Harvest RFV
I attended the Garfield County meeting on Sept. 18 for community input regarding new development by Harvest Roaring Fork LLC. This meeting was held on the property site at Cattle Creek and Highway 82. The developers are collecting information on what the community wants to see there saying that at this time they do not have a plan.
Our home is up County Road 113 and we are fortunate to own 15 private acres, albeit water is not plentiful. The feeling of turning on a spigot and getting nothing is not uncommon. I’m not ready to realize what a subdivision within four miles would do to our water table.
Currently the heavy traffic on Highway 82 is a death sentence when entering and exiting, traveling either direction. If we ever have an emergency requiring a mass evacuation, the consequences we would endure living in this “five months out of the year” box canyon would be catastrophic.
Harvest RFV is inquiring about what type of river access we would like to see on this already overused river. Is there potential for river access? Or is this a ploy for uneducated, interested buyers?
The last 10 years provides a hint at what type of development they will be pursuing at the new site. Does our valley really want to see and support another Tree Farm/Kodiak Club? Our first home was in Summit Vista. We lived there for 15 years as we watched the Tree Farm, originally operated by the Forest Service, being developed. We watched the elk that migrate through that Willits area get turned away from development. For me, it is difficult to pass through that area and be proud of what it has come to — it’s rather sickening.
As I stood on the hill where the proposed Harvest RFV site is planned, I could only think of the herd of 150-200 elk that hangs out on that vantage point each winter. Are we looking forward to running them off as well? I’m raising a voice for wildlife. Doesn’t nature have a right to exist here?
For Harvest RFV to say they do not have a plan when they just spent millions for that piece of land does not make sense to me. I cannot imagine what value they will put on a home that would make it affordable to attract workers closer to where they work so they aren’t commuting long distances. This verbiage is getting very old!
This is no longer the valley I was excited to call home 35 years ago. It has lost its characteristic of what I came for. I would love to see a moratorium on future development until a plan can be shared with us that proves we care about the future of this special place. When is enough enough?
Rosemary Burkholder
Cattle Creek

Seeking ‘snow angels’
Is there a group of able-bodied men and women who are willing to help us old timers do the sidewalk and driveway shoveling that we used to be able to do ourselves? I’m 75 and my body and back aren’t what they used to be! Please direct me to where I might find help.
Sam Hayes
Crystal Village


Forgiveness
It occurred to me that Biden’s finest act, as president of a “Christian nation,” was to demonstrate Christ’s parable, The Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32).
The prodigal son benefited vastly from the forgiveness and acceptance of his father, but even more, the father benefited from his own forgiving and accepting of himself.
Jesus’ last breath was used to implore, “forgive them.” Many of us who are considered “Westerners” descend from lines of Abraham’s sons, the Hebrew and Arab descendants whose cultures are mostly unchanged and are kept separated by a grudge, maintained and cherished, for 4,000 years. A grudge that was dispelled by Jesus with the idea of forgiveness, taught in tiny Galilee, for three years and then punctuated on a dying breath while he hung on a cross. Forgiveness created Christianity from the same stock of Abraham’s sons, Isacc and Ishmael. The difference that forgiveness made to civilization is profound.
My message to the Arabs and Israelis is to forget the stupid thinking of 4,000 years of animosity and accept forgiveness in whatever form it is offered, then forgive right back to you brother.
The most powerful thing that we can do is to make our enemy our friend.
Our common ground is enormous.
John Hoffmann
Carbondale

Gratitude
What a celebratory community we folks are! I wish to send a huge THANK YOU to everyone who dropped in Bonfire Coffee to warm up and share a cup of coffee, hot chocolate and cider with us and to listen as Shayla Paradeis, Nikki Beinstein and I shared stories and songs from our books at our Local Author Reading and Book Market. I especially want to acknowledge Charlie Chacos for his generosity allowing us to use this very popular “locals-friendly” space.
I especially want to acknowledge the middle school and high school friends who dropped in for some warm beverages and for their impressive manners. Well done Carbondale parents! It was so fun to watch these young folks socialize and enjoy each other. My hope is they might have a space to gather like this in the future.
Also another gem in our community is Symphony in the Valley and the talented local musicians that played a fantastic concert along with the dancers from Colorado West Performing Arts Company at the phenomenal Ute Theater in Rifle. Live music and dance is such a gift for our valley.
Keep this precious creative, community energy flowing folks! There is so much giving at this time of year. Let us all breathe it in and enjoy each other!
Thank you everyone for sharing your multitude of gifts with us.
Lisa Dancing-Light
Carbondale

RFOV thanks
On behalf of the Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers (RFOV) board of directors and staff, I want to extend our heartfelt gratitude to the incredible volunteers and partners who have dedicated their time to collectively steward our shared outdoors. Because of you, 2024 was our biggest season to date! With 1,993 unique volunteers combined with our pattern and RFOV staff, we contributed 13,332 hours to improve our public lands. This includes maintaining 43 miles of trail, restoring 30 acres of habitat and open space and reducing the threat of wildfire across more than 20 acres through fire mitigation projects.
I have so much gratitude for the many hands that have contributed to making our 2024 project season a success. Our total stewardship impact on the land is immense: we’ve contributed 10% more stewardship hours than in 2023, with an impressive 40% of our volunteer hours stemming from youth!
While the impact of those hours is visible in the tangible mark left on our public land, there is so much contained within that hour that is impossible to quantify. Each hour contributed by our volunteers, partners and staff is a gift of their unique strength and passion. People on our projects are the best version of themselves, giving back to the land that, in turn, nourishes them. Each of us give what we can, whether that is time spent out at a project, being a trailhead ambassador, donating to RFOV, introducing us to a new partner or volunteer, serving as a project ambassador, or living out RFOV’s mission of stewardship in our own lives. This community is based on collaboration, a desire to contribute to a larger cause, a love for this place! When our many hands work together collectively, we are a mighty force, leaving the land better than we found it and our community enriched.
Becca Schild
Executive Director
Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers

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