The wood-accented room was full. Adults of all ages sat in rows from wall to wall, filling the space from the lit projector screen in front to the conference table in the back at the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies’ Hallam Lake location. Dr. Dan West of Colorado State University (CSU) and the Colorado State […]
Environment
Posted inEnvironment
Seasonal closure remains in place at Riverfront Park
Del Craig has lived at Thompson Corner in River Valley Ranch for over 20 years. His back patio faces the Crystal River. Across the river, he sees activity at Riverfront Park. Until recently, Riverfront Park was somewhat secret. One of several park spaces acquired by the Town of Carbondale when River Valley Ranch was approved […]
Posted inEducation
Defying limits: Austria’s Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner to speak about climbing the world’s tallest mountains
On Feb. 24, Aspen’s Wheeler Opera House hosts a speaker who will turn the audience’s attention to the heights. Not just any heights: specifically, 8,000 meters, the 14 tallest mountains in the world. She is Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner, one of the only women to have climbed the planet’s tallest mountains, and the first woman to have […]
Posted inEnvironment
New round of decisions on track for proposed Uinta Basin Railway
Late last year, Uinta Basin Railway (UBR) backers, Utah’s Seven County Infrastructure Coalition, filed a 35-page motion with the Federal Surface Transportation Board (STB), asking the Board to reaffirm its original decision to approve the railway without further environmental review. But the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) is not on board with the idea. The […]
Posted inEnvironment
Glenwood group working to preserve historic greenhouse, establish botanical gardens
A Glenwood Springs citizen group is in the process of trying to rescue, relocate and repurpose a unique piece of the region’s history — the ornate early 20th century greenhouse that once adorned the front lawn at the Redstone Castle. The nearly 122-year-old greenhouse for the past eight decades has resided in West Glenwood where […]
Posted inEnvironment
Winter nighttime temps surge above historical average
As Roaring Fork Valley residents navigate this winter’s low precipitation, leaders at the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies (ACES) are warning that shifting average temperatures are also a significant concern. At the beginning of the month, Forest and Climate Director Adam McCurdy noted the asymmetric warming trend in ACES’ monthly “Wild Tracks” newsletter. Asymmetric warming […]
Posted inEnvironment
Why the wooden stakes?
Red Hill Council update Visitors to Mushroom Rock Trail may have noticed an increase in wooden stakes and boundary lines along sections of the trail. These markers outline closure areas where a test-case revegetation project was initiated by volunteers during the fall of 2025 in order to protect and restore the trail and surrounding landscape […]
Posted inEnvironment
The Arctic Hoarder returns to Colorado
The North American wolverine (Gulo gulo luscus) is a survivor. It is called the Arctic Hoarder for good reason. This small mammal, a member of the weasel family, lives at high elevations where it’s cold and snowy. Wolverines scavenge for food in the summer and cache it away for winter. And they are returning to […]
Posted inBusiness
Good Earth prioritizes people and place in landscaping
For over three decades, Carbondale-based Good Earth Landscaping & Maintenance has made it their business to enhance Valley homes and buildings. Originally started by David and Melanie Crandall, the company has been owned by business partners Jeff Margulies and Josh Austin since the winter of 2017/18. Good Earth focuses on high-end landscaping in Aspen and […]
Posted inColumns
Former local reporter’s new novel strikes a chord for resort-town residents
Editor’s note: Potential spoilers lie ahead. Michael Bourne, a professor of writing at the British Columbia Institute of Technology and a former reporter for Aspen Daily News, recently wrapped a mini tour promoting his second novel, “We Bring You an Hour of Darkness,” a riveting read that offers a peek, albeit fictional, into the world […]