A vigil for the trees in front of the Aspen-Sopris Ranger District office in Carbondale on First Friday set a somber tone. Close to 20 people formed a circle in the front yard to honor the iconic evergreen trees that may be lost when the 1930s-era buildings are demolished.
Carbondale resident Richard Vottero, a vigil organizer, told The Sopris Sun that he’s angry about what the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) plans to do with the property. The original project design included demolishing all buildings on the lot, pulling out seven trees, including the spruce trees facing Main Street, and staging the new building to accommodate a drive-through for large vehicles. (In May 2023, the USFS told The Sopris Sun it will attempt to save the “community tree” at the corner of Weant and Main.)
“It’s a design that’s inconsistent with our historic downtown,” Vottero said.
Rita Marsh, also from Carbondale, opened Friday’s vigil with the Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address: Greetings to the Natural World, Ohén: ton Karihwatéhkwen (Words Before All Else). “Today we have gathered,” she began, “and when we look upon the faces around us, we see that the cycles of life continue. We have been given the duty to live in balance and harmony with each other and all living beings. So, now, we bring our minds together as one as we give our greetings and our thanks to each other as People.”
Prayers of gratitude for the earth, the waters, fish, plants, medicine herbs, animals, trees, birds, the four winds, the thunderers, the sun, moon, stars and the Creator were read aloud by candlelight, sometimes through tears. After the prayer, vigil-keepers offered thoughts and thanked the trees.
Jillene Rector was born and raised in Carbondale. “I remember these buildings in this town since the early 1960s,” she told The Sopris Sun. “When these trees and buildings go, it’s going to be a totally different, cold feel and look to this part of town, my hometown.”
Longtime Carbondalian Grace Trevor Gallo said she is sad about losing the trees. “I keep trying to visualize that we’re jumping for joy because some miracle happens and the thing doesn’t go through,” she said.
The first and only USFS open house about the project was held in February 2020. According to the sign-in sheet posted on the project website (www.bit.ly/FSCdaleProject) , seven Carbondale residents attended the meeting. It wasn’t until summer, 2023 that the public seemed to take notice.
Close to 100 people attended the Aug. 22 Board of Town Trustees meeting where Kevin Warner, district ranger for the Aspen-Sopris Ranger District, updated the trustees about the project. A group of concerned citizens presented an alternative plan at the meeting, which kicked off efforts to convince the USFS to work with them on a better design. They collected at 1400 petition signatures and hosted a public event so their plan would have a wider audience. Feeling like their concerns were falling on deaf ears, they contacted elected officials. Some in the group suggested litigation to stop the USFS from tearing out the trees and the buildings until a more Carbondale-appropriate design could be agreed upon.
To their credit, the town trustees sent a letter to the USFS in October 2023, clarifying their involvement and concerns. In conclusion, they wrote that they support the upgrading of facilities if it is needed to improve “productivity and retain staff.” But, they added, the project needs to incorporate more of the suggestions made by town staff and elements from the Town Code for the historic downtown.
Candice Hart has been involved with the issue since the summer. She was at Friday’s vigil and told The Sopris Sun that it doesn’t look like litigation is going to happen. At least not right now. “Without a stronger town backing and historical society’s backing, [the attorney] said they didn’t think we were going to get anywhere and that it might not be money well spent,” she said, adding that she’s learned from this experience. “There were a few people from our group at the 2020 [USFS] presentation and they did write letters but nothing was listened to,” she said. “I hope everyone can wake up and realize that more needs to be done by the citizens.”
Vottero prayed for a lawyer during the vigil to which someone responded, “You don’t hear that very often!” He, too, is disappointed that more locals did not take action to protect the trees or support a different plan. “It’s so curious that a town of our stature, our model town with its involved citizens, is unable to influence the federal government to integrate themselves into our town,” he said. “[The USFS] came upon a design and really didn’t include the townspeople, and that’s really wrong because we live here.”
He sees the consequences of the USFS design concept — fewer trees, a drive-through for RVs or larger vehicles and a modern building that does not reflect Carbondale’s character — as a huge loss for the town. “Carbondale is going to be so shocked to see what’s going to happen here,” he said.
This week, the USFS fenced off the property. Staff has moved into a temporary, administrative-only office across Weant Blvd from the construction site. The public will have to conduct USFS business at the White River National Forest office on Grand Avenue in Glenwood Springs until further notice.
Vigil sets somber scene at USFS office in Carbondale
