Graffiti
Why would people graffiti our beautiful Rio Grande Trail? This was spotted north of the Carbondale bus stop — behind the restaurant and trailer park on Highway 133, toward the river and bridge. Hoping someone knows who did this and reports it to the police.
Jalene Bermudez
Carbondale
Mountain Gazette search
I am on something of a wild goose chase centered upon the Roaring Fork Valley.
As some of you may know, I used to co-own and operate a publication called the Mountain Gazette — along with Valley legend, the late-George Stranahan and Curtis Robinson who once edited the Aspen Daily News and Roaring Fork Sunday.
The new Mountain Gazette owner/editor, Mike Rogge, is in the process of putting together a greatest-hits-type book. I have been recruited to help him hunt down some of the past contributors whose work he would like to include.
Sadly, several of those have passed away and, therefore, we are trying to locate heirs and executors and such. I have exhausted all other research avenues and, therefore, have decided to appeal to the public at large for any information.
I am trying to get contact information for Jeremy Bernstein and Bob Chamberlain, both of whom I think still live and breathe. As well, information regarding heirs to the literary estates of Bruce Berger, Gaylord Guenin and Steve Wishart have been hard to come by.
Anyone out there have any leads I might be able to follow? If so, please send to mjfayhee@gmail.com
M. John Fayhee
New Mexico
Strawberry Shortcut
Many thanks to the Special Olympics Western Region (SOWR) for supporting Mountain Valley Developmental Services (MVDS) at the Strawberry Shortcut races on June 22, and to Bank of Colorado for sponsoring this very fun community event. Also, many thanks to the Rotary Club of Glenwood Springs for hosting a delicious pancake, “carb load” breakfast before the races.
MVDS had over three-dozen participants in the Strawberry Shortcut this year — a record for us! Athletes and staff came from many of our group homes and also with their families.
Mike Kishimoto at the Bank of Colorado arranged our athletes’ t-shirts, so they felt like a real team. Rotarians Fran and Greg Orosz and Brad Plantz made sure our athletes were well fed before running and walking. As always, March Petzinger at SOWR encouraged our athletes to participate at this event and several others throughout the year.
It was a wonderful day with more personal victories than we can share! Community support means everything to our programs, enriching the lives of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Sara Sims
Glenwood Springs
Bike friendly
What a great time to ride your bike in Carbondale! Take advantage of our long days for a ramble on the Rio Grande and Crystal trails. And pedal around town to visit your favorite spots — whether the library, the Post Office or your favorite restaurant or store.
The Town recently adopted a new transportation plan, incorporating extensive community input. It prioritizes biking, walking and transit in Carbondale, while reducing private vehicle use.
In that spirit, try the new bike lanes on West Main Street and Hendrick Drive, which were just installed thanks to Town staff. Ride on!
Bill Anschuetz
Carbondale
LGBTQ+ love
Over the past several months, multiple members of our LGBTQ+ community have faced repeated harassment at the Carbondale Historic Food Forest near the Thompson House. Pride flags have been stolen and destroyed. Graffiti has defaced community spaces. And most alarmingly, a queer community member was verbally assaulted and told that “people like her” don’t belong in Carbondale.
Let me be clear: that is not the Carbondale I know.
The Carbondale I know is a place rooted in love, inclusion and deep respect for one another. A place where people show up for each other. A place that has long taken pride in being welcoming to all, no matter who they are or who they love.
But when hateful acts go unanswered, they risk becoming normalized. And we refuse to let that happen.
As a leader in the LGBTQ+ community and a resident of the Roaring Fork Valley, I’m calling on all of us — neighbors, business owners, educators, civic leaders and allies — to speak up. Stand with us. Show everyone that LGBTQ+ people belong here, that Carbondale remains a safe and affirming place for all.
And here’s how we do it: we fill this town with rainbows. We respond to hate with love. Every time someone tears down a Pride flag, we put up two more. Let’s raise a Pride flag in every storefront, on every porch, at every school and in front of every government building. Let there be no question where this town stands.
Because Carbondale is not a place where hate wins. It’s a place where love shows up boldly, visibly and without apology.
Ashley Stahl
Cook Inclusive
Whose land?
With the House Repugnants so eager to sell off our national inheritance, I think it is time to clarify who actually owns public lands. The question eventually filters down to the ultimate funders and stakeholders of public lands: We the People — with federal, state and municipal entities acting as trustees and managers serving the interests of the people who fund those institutions through the taxes that are raised on their labor.
The majority of public lands in the United States are held in trust for We the American People by the federal government and managed by the Bureau of Land Management, United States National Park Service, Bureau of Reclamation, Fish and Wildlife Service under the Department of the Interior, or by the United States Forest Service under the Department of Agriculture. Other federal agencies that manage public lands include the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the United States Department of Defense, which includes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
It is incumbent then, that before the liquidation of common assets, that the prime stakeholders of those assets be engaged as to their opinion of that liquidation by holding an informed vote by We the People. The same thinking would hold with any downgrading of the status of land in monuments created under the terms of the Antiquities Act.
John Hoffman
Carbondale
Bill Moyers
Bill Moyers died in hospital on June 26. He was, truly, a great man. He was a giant in journalism, broadcasting and politics. One of his signature endeavors was to bring the great professor Joseph Cambell to the world through television programs. He enlightened more than one generation. Moyers was for decades the epitome of “public broadcasting,” which is now under attack by the current president. I found the work of Bill Moyers inspiring. I hope you might look him up online.
Patrick Hunter
Carbondale
Letters policy: The Sopris Sun welcomes local letters to the editor. Shorter letters stand a better chance of being printed. Letters exclusive to The Sopris Sun (not appearing in other papers) are particularly welcome. Please, no smearing, cite your facts and include your name and place of residence or association. Letters are due to news@soprissun.com by noon on the Monday before we go to print.