CVEPA

• Locations: Columns, Opinion By John Armstrong Published Jun. 29, 2022

  CVEPA Views: The Critically Thirsty West

  

  At this time, 39 years ago, “federal officials scrambled to avoid one of the most dramatic dam failures in history.” Glen Canyon Dam was bursting at the seams with water and rock blasting out around its foundation while crews raced to install a rampart of plywood sheets across the top… read more →

• Locations: Columns, Opinion Published Apr. 20, 2022

  CVEPA Views: Learning, challenging, collaborating

  John Armstrong - CVEPA Views

  On April 14, the Crystal Valley Environmental Protection Association (CVEPA) board meeting enjoyed a delightful levity which is uncommon these days. Solidarity is not synonymous with unanimity, so it is refreshing when we all agree on something. The pact to agree to disagree, respectfully, is a basic tenet of… read more →

• Locations: Columns, Opinion By John Armstrong Published Mar. 2, 2022

  Opinion: CVEPA on Redstone to McClure Trail

  John Armstrong. Courtesy photo

  Game wardens and a few locals gathered at the old railroad siding at Placita. Word was out that the Division of Wildlife was going to release elk into the upper Crystal Valley. John Darien remembered that day in the early ‘40s as he recounted the scene to me… read more →

• Locations: News By Olivia Emmer Published Feb. 23, 2022

  Marble Wetlands Preserve created through land donation

  A 54-acre Marble property was recently donated with the intent to preserve public access and wildlife habitat. The property boasts extensive wetlands with ample beaver activity. Photo by Olivia Emmer

  A long-sought Marble-area land donation was completed at the end of 2021 between an anonymous donor and the Trust for Land Restoration (TLR), a Ridgway-based nonprofit. The property, a 54-acre strip of land with wetlands on one side and steep forested hillside on the other, has been used by the… read more →

• Locations: News By Amy Hadden Marsh Published Feb. 16, 2022

  Redstone to McClure Pass Trail: Not a simple yes or no

  The old wagon road on McClure Pass. Photo by Amy Hadden Marsh

  White River National Forest (WRNF) officials are taking public comment on the Redstone to McClure Pass Trail, a seven-mile segment of the proposed 83-mile Carbondale to Crested Butte Trail (CCBT). 

  Pitkin County Commissioners approved the CCBT plan in 2018. Five miles of the seven-mile segment would… read more →

• Locations: Opinion By John Armstrong Published Jan. 19, 2022

  CVEPA Views: To trap an elk in 1972...

  

  The 500-pound cow elk was wild-eyed as she kept trying to escape the trap. 

  She continued to jump up on the eight-foot-tall walls of her plywood pen until she finally broke down a section. The “wapiti” (the Shawnee and Cree word for elk) struggled to get her front legs… read more →

• Locations: Columns, Opinion By John Armstrong Published Nov. 23, 2021

  CVEPA Views: Weighing methane capture

  CVEPA Views By John Armstrong

  The view from the Dutch Creek Mine Number One, above Redstone, was breathtaking but the air was breathless. The stillness made the constant coursing of the methane gas from the old mine portal even more pronounced. 

  Chris Caskey is a climatologist from Paonia and owner of the Delta Brick… read more →

• Locations: News By James Steindler Published Nov. 17, 2021

  A responsibility to participate

  Dorothea Farris outside the original Carbondale jailhouse. It's fitting the "Take Action" sign hangs above the devoted participator. Photo by James Steindler.

  When it comes to balancing public service with a growing community whilst preserving what that place has to offer, it takes a lot of grit and an exuberant amount of dedication. Dorothea Farris is an authentic example of someone who strives to meet that balance.

  Farris… read more →

• Locations: Letters Published Oct. 13, 2021

  Letters - Oct. 14, 2021

  Re: Marble Ski

  The board of the Crystal Valley Environmental Protection Association would like to thank Lynn Burton and The Sopris Sun for the terrific article on the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Marble Ski Area (Sept. 22, 2021). Entering CVEPA’s 50th year of service,… read more →

• Locations: News By Lynn Burton Published Sep. 22, 2021

  Marble Ski Area fight raged 50 years ago

  Riding up Mount Daly. Photo courtesy of the Colorado Snowsports Museum and Hall of Fame.

  As Colorado ski areas boomed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, a couple of Denver developers decided they wanted in on the action. They eventually set their sights on Marble, a near ghost town about 25 miles as the crow flies, west-southwest of Aspen.

  The… read more →