On Nov. 20, the Gunnison County Planning Commission held a public hearing on a land-use application from Treasure Mountain Ranch, Inc. (TMR), the company that owns significant acreage in and around the historic townsite of Crystal. The application seeks a Minor Impact Land Use Change to consolidate parcels and cluster new development in the Crystal […]
Environment
Posted inNews
As winter hits Carbondale, residents stoke their fireplaces
Cathy Britt sliced apples on her kitchen counter and looked at an ironcast wood stove in an adjoining living room. It’s a Norwegian-made Jotul. The kind with a nostalgic swinging door and a black stove pipe. “We can’t imagine not having it,” she said. “It’s just so part of the house.” Cathy, a former Carbondale […]
Posted inEnvironment
Ute traditions inform water conservation in the Shining Mountains
“If we take care of that water, we know that water is going to take care of us,” stated Lorelei Cloud, who has spent a lifetime advocating for water conservation and access. Cloud, a former vice chairman of the Southern Ute tribe, was also the first tribal member on record to serve on the Colorado […]
Posted inNonprofits
Staying Sustainable
It’s official! Sustainable Settings is off the market. The 244-acre biodynamic ranch nonprofit was listed back in April of 2022 for over $24 million with the price increasing weekly. It topped out at $33,333,333.33 and is now deemed “priceless.” According to co-founder Brooke LeVan, the sale was always a publicity stunt. When we think of […]
Posted inEnvironment
Federal shutdown placed public lands strain on local governments, nonprofits
As of Nov. 11, the federal government had been shut down for over 42 consecutive days. While some employees in various agencies remained at work with or without pay, many were furloughed or otherwise suspended via reduction in force orders. These limitations strained public lands management throughout the country. Colorado, as the state with the […]
Posted inEnvironment
Harvest Roaring Fork proposes to develop new subdivisions over winter elk habitat
Editor’s Note: The Cattle Creek Confluence Coalition — www.cattlecreekcc.com — is holding a public meeting on this topic on Thursday, Nov. 6, at 6:30pm in the Glenwood Springs Library community room. Picture, if you can, environmentalists collaborating with developers on one of the last stretches of undeveloped valley floor, on pasture land between Carbondale and […]
Posted inEnvironment
Spring Valley Ranch strikes (out) again
A proposed substantial amendment to the Spring Valley Ranch Planned Unit Development (PUD) on more than 5,900 acres, east of Glenwood Springs, seems to have met its match with local resistance. On Oct. 27, in a surprise move, Spring Valley Holdings LLC (SVH) withdrew the PUD amendment and rezoning application for the controversial mega-development. In […]
Posted inEnvironment
RFPLWF unites common interests
In late spring and early summer, signs began appearing at many outdoor access points throughout the Roaring Fork Valley. These notices included reminders to recreate responsibly alongside information about reduced public lands funding and ways to steward outdoor spaces. These signs are just one aspect of work being done by a new local coalition: the […]
Posted inEducation
Community sprouting around RFHS biodome
Next volunteer project day is Oct. 25 Gretchen Hofmann has been taking care of organic gardens and biodomes since landing at the Windstar Foundation, an Aspen nonprofit founded by musician John Denver, when she was 25. She made her career stewarding diverse landscapes, even teaching organic gardening at UC Davis. Coming full circle, she is […]
Posted inEnvironment
‘Wild for Good’ report directs advocacy for endangered landscapes
On Friday, Sept. 29, Carbondale-based conservation advocacy nonprofit Wilderness Workshop released Wild for Good, a report highlighting 10 of western Colorado’s most ecologically-rich landscapes now at increasing risk of development. The report was released as a call to action to protect Coloradan public lands, and directs citizens to both experience their local landscapes for themselves […]