye un cruce elevado. Mientras tanto, la calle principal está cerrada entre la segunda y tercera calle para que una línea de agua sea atada para el nuevo edificio en 234 Main Street (según se dice una panadería está en el proceso).

Jardín de naturaleza humana

Carbondale Age-Friendly Community Initiative (CAFCI) ha recibido un subsidio de 2022 AARP Community Challenge.

Esto le permitirá a CAFCI crear un jardín de naturaleza humana en Rio Grande Trail al oeste de la calle ocho (con ayuda de la horticulturista Geneviève Villamizar).

Pez zombie

Colorado Parks and Wildlife está en la caza por la desaparecida trucha degollada de aleta amarilla, una especie nativa que se había visto por última vez en las aguas de Twin Lakes a principios del siglo XX. No sin precedente, ya que la trucha degollada de San Juan fue redescubierta después de haber sido considerada extinta. Los biólogos acuáticos Alex Townsend y Greg Policky pasarán su tiempo durante los siguientes veranos inspeccionando cientos de humedales, arroyos y estanques en búsqueda de la trucha degollada de aleta amarilla.

Se necesita impresora

ColoradoWildPublicLands,unaorganización sin fines de lucro dedicada a rastrear intercambios de tierras y defendiendo el interés público, está a la caza de una impresora que funcione. Si usted tiene una que no necesite, envíe un correo electrónico a coloradowildpubliclands@gmail.com para contactarse.

C O N F L U E N C E E A R LY C H I L D H O O D E D U C AT I O N C O A L I T I O N es un grupo de defensores de niños - negocios, profesionales educativos, líderes de las organizaciones sin fines de lucro y padres - en el valle de Roaring Fork (Aspen a Parachute). Nuestra meta es proveer oportunidades de aprendizaje temprano de alta calidad para todos los miembros de nuestra comunidad diversa y turística rural.

Cada vez que usas tu tarjeta de débito Loyalty*, Alpine Bank dona diez centavos a las causas comunitarias que son importantes para ti. ¡Solicita tu tarjeta hoy mismo! *Las tarjetas de débito de Alpine Bank están disponibles sin cuota anual para personas con una cuenta de cheques de Alpine Bank.

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Trail Notes: Alpine dreamin’

OBITUARY

Dave Boyle

By Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers Special to The Sopris Sun

Too many people?

Now that the snow's gone from everywhere but the highest peaks, everyone's getting out to see spectacular alpine vistas and wildflowers. With many more people visiting the outdoors than ever before, and considering the fragility of alpine environments, it's important to ask a numbers question about our valley's alpine areas — is it better for smaller numbers of people to visit more areas (spreading out the human impact) or for larger groups to visit fewer areas (and concentrate the impact)?

The answer depends upon the types of trail available. If a trail is prone to erosion, then no matter the quantity of people, it's not a good option. But if a trail is built and reinforced with rock, it can better accommodate high visitation numbers. That's the reason Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers (RFOV), with partners at the U.S. Forest Service and Independence Pass Foundation, has returned to the Linkins Lake Trail for five years running to rebuild the route with high-quality stonework.

Recent stewardship success June was a busy month for volunteers, up and down the Valley! At Lake Christine, community members helped finish a fire break behind the Basalt shooting range. Later that week, dozens of volunteers joined RFOV at Lazy Glen Open Space to plant 150 willows and cottonwoods along the Roaring Fork. Several hardy volunteers spent three days backpacking to assist our professional trail crew in building new steps along Snowmass's Capitol Creek Trail. And, finally, we're grateful to the many people of all ages that

October 25, 1941 - June 16, 2022

Assistant area wildlife manager Darren Chacon explains the importance of creating fire breaks at Lake Christine, all while looking impossibly cool.

Photo by Katie Hake

visited Maroon Creek Wetlands (adjacent to Aspen's Rec Center) to rehabilitate the wetland that RFOV first helped build in 2002.

Coming Up! Summer days are long and beautiful — perfect for volunteering outdoors!

Join us for some unique stewardship opportunities in the Crystal River Valley this July.

Take a daytrip or stay overnight with us at the Marble Basecamp on July 16 and 17, helping to prepare the property for the next generation of middle schoolers and their outdoor education adventures.

For a peek into public/private land management, visit Coal Basin Ranch (just outside of Redstone) on July 24 to get knee deep in riparian restoration efforts!

Learn more and register for all RFOV projects online at: rfov.org/calendar

David Warren Boyle, 80, of Carbondale, passed away on June 16, after a 15-year battle with Parkinson’s Disease.

Born in Ithaca, New York on October 25, 1941, to Frank Boyle and Elnora Knapp Boyle. David was a much loved big brother to his younger siblings. He was passionate about sports and the outdoors from the start and dedicated his life to his family.

David graduated from Roosevelt High School in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1959. He went to Colorado State University in Fort Collins that fall to study horticulture, which became his lifelong passion. He met his first wife, Barb Lyle, while studying at CSU, and they married in 1965. Ten months later, he was deployed to Vietnam. When he returned, he went to CSU to earn his MS in horticulture. David was a cooperative extension agent in Jefferson and Pitkin counties and later operated a landscaping business. Their son, Darren, was born in 1971. Darren studied horticulture at CSU as well. Darren’s family includes his wife, Jaime; his daughters, Anna, Lauren and Sarah; and son, Trevor.

David married his current wife, Janet, in Old Snowmass on June 11, 1983. Their son, Brett, was born in 1988. Brett works in property management in the Aspen area and lives in Missouri Heights with his wife, Michelle.

David enjoyed watching baseball and cheering on the Colorado Rockies. He

was also a dedicated Broncos fan. He was passionate about camping, hiking, mountain biking and bird watching. He knew all of the species of birds that frequented his many feeders. David was predeceased by his parents and leaves behind his wife Janet, his sons and their wives, four grandchildren, his sisters, Susie Hubbard and Laurie Dye, and brother, Michael Boyle. A memorial service will be held at a future date and the family requests no donations or flowers be sent.

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Paid advertisement. Printed with permission from Sheila Pinkel 16 • THE SOPRIS SUN • soprissun.com • July 7 - July 13, 2022

GUEST Dylan does Grand Junction in Rough and Rowdy style OPINION

By Amy Hadden Marsh

Bob Dylan and his Rough and Rowdy Ways Band played Grand Junction, of all places, on July 1. It was my first Dylan concert ever and I figured that he's 80 and I'm well into my 6th decade on the planet so maybe I'd better get with it. Besides, the show was just a 90-minute drive away.

I say “of all places” because I've never thought of Grand Junction as a rocker hub, a place that inspires legends to perform. Dylan in the Junction would be like finding Rimbaud at Red Lobster® or Ginsburg at Cabela's®. I didn't consider that maybe Rimbaud, Ginsburg, and Mr. Dylan, all rolled into one, could transport me out of the shopping mall and across the Rubicon.

I've read Dylan lyrics and listened to his songs on records and radio for more than half a century. I've watched concert films like “The Last Waltz”. I am a fan but not obsessive. My favorite albums are “Blood on the Tracks” and “Desire”. But, nothing compares to Dylan's deep, rough, gravely voice, live, surrounded by ringing guitars and jungle drums; his words lifted into the night by Calliope, Polyhymnia and Clio, Erato, Euterpe and Melpomene.

Mount Garfield could have been Mount Parnassus.

I stood between heaven and earth and I crossed the Rubicon.* If that all sounds dramatic, it's only because it was. For me, anyway. There they stood — two guitarists, one bass player, the drummer and

another guy whose role I couldn't figure out — all dressed in black, on a dark stage, mostly backlit by various shades of orange and silver and rose gold coming from floor lights.

Dylan (should I call him Dylan? Bob? Bob Dylan? Mr. Dylan?) kind of hid out behind an upright piano for most of the phone-free show; his face obscured by two metal water bottles so those of us on the lawn in front of the amphitheater at Las Colonias Park couldn't see him very well. But, I brought binoculars and my heart actually skipped a beat when I finally caught a glimpse of Mr. Dylan. He did manage to come out from behind the piano a few times to tell us what a delightful audience we were.

The music ranged from dark, bluesy, dangerous, exciting, like the Wild Hunt on a stormy Solstice night...

(BlackRider,BlackRideryoubeenlivin'toohard...*) …to melancholy and lovely enough to make my concert companion cry.

(No one ever told me, it's just something I knew, I've made up my mind to give myself to you.*) My favorite, though, I have to admit, was “Gotta Serve Somebody” like I've never heard it before. Smokin' guitars that made me shout! (I was tempted to play air guitar but since I was in a crowd, I decided against that.)

You can find the complete set list at bobdylan.com but the show was really a journey through his — and everyone else's — life. The band played songs from “Slow Train Coming”, “Blonde on Blonde”, “John Wesley Harding”, “Nashville Skyline” and more, including his newest, “Rough and Rowdy Ways”.

The audience of hundreds out on the lawn was just as varied — from a six-year-old girl,

Make time for your HEART

whose 35-year-old father fell asleep during the show, to older hipsters with walkers and oxygen tanks. Some had never seen a Dylan show.

Others, like Karen from Texas, had been to 20 shows in just as many years. Maria, who grew up in Mexico City, saw Eric Clapton with Muddy Waters in Paris in 1978. “Bob Dylan is a part of our lives,” she told me. Debbie from Grand Junction first saw Bob in the late '60s when she was 14. The 30-somethings sitting in front of me were at their first Dylan show and all agreed that it was too important to miss. “He's a poet,” said Cloie. “You can't pass up an opportunity to see a legend like this!” Indeed.

Someone I knew a long time ago would drink wine and listen to Bob Dylan records.

At just the proper amount of wine, she would drop the needle on any one of his albums and go deep into memories and regrets. She would write poetry and letters. One knew to stay away when Dylan was on the stereo.

I study Sanskrit and Arabic to improve my mind...* I think Bob Dylan'’s songs can put us all in a different place, one that we yearn for but can't quite grasp, like a wondrous dream that we can't return to, a land of myth made real for a moment… across the Rubicon. *all lyrics by Bob Dylan ©Special Rider Music, available at bobdylan.com

Solar surges continued from page 10 storage projects actually help decentralize the grid, make it harder to attack) and noise (solar panels make no noise, and storage systems just hum).

A session moderated by Club 20 executive director Christian Reece tackled some of the thorniest issues: county codes, permitting and NIMBYism.

Multiple speakers stressed that the solar industry expects to be regulated, likes it when counties provide clear direction to developers through their land-use code, and prefers to be involved in those discussions early on so that there are no surprises.

Taylor Henderson of Outshine Energy, who is also a member of the Colorado Solar and Storage Association board, said that COSSA is developing a set of best practices for counties to consider in updating their codes. He pointed out that solar and storage development is different in significant ways from the kinds of industrial uses that many counties’ land-use processes are designed to regulate.

County representatives, for their part, urged solar developers to do a better job of selling the benefits of solar and addressing the general public’s concerns in order to pre-empt the NIMBY (“not in my backyard”) impulses that are often fanned by such proposals.

“If you don’t have the right answers, I’m going to have a hard time supporting it, and it’s my job to review these projects,” Mesa County planning manager Sean Norris said.

The conference itself earned high marks from participants for getting the conversation about solar started. “This (conference) is the kind of thing that we really want to be doing more of, engaging with folks locally,” said Henderson.

Added Rushton: “I think the key takeaway is that when the industry gets together with the people responsible for the future of their counties, there’s a meeting of the minds and a realization that there are some very significant benefits to welcoming solar development in the community.”

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THE SOPRIS SUN • Your weekly community connector • July 7 - July 13, 2022 • 17

It’s elemental: fire, lightning, wind and water

By Elizabeth Key Sopris Sun Contributor

Fire and water are opposites, but when it comes to weather, they are interconnected. Large wildfires can generate their own weather systems.

Weather travels through vertical columns in a convective process, but fire and weather are almost cyclical in nature as they create and destroy one another.

Wildland fire communities partner with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to stay informed of weather trends. NOAA issues a fire-weather forecast twice daily and spot forecasts for controlled burns and active fires. Fire resources move around the state based on NOAA's meteorology team’s calculations.

Lucas Boyer from NOAA’s Grand Junction office says, ”We had some dry lightning in our forecast yesterday, so they were discussing moving tankers around to where they would be able to squash a lightning-started fire.” Dry lightning is the occurrence of a lightning storm where the precipitation evaporates before wetting the ground. Colorado and much of the West has been in a sustained drought for years making dry fuels such as dead trees more prolific.

The two prime mechanisms for predicting critical fire weather are relative humidity and wind. Colorado has experienced record winds this year and long stretches of low relative humidity (less than 15%). Dry lighting combined with low humidity, drought and high winds can create a volatile and flammable environment.

All weather systems are generated by vertical

movement in the atmosphere. Large fires have a lot of thermal dynamic energy, pushing extreme heat rapidly upward into the cooler atmosphere. This convection process develops pyrocumulonimbus clouds that can transform into thunderstorms and lightning. These firestorm events are a very localized phenomenon because the dynamic vertical heat energy slows in the radius of the cooler atmosphere surrounding the blaze.

Boyer gives an example, “If you've ever stood around a campfire, you will see leaves moving in trees above it. However, if you look at the trees behind you, their leaves will hardly be moving at all.”

Traditional thunderstorms are not as stagnant as firestorms. Boyer explains, “The atmosphere is like a river, it’s a fluid and it’s always moving, and there are these waves of energy that the frontal boundaries move along…”

The upper-level winds steer the atmosphere in a specific direction, making it possible to see a storm approaching on the horizon. Boyer says, “When a thunderstorm collapses and all of its mass drops to the surface, you get these gusty outflow winds and those will contribute to fire growth as well.” At higher elevations, the storm is much closer to the land’s surface, contributing to the probability of lightning strikes. Cloud to ground strikes are common, but there are also plenty of thunderstorms where the lightning stays within the cloud or goes from cloud to cloud.

There are 27 different categories of clouds.

Boyer explains how they form: ”When you move a parcel of air at the surface, say you take a really warm parcel of air from a fire, and it's going to rise into the atmosphere, and it's going to move into a

Cloud formation above Glenwood Springs, photo by Jon Lopez

cooler atmosphere, as the atmosphere cools, you will get condensation. At some point, there will be enough moisture for that parcel to cool and release condensation and create a cloud.” Once the column of atmosphere saturates, it transforms from cloud to rain, falling to the surface with gravity’s pull. Boyer says hail follows a similar process, “Giant hailstones are moving up and down through the column in the thunderstorm collecting ice through each pass, making vertical laps.”

Boyer says counting the seconds between thunder and lightning to determine storm distance is not a myth. The seconds being relative to the miles of distance from the storm is primarily accurate based on the speed of sound.

The inconsistency in electrical current and static charge can also interfere with lightning being linear. Boyer believes the extreme heat and distance of a lightning bolt might add to the optical illusion of it being jagged.

Understanding weather and fire behavior is key to preventing and containing wildfires.

For instance, the cooling atmosphere at night often causes an inversion and wildfires tend to “sit down” and smolder, giving fire crews time to recuperate. As the day heats up into the afternoon and the winds start blowing, the fire behavior will become more active and can start to rage again. The particulates of matter the fire has consumed transform into embers that float down to the earth once they migrate away from the fire's vertical force and can ignite dry fuels.

Meteorologists are scientists, but they still view information through different lenses.

Sometimes, the science is subject to more Socratic methods involving debate and discussion. While the forecast process has certainly improved, meteorologists will unlikely be able to predict the weather to within a span of minutes. People are probably far off from controlling the weather, so we need to learn how to live with it in this warming climate. Thankfully, meteorologists and firefighters have teamed up to keep us safe in the Arid West.

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LEARN MORE AT VVH.ORG/URGENTCARE 18 • THE SOPRIS SUN • soprissun.com • July 7 - July 13, 2022

Sustainable buildings sprouting in Willits

By Marlo Bowman Sopris Sun Correspondent

On Thursday, June 30, Amanda Poindexter helped organize a tour of the electrical buildings in Willits for both U.S. Green Building Council members and the general public.

After a brief meet and greet, the tour explored two buildings. The first was The Hub, which is primarily housing for Aspen Skiing Company (SkiCo) employees. The second building was The Arts Campus at Willits (TACAW), a new performing arts center.

The tour was primarily guided by two SkiCo employees, Phillip Jeffreys, director of housing development, and Ryland French, director of facility operations and energy.

Starting at The Hub, Jeffreys began by sharing some simple facts about the building. In this building, there are roughly 150 bedrooms and 84 bathrooms. Along with housing SkiCo employees, they also have a mission to house early childcare providers. On another note, Jeffreys is a strong believer in having no parking garages, so if a resident needs a parking spot it will be ground level for a slight extra fee.

Moving inside to an apartment with three bedrooms, Jeffreys and French discussed various features. For example, two of the bedrooms had loft bedding with a desk and storage on the bottom, and stairs to the bed

on top. Also, the walls were designed to be soundproof.

Then began the more in-depth discussion on how the building is run with renewable energy. French stressed how essential it is to “use data and science to make important decisions” while developing electrical buildings.

The top of the roof contains most of the machinery that makes this possible. Solar panels, space heaters and air to water heat pump systems are all ways the buildings run fully electric.

There was heavy discussion about the air to water heat pump systems and concern about below freezing temperatures common in the winter. The guides explained that these systems are very good at enduring in negative conditions, functioning even when temps drop to -24 degrees. The heaters, meanwhile, can maintain up to 140 degrees, guaranteeing hot temps for showers, sinks, etc.

TACAW had a very similar set-up, except there were half the amount of water heaters

Bury this paper

Rooftop solar in Willits, photo by Marlo Bowman

in the basement and likely not as many solar panels on the roof. But it was all similarly run with renewable energy.

After exploring both buildings, it is clear that the use of all electric energy is rather efficient.

Even with substantial funding needed to build these projects, it becomes clear that renewable energy is more efficient and beneficial in the long run.

Photos and text by Kate Collins, Special to The Sopris Sun Need some newspapers for your garden project?

We've got you covered! Contact The Sopris Sun at news@soprissun.com or 970-510-3003.

Bill Kight and I took advice from the CSU Extension Office for reclaiming sod and building soil. The first step was to obtain old Sopris Sun newspapers. The instructions include laying the newspapers down, five pages thick, then overlapping them so that no air or sun can peek through. The papers are then covered with mulch. With the help of moisture and two to four years of time, all of this will decompose appropriately to create nutrient-dense soil ready to grow native, drought-tolerant, low-water plants.

Some of the mulch was obtained from the Buy Nothing Carbondale Facebook page!

Step 1. Identify some boring turf begging to become nutrient-rich soil.

Step 2. Overlap newspapers, five pages thick, and cover them with mulch.

Step 3. Wait! In a few short years, you' ll have absorbant soil ready to grow native plants.

THE SOPRIS SUN • Your weekly community connector • July 7 - July 13, 2022 • 19

How to be a psychic

By Raleigh Burleigh Sopris Sun Editor Have you ever been thinking about someone when suddenly they call? Or, maybe you’ve had a dream that came true?

Well, you may just be psychic. In fact, local intuitive Ann Ob’Brien would bet on it.

Her new book, “Everyone is Psychic” is a practical how-to manual and workbook for training your intuitive muscles.

“The best way to develop intuition is practice,” O’Brien told The Sopris Sun. She came into this work as a teenager, teased as a witch for her keen interest in tarot, astrology and other forms of divination.

In her 20s, O’Brien formally studied at a school for psychics and was told that she and her classmates were different from other people. Over time, she began to feel that wasn’t true. “Everyone is psychic,” she writes, “yet at that time fewer people were open to it.”

O’Brien went on to study writing and literature and travel as a musician.

By 2020, her business as a professional psychic, offering personal readings and various trainings, was well established.

When March rolled around and the world came to a halt, she saw a surge in interest for her online classes. As her business prospered, O’Brien thought to compile some of her materials from a decade of teaching into a useful book for anyone seeking an introduction to developing their intuitive abilities.

“Everyone is Psychic”, her second book, was released this April. The book is divided into nine sections with topics ranging from “energetic anatomy” to “energy healing and manifesting.” Energetic anatomy, for the curious, describes chakras, auras and creative rings. The book is filled with meditations and also writing prompts.

The book also delves into six kinds of psychic gifts that a person may carry with varying strength: telepathy (sending and receiving thoughts), clairvoyance (seeing mental pictures), clairsentience (feeling things), claircognizance (simply knowing ), clairaudience (hearing spirits or one’s higher self ) and mediumship (channeling spirits and traveling outside of your physical body).

“I felt passionate about young people getting the book, so they don't go as long with support,” O’Brien told The Sopris Sun. In the introduction, “You’re not crazy, you’re psychic,” O’Brien writes, “Some who are psychic and don’t know it turn to drugs or alcohol or other substances. Some live with dark feelings or mean voices they don’t know they can turn off. Others get sick or really do seem to go crazy.”

The book teaches one to trust their inner voice, release unhelpful emotions, protect from negativity, manifest abundance, discern fear and hope from true intuition and, importantly, to have fun.

“The greatest teachings are the simplest,” O’Brien said. Also an experienced Aikido teacher, she has observed that these practices work best when approached playfully, from a place of childlike curiosity.

Otherwise, the mind interferes.

O’Brien is keenly aware that becoming

receptive can also be a burden. For this reason, she dedicates 40 pages to “psychic self-care” early in the book. One exercise of particular importance is “clearing” which returns in many of the meditations.

Here is a simple clearing meditation presented toward the beginning of the book: -Find a cozy place to sit with your feet flat on the floor and your spine upright.

-Exhale, soften your body and gently allow your breath to flow all the way out. At the end of the outbreath, notice your belly drawing in toward your spine.

-Inhale, sit taller and observe your belly, diaphragm and heart getting fuller.

-Continue this breathing pattern at a relaxed pace, without effort.

-Snuggle your sit bones into your chair or cushion and feel your feet.

-Imagine a tree trunk, waterfall or beam of light connecting your tailbone to the center of the earth. Make it as wide as your hips, fully connected and rooted. Breathe, let go and feel the security of this “anchor” to Mother Earth.

-Let your breath flow out and imagine a trap door opening at your pelvic floor. Allow gravity to draw out of you anything that is not yours to hold. That could be the stress of your day or week, your loved ones’ emotions, or energy you picked up from the world.

If it’s not yours, it has to go as soon as you simply decide to release it.

-You can also release old stories, past trauma and unhelpful beliefs or pictures. Sometimes you won’t know what you're letting go of, but you’ll feel better after the fact.

Courtesy image

“It’s much easier to release other people’s energy than it is to process it,” O’Brien writes. “When an energy is not yours, as soon as you let it go, it’s gone. It’s like having a puzzle piece to someone else’s puzzle…”

The book is available at True Nature, White River Books and online, also as an audio book. Catch a conversation with O’Brien this Thursday on Everything Under The Sun at 4 p.m. on KDNK community radio.

You can also engage with O’Brien’s online offerings, including an intuitive community platform with events, weekly challenges and a chatroom, by visiting : www.annobrienliving.com/community/

I'm just waiting until you say the magic word…

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For Information & Reservations call 970-945-0667 • yampahspa.com Open Daily 9am - 9pm • Just One Block East of the Hot Springs Pool 20 • THE SOPRIS SUN • soprissun.com • July 7 - July 13, 2022

El Jebel, Colorado 970-963-1700 RJPaddywacks.com

Your source for showcasing local fiction, poetry and more!

Send your creative pieces to: fiction@soprissun.com

Out the back door

By Melissa Sidelinger There are moments in your life that change everything ; that send you down a path of no return; that draw a line of black ink down the page of your story clearly delineating the life you lived before, and your life after. A chance meeting, a choice, a serendipitous occurrence or a tragic accident.

For me, it was a night in May, in a downtown bar above a pizza parlor in a small town in an obscure corner of America. Just a Friday night, like any other, with a band playing in the corner by the window, the tables littered with wine glasses and the dance floor swirling with people.

I can't remember who the band was, what music they played, what dress I wore or what conversations I had that night. What I do remember, so clearly that it will forever be burned into my subconscious, was that at the end of the night when the music was over and people were preparing to leave, my friend and I had the choice to go out the back door and down the stairs to the alley or through the restaurant and out the front door. Since the bar was still crowded we decided to go out the back; and that's where I met him, lounging on a couch near the exit. That's where he introduced himself to me, and that's where my life's trajectory was forever altered.

I will always wonder what my life would be like if I had left through the front door instead.

I never expected to find myself trapped in an abusive relationship. I can look back and see the red flags now, but

only with the benefit of hindsight. He was too charming.

The relationship moved too quickly. He had a dark side to him, but he hid it well.

The abuse was subtle when it began but escalated over the four years we were together. It's like the cliche frog in the kettle of boiling water. No one jumps into a situation of domestic violence by choice, they are slowly drawn in as the temperature rises and the water begins to boil. It's a slow burn and by the time you realize the truth you may or may not be able to get out.

I got out, but just barely. I got out but with the physical and emotional scars tattooed across my body and burned into my memory. Someday, I think I'll cover the physical scars with real tattoos of black and red ink. The emotional scars I'm not too sure about. Those scars will be harder to move beyond than the marks cut and burned into my skin.

Harder to leave behind than my apartment and that small town when I finally escaped him — driving away from my old life in a snowstorm at dusk one December evening ; harder to reconcile than the years lost to him or the life thrown into chaos and uncertainty after leaving.

I like to think that those emotional scars will heal with time. Maybe they will, or maybe I will find a way to tattoo over them with metaphorical ink. It's a hope, at least. A hope that someday I will put my pieces back together again.

But still, I wonder, what would have happened if I hadn't walked out the back door that evening?

Haikus & Poetry Whitewater

By Jampa

Thundering along Boiling silver water moves Bouncing hard downstream!

The Bookstore By summer-2022 CMC Creative Writing Workshop Towers of books Streets of magazines Noiselessly chatter away Bits of blue, red, yellow And black and white Mix, mingle, stream To a river of Pictures and words Their cacophony melodious In its harmony A Lorelei’s song TOUCH ME NOW

By Luke Nestler Touch me now Take your life from me Touch me now I am clean I am free Touch me now If you were never told to pray Touch me now and play Give thanks Touch me now free Take a chance Follow me I will follow you Together we will follow all through As deep as thunder Before a hard rain As light as young flowers As all as the breeze that Touches every tree Touch me like that Easy free Touch me now Coo loo a-lay Coo a-lay loo Touch me now Coo loo a-lay Coo a-lay loo

Art by Carol Wallace

Touch me now Ooo loo a-lay Coo a-lay loo THE SOPRIS SUN • Your weekly community connector • July 7 - July 13, 2022 • 21

LETTERS university, teach journalism and starve to death on a teacher’s salary, the B students become reporters and starve to death on a newspaper’s salary and the C students get into public relations and make all the money.

I was a C student, but not being very materialistic, I decided to become a reporter.

I wanted to tell it like it is, not necessarily how it sells.

I’m happy for you, Roger. You’re much more suited to be working for a locallyowned publication like the Aspen Daily News than the billionaire-owned national chain Ogden Newspapers. As for The Aspen Times, count your blessings. At least you’re not owned by a hedge fund.

Fred Malo Jr. Carbondale

Garden Club On behalf of the Glenwood Springs Garden Club, we want to say “thank you” to many who helped make our recent Welcome to Our Gardens Garden Tour so successful.

First, the planners of our 2022 Garden Tour committee spent months in preparation meetings. Second, our sponsors enabled our club to have wonderful flyers, posters, pamphlets and ads. Third, Kelly Cory of KO Creations shared her expertise and volunteered

continued from page 2

to design those promotional materials.

Fourth, The Sopris Sun, KDNK, KMTS and the Post Independent interviewed us and shared information and stories about our upcoming tour with the public. Fifth, the gardeners who welcomed the tour guests to their lovely gardens for all to view and learn more about successful gardening in our area.

We so much appreciate all the women and men who visited the gardens and shared their compliments and appreciation. Those smiling faces will long be remembered! Thank you so much everyone!

The GWS Garden Club welcomes guests to our meetings and new members always. For information about joining or about meeting topics, please call 970-384-2835.

Ann English, Judy O'Donnell, Michele Diamond GWS Garden Club

Grand Mesa Byway Took a nice long drive yesterday…

Carbondale through Paonia and up and over through Cedaredge and then back from Grand Junction. High altitude, 11,000 feet, a lot of lakes and resort cabins, etc. Surprisingly cooler in temperature than down below, even on a hot day.

Marty Stouffer Carbondale

Editor's note: In response to Fred Malo Jr.'s letter and in keeping with transparency, we have published both of his rejected columns online and leave it up to our community to decide the merit of those decisions. As communicated to Malo in early 2021, "I wonder what feelings you wish to inspire with your columns in these times of great woundedness?" Acknowledging truth as our ultimate virtue, The Sopris Sun also seeks to be a publication in service to healing and community above blame and division.

PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Board of Trustees of the Town of Carbondale has adopted a Resolution initiating annexation and rezoning proceedings for a 25.950 acre parcel located in Garfield County, Colorado (“Red Hill property”). A Public Hearing will be held before the Board of Trustees for the purpose of finding and determining whether the Red Hill property meets the applicable requirements of Colorado law and is considered eligible for annexation and rezoning. The applicant is the Town of Carbondale. The property owners are the Town of Carbondale and Colorado Department of Transportation (“CDOT”).

The Town of Carbondale acquired the Red Hill property in 2020. After acquisition, the Town of Carbondale did extensive trail work on Red Hill, including improvements to the lower and upper parking lots adjacent to Highway 82.

In 2020, Garfield County and the Town of Carbondale entered into an agreement which requires that the Town of Carbondale annex the newly-acquired Red Hill property, including the portion of CDOT right-of-way necessary to encompass the portions of the lower parking area, the portions of the connecting road between the lower and upper parking areas, and the portions of County Road 107 up to and including the entrance to the parking lot access (approximately 200 feet north of Highway 82) which are located within the CDOT right-of-way. The total annexation area would be 25.950 acres. The portion of property in the CDOT right-of-way is 1.541 acres.

The property is legally described as follows: A Parcel of land situated within a portion that property described in the document recorded as Reception No. 907792 of the Garfield County records and within a portion Colorado Department of Transportation Highway No. 82 ROW per Project No. C 0821-091; said Parcel of land being located in Lot 7, 8, 9 and 21 of Section 28, Township 7 South, Range 88 West of the Sixth Principal Meridian and is further described as follows: Beginning at a point on the Northerly right-of-way of Colorado Department of Transportation Highway No. 82 Project No. C 0821-091 whence a found 3.25” 1986 B.L.M. Aluminum Cap monumenting the Northwest corner of the John Kelso Claim ( Northwest corner of said Lot 7) bears N.13°55’16”.E a distance of 849.86 feet; thence S.47°46’57”.E a distance of 196.24 feet; thence S.09°11’06”.W a distance of 77.42 feet; thence N.84°37’21”.W a distance of 161.47 feet to a point being 1 foot northerly of an existing fence; thence the following eight (8) courses one foot northerly of an existing fence: 1) N.87°02’15”.W a distance of 80.20 feet; 2) N.73°13’00”.W a distance of 31.29 feet; 3) N.83°35’25”.W a distance of 119.62 feet; 4) N.81°38’11”.W a distance of 84.78 feet; 5) S.86°53’55”.W a distance of 19.76 feet; 6) N.81°13’49”.W a distance of 165.40 feet; 7) N.67°41’13”.W a distance of 253.53 feet; 8) N.72°54’00”.W a distance of 69.76 feet to a point on the Northerly right-of-way of said Highway 82; thence the following four (4) courses along said right-of-way: 1) 170.20 feet along a non-tangent curve to the right having a radius of 1760.10 feet and a central angle of 05°32’26” (chord bears N.70°07’47”.W, a distance of 170.14 feet); 2) N.60°21’09”.W a distance of 288.32 feet; 3) N.62°45’15”.W a distance of 149.95 feet; 4) N.61°55’48”.W a distance of 324.64 feet to a point on the North-South ¼ line and west line of said Lot 21 of said Section 28, said point also being the Southwest corner of said property; thence the following seven (7) courses along the boundary of said property: 1) N.01°15’25”.E along said North-South ¼ line a distance of 241.21 feet to the Center ¼ corner of said Section 28; 2) S. 89°14’35”.E along the East-West ¼ line of said Section 28 a distance of 1856.57 feet, to the Southwest corner of said Lot 7; 3) N.00°28’09”. W along the westerly line of said Lot 7 a distance of 199.71 feet to the Northwest corner of said Lot 7; 4) N.88°28’22”.E along the northerly line of said Lot 7 a distance of 154.32 feet to a point on the westerly line of County Road No. 107 right-of-way as recorded in Book 673 at Page 648 of the Garfield County records; 5) leaving said northerly line S.04°40’55”.E along said westerly line a distance of 60.20 feet; 6) continuing along said westerly line S.25°33’55”.E a distance of 137.53 feet; 7) continuing along said westerly line S.31°11’05”.W a distance of 74.60 feet; thence leaving said westerly line 80.28 feet along a non-tangent curve to the left having a radius of 247.00 feet and a central angle of 18°37’19” (chord bears S.42°24’08”.W, a distance of 79.93 feet); thence 10.41 feet along a reverse curve to the right having a radius of 100.00 feet and a central angle of 05°57’46” (chord bears S.36°04’21”.W, a distance of 10.40 feet); thence 36.69 feet along a reverse curve to the left having a radius of 150.00 feet and a central angle of 14°00’59” (chord bears S.32°02’45”.W, a distance of 36.60 feet); thence 63.94 feet along a reverse curve to the right having a radius of 58.00 feet and a central angle of 63°09’38” (chord bears S.56°37’05”.W, a distance of 60.75 feet); thence 14.56 feet along a reverse curve to the left having a radius of 50.00 feet and a central angle of 16°40’52” (chord bears S.79°51’27”.W, a distance of 14.51 feet); thence S.71°31’01”.W a distance of 76.25 feet; thence 69.02 along a curve to the left having a radius of 304.00 feet and a central angle of 13°00’30” (chord bears S.65°00’46”.W, a distance of 68.87); thence 27.44 feet along a reverse curve to the right having a radius of 100.00 feet and a central angle of 15°43’26” (chord bears S.66°22’15”.W, a distance of 27.36 feet); thence 175.11 feet along a reverse curve to the left having a radius of 150.00 feet and a central angle of 66°53’10” (chord bears S.40°47’23”.W, a distance of 165.33 feet); thence S.07°20’48”.W a distance of 28.86 feet; thence 157.36 feet along a curve to the left having a radius of 340.00 feet and a central angle of 26°31’07” (chord bears S.05°54’45”.E, a distance of 155.96 feet); thence 75.24 feet along a reverse curve to the right having a radius of 290.00 feet and a central angle of 14°51’52” (chord bears S.11°44’23”.E, a distance of 75.02 feet) to the point of beginning.

Said Parcel of land containing 1,130,384 square feet or 25.950 acres, more or less.

County of Garfield State of Colorado The proposal is to rezone the property from the Red Hill PUD (Garfield County zoning) to Open Space (Town zoning).

Said Public Hearing will be held at the Carbondale Town Hall, 511 Colorado Avenue, Carbondale, CO at 6:00 p.m. on August 9, 2022.

Copies of the proposed application are on file in the Planning Department office, Town Hall, 511 Colorado Avenue, Carbondale, CO and may be examined by interested persons during regular working hours, 8:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The application may also be reviewed on the Town’s website at www.carbondalegov.org

22 • THE SOPRIS SUN • soprissun.com • July 7 - July 13, 2022

PARTING SHOT

Scientists of all ages converged at Coffman Ranch for a bioblitz: a biological inventory done over a short period of time with many observing eyes, ears and other senses. With help from the Colorado Natural Heritage Program at Colorado State University (Director and Chief Scientist David Anderson pictured here), the folks at Aspen Valley Land Trust counted over 145 plant species (mostly graminoids, aka grasses, sedges and rushes). Using acoustic monitoring equipment, at least 10 bat species were identified. Photo by Raleigh Burleigh

FICTION! FICTION! FICTION!

SERVICE DIRECTORY

The Sopris Sun is now a home for creative works, in addition to local news. If you'd like to share a story, a poem or an illustration, email your "work in progress" to Fiction@SoprisSun.com

Practicing minimal contact check-in.

FINANCE DIRECTOR

Full time position, salary range $108,000 to $162,106. Closing date 7.15.2022 at 5:00 pm. A complete position profile, job description and required application forms may be obtained at www.carbondalegov.org. Click on Employment Opportunities.

Interested candidates should submit a cover letter, resume, six professional references and completed employment application to the Town of Carbondale, Human Resources Department, 511 Colorado Avenue, Carbondale, Colorado 81623 or email the same to:

Geese by Larry Day

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For more info contact Todd Chamberlin: adsales@soprissun.com or 970-510-0246

The blooming milkweed along the Rio Grande Trail feed many pollinators, including monarch butterlies and bees! Photo by Raleigh Burleigh

THE SOPRIS SUN • Your weekly community connector • July 7 - July 13, 2022 • 23

YOU ARE CARBONDALE ! e w e r a o S

JOIN US TONIGHT! JULY 7 FROM 4-6 PM AT THE YOUTH ART PARK To celebrate the partnership of Carbondale Arts and Alpine Bank for the Youth Art Park.

With every one of your Alpine Bank ENVIRONMENT Loyalty Debit Card transactions, Alpine Bank donates 10 cents to local organizations.

With so many Carbondale customers who have used their ENVIRONMENT Loyalty Debit Card, we're able to sponsor the forthcoming Youth Art Park Amphitheatre along the Rio Grande ARTway. *Alpine Bank Debit Cards are available with no annual fee to individuals with an Alpine Bank checking account.

INDEPENDENCE • COMMUNITY • COMPASSION • INTEGRITY • LOYALTY ALPINEBANK.COM • MEMBER FDIC

24 • THE SOPRIS SUN • soprissun.com • July 7 - July 13, 2022