Colorado Central Articles From — May 2007

Column by Hal Walter

Local Life – May 2007 – Colorado Central Magazine

IT WAS APRIL FOOLS DAY, but this is no joke. My father-in-law took his last breath that afternoon, ending his lengthy and courageous battle with cancer as my wife held his hand and his wife and children stood by him. He was 86 and the moon would be full that evening, symbolic of the full life he had led. Read the rest of this article

Article by Sue Snively

Kent and Cathy Haruf – May 2007 – Colorado Central Magazine

THERE IS AN ORGANIZATION in the Arkansas Valley that eases the natural journey from life into death and beyond. It is called the Angel of Shavano Hospice, and is an organization that has come to the aid of over 125 families since its inception in 1988. It cares not only for those who are dying, but also their families, and Hospice continues to assist families beyond the death of their loved ones — sometimes remaining for over a year or longer if necessary. Read the rest of this article

Article by Shanna Lewis

Wildlife – May 2007 – Colorado Central Magazine

THERE ISN’T ONE BORN every minute, but things are looking up for a few suckers in the San Luis Valley — the Rio Grande Sucker fish. Once abundant, the numbers of these little brown Colorado native fish deteriorated so much, they were placed on the state endangered species list in 1993. Read the rest of this article

History – May 2007 – Colorado Central Magazine

This Soldier Life – The Diaries of Romine H. Ostrander, – 1863 and 1865, Colorado Territory
Annotated by Paul H. Malkoski
Published in 2006 by the Colorado Historical Society
ISBN 0-942576-51-9 Read the rest of this article

Agriculture – May 2007 – Colorado Central Magazine

Home Land – Ranching and a West that Works
An anthology edited by Laura Pritchett, Richard L. Knight, and Jeff Lee
Published in 2007 by Johnson Books
Rocky Mountain Land Library Series
ISBN 155566-400-8 Read the rest of this article

Column by George Sibley

Agriculture – May 2007 – Colorado Central Magazine

I GUESS I’M FINALLY BEGINNING the transition to agri-culture. I don’t see how we’re going to be able to avoid it this century. But it’s not an easy transition for those of us who’ve been clinging to our hunter-gatherer past, high-grading the planet for its easy pickings. Read the rest of this article

Essay by Martha Quillen

Local Life – May 2007 – Colorado Central Magazine

WHAT’S A COUNTRY to do when a war goes wrong? Well, arguing and grandstanding come to mind. In recent months, we’ve heard the Bush administration, Congress and the press claim that these are unique times, with a pre-emptive war, a renegade Congress, and a disparate public. But as it turns out, when it comes to politics, there is not much new under the sun. Read the rest of this article

Article by Sheila K. Goodman

Wolf Creek – May 2007 – Colorado Central Magazine -

MINERAL AND RIO GRANDE counties and the San Luis Valley could soon benefit from the largest boost to their economy since the decline of the mining and logging industries. Towns in both Mineral and Rio Grande counties have struggled financially for decades. Read the rest of this article

Article by Allen Best

Wolf Creek Development – May 2007 – Colorado Central Magazine

YOU WANT ABSURDITIES? The story about real estate development at Wolf Creek Pass has them in spades. It has so much weirdness that if John Nichols just changed the names and threw in some Spanish, his New Mexico trilogy would become a quatrology. The facts of this case read like fiction. All it lacks is a chase scene and a geezer named Amarante. Read the rest of this article

Column by John Mattingly

Agriculture – May 2007 – Colorado Central Magazine

Not all subsidies to the ag sector appear in large print.

1. Student grants and loans.When I went to the University of Colorado to get my undergraduate degree at age 51, and then make a run at law school, I was presented with a FAFSA (Free Application For Student Aid). Though I was quite willing to pay the tuition — which I considered a bargain at some $1,600 a semester for my in-state status — I discovered a FAFSA footnote regarding the assets an applicant was required to list in the calculation of eligibility for federal scholarships and loans: “Do not count the value of a family farm that you (or your spouse) or your parents live on and operate.” Read the rest of this article

Letter from Slim Wolfe

Politics – May 2007 – Colorado Central Magazine

An army of advisers

Editors:

The last bastion of true grit in these parts seems about to fail. You’ll be lucky to catch a glimpse of a worn-out pickup or a weathered rancher any more at Villa Grove Trade. Early mornings might be a good time, but even the old-timers look a bit on the comfy side compared to the hardscrabble coffee-klatsches I remember not so long ago. The vehicle of choice in the parking lot now is a scratch-free SUV and the bragging of the newcomers won’t be about their latest coup in the land, water, hay, or cattle biz but about how they retired from a career of riding the corporate jet. They may wear jeans but the new look is soft and pallid: a smart new breed which hires expendable labor rather than build up calluses. Read the rest of this article

Letter from William K. Olsen

Book Review – May 2007 – Colorado Central Magazine

To the Editor:

In your review of Ancient Denvers, by K.R. Johnson and R.G. Reynolds, in your March edition, it is stated that

“At a rate of 1/70 of an inch a year, a 14,000-foot peak would be reduced to sea level in a million years.” Read the rest of this article

Letter from Dennis Sprecher

Mud – May 2007 – Colorado Central Magazine

Editors:

Regarding Hal Walter’s Mud Season column (April, 2007):

You must be the consummate victim. All I heard in your article is complaining. It sounds like a city slicker is trying to citify the Wet Mountains . Read the rest of this article

Letter from F.a. Rios

Colorado – May 2007 – Colorado Central Magazine

Amigo Ed:

Two items in your April issue cause me to respond. They may or may not be related. One, Colorado’s new state song, “Rocky Mountain High.” Two: “Properly answering the call of Nature.” Let me begin with No. 2. Read the rest of this article

Cartoon by Jack Chivvis

Modern Life – May 2007 – Colorado Central Magazine Read the rest of this article

Brief by Central Staff

Event – May 2007 – Colorado Central Magazine

We can remember a time when “Salida” and “artists” were seldom employed in the same sentence, at least not with a straight face. But times have certainly changed, and on Memorial Day weekend, Salida will host an “Artposium” arranged by the Colorado Art Ranch. Read the rest of this article

Brief by Ed Quillen

Local News – May 2007 – Colorado Central Magazine

April Foolishness

At some newspapers, April Fool’s Day is a time for some fun, and that’s certainly the case at the Wet Mountain Tribune in Westcliffe. The front page of the March 29 (“almost April Fool’s Day” ) edition had some provocative stories, among them an announcement that the school board had approved a new high school class to start next fall, Skunk Shooting 101, after two students shot at skunks on school grounds after a school event. “Parents were complaining to us that the kids didn’t hit the skunks, and they wanted to know why.” Read the rest of this article

Brief by Central Staff

Transportation – May 2007 – Colorado Central Magazine

Steam Returns

On Memorial Day weekend, the Rio Grande Scenic Railroad (it was the San Luis & Rio Grande last summer) plans to begin operating a steam-powered passenger train over La Veta Pass (or just plain Veta Pass, depending on whom you consult). Steam trains will run on weekends and holidays this summer, with diesels handling weekday excursions between Alamosa and the town of La Veta. Read the rest of this article

Brief by Central Staff

Volunteering – May 2007 – Colorado Central Magazine

If you have medical training and are willing to volunteer to help in emergencies or disasters, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment would like to hear from you.

The idea is to establish a statewide registry for qualified volunteers, so that they can be called in when a disaster or emergency — anything from a blizzard to an airplane crash — overwhelms local resources. Read the rest of this article

Brief by Central Staff

Pack-Burro Racing – May 2007 – Colorado Central Magazine

Burro Races start on May 26

So far as we know, Colorado does not have an official state sport, even though it has an official dance, fossil and gemstone. But if our state did have an official sport, it should be pack-burro racing, since it’s the only sport indigenous to Colorado. It began in Leadville in 1949 with a race over Mosquito Pass to Fairplay, and it’s been around ever since. Read the rest of this article

Brief by Marcia Darnell

Creede Fire – May 2007 – Colorado Central Magazine

The December 1 fire in Creede didn’t destroy, or even disrupt, daily life in the historic mountain town.

The flames began on a Friday night in Journeys, a cafe in the main business district, which in Creede is one street. The buildings, constructed in 1892, are particularly vulnerable to fire. Read the rest of this article

Brief by Central Staff

Wilderness – May 2007 – Colorado Central Magazine

The American philosopher Henry David Thoreau once observed that “in Wildness is the preservation of the World.” It may also be a marketing tool these days.

During the April congressional recess, Rep. Doug Lamborn visited Chaffee County to listen to supporters and opponents of the proposed Brown’s Canyon Wilderness Area. Read the rest of this article

Brief by Central Staff

Wildlife – May 2007 – Colorado Central Magazine

Blame it on happenstance, global warming, or the development of an “early to rise” work ethic. Whatever the cause, it appears that Colorado’s black bears are getting up earlier this year.

Often they don’t emerge from their dens until late in April, but in early March, they were raiding trash receptacles in Crested Butte, and state wildlife officials say they have received reports of early sightings from many mountain towns. Read the rest of this article

Brief by Marcia Darnell

San Luis Valley – May 2007 – Colorado Central Magazine

Water Woes

The water situation is still bad, despite a wet winter. Michael Sullivan, division engineer for the Colorado Division of Water Resources says irrigation will be cut 12 percent on the Rio Grande and 22 percent on the Conejos River, and their respective tributaries. The debt on the Rio Grande Compact looks to be over 150,000 acre-feet this year, he says. Read the rest of this article

Comic Strip written and drawn by Monika Griesenbeck

Mountain Life – May 2007 – Colorado Central Magazine Read the rest of this article

Brief by Central Staff

Water – May 2007 – Colorado Central Magazine

Colorado’s best-known Clear Creek rises in the mountains due west of Denver and flows through Golden. Our Clear Creek starts in the Sawatch Range northwest of Granite, and flows through Winfield and Vicksburg before joining the Arkansas River just south of the Lake-Chaffee county line. Read the rest of this article

Brief by Central Staff

Tourism – May 2007 – Colorado Central Magazine

If everyone took federal law seriously, the United States would have gone metric about 20 years ago, and there would be no such thing as a 14er. In meters, those 54 Colorado peaks whose summits exceed 14,000 feet above sea level would be 4,267ers, and that’s not the stuff of lore. Read the rest of this article

Essay by Kathryn Socie

Mountain Life – May 2007 – Colorado Central Magazine

THE AMERICAN DREAM is alive and well in Missoula, Mont., sort of. Not long after arriving here in the late 1990s, I found myself in the same conversation about real estate, hearing the same words and sharing the same sentiment. “You can’t eat the landscape,” someone would say, and everyone within earshot would laugh at the cliche, though it would usually be followed by an uncomfortable silence. Here’s what wasn’t funny then or now: In a recent Missoulian article, local realtors tallied their statistics and calculated a whopping $206,850 median price for a house, but only a median income of $43,200. Read the rest of this article

AMERICAN RIVERS ANNOUNCES AMERICA’S MOST ENDANGERED RIVERS 2007

The Rivers included are 1. Santa Fé River, NM; 2. San Mateo Creek, CA; 3. Iowa River, IA; 4. Upper Delaware River, NY; 5. White Salmon River, WA; 6. Neches River, TX; 7. Kinnickinnic River, WI; 8. Neuse River, NC; 9. Lee Creek, AR , OK; and 10. Chuitna River, AK www.AmericanRivers.org/endangeredrivers link Read the rest of this article