On Thursday evening, Aug. 13, Paepcke Auditorium in Aspen will host an extraordinary event: “Summit of Hope: An Evening with Lhakpa Sherpa,” featuring the world-renowned mountaineer. In 2000, Lhakpa was the first Nepali woman to successfully summit and return from Mount Everest. She has subsequently climbed the mountain numerous times, completing her 11th ascent — […]
Environment
Posted inEnvironment
Western Slope growers had varying luck with crops after April’s late freeze
Back in April, a cold spell hit Western Colorado, with temperatures dropping below 28 degrees in the North Fork and Grand Valleys west of the Roaring Fork region. After above-average temperatures in February and March, including multiple warm spells, crops in the area were ahead of growing schedule. Farmers sprang into action; some fared well, […]
Posted inLocal Government
Checking out the Bells
Picture the scene: Friends from out of town are visiting the Roaring Fork Valley for the first time and you’ve offered to show them around. The first place that comes to mind is Maroon Bells. It’s an obvious choice. They are, after all, among the most beautiful and most photographed landscapes in the Rocky Mountains. […]
Posted inLocal Government
Glenwood Springs Mayor Pro-Tem calls for action to stop limestone quarry
Rocky Mountain Industrials (RMI) is one step closer to a new mining plan for the beleaguered limestone quarry just northwest of Glenwood Springs. The quarry sits on a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) parcel in full view of the Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park. The proposed plan is the third iteration of an application that was […]
Posted inEnvironment
CLEER discusses the state of Carbondale emissions with the community
“Inspired.” That was the word that loomed largest in a community-driven word cloud following Carbondale’s climate discussion Tuesday evening at the Third Street Center. The discussion — hosted by Clean Energy Economy for the Region (CLEER), Garfield Clean Energy, Town of Carbondale, Town of Carbondale Environmental Board and supported by Marble Distilling — outlined where […]
Posted inLocal Government
GarCo Report: Land swap, Sweetwater and Spring Valley Ranch
Land-use issues filled this week’s Garfield Board of County Commissioners’ (BOCC) agenda on Tuesday, beginning with Sweetwater residents against the proposed state park at Sweetwater Lake. They voiced concerns during the public comment period about what they and the land have to lose if the park is approved. When the White River National Forest (WRNF) […]
Posted inEnvironment
Carbondale residents show up for the trees
On July 16, Carbondale Town Arborist Carl Meinecke led the Town’s annual tree walk. The summer stroll offered community members the opportunity to learn about the public tree canopy from Meinecke and members of the Carbondale Tree Board, who otherwise are kept busy ensuring planting and maintenance of a healthy mountain town forest and park […]
Posted inEnvironment
Smart irrigation system slashes water use at Crown Mountain Park
A new, smart irrigation system is now fully operational at Crown Mountain Park that can slash the mid-valley park’s water usage by 20% to 30%, or tens of thousands of gallons of water a day — coming not a moment too soon during a historically dry year. The new irrigation system, called Baseline, uses real-time […]
Posted inEnvironment
How wide is your Pondo?
Chuck Ogilby is proud of his trees, in particular a couple large Ponderosa pines on his Hell Roaring Ranch property off of the Crystal River Road, about halfway between Carbondale and Redstone. One of the Ponderosas may even be the largest one in the area … but that remains a mystery. For Ogilby’s 65 birthday, […]
Posted inEnvironment
Air quality safety, as recommended by an expert
Air quality impacts of wildfire go beyond visible smoke. In a year that Colorado has seen 17 fires over 1,000 acres, with six of those large wildfires having started in the last month, air quality is top of mind for many people. The Sopris Sun spoke with air pollution and environmental health expert Michael Petroni, […]