Let’s dive in
Growing up in the Roaring Fork Valley, the Carbondale pool was more than just a place to cool off. It was where I learned to swim, to trust my body and to feel strong in the water. Years later, I watched both of my kids take their first strokes in that same pool, with giggles, goggles and proud splashes I’ll never forget.
For nearly a decade, I’ve served on Carbondale’s Parks & Recreation Commission, and I’ve seen firsthand how much this space matters. It’s where families connect, kids build confidence and friendships are formed, often over swim lessons or lazy afternoons in the sun.
But it’s also about safety. In Colorado, where rivers and lakes are part of daily life, knowing how to swim isn’t just fun … it’s essential. Drowning remains a leading cause of accidental death for young children and, tragically, the Roaring Fork Valley is not immune. Every child deserves access to swim lessons. Every parent deserves peace of mind.
That’s why I’m inviting our community to help us reimagine the Carbondale pool. The new Aquatics Center will be a sustainable, all-electric facility built to serve the next generation. We’ve secured a major bond and generous donations, but we still need your help to close the final gap.
We’re in the home stretch, and every dollar gets us closer. If the pool has ever touched your life, or if you believe that every child should have the chance to feel safe and strong in the water, please consider donating.
Learn more at www.carbondaleconnect.org/pool
Let’s build something beautiful, together.
Rose Rossello
Parks & Rec Commission

From Capitol Hill
Endangered Species Day is celebrated on the third Friday of May, this year marking the 52nd anniversary of the monumental congressional act. My connection to endangered species began early in my life, in rural Missouri where botanists annually studied and monitored the tiny threatened geocarpon plant on a neighboring limestone glade. Witnessing their dedication, I learned that even seemingly obscure tiny species are vital and that science is crucial for effective conservation. This understanding helped shape my career as a science educator based in Colorado, where I teach about our unique landscapes and advocate for community involvement in environmental issues such as climate, clean air, water and biodiversity.
In Colorado’s high country, I’ve particularly championed the Canada lynx, an apex predator essential to our watershed’s health. Just as the lynx is integral to this ecosystem, I, too, am part of the Roaring Fork Valley community — interconnected with the land and all its inhabitants. The Endangered Species Act (ESA) protects these connections by ensuring that science guides land management and not short-term gains.
Weakening the ESA would have dire consequences for Colorado and the Rocky Mountains region, including habitat destruction and increased vulnerability to climate change, harming both wildlife and our recreation-based economy. We must defend and strengthen the ESA to safeguard our species, communities and Colorado’s very essence. I was on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. last week speaking with our congressmen about this critical issue alongside conservation advocates organized by Defenders of Wildlife. I was recommended to participate by Wilderness Workshop. I encourage you to call our congressmen and tell them that you are concerned about biodiversity and this crucial conservation protection, the ESA , that is being brutally threatened by our current federal administration and members of Congress.
Sarah R. Johnson
Carbondale

Holy Cross endorsements
When was the last time your electricity utility asked you to participate in guiding their future? If you get your electricity from Holy Cross Energy, you should have received your ballot for this year’s board election as well as an invitation to their annual meeting. This is participatory democracy at its finest. As members of Holy Cross Energy, you have the ability to vote for board members who will guide your energy future.
Holy Cross provides, quite literally, the lines that tie our disparate communities together for the good of all. They keep those electrons flowing to over 44,500 members in five counties. By the end of 2025, Holy Cross hopes to provide 90% of those electrons from renewable sources. By 2030, 100% of those electrons will be from renewable sources! By supporting your electrical cooperative and its forward-thinking mission you are supporting actions that will have a positive effect on the planet and its climate.
Attending the electric cooperative’s annual meeting is your chance to sit with your community, share a meal, learn about what your co-op is doing for you and our planet and feel a sense of pride for the folks who send electricity your way. I started attending many years ago, sitting with neighbors united by power lines who told stories of how their lives were changed when electricity first came to their homes. In the future, I hope to sit next to our next generation of electron consumers who can’t even imagine an electrical grid that isn’t powered by 100% renewable energy sources.
Two candidates in this year’s board election have the background, commitment and experience to ensure that Holy Cross Energy does more than just “keep the lights on.” Please support Robert Gardner and Kimberley Schlaepfer to lead us to a renewable energy future.
Susy Ellison
Carbondale

A spear through my heart
I’ve written about violinist MinTse Wu and what a treasure she is to Carbondale. Now, I’m inspired to tell you about Natalie Spears, another local accomplished multi-instrumentalist and beautiful person, inside and out.
I saw Natalie at The Arts Campus at Willits last Friday doing a revised version of “Hymn of Wild Things,” her compact disc and show from last year. Unlike MinTse, Natalie’s genre isn’t classical, though she is performing with a quintet of local classical musicians, like violinists Camille Backman and Ross Kribbs, violaist Delaney Meyers, cellist Sarah Graf and bassist Carl Meinecke.
Some call Natalie’s musical style Americana. I don’t know what that is, so I just call it folk. She writes most of her own music with lovely themes. Natalie intersperses sounds of nature in her music, like bird songs and rushing water, reminding us the most beautiful music on the planet isn’t always produced by humans. She is an avid hiker and nature lover.
The evening began with the quintet performing bird-themed numbers. Then, Natalie came on stage and sang and played. As usual, I teared up when she did “He Still Knows,” the song she wrote about her father’s struggle with Alzheimer’s.
Natalie has lived in Carbondale for 15 years. She performed with Ellie Barber in a duo called Pearl & Wood. After Barber moved to the West Coast, Natalie joined with Paonia’s Lizzy Plotkin. Now, Natalie is a solo act. She can be seen on June 8 at the Palisade Bluegrass Festival and at Mountain Fair in July.
Fred Malo Jr.
Carbondale

Thank you!
After the wonderful, informative article by Kate Phillips in the April 17 edition of The Sopris Sun, the community now knows the story behind the Basalt-Carbondale Chapter HC, P.E.O. Sisterhood and our 45 years of donating to the Valley — including through scholarships to further women’s educational opportunities.
Our Wine Tasting Fundraiser was a huge success with ample attendance and gracious donations from sponsors: Poss Architectural, Downtown Liquors, Alsco Uniforms, The Orchard and Bryan the Wine Guy. Music was provided and donated by Jennifer Gary and Karen Tafejian.
A big thank you to all of you folks who donated and for the valley-wide silent auction items from businesses and individuals. Thanks for your loyal and generous support. Our four scholarship recipients and members of P.E.O. say, “Thank you, community!”
Sisters of P.E.O.
Basalt-Carbondale

Hotel Colorado
Kudos to the staff and owners for preserving the grandeur of The Hotel Colorado, a magnificent gem modeled after an Italian palace.
Having enjoyed countless events here, we were thrilled to learn its rich history. Walter Devereux, a Columbia and Princeton engineering graduate, was recruited by Jerome Wheeler to manage Aspen’s mine and build a smelter. After he quit Aspen, Walter envisioned the hotel as America’s most luxurious spa, opening it on June 10, 1893, after two years of construction.
Recently, the Aspen Melville family of Mountain Chalet fame, formerly led by the kind and humble Ralph, a dear friend of our little family’s patriarch, Bud, acquired the hotel.
Ralph and Marian, rest in peace. Your Hotel Colorado team honors your legacy with pride.
Lee & Sandy Mulcahy
Basalt

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