Dandelion anyone?
Dandelion Day is looking for more than 60 volunteers to help at the 28th annual event on May 9. Visit https://tinyurl.com/4kk4fad9 to sign up for a shift.
Garfield County emergency exercise
Garfield County agencies will carry out a “multi-jurisdiction exercise to test emergency response capabilities” on May 14 in the Glenwood Springs area, according to an announcement this week by Garfield County news. Unlike a legitimate emergency incident, emergency vehicles will not use their lights or sirens during the event. 7th Street north of the Garfield County Courthouse will be closed during the exercise, but nearby parking lots will remain accessible via 8th Street.
A bright future
Roaring Fork School District last week announced its scholarship recipients. Glenwood Springs High School (GWHS) Star Hernandez received a full-ride to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a QuestBridge Scholar. Roaring Fork High School (RFHS) Anna Sophia Brown will attend Colorado College as a Boettcher Scholar and RFHS Colton Lang will attend Montana State University as a Daniels Scholar. Basalt High School (BHS) students Dylan Johnston and Javier Hernandez received the Chick Evans Caddie Scholarship to attend University of Colorado Boulder. BHS students Sidney Barill and Karson Schneider will attend Auburn University, receiving the Army ROTC and Navy ROTC scholarships, respectively. BHS Towler Scott received the Daniels Fund Scholarship and will put the award toward tuition at Manhattan University.
Basalt wildfire mitigation
Help reduce the risk of wildfire this summer by chipping hazardous fuels of up to 12 inches in diameter on your property through a curbside chipping program in the Basalt area. “This program comes at a critical moment for our valley. We are entering fire season earlier, drier, and with less margin for error than almost any year on record,” said Angie Davlyn, executive director of the Wildfire Collaborative Roaring Fork Valley, which is launching the program in partnership with Eagle County. “Clearing out excess vegetation and slash is one of the most effective ways to change how fire behaves when it reaches our communities.” The curbside program will be offered in various neighborhoods in the Basalt area from 7am to 7pm, Monday through Saturday, June 1–27 and Aug. 31–Sept. 25.
From Carbondale to NYT
Sopris Sun photographer Will Sardinsky saw his work published in the New York Times last week, contributing a series of Aspen Mountain closing day photos to “A Rocky (and Muddy) Ski Season Concludes in Colorado.” Find the article and photos at tinyurl.com/ye274ky8
Tick talk
Tick activity is back and at a higher-than-average rate, according to an announcement last week from Garfield County. “We have seen a few years of increased tick activity, likely due to the wet year that we had in 2023,” Colorado Department of Public Health Medical Entomologist Chris Roundy said in a press release. “Since ticks can live for two or more years, we are likely still seeing the population spike from that season.” He added that the mild winter this season likely allowed tick activity to begin earlier than normal. Use insect repellent, wear long sleeves and avoid brushy areas to prevent contact with ticks. Tick-borne diseases in Colorado include Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Colorado Tick Fever. Remove ticks from skin using tweezers or fingers.
New APCHA regulations
The Aspen-Pitkin County Housing Authority (APCHA) Board approved regulations changing the authority’s tenant selection process, rent and ownership appreciation, ownership lottery system and rules of income requalification. Notable changes include the removal of “longest work history” in the tenant selection process and changing the appreciation rate to a flat 3% for both APCHA rental and ownership units. Visit apcha.org for more information.
Airport closure
The Aspen/Pitkin County Airport has closed for maintenance and improvements. Beginning on April 23, the closure will remain in effect until 7pm, May 21. “The work includes removing existing gates and reinstalling the central entry and exit gate, paving the current entryway, installing additional lighting, and restripping the lot,” a press release states of the maintenance.
Limited pool water
The Basalt Water Conservancy District (BWCD) announced that contract pool water from the Green Mountain Reservoir south of Kremmling will be unavailable due to reduced spring runoff following this winter’s historically low snowpack. “As a result, BWCD is utilizing releases from Ruedi Reservoir to fulfill augmentation
requirements on behalf of its contractees.” For more information, contact bwcd.info@gmail.com
They say it’s your birthday! Folks celebrating another trip around the sun this week include: Thomas Cochran, Alexandra Jerkunica and Gretchen Stock-Bell (April 30); Pixie Byrne, Melanie Gianinetti Cardiff, Devika Gurung, Jeff Leahy, Ginny Parker and James and William Steindler (May 1); Sherry Caloia and Patrick Wilson (May 2); Kathy Goudy, Maura Masters and Mary Matchael (May 3); Matte Curry, Mackie Keller, Zoe Kimberly and Aaron Laemmel (May 4); Stan Bell, Frank Betts, Jeremy Heiman, Claudia Prado Zepeda and Sandy Kaplan (May 5); Joe Burleigh, Susan Caddoo Hannisian, Kat Hardy, Soozie Lindbloom, Stephen Olson and Maggie Suma (May 6).