Spring challenge
Carbondale’s Bike, Pedestrian & Trails Commission and CLEER invite you to join the Carbondale Cares Spring Challenge. Walk, bike, bus or carpool and earn entries in multiple prize drawings. The challenge runs from May 1 through June 15.
It’s good for you and great for Carbondale! Simply download the Two Rivers Connect app and start logging your trips.
Register at bit.ly/bikewalkbus
David Clair
Carbondale
Love letter to 5Point
I’m a little obsessed with the fact that Carbondale has its own film festival. I moved here in the fall of 2023 and finally experienced my first 5Point this past week, and it exceeded all expectations.
My husband and I attended a screening of “The Last First: Winter K2” on Wednesday evening. It was spectacular: beautiful storytelling, gut-wrenching and deeply real emotion and stunning cinematography. On Thursday, we attended the welcome party at Mountain Tide Provisions and were treated to excellent live music and company. On Saturday, we ran the 5Point 5K with our pup and then spent time at the Rec Center’s daytime programming.
The entire experience was thoughtful, energizing, and incredibly well done. I’m so impressed by what this community creates together. A heartfelt thank you to every person, business and organizer who makes this event possible.
Sara Linehan
Carbondale
Considering water
Like many in the Roaring Fork Valley, I’ve been paying closer attention to water use as drought conditions continue to affect our region. It’s made me notice a small but very common practice in our local restaurants: automatically serving glasses of water to every guest.
Having spent many years in the restaurant business here in the valley, I know that our greatest strength is how we welcome people — both those who live here and those just passing through. Hospitality is part of the fabric of this community, and our restaurants are a vital part of what makes this place so special. I have deep respect for the people behind them and the hard work they do every day.
With that in mind, I’d like to gently suggest a small but meaningful shift in how we approach water service. Offering water upon request, rather than automatically, could help conserve a precious resource, without diminishing the guest experience. Anyone who wants water would still receive it, while reducing unnecessary use during busy days, especially in peak season.
Water conservation is something we all share responsibility for, and small adjustments across our community can add up to a meaningful impact.
This is not meant as criticism, but as an invitation to make a thoughtful change — one that reflects both our values and the realities of living in a drought-prone region.
Maria Maniscalchi
Glenwood Springs
Re: Teachable Moments
A huge shout out to the Teachable Moments Childcare kids (and staff) for their spectacular efforts in picking up trash along the Rio Grande Trail! We all see areas of unsightly trash — County Road 100 bothers me but alas this week most of it was cleaned up! Amen! Who deserves the credit? The Rodeo Association getting ready for their season? Did they offer free rodeo tickets for the job? The Aspen Valley Land Trust that manages the Coffman Ranch? Maybe the Colorado Extreme Hockey that has poured a great deal of money and time into creating a sweet spot for our youth hockey? Maybe Roaring Fork Transportation Authority utilized their (our) millions on a cleanup? Or maybe the owners/tenants of the commercial property rallied to clean it up? Quite possibly the hundreds that appreciate and utilize the Rio Grande Trail?
If it wasn’t any of these, why not? Every day is Earth Day! Bend over Carbondale and pick it up! Set an example when you take your peeps to the park or go on a walk. Pick up the trash! YOU can make it happen! Bend over! Thanks to the downtown businesses that put forth the effort to beautify Main Street and beyond! And to the few owners that do not — I’ll go elsewhere, thank you. Let’s hope our new mayor and Board of Trustees, along with the volunteer groups, put forth innovative measures to make Carbondale a lovelier town! Have you checked out Basalt lately? Gorgeous! Happy Spring!
Ramona Griffith
Carbondale
Basalt Earth Day
“My Future, My Voice” was the title of the event here in Basalt, Colorado. I was wondering who thought of this theme name. To me it is a great mystery as it applies to what it is like to understand why this life is a gift from the creator of the universe.
When I and those who find it a commitment to become responsible human beings for the land, water, air, plants, animals and soil give away part of our existence it opens us up to receiving the blessings that fellow planetary citizens also experience.
My future is your future as well. What is more important than me is you. In the moments that we briefly experience time on the planet we cannot avoid breathing; well we can avoid breathing but I wouldn’t advise it for too long.
Should we close our eyes to the situations that are in our world? If we choose to go on that path, why are we surprised when we find ourselves in a place where the choices that are made have nothing to do with what we would desire to see?
If we don’t speak up when we see actions happening in the world that obviously harm one of our life processes it leaves environmental groups and environmentalists (aka tree huggers) wondering why so many people with voices that depend upon protecting the planetary systems don’t think this is a responsibility.
The future is a possibility that we can have an effect on. If we just continue to coast, the difference between being responsible and reckless could sum up to more than $220 trillion dollars by 2070, according to a Deloitte projection. That depends on getting it right or the failure to get it right.
So my future depends on my voice, your voice, the congregations, the singers, the poets, the artists, the politicians, the entrepreneurs, the town council and the children. Teach your children well, Mercy Mercy me, It’s nature’s way of telling you something’s wrong, This Land is Your Land.
Steven Kuschner
Glenwood Springs
Natural eradication
On a recent drive, it was great to see this welcome saign of spring: the G.O.A.T.S. (the “Grazers Of All Time Squadron”) of Goat Green LLC, operated by Lani Malmberg and Donny Benz, which were on the job over the weekend munching noxious weeds and other undesirable growth in the territory near the Crystal River Fish Hatchery and the adjoining neighborhood yards along Highway 133 south of Carbondale. Good to see a process of natural eradication in action.
Bernie Pearce
Ouray and Aspen
What will be left?
What will be left in two and a half years? Learning today that all 24 members of the National Science Board have been fired (presumably to be replaced by climate deniers, vaccine skeptics and other quacks) it’s clear we’re now a s**thole country. It seems we will be celebrating the demise of our once great country on its 250th anniversary in a few months. Unfortunately we are affecting much of the rest of the world as we crumble. Let’s hope a phoenix can rise from the ashes.
Peter Westcott
Carbondale
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