April 4, 2013

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Volume 5, Number 8 | April 4, 2013

e Seasons of Sopris Carbondale’s most visible and photogenic community member

Spring shines it’s morning light on the mother of our community at 7:24 a.m. on March 30. Recent storms have helped to keep Mt. Sopris white but the snow will be going fast.

Photo by Jane Bachrach

Golf course cuts down trees, riling town trustee

By Lynn Burton Sopris Sun Staff Writer

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nlike in Aspen, Carbondale property owners don’t need a permit to cut down their own trees and it’s perfectly legal to chop away.

You can wake up on a Saturday morning, decide to whack down aspen, spruce, cottonwoods or any other kind of tree in your yard, then go borrow your neighbor’s

chain saw and have at it.

And there’s nothing the town can do to intervene.

That’s more-or-less the situation at the River Valley Ranch golf course, although one can safely assume golf-course personnel did not have to borrow a chain saw to get the job done.

In recent weeks, dozens of trees on River Valley Ranch golf course property have been cut down, according to Car-

bondale Board of Trustees member and RVR resident Frosty Merriott, and he’s not too happy about it. “ … you (shouldn’t be able to) willynilly cut down 40 trees,” he told The Sopris Sun. Merriott has been sending out e-mails to Google group members, and talked to town staffers, about what he’s calling “massacres” at Carbondale’s upscale golfcourse community. He also contacted the

Colorado Department of Parks and Wildlife concerning what he said is “clear cutting” in a Crystal River riparian area southwest of the golf course pro-shop.

A golf-course administrator did not respond to a Sopris Sun phone call this week.

Merriott alerted town staffers and trustees to some tree cutting at the proshop last year. This year he first noticed trees being cut down on the west side of RVR TREES page 9

DUST OFF YOUR HAWAIIAN SHIRT!

IT’S FIRST FRIDAY!!

Friday, April 5th at 4:30 pm on Main Street in Carbondale!

Carbondale Commentary The views and opinions expressed on the Commentary page do not necessarily reflect those of The Sopris Sun. The Sopris Sun invites all members of the community to submit letters to the editor or guest columns. For more information, e-mail editor Lynn Burton at news@soprissun.com, or call 510-3003.

Keeping billionaires as pets can be dangerous Carbondale has been a home-away from- wasteoids, dweebies, dickheads… .” – Grace. second-home for billionaires for quite a while And that was the case long before the bilnow, and it’s always the same old story: we’re lionaires showed up with their fixers trying like a new pet let in from the cold and given to redistribute the skittles. We didn’t need a nice spot by the fire, all cute and fuzzy and their money to start the rodeo, or Potato spoiled until we pee on the carpet — then Day, or Mountain Fair. We found our fawe’re booted right back out into the cold. vorite hot springs and hiking trails without Our billionaires have it pretty good — them, and we certainly don’t need them to buying and swapping land with each other ‘save the open space’ for us. All we need is a for a dollar like Randolph and Bureau of Land ManageMortimer Duke, while avoiding ment with some cojones. too much contact with the VilPardon my French, but I’m lage of Small Merchants and sick of rich people buying up Non Profits. It’s like my husband raw land and then giving it always says at weddings: “Our a mani/pedi. presence is present enough.”

Wild spaces need privacy.

But now there’s a new player too. And it’s pretty evident at the table and I’m curious to we can’t rely on the white see if the stakes are raised when man to preserve anything exa Democrat antes in. Hopefully cept gated communities she’ll be a breath of fresh air, like called The Preserve. Where

By Jeannie Perry opening a window in a room full are the billionaires who want of cigar smoke and cheese straws. A to leave land exactly as it is? I mean, they metaphorical Al Czervik come to buy Bush- can’t all have unresolved childhood issues wood, if you will (we could use a Ty Webb as that make them unwilling to share. It’s like a well, maybe T Boone Pickens is in the market game of candy from the baby. They are literfor a cute little 5,000 square foot cabin). ally taking public land (candy) away from us Not that I want to see Carbondale turn (the baby) and no one says a damn thing. into a toy-town for crazy billionaires (like Well, except for a couple of Open Space another mountain town I used to live in) but and Trails trustees in Pitkin County named a little investment could go a long way to- Annie and Hawk. They said something, and wards keeping Carbondale a Great Place to they used public access to hike on public land Be! The potential is exciting. Not only can and they got prosecuted by the U.S. Forest we be frack-free, but we could keep our hik- Service.Then, at the eleventh hour (Friday being and biking trails and teach seminars in fore the Monday start of trial) the judge our zero-footprint hotel and conference cen- threw out the case. Annie thinks the citations ter on How to Peacefully Cohabitate with “were an attempt to intimidate people to stay Hippies, Punks, Cowboys and Ladies Un- out of there.” derwear Salesmen.

There are two ways for our billionaires to There is enough room for everyone, and purchase public land: just because you don’t want to associate with 1. Legislative: when they convince a fedthe general public, (and who can blame you? eral bureaucrat to do the paperwork, i.e., Tromping around in their primary colors and write a bill (I bet we’d be surprised at how big brimmed hats …) doesn’t mean you popular ladies underwear is in our mostly should hire Western Land Group to strategize male Congress). a way to kick people off of public land.

2. Administrative: when they convince a local bureaucrat to do the paperwork. TechThe thing is niques may vary, anywhere from back I’ve said it before, (but I’ve been told I’m a scratching to providing misinformation to inthree-times-sayer) the thing that makes Car- timidation and fear of federal prosecution.

Whatever it takes. Because at the end of the bondale cool is that everyone has fun here:“The sportos, the motorheads, geeks, sluts, bloods, game, the one with the most candy wins, right?

Ps & Qs

Letters

The Sopris Sun welcomes your letters, limited to no more than 400 words. Letters exceeding that length may be edited or returned for revisions. Include your name and residence (for publication) and a contact email and phone number. Submit letters via email to letters@soprissun.com or via snail mail to P.O. Box 399, Carbondale, CO 81623. The deadline to submit letters to the editor is noon on Monday.

Peak Oil Dear Editor: Light comes upon the world slowly, as if it were a mist exhaled from the flesh of every charged atom.

The birds breathe it first transmuting light into song: electro-acoustic radiation.

If we were smarter than we are or half as smart as we used to be we could run a planet on that sound.

Tony Alcantara Carbondale

Time to support Ollie Dear Editor: I am writing on behalf of a dear friend, Ollie Bode, who needs all of our support and donations to save the kennel and the ranch.

After 18 years of boarding and kenneling dogs and cats, and 15 years of housing rescued cats, dogs, goats and horses, she needs our financial help more than ever to keep Alpine Meadows Kennel from going into foreclosure in May. I am asking everyone who has ever gone through Lisa Johnson’s puppy class or private lessons with Doggone Obedience Training, everyone who has ever boarded their pets with Ollie, and everyone who has ever adopted an animal from ARF animal rescue foundation or Valley Dog Rescue to please show your support by either donating or attending our fund-raiser.

The fund-raiser will be at the Orchard/Gathering Center on Snowmass Drive in Carbondale from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. on April 14. There will be a free dog training seminar as well as a veterinarian, dog chiropractor and nutritionist available to answer questions.

Enter our raffle to win either a year’s supply of pet food from RJ Paddywacks, a Tiffany reproduction lamp, a fresh frozen turkey from the ranch, or Ollie’s famous cheesecake!

Please show your support and let’s ALL give back to Ollie just a fraction of all the

Knights in Green Armor

By Patrick Hunter Colorado Mountain College will graduate its first class in the college’s new Bachelor of Sustainable Studies program at the end of the current semester.

As a new student in the program, I had an opportunity to sit in on a discussion between these students and the college program directors. They talked about the process and their hopes for the future.

We live in a world that is facing enor-

mous environmental challenges, a world that is beginning to make progress in taking on those challenges, but also faces determined opposition to change. I see these young graduates as Knights in Green Armor: noble in purpose, committed to the cause, and determined to persevere.

Meanwhile, the forces of the status quo are deeply entrenched. There are vast resources arrayed against these knights. The battle will be long and hard. But defeat cannot be the outcome.

2 • THE SOPRIS SUN • www.SoprisSun.com • APRIL 4, 2013

This is no battle for territory, but truly for the hearts and minds of our fellow citizens. Only by bringing the people together can the battle be won.

What makes this struggle even more difficult is having no idea what the future must look like. “Sustainability” is all about the future — one that we can live in, especially one that our children and grandchildren can live in. There are a myriad of challenges, such as water, air, GUEST OPINION page 15

love, support and hard work she has given over the years to ALL of the animals.

Lisa Johnson Carbondale

Concerning a bypass Dear Editor: I am addressing this letter to the newspapers in Rifle, Carbondale and Aspen because I think it is time to call upon all of the governments up and down the Roaring Fork and Colorado River valleys to weigh in on the question of a Highway 82 bypass around Glenwood Springs.

No doubt the Glenwood Springs City Council would rather that the settling of this question should remain uniquely up to the citizens of Glenwood and her elected representatives. I disagree. Valleywide transportation routes should be discussed and decided upon by a regional consensus.

The routing of a state highway through or around any municipality should never be determined solely by the municipality, to wit my recent letter to a local newspaper, as follows: It pains me to have to disagree strongly LETTERS page 15

To inform, inspire and build community Donations accepted online or by mail. For information call 510-3003 Editor/Reporter: Lynn Burton • 970-510-3003 news@soprissun.com Advertising: Bob Albright • 970-927-2175 bob@soprissun.com Linda Fleming • 970-379-5223 linda@soprissun.com Photographer: Jane Bachrach Ad/Page Production: Terri Ritchie Webmaster: Will Grandbois Sopris Sun, LLC Managing Board of Directors: Debbie Bruell • Barbara Dills • Will Grandbois Sue Gray • Colin Laird • Laura McCormick Jean Perry • Frank Zlogar Honorary board members: Peggy DeVilbiss • Elizabeth Phillips David L. Johnson

Sopris Sun, LLC • P.O. Box 399 520 S. Third Street #35 Carbondale, CO 81623

970-510-3003 www.soprissun.com Visit us on facebook.com Send us your comments: feedback@soprissun.com The Sopris Sun is an LLC organized under the 501c3 non-profit structure of the Roaring Fork Community Development Corporation.

Roaring Fork schools feature slam poet April 5

By Debbie Bruell Sopris Sun Correspondent The Roaring Fork School District and Aspen Writer's Foundation present slam-poet Logan Phillips at Roaring Fork High School at 7 p.m. on Friday, April 5.

Phillips will share his bilingual poems; students from Carbondale, Basalt and Glenwood Springs will perform written works they created during workshops with Phillips through the previous week.

Glenwood Springs teacher Tami Suby organized Phillips' visit to the schools. Suby said she happened to meet Phillips when she was visiting family in a small, Arizona mining town located on the U.S./Mexico border. As Phillips talked with Suby about his work and his vision for youth and poetry, she was inspired to bring him to the Roaring Fork Valley to share his passion and experiences with students here.

“As an English teacher, I tried to get kids excited about a poetry slam, but I found that it is one of those intangibles that you have to experience for yourself,” Suby told The Sopris Sun. Phillips describes himself as a poet, performer and “transdisciplinary artist.” Being transdisciplinary, Phillips said, “means that I don't feel the creative impulse limited to one art form or another -- a poem can be visual and performative as well as being a literary creation.”

Of Irish-Slavic descent, Phillips was born in Tombstone, Arizona. For the first 18 years of his life he lived just 14 miles from the U.S./Mexico border.

He graduated with honors from Northern Arizona University with a degree in Spanish. He then worked as a professor of Latin American literature, culture and translation at Universidad Internacional in Cuernava, Morelos. After two semesters, Phillips left his position as professor to dedicate himself full-time to his art.

A poet at heart Phillips has competed in four National Poetry Slams

in the United States and co-hosted the first Mexican National Poetry Slam in 2007. He is author and publisher of five poetry “chapbooks” (pocket-sized booklets). According to Phillips' website, his latest chapbook, Arroyo Ink, “has been hailed as an underground success and an antidote to mass-market publishing.”

Phillips co-founded an international, multimedia performance collective called Verbo-bala. This group pioneered a type of performance called “spoken video,” which Phillips described to The Sun as “bilingual spoken word poetry accompanied by multiple video projections [of] samples that are being mixed live, similar to how a DJ uses multiple sounds to make a mix.” Phillips also DJ's with this same group's “party side project,” called Sonidero Verbo-bala.

Phillips has toured across the United States and Mexico, both solo and with Verbo-bala. He has performed in Vancouver, Paris, Oaxaca, Bogotá and Penzance, England, among other cities.

Phillips has continued to teach English as well, and his art comes through in his teaching. “Poetry and creative thinking are tools I always use when teaching language. They're absolutely indispensable.” Phillips has taught English to students ranging from third graders to corporate executives.“I see part of my role as a language teacher as showing that English is a beautiful language,” Phillips said, “good for more than just business.”

Phillips is the second well-known slam poet to perform and conduct workshops in the Roaring Fork School District since the first of the year. In February, the Aspen Writers’ Foundation brought in Tucson-based Myrlin Hepworth. Phillips’ visit is being funded by the school district with in-kind support from the Aspen Writers’ Foundation.

Phillips was scheduled to conduct a dozen 90-minute workshops April 2-5, reaching about 360 students throughout the school district.

Phillips resides part-time in Mexico City and parttime in Arizona.

Poet Logan Phillips has competed in four National Poetry Slams in the United States and also co-hosted the first Mexican National Poetry Slam in 2007. He hosts a slam at Roaring Fork High School on Friday night. Photo by Elena Zinchenko

Two film fest sneak previews headline First Friday Sopris Sun Staff Report Two of the valley’s premier film organizations are coming together for a celebration of their upcoming festivals at Carbondale’s First Friday event.

The “Film Lovers’ Sneak Peek” will start at 6:30 p.m. on April 5 in the Third Street Center Calaway Room, according to a press release.

Aspen Film will present clips of film that will be shown during its 22nd annual Aspen Shortsfest (April 9-14 at the Wheeler Opera House in Aspen and Crystal Theatre in Carbondale). The 5Point Film Festival will also show clips from their upcoming festival (April 25 to 28 at the Carbondale Recreation Center).

“This is a chance for all film lovers in the valley to find out about the wide variety of film our two festivals exclusively bring into this area from around the world,” said Aspen Film Executive Director Kip Hubbard. “Aspen Film and 5Point Film are natural collaborators in engaging the public and educating through film.”

Participants in Carbondale’s First Friday are welcome to stop in at the Third Street Center to view these film clips, and enjoy food and beverage offerings from Gina Cucina and Bonfire Coffee.

Aspen Film’s 22nd annual Aspen Shortsfest will include 83 short films from more

Shortsfest are now on sale through the Wheeler Box Office at aspenshowtix.com or 920-5770. For more information on the complete program, go to aspenfilm.org.

For information on the fifth annual 5Point Film Fesitival, please turn to page five.

For ticket information, go to 5pointfilm.org.

In other First Friday action:

Frank Norwood will be demonstrating etching techniques at Main Street Gallery (see the ad on page 5 for details).

This Friday’s Aspen Shortsfest sneak preview includes “Walking the Dogs” staring Emma Thompson (shown here) and “The Guide” by Academy Award winning shortfilm maker Jessica Yu. The sneak preview also features entries from the 5Point Film Festival. Courtesy photo than 30 countries around the world. Filmmakers, producers and cast members from the chosen short films have been invited to attend, and many will participate in Q&A sessions after the film programs. The public will also have a chance to engage with filmmakers during free “Filmmaker Talk

Backs” and presentations on producing films and writing drama for television.

Aspen Shortsfest will be featured in two lively programs on April 14 at the Crystal Theatre. For tickets for Carbondale-only presentations, visit Bonfire Coffee in the Dinkel Building. All tickets for Aspen

The Carbondale Clay Center at the east end of Main Street hosts an opening reception from 6 to 8 p.m. for Brandon Whitacre. He impresses the surface of his pottery with hand-made stamps, creating geometric abstractions inspired by natural patterns such as leaves, waves, or stars.

The show continues through April 26. The show is sponsored by Trish Shepard.

The group Pushpanm plays Kirtan music at True Nature Healing Arts across from the American Legion on Third Street from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Marcel (Majid) Kahhak will paint live in his Dinkel Building gallery/studio from 6 to 8 p.m.

Other Carbondale establishments will be open late and as usual, a horse drawn wagon will be posted in front of the Pour House for free rides.

THE SOPRIS SUN, Carbondale’s community supported newspaper • APRIL 4, 2013 • 3

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Cop Shop The following events are drawn from incident reports of the C’dale Police Dept.

THURSDAY March 28 At 10:55 a.m. a man came to the police department to report a pair of apparently fraudulent phone calls he received from a Skype number. The area code and first three digits were 661-748.

THURSDAY March 28 At 8:25 p.m. an officer contacted a male and female at Triangle Park who said they were trying to get a look at a comet.“I observed nothing criminal,” the officer stated in his report.

THURSDAY March 28 At 8:50 p.m. an officer found a male and female in a vehicle at the Delaney dog park.“They were advised the park was closed,” stated the officer in his report.

WEDNESDAY March 27 Between 3:48 and 4:06 p.m. in the 400 block of Main Street, police issued three tickets and one warning for parking in a restricted area.

The annual Good Friday procession from St. Steven’s Catholic church in Glenwood Springs to St. Mary of the Crown at the top of White Hill attracted more than 50 participants on March 29. They are shown here on Snowmass Drive, about a halfmile from their final destination. Photo by Jane Bachrach

4 • THE SOPRIS SUN • www.SoprisSun.com • APRIL 4, 2013

WEDNESDAY March 27 At 8:20 p.m. a police officer contacted several teenagers in a parking lot at Highway 133 and Main Street, and encouraged them to move to a lighted parking lot.

Tickets on sale for 5Point Film Festival – April 25-28 Sopris Sun Staff Report Tickets are now on sale for the fifth annual 5Point Film Festival, to be held at the Carbondale Recreation Center on April 25-28. “5Point’s unique single venue format means that the ďŹ lmmakers and audience share a single experience, together, throughout the festival,â€? said ďŹ lmmaker Anson Fogel. “We all see the same ďŹ lms, in the same place, at the same time, and the result is like no other festival of its kind‌It is, by a wide margin, my favorite outdoor ďŹ lm festival: the only one I won’t miss.â€?

Some of this year’s special guests include: • Kyle Dempster (climber, explorer and multiple Piolet d’Or award winner); • Kevin Pearce (professional snowboarder and star of “The Crash Reelâ€?); • Renan Ozturk (climber, artist, ďŹ lmmaker and a 2013 National Geographic Adventurer of the Year); • Alex Honnold (the world’s top free soloist climber); • Mary Anne Potts (senior producer at National Geographic Adventure); • Casey Sheahan (part-time Carbondale resident and CEO of Patagonia); • Chris Davenport (professional big mountain skier).

Returning this year: The Bus Boys from Boulder and their most recent ďŹ lm “The Bus: A Journey Up North.â€? Last year the Bus Boys introduced the 5Point Film Festival and the world to their yellow school

“Portrait of a Photographer� includes landscapes in Northern California.

“Road to Karakol� explores the landscape of Kyrgyzstan via bicycle.

bus, which they outďŹ tted for ďŹ lmmaking adventures that have included the 24 Hours of Moab, surďŹ ng sand dunes, shooting down fast water drainages in kayaks and more. “This young group of adventurers and ďŹ lmmakers have become a perfect example of what 5Point Film strives to foster and accomplish: inspiring new passions and adventuring for adventure’s sake,â€? said a 5Point Film Festival press release.

The festival also includes the Dream Project, co-sponsored by Timbers Resort.

This is a scholarship program for ďŹ ve high school students to help them “explore their own personal boundaries and dreams.â€? In the past, recipients have done everything from volunteering for orphanages in Haiti and creating an outdoor program for their high school, to kayaking and working for a malaria initiative in Uganda.

Established in 2008, 5Point Film is on a mission to inspire adventure of all kinds,

to connect generations through shared experience, to engage passion with a conscience, and to educate through ďŹ lm.

The festival strives to deliver a unique atmosphere by drawing in passionate athletes, artists, filmmakers, films and the community.

C’dale chamber contest On a related note, the Carbondale Chamber of Commerce and 5Point Film Festival are accepting entries in a contest that asks for one-minute videos addressing the theme “Carbondale is Calling.� “The videos should feature Carbondale, showcasing all the great things Carbondale has to offer both indoors and outdoors,� said a chamber spokeswoman.

The winner’s video will be shown as a trailer during the Thursday night program and be used in subsequent Carbondale chamber promotion materials. The winner also receives a Mi Casita gift certiďŹ cate

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“The videos should feature Carbondale, showcasing all the great things Carbondale has to offer both indoors and outdoors.� ($50), two tickets to Thursday night’s program, a Carbondale T-shirt and Carbondale card.

The entry deadline is April 20 and they must be submitted via web link to chamber@carbondale.com. For more information, call 963-1890.

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“35� explores the life of 35-year-old climber Derek Craig. Photos from 5Point

in Carbondale at 59 N 4th Street

The 20/20 EyeCare team is comprised of local doctors, who have deep roots in the community. We are thrilled to continue our family tradition of providing attentive, personalized, friendly service using the finest medical equipment available. We strive to provide an eyecare experience like no other, support our community, and provide eyewear of exceptional quality and value.

Dr. David Eberhardt joined the 20/20 eyecare team in 2012 after many years of practice in Carbondale and is excited to be seeing patients in his remodeled building on 4th street!

FUN FACT Dr. Zilm’s father, William, started what is now 20/20 EyeCare in Glenwood Springs in 1965. Though the 20/20 EyeCare name sounds familiar, it is not part of any chain.

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THE SOPRIS SUN, Carbondaleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s community supported newspaper â&#x20AC;˘ APRIL 4, 2013 â&#x20AC;˘ 5

Scuttlebutt

Send your scuttlebutt to news@SoprisSun.com.

Attention new moms Once again, the cover of the Sun Sopris Mother’s Day issue on May 9 will feature new moms and their babies. For details, see the ad in next week’s Sopris Sun.

Dog park loses moniker The Delaney dog park no longer deserves the moniker Turd City, USA, according to a dog park observer. The un-coveted title appeared in these very same pages a few weeks ago after a dogger reported it was almost impossible to walk more than about three feet in any direction without having to step over a new, old or some-where-in-between turd. Maybe the dog crowd was out practicing for Easter egg hunts in recent days or maybe they all just grabbed as many bags as they could and filled them up regardless of whose dog they came from. In any case, the 33-acre park was pronounced nearly turd free on Sunday. Let’s keep it up on keeping down the turds.

“April Fools,” came the answer.

Not wanting April Fools Day to be completely wasted on him, the man got even by ordering 46 breakfast tacos and five gallons of coffee at Dos Gringos burritos walk-up counter later in the morning. Other April Fools jokes reported to the Sun include the trusty “You’ve got oatmeal on your face” trick at Whole Foods.

Write on Carbondale resident Tony Alcantara has been awarded one of four fellowships for 2013 at Fishtrap, located in northeast Oregon in the town of Enterprise. A press release said Alcantara’s poetry offers “ … a fresh and invigorating view of the natural world.” Fishtrap, now in its 25th year, offers programs for writers who focus on the West. Alcantara, who also teaches math at Glenwood Springs Middle School, will be a featured reader during a Fishtrap program in July. He was one of more than 60 applicants for the fellowship.

Fryer has hot hand

Just foolin’ A Bronco fan reports falling victim to a heart-attack inducing April Fool’s joke early Monday morning before he’d even had his coffee. Upon stumbling downstairs and making his way to the couch for his start-the-day smooch from his sweety, she looked up and said, “Did you hear the news? The Broncos traded Vaughn Miller.”

“What?” the man shouted in horror and disbelief.

The Carbondale Board of Trustees recently recognized Students of the Month for March.

They are (front row, left to right): Nick Penzel, Emily Adams and Lorenzo Andrade; (back, left to right): Jasmin Juanlucas and Diego Esparza Garcia.

Not shown is Mariah Gonyaw. Photo by Lynn Burton

Lochinvar, a leading manufacturer of high-efficiency water heaters and boilers, announced this week that Mark Fryer of Young Services in Carbondale was selected as a monthly winner in its VIP Installation Showcase. The prize is an all-expenses paid trip for two to Nashville that includes tickets to the world’s largest country music festival in June.

For his entry, Fryer submitted a recent retrofit that has decreased the building’s fuel bills by 35-40 percent, according to a press release.

C’dale skiers place at nationals Keegan Swirbul placed third in the recent 10K classic race at the Cross Country Junior Nationals at Birch Hill Ski Resort in Fairbanks, Alaska. The winners were from Norway and Swirlbul was just one second behind the silver medalist. Keegan is a junior at Aspen High School. His 14-year-old sister, Hailey, placed third in the 5K classic race in the J2 14to 15- year old division. Also competing was Hudson McNamee in the J1 10K freestyle, freestyle sprints and 10K classic race.

CBMM recognizes Emerson and Jennings Coldwell Banker Mason Morse recently

recognized Nancy Emerson and Ryan Jennings as its top sales producers for 2012 in the Carbondale office. Other top producers were Carrie Wells and Heather Sinclair (Aspen), and Chris Patrick and the team of Nancy Carlson and Mandy Murray (Glenwood Springs).

They say it’s your birthday Folks celebrating their birthday this week include: Marilyn Murphy and Donny Mushet (April 4); Judy Schilling and Sondie Reiff (April 5); Mark Wolfe (April 6); Mary Lilly, Cassie Cerise and Beth Simonetti (April 7); Trish Anderson (April 8); Marty Treadway and Herschel Ross (April 10).

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Stein on the front lines of education reform typically not specific enough or given frequently enough to provide teachers with the data they need to adjust their teaching. Stein also noted, “We don’t want to over-test; every day of testing is a day taken away from learning.”

However, Stein does see an important role for some type of standardized system for assessing schools. Stein pointed to his experience of working with student teachers in Boston in the early 1990’s. “One school was frightening. Kids weren’t learning; teachers weren’t teaching. It was an oppressive, racist environment,” Stein said. Standardized tests, in this case, would provide a necessary “red flag,” alerting someone outside the school to the serious problems at the school.

A big fan of EL

By Debbie Bruell Sopris Sun Correspondent In January, the Roaring Fork School District board unanimously approved the hiring of Dr. Rob Stein as assistant superintendent and chief academic officer. Stein has over 28 years of experience in the field of education – as a teacher, administrator, consultant and university professor. Stein received widespread attention when he led one of the nation’s most high-profile turnaround efforts at Denver’s Manual High School. Stein spoke with The Sun about the key principles that have guided his work in education and school reform.

Heterogeneity and equality

Rob Stein

Data-driven schools In order to provide effective instruction, Stein told The Sun, teachers' decisions about what and how they teach need to be based on data -- student feedback, assignments and projects, as well as quizzes and tests. Rather than simply following a textbook or some predetermined curriculum, teachers need to continuously assess students' understanding in order to evaluate whether the teacher needs to re-teach a concept or try a different approach.

“I know the term ‘data’ is scary to some people,” Stein said, “but it's really just an umbrella term for things like evidence, facts and observations.”Trained originally as an ethnographer, Stein values qualitative as much as quantitative data. He noted that student, teacher and parent satisfaction surveys, for example, can provide useful data for driving school improvement.

According to Stein, a recent study found that student surveys provide better information about the quality of instruction than administrators' observations of teachers. “We should be asking kids about how to be a good teacher,” Stein said.

Standardized tests, Stein pointed out, “are among the worst sources of data” in terms of their usefulness for improving instruction. Stein explained that standardized tests are

Non-profit highlight

ROTARY CORNER

ROTARY CLUB OF CARBONDALE April with Carbondale Rotary Club 2012-13 Rotary International Theme

“Peace Through Service” “SERVICE ABOVE SELF”

Another primary focus of Stein’s work has been the importance of creating heterogeneous and equitable schools. Stein noted that his own two children attend schools with a very diverse student body: about 1/3 Latino, 1/3 African American and 1/3 Anglo. He has found that learning with kids from a wide variety of backgrounds has been “an enormous benefit” for his kids.

“Heterogeneity in our schools is not something to be feared,” Stein told The Sun. As a nation, Stein explained, we tend to group kids of similar backgrounds into similar schools and narrowly tracked programs. Geographic boundaries for school attendance areas are often drawn based on the economics of different neighborhoods, resulting in children from lower income families being grouped into schools with less funding, less resources and less — experienced teachers.

In other cases, Stein said, a school may not be explicitly created for a specific population, but implicit rules or requirements of the school can create a situation in which only a select population of students tend to attend that school.

As a result, we not only have a very inequitable school system nation-wide, Stein said, we also have schools with less diverse student populations, which is not necessarily good for kids’ learning. He pointed out there is no empirical evidence proving that isolating higher income kids is better for their learning. Instead, Stein argued, “diversity can be managed for the benefit of all.”

Valuing teachers and principals Another key principle guiding Stein’s work has been the importance of valuing and STEIN page 8

VALLEY VIEW HOSPITAL

Community HEALTH FAIR

Carbondale Rotary Practicing Service Above Self, at home and around the world …

The Rotary Club of Carbondale and the Mt. Sopris Rotary Club are teaming up to fund one of the “Pillars of Light” that will be part of the new Carbondale Branch Library. Glass artist Shannon Muse, who spoke to our club recently, is having open studio sessions from 3-5 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays for people interested in participating in the project. For more information, email paradiseartglass@sopris.net •••

Student scholarships Carbondale Rotary has several scholarships available for college-bound high school seniors who will be graduating from Roaring Fork and Basalt high schools. Applications and information are available from high school counselors.

The application deadline is April 16.

SAVE THE DATE: April 6 – Carbondale Health Fair, 7-11 a.m., Roaring Fork High School April 27 – Rotary District Assembly in Grand Junction June 8 – Carbondale Rotary Happening, dinner/dance/silent and live auctions, The Orchard Gathering Place.

Kirsty Stark, left, a former Carbondale Rotary Exchange student from Australia, was in town for a visit on March 20 and spoke to the club about her blossoming career in film. She’s pictured here with our club president, Paula Fothergill, and this year’s exchange student, Pedro Leon from Ecuador.

The Carbondale Rotary Club meets at 7 a.m. on Wednesdays at the Carbondale Firehouse.

Visitors are welcome to come enjoy our weekly program and learn about the wonderful work Rotary does in the community and around the world.

APRIL/MAY SPEAKERS: April 10 – The Buddy Program April 17 – Joe O’Donnell, Kids Against Hunger April 24 – Coke Newell, Project Amigo May 1 – Club Assembly May 8 – Drought and Water Planning May 15 – Asadour Santourian, Music Festival and School * For program suggestions, contact Ken Neubecker at eagleriver@sopris.net

2 0 13

Saturday, April 6 7-11 am Roaring Fork High School 2270 Hwy. 133 • Carbondale New Castle/Silt: Saturday, April 13 7-11 am • Coal Ridge High School 35947 Hwy. 6 • Carbondale Glenwood: Saturday, April 27 7-11 am • Glenwood Medical Associates 1830 Blake • Glenwood (NO APPOINTMENT NEEDED)

Blood draw includes cholesterol, cardiac risk, blood sugar, kidney, thyroid function and liver function. $45.

Add Prostate Specific Antigen for $35. Blood count $20. Colorectal kit $15.

Requires fasting 12 hours before blood draw. 18 years and older.

Drink water. Diabetics should not fast. No appointment needed.

For membership and other Rotary club information, visit www.rotarycarbondale.org

THE SOPRIS SUN, Carbondale’s community supported newspaper • APRIL 4, 2013 • 7

Stein

continued î&#x2C6;&#x2021;om page 7

taking care of teachers and principals, since they are the ones who will drive a schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s success. Stein pointed to three critical ways school systems can take care of their staff.

First, a school district needs to help its staff to continuously learn and develop as professionals. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Districts need to provide adequate professional development in terms of supporting staff membersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; self-directed learning, organizing groups of staff to learn together, committing to district- or school-wide learning opportunities and providing coaching for teachers and principals,â&#x20AC;? Stein said.

Second, a district needs to focus on working conditions: â&#x20AC;&#x153;We need to make schools places where teachers and principals can do their best work.â&#x20AC;? Stein told The Sun that schools need to ensure that staff are working at the top end of their skill set as much as possible. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It can be fatiguing for anyone to be spending a lot of time and energy on tasks which aren't a good utilization of their skills.â&#x20AC;?

Third, teachers and principals need to be provided with sufficient time to enable them to succeed. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Teachers' time for their own learning and planning needs to be in the right balance with the amount of time they spend teaching.â&#x20AC;?

School reform

â&#x20AC;&#x153;We need to make schools places where teachers and principals can do their best work.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Rob Stein Re-1 Assistant Superintendent and Chief Academic Officer

grade level in the three tested subject areas. By the end of Steinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s three-year tenure, Manual had become a Top Performing School and High Growth School in Denver Public Schools. Overall student ACT scores (which can range from a score of 1 to 36) increased four points over five years.

Stein said the basis of his re-design of Manual were the principles outlined above: datadriven instruction, taking good care of teachers, a positive school culture and, first and foremost, a strong commitment to equity. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was simply unacceptable to me and my team that our society had systematically failed those kids when there was clearly a better way to serve them.â&#x20AC;?

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A consistent theme in Stein's professional work has been the need for school reform.

In addition to reforming schools to be more data-driven, heterogeneous and equitable, and to invest more resources into developing and caring for their staff, Stein also believes that Looking toward Re-1 schools need to place a higher value on school culture and climate.

Stein noted that he has been involved in various organizational-level change â&#x20AC;&#x153;Whether itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a Fortune 500 business or a small restaurant, the difference processes, but he has never been involved in a large-scale, community-level onor Driv that makes a business successful or not is its culture,â&#x20AC;? Stein said. For example, process like the District Visioning Process that Re-1 will be embarking upon â&#x20AC;˘D d he points to Southwest Airlines vs. American Airlines. Both airlines will get this spring.

Sup you to where you want to go, yet you can feel a difference between these two When asked about the potential transformation of the Glenwood Springs the port Sun airlines in terms of how customers are treated and how staff interact with Elementary School to the Expeditionary Learning (EL) model, Stein noted, wi each other. Southwest is â&#x20AC;&#x153;more personal and friendly; itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more fun.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m a big fan of EL. At the same time, there is no silver bullet model.â&#x20AC;?

Don th a atio Although itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s intangible, Stein argues that we need a better understandStein worked for five years as director of one of the very first EL schools n ing of what a positive school culture is and how we create it. in the mid-1990s. He has also worked as a consultant for the national EL orStein himself led one of the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most high-profile turn-around efforts ganization. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Partnering with EL can be a huge infusion of new energy. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a very at Denverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Manual High School. After Manual was closed as the lowest-perteacher-friendly model; one of its strengths is professional development.â&#x20AC;? Stein also forming high school in Colorado, Stein re-opened the school with a new staff, designing noted that EL is a model that â&#x20AC;&#x153;really attends to school culture.â&#x20AC;? a new school program and submitting Coloradoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first Innovation Plan. Almost all of Stein will be moving to the area from Denver with his wife, Mariah Dickson, and their Manualâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s students come from low-income Latino or African American families. When 13-year old son, Max. Their daughter, Eliza, will be graduating from high school this Stein first re-opened the school, many of the ninth graders tested as being below fifth spring. Stein's start-date as assistant superintendent of Re-1 is July 1.

Carbondale Spring Clean-Up Day DĂ­a de Limpieza De Carbondale Saturday, April 13, 8 AM - 4 PM SĂĄbado Abril 13, 8 AM a 4 PM Parking Lot across from Town Hall at Northeast corner of 4th St. and Colorado Ave. Sitio Estacionamiento PĂşblico Por la calle 4 y Colorado Junk, furniture, branches, appliances (refrigerators must be certified Freon free) Tratos, los muebles, las ramas, y los aparatos los refrigeradores deben ser Freones liberta) $10 per pick-up load ($20 for large load) In-Town Carbondale residents $10 por carga para residentes de Carbondale ($20 si la carga es grande) Tires $4 each/$10 large (llantas $4/grande $10) Rims must be removed (los bordes deben ser quitaron) $25 per pick-up load ($35 for large load) Residents outside Town limits $25 por camionetta ($35 si la carga es grande) Para personas fuera de Carbondale

NO HAZARDOUS WASTE NO DESPERDICIOS PELIGROSOS Questions, call Public Works at 963-1307

RVR trees

continued om page 1

the “sales barn” about five weeks ago, and was told they were being removed due to beaver damage, disease or potential danger to golfers if they toppled over.

About three weeks ago he noticed five or six cottonwoods on Crystal Bridge Drive, one of which predated River Valley Ranch by at least 30-40 years, were cut down. He called town manager Jay Harrington and said “they’ve cut down some more.”

A week or so later he noticed a line of cottonwoods was cut down along an irrigation ditch on the driving range.

He thought to himself “holy crap” on that one.

At about the same time, while walking his dogs near the first-hole golf cart bridge, he saw that a cottonwood on the banks of the Crystal River was cut down and brush was removed. When contacted, a Colorado Department of Parks and Wildlife told Merriott he had no jurisdiction in such as case but that trees and brush were important wildlife habitat in riparian areas such as the Crystal River as is flows through River Valley Ranch.

The library The River Valley Ranch tree cutting isn’t the first that has caught Merriott’s attention. He protested last year when the library district announced plans, which it carried through, to cut down several spruce trees on the south side of the new

Valley View Hospital

Community Health Fairs

Saturday, April 6, 7-11 am Roaring Fork High School, Carbondale Saturday, April 13, 7-11 am Coal Ridge High School, New Castle Saturday, April 27, 7-11 am Glenwood Medical Associates, Glenwood Blood draw includes cholesterol, cardiac risk, blood sugar, kidney and liver function for $45.

Add Prostate Specific Antigen for $35 Blood count $20. Colorectal kit $15. Requires fasting 12 hours before blood draw. 18 years and older.

More information: 384-6651

VVH Auxiliary scholarships Teeny Jeung Memorial Scholarships

Offers four scholarships to any local graduating high school student who has been accepted into a Health Sciences program at a college or university is eligible.

Health Sciences Scholarships

Scholarship for those entering or continuing with studies in the medical field. Two scholarships will be awarded.

Any person wishing to study or to continue studies in the medical field is eligible for this scholarship.

Completed applications are due Friday, April 12, 2013 by 5 pm. For further info and applications for either of these scholarships, please call Michele Orton, at 384-6656.

Carbondale Library construction site. He said he’s “kinda gotten over” the trees’ removal but never did buy the library district’s claim they were taken out for solar considerations, the trees’ poor health or other site-related concerns. “It was the view (of Sopris),” he said. He also thinks the view-planes at River Valley Ranch played a role in some of the golf course’s recent actions.

Long before moving to Carbondale and being elected to the board of trustees, Merriott was interested in trees and their preservation. “Growing up in northern Louisiana … I used to help my mom transplant trees … we had a whole yard full,” he said.

Today, Merriott is the board of trustees’ liaison on the Carbondale Tree Board. Most of the tree board resigned in protest last year after the trustees did not act on recommendations that the town strengthen its tree ordinance. The trustees recently appointed a new tree board. An agenda item for its March 21 meeting called for the board to start reviewing the tree ordinance that failed to gain favor last year.

Merriott said he expects the tree board to present a new ordinance to the trustees later this year.

He said there needs to be “a threshold of some sort” to prevent what is happening at River Valley Ranch from happening in the future.

Roaring Fork Valley WOMEN’S HEALTH SYMPOSIUM

April 20, 8:00am to 2:30 pm The Orchard in Carbondale

• Free Lectures • Free screenings

Free child care (6 mos to 12 yrs)

Keynote Luncheon 12:00 -1:00 • Alison Gannett’s - Global Cooling Adventure ShowWorld Renowned extreme mountain skier, global climate advocate & founder of multiple non profits including Save Our Snow Lunch service beginning at 11:30 Catered by Simple Catering by Oscar Sanchez $5.00 fee for luncheon • Space limited Pre-registration encouraged Afternoon classes from 1:30 to 2:30 Cardiac Rehab, Foam Rolling for Flexibility, Knee Pain Rehab, Pelvic Floor Rehab and Qigong for everyone.

Come dressed to participate!

For information and to register, visit www.vvhfoundation.org Special Class: Mountain Bike Skills Clinic for beginner/intermediate riders with Allison Gannett • 2 p.m. - 5 p.m. $50 per person • 20 participant limit To register call 970.945.6533

The River Valley Ranch Golf Club has cut down dozens of trees in the past few weeks, including about 15 aspen and three spruce on the east side of the pro-shop (shown here).

Photo by Lynn Burton

About RVR golf

The River Valley Ranch Golf Club is a privately owned entity and is not part of the ongoing River Valley Ranch development firm or related real estate enterprises.

The club was developed in 1997 as a joint venture between Hines Development Corp. and Crown Golf Properties. Last summer, Crown sold the golf course to an investment group headed by Dale Rands of Snowmass Village, according to published reports.

Support Group meeting Better Breathers Clubs offer the opportunity to learn ways to better cope with COPD while getting the support of others who share in your struggles. These support groups give you the tools you need to live the best quality of life you can.

TOPIC

Lung Cancer Screening Dr. Akrum Al-zubaidi, DO Advanced Pulmonary Medicine Specializing in Diseases of the Chest AOBIM Board Certified

Bruce D. Greene, M.D. Radiation Oncologist Calaway•Young Cancer Center

Monday, April 29 11:00 am - 1:30 pm • 3rd Floor A &B Valley View Hospital

Take Steps invites you to the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation’s FREE Educational Program Learn about Camp Oasis & the Take Steps Walk!

Thursday, April 25th 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

Valley View Hospital 2nd Floor Conference Room 1906 Blake Avenue, Glenwood Springs Speakers include: Dr. Gerard I. Tomasso & Dr. Jason M. Collins Gastroenterologists at Glenwood Medical Associates For more information about these programs, contact: Jenny Roope, CCFA Walk Coordinator: 1(866)768-2232 or jroope@ccfa.org or Mary Lee Mohrlang, Walk Chairperson: (970)216-5058 or mmohrlang123@gmail.com http://online.ccfa.org/ValleyViewProgramGlenwoodSprings

VALLEY VIEW HOSPITAL 1906 BLAKE AVENUE, GLENWOOD SPRINGS • WWW.VVH.ORG • 970.945.6535

THE SOPRIS SUN, Carbondale’s community supported newspaper • APRIL 4, 2013 • 9

Community Calendar THURSDAY April 4 UTE HISTORY • Ute Elder O. Roland McCook, former chairman of the Smithsonian Repatriation Review Committee, will speak at the Third Street Center, at 6:30 p.m. He will share the early history of the Ute (Nuche) people in Colorado, including Ute philosophy on the use of the environment, lifestyle and songs as it was in the 1800s and where we are today. Suggested donation, $10. Brought to you by the Mt. Sopris Historical Society and Davi Nikent.

RFOV LAUNCHES • Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers host season launch parties at the Glenwood Canyon Brewpub tonight from 6-8 p.m. and at Hallam Lake in Aspen from 6 to 8 p.m. on April 11. RFOV connects volunteers with organized trails projects throughout the summer. Info: rfov@sopris.net or call 927-8241.

ROTARY • Mt. Sopris Rotary meets at Mi Casita on Main Street at noon every Thursday. Upcoming programs include: club assembly (April 4), Colorado State Treasurer Walker Stapleton (April 11), Buddy Program director David Hougy (April 18), Project Amigo Director Coke Newell (April 25), club assembly (May 2), BIORGANIX compost tea owner David Bernhardt (May 9) and Rotary exchange student from Taiwan Annie Lin (May 16).

FRIDAY April 5 MOVIES • The Crystal Theatre presents “Django Unchained” (R) at 7:30 p.m. April 511 and“Life of Pi”(PG) at 4:45 p.m.April 6-7.

FIRST FRIDAY • It’s time to slip on that

To list your event, email information to news@soprissun.com. Deadline is noon on Monday. Events take place in Carbondale unless noted. For up-to-the-minute valley-wide event listings, check out the Community Calendar online at soprissun.com. View events online at soprissun.com/calendar.

Hawaiian shirt and dive into this month’s First Friday. As always, there’ll be a horsedrawn carriage in front of the Pour House.

Info: 963-1890.

LIVE MUSIC • The Black Nugget in downtown Carbondale presents Trout Steak Revival at 10 p.m.This Colorado-based touring band blends fiddle, mandolin, banjo, guitar, bass, dobro and accordion to create their own mountain music. No cover. Info: 963-4498.

LIVE MUSIC • Steve’s Guitars in the old part of the Dinkel Building presents live music every Friday night and other nights as well.

Info: 963-3304.

LIVE MUSIC • The Crested Butte-based Beatles tribute band Doctor Robert plays outside Ajax Tavern in Aspen form 3 to 6 p.m. on April 5-6. No cover.

POETRY SLAM • There’ll be a poetry slam featuring Arizona-based Logan Phillips at Roaring Fork High School at 7 p.m.The suggested donation is $5. It’s sponsored by the RE-1 school district and Aspen Writers’ Foundation.

SATURDAY April 6 CMS PLAY • Carbondale Middle School presents the play “Lift Off in 3D” at 7 p.m. tonight and 2 p.m. on April 7.Tickets are $10 at the door ($6 for kids).

FIRE IT UP • The Carbondale Community Oven folks fire it up today. Bring your bread to bake in the old-world masonry oven by 1 p.m. and they’ll stick it in. Info: 306-1015.

COLLEGE SUMMIT • Colorado Mountain College’s First Generation College Summit

takes place at Glenwood Springs High School starting at 8 a.m. Representatives from Colorado colleges will attend to answer questions. Other information will also be provided. Info: 947-8357.

Main Street hosts an old time jam session with Dana Wilson Mondays at 7:30 p.m.

Bring your banjo, guitar, mandolin, fiddle, spoons or washboard; all skill levels are invited. Info: 704-1216.

SUNDAY April 7

POKER • The Black Nugget hosts Texas Hold ‘Em at 7 p.m.

SURLS STUDIO TOUR • Sculptor James Surls holds an open house at his Missouri Heights studio from noon to 5 p.m. Surls recently submitted a proposal to the town of Carbondale to convert the existing Gordon Cooper Library building into the non-profit James Surls Museum when the new library is finished in August. Surls’s studio is located at 4381 County Road 103/Crystal Springs Road. To get there from the intersection of Highway 133/82, go east (upvalley) on Highway 82 for 1.8 miles, turn left onto County Road 103 (aka Crystal Springs Road), continue for 4.3 miles. The driveway is on the left. For more information, see the ad on page 16 or call 309-1520.

TUESDAY April 9 ART DEMO • The Glenwood Springs Art Guild presents videos on pencil and color at 7 p.m. at the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Glenwood Springs. Info: 404-1208.

WEDNESDAY April 10 CULTURE CLUB • The newly founded Carbondale Culture Club hosts its first lunchtime presentation at the Third Street Center Calaway Room from noon to 1 p.m.The preliminary program includes music, poetry and more. The club is open to everyone and programs are held Wednesdays from noon to 1 p.m. To sign up for a performance slot, call Lisa at 963-3330.

MONDAY April 8

ROTARY • The Rotary Club of Carbondale meets at 7 a.m. on Wednesdays at the firehouse. Today’s speaker talks about the Buddy Program. Info: Ken Neubecker at eagleriver@sopris.net.

CALLING ALL VISIONARIES • The Carbondale Creative District Plan will be discussed at the The Third Street Center at 6:30 p.m. Planning and zoning information on town area specifics such as parking, set-backs, zoning and more will be available to assist participants in creating a working document from which to define a Creative District in Carbondale. If you want to be involved in the process but can’t make it for this meeting let CCAH know so you can be kept in the loop.

Info: mountainfair@sopris.net or 963-1680.

BOOK SIGNING • Debbie Wilde will sign and discuss her new book “The Sustainable Non-Profit: 10 Strategies to Grow a Successful and Exceptional Organization” from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the CMC Blake Center in Glenwood Springs. Bring your own brown-bag lunch. Info: 625-8189.

JAM SESSION • Carbondale Beer Works on

CALENDAR page 11

Colorado Mountain College

First Generation College Summit Everyone is welcome!

Saturday, April 6, 2013 8:00 AM Free Conference to help students and families prepare for college and future careers. Meet representatives from other Colorado colleges and universities and numerous local resource organizations.

Learn about: Student and Family Resources College preparation Financial Aid /Scholarships Self Improvement High School and College Success

At Glenwood Springs High School 1521 Grand Ave., Glenwood Springs

REGISTER ONLINE: www.coloradomtn.edu/1stgeneration

FREE! 10 • THE SOPRIS SUN • www.SoprisSun.com • APRIL 4, 2013

Contact Yesenia Arreola at 970.947.8357 yarreola@coloradomtn.edu

Community Calendar

continued from page 10

Further Out

Hold the Presses

SATURDAY April 13 SPRING CLEAN UP • Carbondale’s annual Spring Clean Up Day takes place from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the parking lot east of town hall.

Dumpsters will be waiting for just about anything except hazardous waste and refrigerators that have not been certified as Freon free.

Fees will be charged based on residency truck load size. Info: 963-1307.

SUNDAY April 14 KDNK TURNS 30 • KDNK’s 30th birthday party includes a send off for DJ Cowboy Randy at the station beginning at 2 p.m.

Cowboy Randy is retiring to Ecuador and his CDs will be available. There’ll also be a chilicookoff, beer, wine, pop, potluck and cake. To enter the chili-cookoff call 963-0139. The non-profit station, located in the old town hall building at 76 S. Second St., will also give tours of its new broadcast learning center and present two Gold Record Club awards.

SATURDAY May 11

Contra dance returns to TSC The monthly contra dance takes place at the Third Street Center at 7:30 p.m. on April 6. Come early for a walk through if need be. The caller will be Richard Myers from Denver. For details, e-mail Dana at puragusta@hotmail.coim.

Orchard talks garden The Orchard on Snowmass Drive holds an organizational meeting for its community garden at 7 p.m. on April 11. Spanish translation will be provided. There’ll be more than 45 new plots offered this year, and they range in price from $25 to $40. For details, e-mail garden@theorchardlife.com.

DANDELION DAY • Carbondale’s 15th annual Dandelion Day takes place at Sopris Park. Vendor applications are being accepted.

For details, go to dandelionday.org.

P&Z talks new zoning code

MONTESSORI TOURS • Ross Montessori Charter School (K-8) conducts weekly tours for potential parents Thursdays at 8:30 a.m. To reserve a spot, call 963-7199. Enrollment continues through April.

community through a five-part reading and discussion series through April 10. It’s from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Sarah Swedberg, Ph.D, associate professor of American History at Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction will provide background lectures and will lead the conversations on selected readings. Info: 625-3471.

cost is $40 per month or $7 per drop in. Info: 274-1010.

ZINGERS • Betsy Schenck leads the Senior Matters Zingers sing-along group at Heritage Park Care Center on Tuesdays at 2 p.m. Info: 963-2167.

MUSICAL STORY TIME • The Gordon Cooper Library presents Musical Story Time at 4 p.m. on Mondays. Kids must be accompanied by an adult at all times. Info: 963-2889.

APRÈS SKI • DJ RasGis spins roots rock reggae during après ski every Sunday from 3 to 7 p.m. at Burger Bar & Fish, located in Snowmass Base Village across from the Elk Camp gondola.

JAZZ JAM • A jazz jam with players ranging from middle school students to adults is held at the Ramada Inn in Glenwood Springs on Monday nights.

TAI CHI • Senior Matters in the Third Street Center offers tai chi with instructor John Norton at 9 a.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays.The

SUPPORT GROUP • Hospice of the Valley presents a grief and loss support group in Basalt the second and fourth Wednesday of the month.

The Carbondale Planning & Zoning Commission holds a round-table discussion about rewriting the town zoning code at 7 p.m. on April 11. For details, call 510-1208.

Ongoing MAYOR’S COFFEE HOUR • Chat with Carbondale Mayor Stacey Bernot on Tuesdays from 7 to 8 a.m. at the Village Smithy on Third Street.

TNHA CLASSES • True Nature Healing Arts offers classes in chakras, metta, tantra, meditation with a sweat lodge, and more. Info: 963-9900.

CLAY CENTER • The Carbondale Clay Center at the east end of Main Street presents Sarah Moore and K Rhynus Cesark. Info: 963-2529.

WHITE DOG SHOW • The new White Dog Gallery on Weant Boulevard presents New Orleans artist Dianne Parks and others. Info: thewhitedoggallery.com or 510-5391.

GERDES CONTINUES • Colorado Mountain College’s ArtShare gallery in downtown Glenwood Springs presents photographs by Scot Gerdes through April. Info: 947-8367 or cmcartshare.com.

BEER RUN • Independence Run & Hike stages a four-mile beer run Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. and a group run Saturdays at 8:15 a.m.

Info: 704-0909.

BALLET FOLKLORICO • Aspen Santa Fe Ballet Folklorico Program Director Francisco Nevarez gives adult classes at the Third Street Center from noon to 1 p.m. on Mondays. The cost is $12 per class/$40 per month.

CIVIL WAR TALK • The Glenwood Springs Library hosts “Let’s Talk About It: Making Sense of the American Civil War.” Discover this pivotal period of American history with your

BILINGUAL STORY TIME • Gordon Cooper Library presents a bilingual story time for kids 1-5 years old Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m. info: 963-2889.

Roaring Fork Valley WOMEN’S HEALTH SYMPOSIUM Saturday, April 20 • 8:00 am to 2:30 pm The Orchard • 110 Snowmass Drive, Carbondale • Free Lectures • Free screenings Free child care (6 mos to 12 yrs) Keynote Luncheon 12:00 -1:00 • Alison Gannett’s Global Cooling Adventure Show

Downtown Round Table

Before the Planning & Zoning Commission begins a Unified Development Code (UDC), they are seeking input on what aspects of the zoning code needs to be amended. The Commission invites you their April 11, 2013 meeting, beginning at 7:00 pm in Town Hall for a round table discussion.

For additional information, please contact Janet Buck, Town Planner 970.510.1208 jbuck@carbondaleco.net

UDC

downtown carbondale

World Renowned extreme mountain skier, global climate advocate & founder of multiple non profits including Save Our Snow Lunch service beginning at 11:30 • Catered by Simple Catering

by Oscar Sanchez • $5.00 fee for luncheon • Space limited

Pre-registration encouraged Afternoon classes from 1:30 to 2:30 Cardiac Rehab, Foam Rolling for Flexibility, Knee Pain Rehab, Pelvic Floor Rehab and Qigong for everyone. Come dressed to participate!

For information and to register, visit www.vvhfoundation.org THE SOPRIS SUN, Carbondale’s community supported newspaper • APRIL 4, 2013 • 11

Community Briefs

Please submit your community briefs to news@soprissun.com by noon on Monday.

Valley View Health Fair is April 6 The Valley View Hospital Health Fair rolls into Roaring Fork High School in Carbondale from 7 to 11 a.m. on April 6. Other Valley View Health Fairs are scheduled from Silt to Glenwood Springs through April 27. For details, go to vvh.org or call 384-6651.

Libraries closed April 12 All six branches of the Garfield County library system will be closed April 12 for a staff training day. During the closure, you can still browse and request books, movies and more at gcpld.org.

Spring Clean Up Day is April 13 Carbondale Spring Clean Up Day is April 13 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the parking lot across from town hall. Bring your junk, furniture, branches and appliances (refrigerators must be certified Freon-free). No hazardous materials will be accepted. Cost for in-town residents is $10 per pickup/$20 for large loads; out of town is $25 per pickup/$35 for large loads. The fee for tires is $4/$10 for large ones. For details, call 963-1307.

clude your name, phone number and e-mail address on the back of your entry and deliver or mail it to the Carbondale Council on Arts and Humanities, 520 Third Street, Carbondale, CO 81623. For more information, visit carbondalearts.com or call 963-1680.

Literacy Outreach seeks tutors Literacy Outreach is looking for tutor volunteers to help people who are eager to improve their reading, writing, math or English-speaking skills. Volunteers do not need prior teaching experience or speak Spanish -- just a desire to help, the ability to read and speak English, and at least two hours of time a week to work with adult students. A volunteer informational session will be held on at 5:30 p.m. on April 9 at the Glenwood Springs Library. For more information, call 945-5282 or go to literacyoutreach.org

YouthZone offers consultations YouthZone is offering free consultations for parents during April. A consultation is a one-time, 50 minute meeting in which a parent talks to a youth and family specialist. For details, call 945-9300.

GarCo Fair accepting vendor apps The Garfield County Fair in Rifle is slated for Aug. 5-11 and is accepting vendor applications. This year’s Merchant Village includes two new areas: the Crafters Tent and the Demonstration Station. For details, go to garfieldcountyfair.com.

Mountain Fair poster deadline April 15 Carbondale Mountain Fair is seeking entries for its 2013 poster contest. The winner will not only see their design printed on hundreds of T-shirts and posters, but will also win $500. Entries can be created by hand or digitally and can be any size. Entries are due April 15 and must reflect the 2013 Mountain Fair theme based on Chief Seattle’s quote: “Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it.” In-

Clay Center show deadline nears

Kiera Wagner gives her egg a taste after Sunday’s hunt at Sopris Park. Kiera was one of hundreds of kids and parents at the Carbondale Recreation Department’s annual Easter egg hunt. She’s the daughter of Becky Wagner. Photo by Lynn Burton

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Accepting furniture, housewares, jewelry, accessories and clothing for men & women.

We are welcoming new customers and all of our wonderful existing customers to our new shop at the corner of Reed & Robinson Streets in Willits.

Open 10-6 • Mon-Sat • 510-5372 Look for the Purple Awnings at the corner of Reed & Robinson.

12 • THE SOPRIS SUN • www.SoprisSun.com • APRIL 4, 2013

The Carbondale Clay Center will accept applications for the upcoming exhibition “Longing for Repetition” through April 19.

The exhibition starts June 7. To request a prospectus, e-mail info@carbondaleclay.org or call 963-2529.

Carbondale verses Satank: A different perspective

By Ray Sauvey Sopris Sun Contributor The story of the early rivalry between Carbondale and Satank has been told a number of times by local historians. And while details vary, the general outline is pretty consistent and can be summed up briefly.

In 1883, Jerome Wheeler and Walter Devereux constructed a toll road from the end of the Pitkin County road at Emma to Jerome Park (which would be the present-day County Road 100 Road west of the Catherine Bridge, then onto the present day Main Street in Carbondale and out to County Road 108 Road in the Colorado Rocky Mountain School area. They did this to reach coal deposits they had just purchased there.

On June 27, 1883 Harvey Tanney established a post office using the name Satank.

Reports differ as to its initial location but after Harvey Tanney's death it was operated by his wife Ottawa at a location given as the east end of Main Street in present-day Carbondale. Until 1887 if you referred to Satank, this was its location — where the present-day Carbondale is located.

Sometime in 1884 or 1885, Issac Cooper, F.J. Childs, T.A. McGruder and Lucy Hall settled on land near the confluence of the Roaring Fork and Rock Creek (Crystal River after 1887) rivers. They established a town there — variously known as Rockford, Cooperton, Sutank, Moffat and Satank over

the years. The official town plat filed with the county by Sarah Cooper gives the incorporation date as Sept. 29, 1888 and the name as Cooperton.

Cooperton acquired the Satank post office (in the present day Carbondale) in 1887 and the founders anticipated acquiring a depot as the Rio Grande Railway built through town from Glenwood Springs to Aspen. Instead, a group of Eastern “townsite promoters” came in, established the Carbondale Town and Land Co., and robbed what was by then Satank (west of today’s Carbondale) of its depot, despite the best efforts of Issac Cooper who had some connections with the railroad. Carbondale then grew, Satank stagnated and for years afterward there was bad blood between “Hogtown” and “Yellow Dog.”

Looking back

A larger struggle Looking at those events from a different perspective however, it seems clear the rivalry between Carbondale and Satank was part of a much larger struggle playing out in the Colorado mountains during the 1880s. It was a war between competing railroads for access to the Western Slope and for control of the other major natural resource that drew attention to the Roaring Fork and Crystal River valleys — coal.

In fact coal may have held a greater attraction than silver given its almost universal

Early Ute History with

Ute Elder O. Roland McCook, great-great grandson of Chief Ouray and his wife Chipeta

Brought to you through a collaboration with

and

Davi Nikent, Center for Human Flourishing

The Mt. Sopris Historical Society

www.mtsopris historicalsociety.org

www.davinikent.org

Thursday, April 4, 2013 • 7 pm

Calaway Room, Third Street Center Join us for an informative evening with Roland as he shares with us the early history and current life of the Ute (Nuche) people in Colorado. Roland will discuss Ute culture, traditions and environmental philosophy.

Suggested donation: $10.

Mt. Sopris Historical Society 499 Weant - PO Box 2 Carbondale, CO 81623 970-963-7041 mtsoprishistoricalsociety.org Located at the corner of Weant Blvd & Rt. #133.

Looking west on Main Street from Snowmass Drive, Carbondale’s original post office is believed to have been just beyond the house on the right. Photo by Lynn Burton role in everything from steel making, smelting and manufacturing to powering railroad locomotives and even home heating as America’s industrial revolution gained momentum. And not just for large applications.

Steam boilers could be found at the local dairy, quarry, brickyard, foundry, farm implement manufacturer, shoe factory, lumber mill, canning plant, slaughter house — all of the thousands of small industrial enterprises that sprang up around the country. Practically every town in America had a coal yard, usually located somewhere near the depot.

The coal beds lying west of the Crystal River were particularly attractive because they contained both coking (for smelting ore) and steam (for use in boilers) coal in close proximity.

By about 1883 four main deposits had been identified: New Castle (then known as Elk Creek), Jerome Park (including what is now the Sunlight Mountain Resort area near Glenwood Springs), Thompson Creek (southwest of Carbondale) and Coal Basin (including Placita, south of Redstone).

Outside groups began vying for this land, each group consisting of a railroad and associated coal company. One company was William Jackson Palmer’s Denver & Rio Grande Railway/Colorado Coal and Iron Co. Another company was John C. Osgood’s Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad/Colorado Fuel Co. A third was Jerome Wheeler, Walter Devereux and John Hagerman’s Colorado Midland Railway/Grand River Coal & Coke Co. Both the Rio Grande and Midland would build rail lines into the Roaring Fork valley and connect Aspen with Glenwood Springs in 1887.

The deposits in Jerome Park were apparently the first to be discovered, by a man named John Murray in 1880. William Dinkel (of present day Dinkel Building fame) is credited with discovering the Marion Old Mine in 1881. Wheeler and Devereux needed coal for their mines and smelters in Aspen, and Wheeler acquired their properties around 1882. As noted above they built a toll road to Jerome Park

in 1883. Production began at Spring Gulch in 1885 and Marion in 1887. Grand River Coal & Coke acquired these mines after its incorporation in 1886.

John C. Osgood came to Colorado in 1882, representing the Chicago Burlington and Quincy Railroad and a group of Iowa investors. They formed the Colorado Fuel Co. a year later and their initial interest was in deposits around Crested Butte and north of Denver. The Colorado Coal & Iron Co. was formed in 1880 and initially developed coal deposits around Trinidad. It’s unclear when Colorado Fuel (Osgood) and Colorado Coal (Palmer) became interested in the local deposits but the struggle for them, including an “armed conflict” between the Palmer and Hagerman forces came to a head in 1886.

Agreements reached on March 18 and Dec. 31, 1887 settled the Palmer vs. Hagerman fight. Grand River got the New Castle and Jerome Park deposits, Colorado Coal got the deposits in the Thompson Creek drainage and Colorado Fuel got Coal Basin and Placita. Each company agreed to drop all cross-claims.

Construction practices At this point it’s necessary to understand railroad construction practice during the 19th century. Either before or after a charter was granted by the state, an initial survey party was sent out to locate a route and land was obtained through an easement process known as a “right-of-way” or by “outright purchase.” At some later date, perhaps only months or perhaps several years, a final survey would be conducted after which railroad construction began. The other standard practice was for a parent railroad (or corporation) to create a separate railroad company for specific purposes such as constructing a track from the main line to a coal deposit.

This subsidiary might be kept as a separate entity or absorbed into the parent once construction was completed.

That was the idea for the Crystal River SATANK page 16

THE SOPRIS SUN, Carbondale’s community supported newspaper • APRIL 4, 2013 • 13

CMS Lis Off Photos by Lynn Burton

Carbondale Middle School presents “Lift Off in 3D” at the school at 7 p.m. on April 6 and 2 p.m. on April 7. Tickets are $10 for adults and $6 for kids and will sold at the door.

The play, directed by Nina Kether Axelrod, is a time/space adventure in which NASA astronauts travel on a top-secret mission to rescue Major Tom from an alien planet located near a black hole. Along the way they encounter dancing robots, a voodoo priestess, aliens (whose true form can only be seen with the help of 3D glasses that will be provided at the door), a visit from Stephen Hawking and a chance to reflect on the meaning of life. The play features four 3D scenes, two musical numbers and five dance numbers.

The cast of about 30 has been rehearsing the two-act play since November. There will be an intermission between acts.

14 • THE SOPRIS SUN • www.SoprisSun.com • APRIL 4, 2013

Letters continued om page 2 with Steve Smith as to the advisability and feasibility of a Highway 82 bypass around Glenwood Springs. I envision four possible alignments along, under or around the city, namely: 1) an elevated roadway along the lower slopes of Lookout Mountain; 2) an elevated roadway along the lower slopes of Red Mountain: 3) a tunnel through Lookout Mountain to No Name;

and 4) a tunnel under Blake Avenue from the beginning of Glen Avenue to Seventh Street with a new bridge over the Colorado River.

There may even be other feasible alignments, but these are the ones, which I have imagined as feasible. To ignore any of them is myopic.

I believe I have the advantage of hav-

ing traveled in Switzerland twice during the last four years. There I observed several major highways built around, over or under mountain towns and cities very similar to Glenwood Springs. The solutions are, no doubt, very expensive but they are genuine solutions, just as the design of I70 is a genuine solution.

Funding must be sought both from

the state and from the federal government. And instead of resisting input from communities in both the Roaring Fork and Colorado River valleys, the Glenwood Springs City Council should solicit the advice of its neighbors. We are all in this together.

James Breasted Carbondale

Guest opinion continued om page 2 of usage. Meanwhile, the natural gas industry is doing all it can to increase our use of its product for replacing coal that creates electricity, to replacing gasoline and diesel, to piping it to the coast and shipping it away. So 12 years from now, what?

As if that weren’t enough bad news, while it is true that burning natural gas produces less CO2 than coal, there are significant losses of the gas during its production and transportation. Gas is methane, and it is at least 20 times as potent as CO2 as a greenhouse gas.

Finally, several articles have appeared recently (NY Times, Slate) that are talking about a natural gas “bubble.” Some industry insiders claim that these new wells will never produce the kind of volume they are rated at. They say it is a Ponzi scheme that depends on continuing to drill as fast as possible to keep up with well depletion. Supposedly, the low price makes it impossible to make a profit, especially as all the easy locations have been done. For example, drilling in Thompson Divide could be very expensive, maybe prohibitively.

Solving the energy problem will not be easy.

Patrick Hunter is a Sustainability Studies student at CMC and longtime Roaring Fork Valley resident.

UPCOMING EVENTS

The project will run from April to November, 2013.

AT THIRD STREET CENTER

Four lanes of traffic will continue to be maintained throughout the construction project.

Speeds on SH 82 will be reduced from 50 mph to 35 mph for the duration of the project.

CARBONDALE CULTURAL COUNCIL Every Wednesday, 12:00 noon – 1:00 pm, Beginning April 10, Calaway Room CCC will be a “Chatauqua” style gathering each week designed to connect the community with education, entertainment and enlightenment.

Bring your lunch or pick up a salad or sandwich at Lisa’s 3rd Street Café.

MIRIMBA CLASSES FOR ADULTS & YOUTH Every Tuesday beginning April 9 Call Carbondale Council on Arts & Humanities for details, 963-1680.

EARLY UTE HISTORY with UTE ELDER O. ROLAND McCOOK Thursday, April 4 (tonight) 7:00 – 8:30 pm, Calaway Room A collaboration of Mt. Sopris Historical Society and Davi Nikent.

TAI CHI CLASS Every Monday and Wednesday, 9:00 – 10:00 am Instructor, John Norton Sponsored by Senior Matters…

Because Seniors Matter.

Third Street Center • 520 S. Third St, Carbondale CO 963-3221

THIS WEEK, I’M STARTING WORK ON THE PEDESTRIAN UNDERPASS AT THE ABC IN ASPEN!!

A temporary traffic signal will be installed on the Aspen side of the airport terminal traffic circle.

Very slight delays at the temporary traffic signal can be expected.

During construction, pedestrians must use the signaled crosswalk at the intersection of SH 82 and the airport.

roadwork ahead!

energy, climate change, population growth, soil depletion, deterioration of the oceans and more. Our society’s and our economic models will change severely.

We should wish these Green Knights well. As they said in olden times: Godspeed!

(Godspeed was, I just learned, the name of a ship that sailed to the New World in 1607).

On the challenge of energy, a local battle is being waged over drilling for natural gas. Alan Best, of High Country News and Mountain Town News, wrote an entertaining and informative column titled “Smug Alert.” Based on a South Park episode, “Smug” is what comes of driving “Pious” cars on the West Coast, but then inundates our Rocky Mountains. In short, he tells us it is time to come to grips with energy.

Clearly the country is experiencing a boom in the availability of natural gas. In my environmental science class a power-point slide during a lecture popped up on the screen. It told us there are about 11 years of natural gas reserves in the United States.

Say what?

President Obama is saying 100 years. Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, at a Vail symposium on energy, said 100 years.

Why the discrepancy? There are, it turns out, very different kinds of reserves when it comes to talking about fossil fuels. “Proven” reserves are now only 11 years, “probable” and “who knows” make up the other 89 years. And that is at the current rate

www.thirdstreetcenter.net

Please note: Construction schedules always change. Stay tuned.

for details on all tenant organizations and additional events

We’ll do our best to keep you informed. Questions? 920-5206

THE SOPRIS SUN, Carbondale’s community supported newspaper • APRIL 4, 2013 • 15

Valley. No fewer than four railroads were planned (not counting the Crystal River Railway, which didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t enter the picture until ďŹ ve years later). Three were subsidiaries of the groups mentioned above, the fourth was a Colorado Midland branch that was eventually built from Cardiff (near Glenwood Springs) instead. Of the other three, the Aspen & Western Railway (A&W), incorporated on June 7, 1886 by the Colorado Coal & Iron Co. (CC&I) is key to understanding the town site rivalry. While Palmer was no longer president of the Rio Grande he still maintained a large stake in it, and controlled CC&I outright. So the A&W was owned by CC&I and probably would have become a branch of the Rio Grande had the mines proved out.

Back to Satank

tank, and proďŹ ts into the pockets of its inhabitants. The town fathers and mothers must have watched with great anticipation as track crews grading both roadbeds and spiked down rails during the spring and summer of 1887.

If so, their optimism was probably shortlived. The A&W began grading a line into Thompson Creek that same summer and it would have become obvious rather quickly that Satank was about to discover what a number of other Colorado communities already knew. A Rio Grande historian summed it up when he wrote: â&#x20AC;&#x153;During its formative years it (the Rio Grande) was used primarily to enhance the value of raw land owned by its ofďŹ cials and their associates.â&#x20AC;? James John Hagerman of the Colorado Midland put it even more bluntly: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The inďŹ&#x201A;uence of the Rio Grande Company is the most powerful inďŹ&#x201A;uence in the state. It can make or unmake many localities. â&#x20AC;Ś Disorder, power to play tricks, to slaughter rates, to reward friends and punish enemies is what they want.â&#x20AC;?

The fate of Animas City probably most closely parallels what was about to befall Satank. In 1880, residents of that small southwestern Colorado locale were ecstatic; the railroad was coming! Their community would soon be the commercial hub of the

region and gateway to the San Juan mining district. Prosperity was to be had by all. But then the tracks stopped two miles short of town at a location where Dr. William A. Bell (a land agent for the Rio Grande) had platted the Durango Land & Coal Co. Within six months Durango was booming and Animas City was on its way to becoming a ghost town.

Given the potential of the Crystal River Valley, Palmer and his associates were no doubt thinking of Carbondale as the next Durango and wanted the land proďŹ ts for themselves. This is evidenced by a clear link between the A&W and the Carbondale Town and Land Co., in the form of James K. Robinson whose name appears as a director in the Articles of Incorporation for both companies and William E. Johnson, president of the Land Company and general manager of the A&W, according to the Aspen Times. Another A&W director, W.G. Trimble, owned land in the new town.

Circumstantial evidence There is also a wealth of circumstantial evidence to connect the two corporations.

First, it ďŹ ts Palmerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s standard business model of more than a decade, as shown by the Animas City story. Second, both Palmer and

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Help Build Communities Advertise in The Sopris Sun Published weekly on Thursdays.

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town site President William E. Johnson had Pennsylvania links and it was Johnson who named the Colorado venture after his eastern hometown (Carbondale). Third, considering the amount of land CC&I needed for its projected blast furnaces (it owned a large iron ore deposit outside of Aspen near Ashcroft) and coke ovens, buying land in bulk from existing ranchers would have been far cheaper than trying to get lots from an established town site like Satank.

In the Crystal River Pictorial by Dell McCoy there is an intriguing town plat of Carbondale dated c.1886. In it the A&W and CC&I facilities are clearly shown and it certainly looks like the town was laid out with those facilities in mind. The ofďŹ cial town site plat ďŹ led with GarďŹ eld County also shows the A&W running down the middle of present day Weant Boulevard.

Taken together itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hard to escape the conclusion that the Carbondale Town and Land Company was formed by Palmer and his associates, and that Satank had never been in the running for a depot from the beginning.

The ďŹ nal insult must have come when the Colorado Midland also named its depot Carbondale, for the town located more than a mile from its tracks, rather than for Satank, just yards away across the river.

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With that larger picture in mind, it seems clear the present day Satank was planned as a strategic location for the anticipated coal, marble, gold (from Crystal City) and agricultural products soon to be coming from the Crystal River Valley. By 1885, survey lines for both the Midland and Rio Grande would have been staked out north of the river (the only place in the valley where the bitter rivals came close together other than in Aspen). In addition, the Rio Grande right-of-way skirted the east edge of the Satank town site and the county road ran through its center, then bridged the river at its northern edge.

The trafďŹ c to and from the outside world would naturally ďŹ&#x201A;ow through Sa-

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The influence of the Rio Grande Company is the most powerful influence in the state. It can make or unmake many localities. â&#x20AC;Ś Disorder, power to play tricks, to slaughter rates, to reward friends and punish enemies is what they want.â&#x20AC;?

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Satank î&#x2C6;&#x2021;om page 13

Seen around town A hydraulic or transmission fluid leak from a MRI dump truck in front of town hall brought out brooms, the police and a fire district truck on April 1.

Photo by Lynn Burton

The eggs went quick at Carbondale’s Easter egg hunt on March 31. Photo by Lynn Burton

The Carbondale & Rural Fire Protection District responded to a structure fire at 690 Merrill Ave. on March 30. The fire was extinguished within 13 minutes of the first engine’s arrival.

There were no injuries but a family of four was displaced.

Photo by Jane Bachrach

Peter Benedict, a teacher and head of kayak instruction at Colorado Rocky Mountain School (CRMS), poses on the Satank Bridge with a 40-pound kayak, and his son Otter on March 31.

Benedict said riding with the kayak is easy but the tricky part is getting started.

Photo by Julie Albrecht

THE SOPRIS SUN, Carbondale’s community supported newspaper • APRIL 4, 2013 • 17

Shopping | Dining | Culture | Recreation

VISIT BASALT & EL JEBEL At the confluence of Frying Pan and Roaring Fork Rivers

Library tangos with duo; Wyly advances

Celebrate Spring!

Sopris Sun Staff Report

Let the spirit of spring leap in your heart as you enjoy a performance by the Elias Duo at Basalt Regional Library at 5:30 p.m. on April 11. Carlos Elias (violin) will be accompanied by his wife Andrea Arese-Elias (piano) in a program of tango music from South America in both original style and modern. Carlos and Andrea were born in Argentina. As the Elias Duo, they have performed in United States, Japan, Argentina and El Salvador. For more information, call the Basalt Regional Library at 927-4311.

On April 16 at 5:30 p.m., the library presents the Hell Roaring String Band. This five-piece acoustic band plays a wide range of music, from traditional bluegrass to Celtic tunes to outright rock ‘n’ roll. The band has a musical flair and sense of humor that gives it a unique stamp and makes it highly infectious.

April 27, 2013, Lions Park FE-Waste Recycle Day – bring your electronic clutter for recycling – small fee may apply

The Wyly Registration is under way for the Wyly Community Art Center’s Advanced Art Club for ages nine and older.

Nicole Nagel-Gogolak teaches the class, which will be held from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. on April 16. Registration is required. The project is geared to elevate visual arts and problem solving, and to challenge them and build their self-esteem. Wyly Community Art Center is located at 99 Midland Spur in downtown Basalt (the former Basalt Library building). For more information 927-4123 or e-mail art@wylyarts.org.

The show “Sara Ransford: The Eloquent Edge” continues at the Wyly Community Art Center through April 25. The gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Ransford creates ceramic wall pieces by Sara Ransford.

The Wyly also presents “Colorful Landscapes,” an exhibition of paintings from Mountain Valley Developmental Services the Roaring Fork School District’s Ready for the World program.

FFree Garden and Forestry Workshops FEarth Friendly Vendors FSee www.basalt.net for more information on E-Waste recycling and fees (if any).

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18 • THE SOPRIS SUN • www.SoprisSun.com • APRIL 4, 2013

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;Smug alertâ&#x20AC;? issued for Câ&#x20AC;&#x2122;dale due to gas opposition

By Allen Best High Country News Perhaps drilling rigs should be allowed in cities, towns and even into our own metaphorical backyards. It would be good for the environment. Maybe not your personal environment, but more broadly for our environment.

Community planners for decades have urged mixed-use development, in which we combine work, play and shopping in closer physical proximity. Lately, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve expanded the idea to food.

Growing your own victuals feels good and connects you more directly with the weather and changing climate. Energy, however, remains an abstraction â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and many people would like to keep it that way.

In Colorado, several cities have adopted limits. Now, Fort Collins has banned fracking. In fairness to those municipalities, legitimate concerns remain about the technologyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s impacts on water and air quality.

Yet the bigger picture is that we all use natural gas. Milk doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t originate in a carton, nor water in a faucet. With natural gas, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s even worse. We never actually see, smell or taste the gas, only the heat it produces or, in the case of electricity, the light it provides or the cool air from conditioners.

Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a huge disconnect.

Consider the debate in Carbondale. Locals have high regard for a nearby area called Thompson Divide. Carbondale,

however, wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t named after somebody named Bill Carbon. Coal was mined intermittently in the Thompson Divide area for a century, and drillers have poked around there previously and perhaps not delicately so. Now comes the question of whether the federal government will issue extensions for drilling in the basin.

The Aspen Times, reporting on a recent meeting attended by 300 people, said (in an editorial) the current quandary was best summarized by a local student. While everyone who uses natural gas must, at some level, supports energy extraction, she said, some places should be off-limits. And Thompson Divide is one of them.

OK, fair enough. But then came another local resident who warned of the â&#x20AC;&#x153;wolf at the doorâ&#x20AC;? that had already devoured half of his county with drilling. And, reports the Times (and The Sopris Sun), he got a resounding â&#x20AC;&#x153;noâ&#x20AC;? when he asked the crowd if it was worth â&#x20AC;&#x153;poisoning the Earthâ&#x20AC;? to extract more natural gas to feed the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s addiction to fossil fuels.

It turns out that one protector of the last, best places commutes to the West Coast, where he oversees the manufacturing and retailing of a well-known line of outdoor clothing. That requires a 2,000-

mile commute: Your very own carbon footprint the size of Poland.

In reading about the Carbondale meeting, I was reminded of the 2006 â&#x20AC;&#x153;South Parkâ&#x20AC;? episode called â&#x20AC;&#x153;Smug Alert,â&#x20AC;? in which the local residents buy â&#x20AC;&#x153;Piousâ&#x20AC;? cars, which makes them feel smug. Then clouds of â&#x20AC;&#x153;smugâ&#x20AC;? originating from Hollywood, San Francisco and South Park threaten to converge over the Rocky Mountains in an apocalypse of self-righteousness.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s easy to be smug about drilling for natural gas. Questions from citizens havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t been answered by industry and state regulators, and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not clear that standards and oversight have been strengthened enough to protect the environment.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Right now, we all have grime on our hands from drilling.â&#x20AC;?

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PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a Public Hearing will be held before the Carbondale Planning and Zoning Commission for the purpose of considering an application for a Preliminary/Final Master Subdivision Plat.

The property is known as Thompson Park. The addresses are 1539, 1599, and 1605 State Highway 133. The site is generally located along the south side of State Highway 133, east of Hendrick Ranch, west of Triangle Park, and north of River Valley Ranch. The property is 10.2 acres in size. The applicant/property owner is Cerise Park, LLC.

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Mid-Valley Food Pantries Carbondale: Third Street Center, 520 South 3rd Street, #35 Mon, Wed & Fri: 10am-12:30pm â&#x20AC;˘ 963-1778 Basalt: Basalt Community United Methodist Church 167 Holland Hills Rd. â&#x20AC;˘ Wed & Thur: 11am-1pm â&#x20AC;˘ 279-1492

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ATTENTION LANDSCAPERS AND LAWN PROFESSIONALS.

Call

379-3307

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.

Janet Buck Town Planner

Published in The Sopris Sun on April 4, 2013.

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Said Public Hearing will be held at the Carbondale Town Hall, 511 Colorado Avenue, Carbondale, CO at 7:00 p.m. on April 25, 2013.

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JOHN FROST MERRIOTT

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Allen Best is a contributor to Writers on the Range, a service of High Country News (hcn.org) and publishes Mountain Town News, an online magazine. This column was edited for length.

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But how can we say no, no, no to drilling, when our actions say yes, yes, yes to the demand that drives the drilling? Carbondale and Pitkin County donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want drilling at Thompson Divide? Fair enough.

Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re ahead of the curve in energy-efďŹ ciency programs. But to say absolutely no to drilling? Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d need to say no to energy use, too. Mandating passive-home construction that tamps down energy use to almost nothing would be one major step.

Right now, we all have grime on our hands from drilling. But for some people, the grime seems to be invisible.

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THE SOPRIS SUN, Carbondaleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s community supported newspaper â&#x20AC;˘ APRIL 4, 2013 â&#x20AC;˘ 19