Isabel Hicks

A berm to block roadside spoils from view remains incomplete, and tensions are high.  Some backstory: In 2007, the Crystal Valley Environmental Protection Association (CVEPA) noticed the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) dumping rockfall and mudslide waste at Placita, a site off the McClure Pass road. The dumping was on public lands, and it concerned […]

Instead of walking across a stage, Lucia Penzel, 18, graduated high school from inside her car. She is one of the many members of the Class of 2020 whose education has been turned upside down by the coronavirus, having to finish senior year online and begin college in a time of widespread uncertainty.  “My friends […]

On Tuesday, Colorado Department of Agriculture’s Colorado Proud held a virtual roundtable to discuss the challenges local agriculture faces this growing season: peach freeze, pandemic, and drought. The discussion featured four panelists from various sectors of the agricultural scene and a moderator.  Kelli Hepler, the president of the Colorado Agritourism Association, detailed the pandemic’s impacts […]

62,326 servings gleaned. 617 community volunteer hours. $50,802 of surplus food—and that’s just on the Western Slope. These are the numbers that showcase the work of the three-year-old nonprofit UpRoot as the organization continues to grow across the state.  UpRoot works to reduce the amount of agricultural surplus in Colorado. Started in 2017 by Carbondalian […]

This summer’s drought has firefighters on the edge of their seats. On Independence Day weekend, “instead of wearing their regular duty pants… [firefighters] were wearing their wildland pants and their boots,” Roaring Fork Fire Chief Scott Thompson said. “That was all so they didn’t have to take two minutes to change their clothes to go […]

Eager City Market shoppers may not realize the historical significance of the land below their feet when they walk through the store’s shiny new doors this fall.  The lack of opposition to development on this land is notable. City Market is Carbondale’s single greatest sales tax contributor, and the Town found it was losing potential […]

Major headway was made in the effort to conserve the Coffman Ranch last month when Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) awarded a $2.5 million grant to Aspen Valley Land Trust (AVLT) to help purchase and conserve the 141-acre property.  This grant marks a significant step in an otherwise unfinished race. The project needs a total of […]