Saul Avila (pictured) has been cleaning various littered areas in the Valley for about five years, up to four times a year. He volunteers his time, but pays his workers, with Lion Multiservices, for the seasonal efforts. This year, Avila needed some extra hands for a particular problem area west of the Red Hill parking lot, right off the shoulder of Highway 82, so he posted a solicitation on Facebook. Theresa Teague, owner of Cowgirl Cleaning Company, volunteered along with three of her employees and Eileen Tucker of Carbondale also heeded the call. Avila said he picked up about 500 needles before the rest of the crew got started on Tuesday, Dec. 2, when he was beginning to separate batteries and hundreds of propane canisters from the rest of the heap, including countless beer cans, a tent and many more random items. Photo by James Steindler

Bridging Bionics
The Bridging Bionics Foundation announced Monday, Dec. 1, receiving a monumental $1.5 million grant from an anonymous donor. The first $1 million will immediately support the acquisition of Bridging Bionics Foundation’s Center for Neurorehabilitation at 2605 Dolores Way, Carbondale. The remaining $500,000 has been committed as a three-year matching challenge to support the new Bridging Lives campaign, offering mobility programs to qualifying individuals “from out-of-town,” the press release explains. “We can now call 2605 Dolores Way in Carbondale our permanent home,” Founder and Executive Director Amanda Boxtel proudly proclaimed. “It is literally a dream come true.”

Cottonwood Pass
Cottonwood Pass, connecting Gypsum to the Roaring Fork Valley, closes on Dec. 5 to reopen in April 2026, or when conditions allow.

Help wanted
Lift-Up is seeking volunteer drivers for food recovery for the Carbondale food bank. If you can help pick up local store donations for one to two hours per week contact Joe Markham at 970-274-4695. Volunteers must have a truck or SUV. This volunteer opportunity is ideal for two people.

Chip in
Carbondale Parks and Rec is soliciting help from Nature Park users to distribute wood chips over muddy sections of the trail loop to protect the path and reduce erosion. Stop by on Saturday, Dec. 6 to borrow a wheelbarrow, shovel or rake and earn a raffle ticket for prizes including a 20-punch pass to the Rec Center and a 6-punch pass for Sneakers and Snouts dog-walking service. Tools will remain on-site on other days too — just return them after lending a hand.

Welcome, Ben Chase!
The Town of Carbondale welcomes Ben Chase as its new building plans examiner. A New Jersey native, Chase describes himself as a “mostly recovered ski bum” who has worked for building departments in various capacities throughout the western United States since 2017. Chase has lived up the Crystal since 2020 and is “the proud owner of a gratuitous number of flannel shirts,” the press release states. 

Linwood smoke
To reduce wildfire risk and restore ecological balance, the City of Glenwood Springs plans to conduct pile burns east of the Linwood (Doc Holiday) Cemetery on Dec. 9-10 if weather is favorable. Firefighters will be on-site to monitor the fire and ensure it remains under control. Learn more at www.gwsco.info/burns

Posada celebration
Wilderness Workshop and Defiende Nuestra Tierra invite you to their annual Community Posada and Christmas Tree Cutting event this Saturday, Dec. 6. The event includes free permits to cut a Christmas tree, hot drinks, tamales and a visit from Smokey the Bear. This year, it will take place at the West Elk Trailhead in New Castle from 10am to 2pm. To register, contact Alejandro at 970-989-3552. 

RFOV hiring
Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers (RFOV) is accepting applications for a youth education coordinator. This role manages RFOV’s Youth in Nature program and supports the Youth Stewards Program, as well as community volunteer programs. “Ideal candidates will have experience leading programs for high school youth, a background in outdoor education or conservation, advanced Spanish-language skills and a passion for RFOV’s mission and vision,” the press release states. Learn more at www.rfov.org/careers

CMC accolades
Colorado Mountain College (CMC) received national recognition for its Compass project, helping all students and multilingual learners in particular complete their studies. The Barefoot & Gardner Award is presented every two years by the John N. Gardner Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education in Chicago. The Compass project has helped CMC mitigate performance gaps between white and Hispanic students with Bridge programs including English as a Second Language, high school equivalency and adult high school diploma classes, as well as an English Acquisition for Academic Purposes certificate.

Restaurant opportunity
The City of Aspen has issued a request for proposals from qualified vendors to lease a commercial restaurant space at 455 Rio Grande Place. City Council seeks a vendor “that will operate an affordable, family-friendly, year-round restaurant serving the Aspen community.” Learn more at www.bit.ly/Aspen-restaurant

They say it’s your birthday!
Folks celebrating another trip around the sun this week include: Edgar Garcia and Carol Klein (Dec. 4); Dakotah Grett, Mark Stover, John Stroud and Kashana Tonozzi (Dec. 5); Carol Craven, Amy Kimberly, Cathleen McCourt, Colette Meagher, Frank McSwain, Collette Spears and Judy Whitmore (Dec. 6); David Dabney, Holly Richardson and Lisa Speaker (Dec. 7); Jennifer Lamont and Dylan Mace (Dec. 8); Jennifer Austin Hughes (Dec. 9); Bob Johnson, Bill Laemmel, Krista Paradise, Scott Skinner and Vicki Yarbrough (Dec. 10).

Turkey Trot

Some 1,250 participants turned out for this year’s Turkey Trot put on by Carbondale Parks and Rec. It was an unseasonably warm Thursday morning. Results: Daniel Krasman, Wesley Towes, Lucas Turano topped the 5K male division. Krista Kaufman, Evelina Sutro and Amy Rollins were the top females. Among the youth, Sam Milverstedt, Max Peterson and Christoph Blankeiu were the fastest boys and Miley Stuart, Abigail O’Keefe and Brynn Huckemeyer were the fastest girls. Bernie Boettcher was the fastest runner over 62. In the one-mile race, youth Joshua O’Keefe, Ina Stewart and Noah O’Keefe took first, second and third, respectively. Courtesy photo