John Armstrong

  • Locations: Columns, Opinion Published

    CVEPA Views: Marble Airstrip river project challenged

    CVEPA Views: Marble Airstrip river project challenged thumbnail

    On Aug. 7, the Crystal Valley Environmental Protection Association (CVEPA) responded to a citizen complaint about numerous large backhoes and loader(s) in the Crystal River adjacent to the Marble Airstrip along County Road 3 in the upper Crystal Valley. A contractor had essentially dredged several hundred yards of the river… read more →

  • Locations: Columns, Opinion Published

    CVEPA Views: Marble’s Treasure

    CVEPA Views: Marble’s Treasure thumbnail

    It was early that cold morning in late September, 1982, when we approached the Skyline Mine Portal at 11,776 feet of elevation on Treasure Mountain.

    I had to rub my eyes at what unfolded in front of us. In a Neanderthal scene, a young man came out of the dark… read more →

  • Locations: Columns, Opinion Published

    CVEPA Views: Learning, challenging, collaborating

    CVEPA Views: Learning, challenging, collaborating thumbnail 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: Opinion Published

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

    CVEPA Views: To trap an elk in 1972… thumbnail

    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 Published

    CVEPA Views: Weighing methane capture

    CVEPA Views: Weighing methane capture thumbnail 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: Columns, Opinion Published

    CVEPA Views: What’s all the fuss about Marble?

    CVEPA Views: What’s all the fuss about Marble? thumbnail

    Every time you pick up the paper it seems there is an article about Marble. It might be about the Marble Quarry, off highway vehicle (OHV) impacts, Wild and Scenic Designation or simply overcrowding. Why all the interest in this little hamlet way up the Crystal River? For… read more →

  • Locations: Columns, Opinion Published

    CVEPA contemplates history

    CVEPA contemplates history thumbnail Colorado historian, Dr. Duane Vandenbusche, is the keynote speaker at CVEPA's annual meeting. Photo by Larry Meredith.

    By Suzy Meredith-Orr

    “Water, Lifeblood of the West” is the topic for the 49th annual meeting of the Crystal Valley Environmental Protection Association (CVEPA). The meeting is set for Sunday afternoon, Aug. 29, in Redstone. CVEPA is the only group devoted solely to the environmental defense of… read more →