Correction: In last week’s story, CPW prepares West Slope for impending wolf reintroductions,” Colorado Parks and Wildlife public information officer Rachael Gonzales stated that wolves are inclined to avoid humans. Other stakeholders suggested that wolves have been lured by unprotected livestock carcasses. These statements were mistakenly conflated.
A sad goodbye
After nearly 30 years of long hours and dedication to the residents of Crystal Meadows Senior Housing, Jerilyn Nieslanik will be retiring from her post as executive director at the end of the year. For many of us who reside in this safe and well-maintained neighborhood, our hearts are heavy and Jerilyn will be missed beyond measure. I will miss her laugh — a true, honest sound she shares easily.
Jerilyn worked hard at getting grants to do a much needed upgrade to the aging buildings. We now have new roofs, high efficiency boilers, new paint on the outside and inside, new appliances and more. Each year she works with HUD inspectors to make sure our little homes meet all of the requirements, and we always pass.
She has worked alongside her long-time friend and our head of maintenance, Jerry Cheney. A man of many talents and skills, he has kept everything running and well maintained, all with a sense of humor and quick retort that is unmatched. Jerry too is retiring and will be sorely missed.
Jerilyn’s hours are long but she is always available to chat (and laugh) with a resident, or support us through the potential challenges of aging. She cares. Her heart is as big as the ranch that she and her husband, Marty, call home. And she will now get to spend all of her time there, released from the intensity of keeping 79 residents safe and happy and cared for.
We honor you both and wish you happy times ahead, filled with family. Your Crystal Meadows family will miss you deeply. Thank you for taking care of us for so many years.
Jeanné Soulsby
Crystal Meadows
Re: Oil and gas
Commenting about Bureau of Land Management oil and gas planning in the Nov. 13 Sun, it was noted that recent plans “only make modest gains on reducing damaging climate emissions by closing lands with no and low potential … leaving many sensitive environmental areas open to future oil and gas leasing.”
Actually, most of the “damaging climate emissions” occur when we use this oil and gas to drive our cars and heat our homes. Based on Black Hills Energy’s own gas usage data, every year the average Carbondale residence emits just under 10,000 pounds of CO2 from its flues. Add another 40% or so for upstream emissions. For an average household, emissions from driving are similar. Indirect emissions from energy for our food and other stuff are not as significant.
Then all wells get depleted. About 20,000 have been drilled in Garfield County, yet more will be drilled unless we replace fossil fuels with something else. It’s available now. Sustainable wind and solar electricity, backed up by less fossil fuel each year, is being provided by our electric utilities. There will never be an equivalent “sustainable” fuel or “renewable” gas. There is no reason to wait for better fission or fusion.
The big challenge for all of us is to be as efficient as is reasonable and to install electric heat pump heating and buy electric vehicles wherever feasible. This is not quick and easy, nor without costs and risks, but most folks aren’t going to stay home and garden. CORE and CLEER are around to assist and can always use extra contributions.
Solar farms and wind farms often negatively affect “sensitive environmental areas.” But these are local effects, and there is no need to move on to new ground to replace depleted output. First generation wind and solar equipment is predictably wearing out; in almost all cases it’s being upgraded for even greater output and durability, the opposite of production from fossil fuel leases. Much of the worn-out equipment is recycled. The bigger threat to “sensitive environmental areas” worldwide and nearby is degradation from increasing temperatures and all the damage that results from that.
Fred Porter
Carbondale
Re: Childcare
In response to Maggie Tiscornia’s column, I would like to share my own experience navigating childcare in the Roaring Fork Valley.
I am a first-time mother, who moved to the Roaring Fork Valley with my husband who grew up here. Our community advised us to get our name on “the lists” as soon as we started thinking about having kids. They explained that it’s that tough to get in. I waited until I learned I was pregnant and began searching for childcare options up and down the Valley, adding my name to the waitlists, and following up with emails to explain our childcare needs (full time, ASAP).
Admittedly, I stressed about the lack of childcare throughout my pregnancy, concerned we would not have anything by the time I had to return to work. As my three months of maternity leave dwindled, we still did not have a spot anywhere. Luckily, my husband’s seasonal work ended around the time I returned to work full time, giving us another month. We researched other options: hourly at-home care (a nanny), to find the going rate ranges from $25 to $35 per hour… Childcare providers are no more immune to the high costs of living and lack of affordable housing than anyone else.
Looking at the big picture, we were lucky. At five months postpartum we were offered two days per week of childcare. We took what we could get, gratefully! This offer came after more than a year on all the waitlists. I have friends who’ve waited 18 months or longer before being offered spots.
I eventually pestered my way into a few more days of coverage. Until our baby was about 1 year old, we managed with four days per week of childcare coverage, piecing it together week by week with the help of family, a friend’s nanny, and our personal time off from work.
We were eventually able to transition to five days a week of care and then settle into a routine. We greatly value the childcare that allows us to work. Our daycare has become a second home and family for our child, and we don’t take for granted the steady routine, reliability, and safety it provides.
And let’s be totally clear, the cost of childcare is nothing to glaze over. Full time care is equal to about half our mortgage, so inevitably we are working to make ends meet. The cost is prohibitive to have a second child until we figure something else out. When I ask friends how they make ends meet with more than two children who need childcare, they tell me: “You just figure it out.” However, I am not ready to make that trust fall just yet.
Allison Cryns
Carbondale
Re: Wolves
Screw these wolves they can stay out of Colorado ‘cause all we gonna do is hunt and kill them.
Dakota Kelley
Johnstown
Dogs
I wish to send a gentle reminder to all who have dogs. Dogs of any size are not allowed past the gate on the road to the Avalanche Creek campground, not even with a leash. When you go to cut your Christmas tree please remember to leave your dog at home or, if you forget, in your car with a window slightly open. There are so many more people and dogs than elk, deer and bighorn sheep. We need to remember our beloved dogs are not allowed for the well being of the wild animals. Please respect the wild animals’ natural habitat, just as we expect those who enter our own homes to respect the safety of our families.
Thank you.
Illène Pevec
Carbondale
Background checks
An announcement was made that the new president’s picks for department heads would not be background checked by the FBI. An FBI check has long been a requirement. Some of the picks have a checkered past. The fear is that a person might be blackmailed by foreign adversaries into revealing state secrets. For example, they might have taken top secret documents, and even shown them around. Or, they might have a problem with romantic activities. Or, they might have used government funds for personal gain. Or, they might have misused campaign funds. Or, they might have had close personal and private contact with adversarial foreign leaders. Or, they might have had legal charges drawn against them. Gee, this all kind of sounds like the new president. I wonder if he could even pass an FBI background check.
Patrick Hunter
Carbondale
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