New R-31 school board members take office

By Danny Bay

Buena Vista School District R-31 board of education Nov. 16 swore in newly elected board members and hosted a reception to thank outgoing board members for their service.

"I can't think of anything more challenging than serving our community's children," said district superintendent Robert Crowther about the outgoing board members. "We have three leaving and it's very sorrowful. When you start dealing with people's children it becomes serious, and these three have done an excellent job."

The departing board members include District B, Robert Schumann; at large, Van Cain; and District D, Roxie Green.

Schumann, who filled the interim position of Bob Good, said his departure from the board was full of mixed emotions such as relief, disappointment and gratitude for the learning experience. He said that he hopes to see schools get started on the right track through the implementation of the BVSD Strategic Plan, which faces four big issues: declining enrollment, declining financial support from the government, declining test scores and fracturing of the environment in which children learn, both at home and in schools.

Regarding the new board members, Schumann again noted the Strategic Plan and said, "They know what to do. The concern is can they continue to execute that vision when they're cutting money right now?"

The incoming members who will be a part of the team to face that concern include District B, Beth Volpe; District D, Dale Enck; and at large, Robin Ziperman. In District A, Jan Ommen ran uncontested for another term.

After the swearing-in by Chaffee County Clerk Joyce Reno, the board unanimously appointed Doyle Nyberg as board president, Darrin Blankenbeckler as vice president, Ommen as secretary/treasurer and Tim Strange as Boards of Cooperative Educational Services board of directors representative.

Later, Superintendent Crowther led a discussion about the aforementioned Stategic Plan, a 25-page document that describes seven essential areas "to ensure every student reach the peak of success." Each area contains specific goals that the district hopes to achieve in order to reach that peak.

"These are aggressive goals. We've set them high and it will be a push to get them," Crowther said.

Chaffee County High School principal David Blackburn said that he would like to see the Strategic Plan better known and distributed publicly and that the goals may change a little and the action plans may shift, but that the critical issues will stay the same.

"It's a great communication piece to the public. We're trying to figure out a way that's more marketable and palatable to the Buena Vista community," Blackburn said. "We really do want to be a district of distinction, a district that draws people to this town, the crown jewel of this town."

The obstacles to achievement, however, may be quite trying. Crowther said that K-12 will see a decrease in funding next year of 6.21 percent. "Some school districts in Denver are losing $10 million. But, we're surviving. We'll carry on, and we'll be better," he said.

In other business:

• Buena Vista Community Education Assistance Fund delivered certificates for eight grants for a total of $10,681;

• The board approved a volunteer coaching contract ; and

• The board approved 7-0 "Safe Routes to School," which will install two guard lights across Highway 24 and reinstate a crossing guard on Main Street in an effort to ensure pedestrian control and to encourage more students to walk or bike to school rather than be driven.


(Originally published in The Chaffee County Times)

Iditarod team attends dry-land mushing event

By Danny Bay

Veteran mushers of Iditarod, the 11,000-mile race across Alaska will attend Buena Vista’s annual dry-land mushing race on Nov. 14 and 15.

The event will welcome spectators, first-time racers, seasoned mushers and pros like Linda and Lachlan Clarke, who, in March, will again race from Anchorage to Nome with their team of dogs. It will be their sixth Iditarod.

“It’s kind of unique for Buena Vista to have an Iditarod team,” said Linda Clarke, enrollment coordinator of Adventures Unlimited. “More people have climbed Mount Everest than have done Iditarod.”

The Clarkes are currently training 36 dogs for this year’s Iditarod. Linda Clarke said they will take about 28 dogs to Montana later in the season for additional training and of those, 16 will make the team.

“We are blessed with a lot of dogs who love to lead,” Clarke said. “But we will find out if they want to lead under pressure.”

According to Clarke, their dogs are currently under a training schedule that involves pulling ATVs up to 20 miles a day, three to four times a week. By the end of the month they’ll be doing 30 miles by ATVs. But the 80-mile runs will likely separate the dogs that are still pulling strong from those who have lost interest.

“We put about 2,000 miles of training in before Iditarod and after about 1,500 miles some dogs aren’t interested,” Clarke said. “As long as they’re happy, pulling and eating, we will continue to train them. But we never want to make a dog do anything it doesn’t want to do.”

The retired dogs that don’t make the team are often given away or sold to people with an active lifestyle, which suits the dogs well, Clarke said.

Due to the training that the dogs are currently undergoing, Clarke said that they won’t compete in the dry-land race because they think their dogs deserve their days off, which fall on Saturday and Sunday, the days of the dry-land races.

“Just like any athlete, we want to keep them enthusiastic and happy,” Clarke said.
But both Linda and Lachlan Clarke will be at the dry-land race, which Linda said is a great place to learn about feeding, training and mushing in general.

“I think you’ll see a lot of sprint dogs. It’s very competitive. But there will also be a lot of people with new dogs. So you’ll see a bit of everything and that’s what is great about this event. It’s competitive and fun and open to anyone.”

Sponsored by the Colorado Mountain Mushers, the dry-land competition will have a variety of races, such as the 1.2-mile canicross, which involves harnessing one or two dogs and running behind them. Other options include a 2.7-mile scooter, bikejor or canicross course with variable trail conditions for more competitive people, and a small team cart race, which is limited to four dogs.

“Dry-land is sort of a celebration that goes on prior to the real races and the training before hand,” said Colorado Mountain Mushers member Judy Wait. “And it’s a very fun way to do some exercise with your pet.”

Wait, who does not own a dog, said she just enjoys seeing how happy the dogs are to race with their owners. “My personal belief is that all dogs love a job, whether it’s going to get the paper or mushing, and these ones just love to run. The teamwork and the happiness, that’s what I like,” she said.

To this, Linda Clarke agrees and said there is a special relationship with her and her teammates. “I don’t know any kind of animal that can run 11,000 miles and love every second of it without having a strong relationship. These dogs are phenomenal athletes. They’re travelers. Every turn, every mountain. They just love to see what’s next. They’re very personable and it comes from their heart.”

DRY-LAND INFO:

On the days of the dry-land races there will be a mushers meeting at 8:30 a.m. and the competitions begin shortly after that.

The Clarkes will give a special presentation at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 14 at the Valerie Lodge at Adventures Unlimited. This will include slides, movies and more from the race across Alaska. “It’s a great chance to visit with some of our dogs,” Linda Clarke said.

IDITAROD FUN FACTS:

• The Clarke’s Iditarod budget: $32,000
• They send out about 2,000 lbs of supplies to 22 checkpoints around the trail
• An average day consists of 100-125 miles
• The dogs run their best between 10 degrees and 10 below
• The dogs eat between 12,000-15,000 calories a day during the race, which is more than what Lance Armstrong eats a day during the Tour de France.
• More info at www.teamclarkeusa.com


(Originally published in The Chaffee County Times)

Snowdrifters begin their season

By Danny Bay

Of the many paths paved by mountain hikers and explorers, the Buena Vista Snowdrifters leave such an unnoticeable trace that it appears as if they hadn’t traveled at all. In fact, their trail vanishes. But they just might have the broadest, most extensive routes throughout the entire collegiate peaks area.

“When the snow melts the trails are gone. I can’t find them in the summer,” said Ted Neis, president of the Snowdrifters snowmobile club. “It doesn’t affect the trees or anything. It’s really environmentally friendly and they’ve improved snowmobiles so much that they really don’t have the emission problems anymore that they used to.”

More than 30 years old, the club has expanded its local roots to now be a part of Colorado Snowmobile Association. Those who join the CSA for $35 per year can also become part of the Snowdrifters.

The annual dues paid go toward grooming trails that extend over 100 miles. A group of club volunteers use two Snow Cats to clear a 14-foot-wide path through parts of Cottonwood Pass, Taylor Park, Tin Cup, Tin Cup Pass and St. Elmo.

“The trails are plenty wide and it’s a good thing that everybody gets to use them,” Neis said, mentioning that snowshoers and cross-country skiers frequently follow the Snowdrifters’ paths. “We invite them all,” he said.

The club also administers avalanche awareness classes throughout the season. But according to Neis it is completely safe as long as snowmobiles remain on the trails.

“It’s as simple as driving on a golf course. And it’s a lot easier to fall off a snowmobile and get up and back on it than it is to fall off an ATV and get up and back on it,” Neis said.

However it can become dangerous when venturing off of the trails. So Neis suggested always riding with others.

“It can get pretty eerie out there. But there are a lot of people that go up. And that’s the nice thing about our area. People will come and help,” he said.

With about 80 members, the club holds a once-a-month trail ride to various locations and, according to Neis, it’s much more addictive than just a monthly excursion.

“I go once a week or more at least. It depends on the snow and the conditions.”

On those trips, Neis said that he has seen elk, deer, a lynx and Ptarmigan birds so close to him that he nearly mistook them for patches of snow because of their pure white, winter feathers.

“It’s such a kick to get out there and sit on top of a mountain that 99.9 percent of the people will never get to see. And if you see it just once, you’ll never forget it,” Neis said, suggesting that Buena Vista has one of the best trail systems in the state. “It’s just gorgeous. That’s the only problem. You get hooked and you end up spending a lot of money buying an expensive snowmobile.”

But for the picture-book scenery and open terrain he said it’s money well spent.

• The official grooming season begins November 15.
• Club trail rides will be posted thereafter.
• For information contact Ted Neis at 719-395-9251 or visit http://www.snowmobilecolo.com/
• For those new to snowmobiling, Neis suggests making reservations with a rental outfit that provides a guided tour.
• Cottonwood Country Snowmobile Tours offers half-day, full-day and over-night cabin trips.
• Visit http://www.colorado-snowmobile-tours.com/ for more information.


(Originally published in the Buena Vista Winter Adventure Guide)

Geothermal energy: BLM to hold lease sale Nov. 12

By Danny Bay

The Bureau of Land Management will hold a competitive lease sale on Thursday, Nov. 12 for a parcel of land consisting of 799.2 acres near the Mount Princeton hot springs area that is identified to hold an underground reservoir capable of producing geothermal energy.

The acreage up for auction exists under home and land owners who my be directly affected by potential developers.

"Under federal law they (the potential developers) have the right to develop the sub-surface heat underneath the property," Fred Henderson, chief scientist for prospective bidder, Mount Princeton Geothermal LLC said.

Steve Glover, Buena Vista resident and former owner and operator of oil and gas leases in Kansas, said, "This lease represents land where the BLM owns 100 percent of minerals underground. So if they own the minerals, they have the right to sell it. Whoever owns the surface ground is irrelevant."

Unlike many who are hopeful about this being the first site for geothermal energy in the state, Glover voiced concerns about irrevocable damages and disadvantages to land owners who may not understand what is happening.

Under the Stock Raising Homestead Act of 1916, a split ownership estate was established that allocated surface land rights to homesteaders but granted sub-surface rights to the federal government for mineral usage.

According to the SRHA, anyone has the right to enter these federally owned sub-surface lands, prospect, and file a mining claim and plan of operation. Since the geothermal resource sits underground, it is sub-surface land. This is the basis for the sale on Nov. 12, the first geothermal lease to be auctioned by the BLM in the state of Colorado. It is open to anyone who chooses to register.

Henderson said that the new owner of the lease will only have up to one year to create what will lead to the development of the resource.

"They can't sit on it indefinitely," Henderson said.

But what Glover said horrifies him is that if a developer does begin commercial production of electricity, the lease becomes open permanently. "They can ramp it up from a small project and no one could do a blessed thing about it," he said, adding that it has the potential to expand vastly and turn one of the most aesthetically beautiful parts of Colorado into a semi-permanent industrial area.

With Colorado receiving $338 million in Recovery Act Funding for the exploration and development of new geothermal fields, it is very likely that vast expansion is in mind.

Both Henderson and Glover said that there is little that the surface owners can do after a developer chooses a location for a plant and wells.

"These guys are going to want to put a factory somewhere," Glover said. He said that the land in the area would suffer in value. "That damage in value cannot be compensated," he said.

Bill Bennett, energy use advisor for Sangre de Cristo Electric Association, said he thinks a plant could be hidden very well by building it inside, like something similar to a greenhouse or by putting bunkers around it to shield the noise.

"Geothermal can run 24 hours with no down capacity. A 10 -megawatt plant could supply 84 percent of all the electricity we supply all year. There are people who understand that it has no consumption, no combustion and no pollution, but they just don't want to look at it," Bennett said.

In response to this, Glover referenced a Salt Lake Tribune article about a 10-megawatt geothermal plant in Utah that, after six months of generating power, produces only one megawatt of net energy and buys almost as much electricity to keep the plant running as the plant produces.

"There seems to be a real rush to do this. There's a lot of ego involved in being the first to do it and I understand this. But it could come at a great cost and it should be carefully considered," Glover said. "It would be a shame to so easily allow this to go forward."


(Originally published in The Chaffee County Times)

Trace Bundy returns to hometown for concert

By Danny Bay

His music career began at Bongo Billy’s where as a kid he and his friends would play cover songs and invite others to come and listen. Now his music has stretched across continents and his unique sound continues to draw fans from the ends of the earth.

“I’d like to hit all seven continents. That would be cool. Antarctica would of course be the harder one,” Bundy said regarding his touring ambitions.

But through his YouTube solo guitar performances which have reached over five million views, he has already gained a fan base on the coldest continent on earth.

“There’s a scientist at the Palmer Science Station who is a fan of mine,” Bundy said, “She emailed me. She told me that everybody down there likes my music.”

Though his tour dates don’t yet post any shows in Antarctica, Bundy said that he will add another continent in March, when he travels down under.

“Any time I travel internationally and play it has been a memorable experience. I played a show in Zimbabwe and right when I played a percussive song they got up dancing. I was surprised how much they got into the music,” Bundy said.

His cover of “Canon” is one of his most well-known songs. A performance of the song has reached over one million views on YouTube and the clip brought him to South Korea to play a concert in Seoul with a young admirer.

Bundy said that child prodigy, Sungha June, found his clip online and, at the age of nine, learned how to play it.

“He picked it up just by watching me play,” Bundy said, “It’s a pretty tricky song. It was amazing.” The two guitarists played a sold-out show in South Korea and both performed “Canon” together.

But it’s closer to home where Bundy might be breaking records. At a performance at Red Rocks, which drew a crowd of around 7,000, Bundy said that with the help of a few others, he tried to break the Guinness record for the largest group lesson.

According to Bundy, there were about 1,000 people who brought instruments such as ukuleles, sitars and guitars. Bundy said that he organized the group play with the song “Sweet Home Alabama,” and put a chord chart up on the stage behind him.

“I saw someone in the stands with a full sized harp. I could hear the whole crowd singing. It was a memorable experience just to stand on that stage,” he said. The results of the submission to set a new group lesson record have yet to be announced.

With a style of playing the acoustic guitar in which he uses both hands on the fret board and multiple capos, Bundy was honored by Acoustic Guitar Magazine as the “2008 Most Promising New Talent of the Year.”

“I was just thrilled that I was really admired,” Bundy said about the magazine’s reader’s choice awards. After the poll from all of the readers, Bundy was also awarded third place as “2008 Finger Style Guitarist of the Year.”

“Who knows why they voted for me,” Bundy said, “I think a lot of people enjoy my concerts. I do a lot of funny songs. I’m always trying to think outside of the box. Since I don’t sing, I need to do things that people haven’t seen before or it won’t go anywhere.”

Upon his return to where it all began in Buena Vista, with three self-produced albums that have sold over 30,000 copies and several successful international tours, Bundy looks to be far outside of the box as his music appears to be going everywhere.

Trace Bundy will perform in Buena Vista this Friday at 7:30 p.m. at the Orpheum Theatre with special guest Jesse Willis.


(Originally published in The Chaffee County Times)

Collegiate Peaks Music Festival

By Danny Bay

Homegrown musicians coming from throughout all of Colorado will gather to play along the South Main River Park for the Collegiate Peaks Festival this weekend. During this celebration of Colorado, some well-known and favorite acts will again perform and emerging artists will also take the stage. And everyone who will attend the festival will have the opportunity to be a part of the music that echoes through the mountains.

The festival will begin and end with group drumming and rhythm circles facilitated by Peak Rhythms.

“The big thing about what we do is that with us, not only can people listen, they get to make music,” said Jon Crowder, founder of Peak Rhythms. “It’s about fun and building community. No experience is necessary.”

Crowder said that Peak Rhythms has facilitated well over 10,000 people in rhythm based events and that one recent event may soon be a world record holder. On June 27, 2009, Peak Rhythms hiked Pikes Peak with a group of well-connected musicians called Love Hope Strength to play music and rally to beat cancer.

“We’re submitting it to the Guinness Book of World Records for the highest drum circle,” Crowder said. “We hope to hear back in the next couple of weeks.”

Among the hundreds of people on the peak, Crowder said Kevin Bacon was there playing a djembe. “I saw him smile and I could tell he liked what we were doing,” Crowder said.

For the drum circles at the Collegiate Peaks Festival, Peak Rhythms will provide a variety of drums from diverse cultures, like Native American hoop drums, Celtic drums, African djembes, African bass drums and Latin congas. “They all have their own unique contribution,” Crowder said, “and together it makes for an over all richer sound. In that sense, it’s a metaphor of how we all come together as a community.”

And after the Peak Rhythms performance, many prominent Colorado musicians will follow.

Jake Schroeder, lead singer of Denver’s Opie Gone Bad, said he can’t wait to get up and play in the mountains. “It’s like a church for me getting up in the hills,” he said, adding that it reminds him of his childhood cabin where he hiked and cross-country skied. “I’m going to come up early. I just love that part of Colorado. It’s gorgeous,” he said.

Schroeder, who regularly sings the national anthem at the home games for the Colorado Avalanche and often for the Rockies, Nuggets and Broncos, said that Opie Gone Bad is particularly proud of their upcoming album due out in August.

According to Schroeder, the album is the primary work of guitarist Randy Chavez.

“He’s been burning the midnight oil making sure it’s exactly how he wanted,” Schroeder said. “I’m proud of it to the ends of the earth and we really, really enjoy playing.”

Judge Roughneck a ska and reggae band influenced by the two-tone bands of the 80s will return to play festival. “We’ll definitely get you up and moving. That’s for sure,” said keyboard and saxophonist Jon Hegel.

Judge Roughneck has been a group since 1995 and Hegel said that they plan to play several new songs not yet on record.

“We’re looking forward to the show. It’s one of the best one’s of the summer,” Hegel said. “Last year we ended up staying longer in a hotel and people followed us up from Denver. This year my girlfriend and I are going to camp.”

Out of Ridgway Colorado, members of a jam band group called Fall Baby will bring a true mountain feel with an acoustic set. “All of the originals are about being in the Southwest and the inspiration that being in the mountains brings,” said Helene Cassarini, lead singer.

Cassarini said that as a ritual, the members of the group like to kayak, hike or ski before they perform and that they definitely plan to get some time in the river this weekend.

New to the festival, Cassarini said that through their music, Fall Baby likes to spread that peaceful, love and hippy vibe so that, afterward, people can go on with their daily lives feeling better. “That’s what it does for us,” she said.

Angie Stevens, a local favorite, who has performed at every Collegiate Peaks Festival will also return. Her new album, Queen of This Mess, debuted at No. 5 on the Euro American chart and No. 6 on the Roots Music Report.

Also with her freshly released 2009 album Saving Grace, Wendy Woo is sure to dazzle people with her guitar wizardry and lyrics.

Upcoming star, Jessica Sonner, is scheduled to play an acoustic set. Her single “Rescue Me” has been featured on HBO’s Big Love.

And the list of music goes on. Kizumba will put a little Latin love in the atmosphere with salsa and merengue beats, The Spring Creek Bluegrass Band will flat pick the night away, the Silvertone Devils will bring the rock from Paonia and the Buena Vista High School Band will get a chance to display their talent.

And just when you think the lineup is done, everyone will be able to join the closing encore with Peak Rhythms.

“In every circle somebody says that they don’t have rhythm,” Crowder said, “and I say, ‘Well, do you have a heart beat? If you have a heartbeat then you have a rhythm.’ It’s very empowering for someone to find that they can play music.”

Picture courtesy of Jon Crowder. (Peak Rhythms along with Love Hope Strength held a drum circle on top of Pikes Peak in a rally to beat cancer)

Judge Roughneck - www.judgeroughneck.com
Peak Rhythms - www.peakrhythms.com
Spring Creek - www.springcreekbluegrassband.com
Jessica Sonner - www.jessicasonner.com
Kizumba - www.kizumba.com
Angie Stevens - www.angiestevens.com
Opie Gone Bad - www.opiegonebad.com
Silvertone Devils - http://www.reverbnation.com/silvertonedevils
Wendy Woo - www.wendywoo.com
Fall Baby www.fallbaby.com
BV High School Jazz Band


(Originally published in The Chaffee County Times)

Volunteers help reverse decline of bluebirds

By Danny Bay

With encouraging results, volunteers in Chaffee County have continued to help build the population of mountain and western bluebirds through a statewide initiative called the Colorado Bluebird Project.

“When we started this effort, Colorado was reporting about 100 nest attempts each year. Now that number is well over 1000 each year,” said Kevin Corwin, Director of the Colorado Bluebird Project.

Active for five years, the project has aimed to work with volunteers along various routes in the state to build and monitor nest boxes that provide suitable conditions for bluebirds whose decline has been of concern.

According to Corwin, their decline is attributed to loss of habitat, insecticides and competition from European starlings and English or house sparrows. Corwin said by building a correct box, many of these attributions are combated, but not all.

“If you properly design a box, starlings can’t get in a bluebird box, but sparrows will get in there. Sparrows can nest anywhere. They’re very aggressive. If they really want the box that the bluebird is in, they will kill the adults and build a nest over the corpse,” Corwin said, adding that the bluebirds will defend their box but that they are usually outmatched.

For this reason, Corwin said that in comparison to previous efforts, the project has been re-energized with new goals, one of which is a focus on monitoring.

“We actively check boxes once a week,” he said. From these observations, if a volunteer has found that another species has taken over the box, the hole of the box may be temporarily plugged or the box may be moved to a more suitable location for the bluebird, such as grasslands.

In addition to monitoring for problems, Corwin said that volunteers also monitor when eggs are laid, the number of eggs in the clutch, how many hatch and how many fledge, or, leave the box. These results for every box are sent by the volunteers to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Several things such as nest productivity and mortality rates can be determined and measured at the lab.

Another goal that the project established was education. Corwin said that they use a one-hour program to present to people interested in establishing a nest box.

“It wasn’t hard to get people excited about it,” said Jena Sanchez of the Colorado Division of Wildlife in Salida. “I have volunteer leaders in each community. And it’s an amazing project that’s taken off from there,” she said.

As the volunteer coordinator for Southeaster Colorado, Sanchez has helped volunteers monitor 20 bluebird boxes in Salida, 20 boxes in various sites by the headwaters around Buena Vista and 70 boxes in Howard.

“I think people love them for their beautiful colors. It gets them hooked right away,” Sanchez said.

Over the past fours years of work on the project, Sanchez said that the volunteer hours have more than quadrupled and she expects that there will be a record amount of hours logged by the end of this season.

Linda Geiling, a volunteer for four years, has put in over 100 hours of volunteer work every year, according to Sanchez.

“When I retired I needed something to do so I stopped by the office,” Geiling said, “I had been interested in the western bluebird so I put up some boxes and then people began to talk to me. They would say, ‘Hey, did you see? We have bluebirds again.’”

Geiling said that she was originally unaware that she should monitor the boxes. But after volunteering, she learned it was okay to look in and observe the progress of the birds and their babies.

“I’ll walk up to the box and tap on it, which is an opportunity for the mother to fly out, and then I’ll look in. It was really exciting when I saw the first eggs of the babies. They grow up so fast. They’re born with no feathers and by 14 days, they leave,” she said.

But Geiling said that sometimes a routine check of the boxes does not always leave her quite so happy.

“I had an incident with a box next to a friend’s house. One day I checked the box and the eggs were dead, the mother was on them and she was dead and on top was the father with his wings spread. It was like he was trying to protect the box. So we took away the box. It wasn’t a good location. It was too close to a house,” she said.

Geiling said she has learned how to provide a better habitat and how to better protect the bluebirds from predators but that some problems still occur with wasps, snakes and other birds.

But despite such difficulties, Geiling has helped expand bluebird routes by putting up a total of 82 boxes. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Colorado has documented 5,637 nests and Geiling said that she is optimistic about the nest count. “There’s a good chance to increase or maybe even improve this year,” she said.

In addition to her efforts, Geiling said that she helps people become aware of the project by giving information through a PowerPoint presentation. It includes a video from a camera inside a box that shows eggs hatching. She said that she has held box-building workshops and that if people need, she will even make them a box.

“I’ve got it down to a science. It takes me only about 10 minutes,” she said, adding that anyone can build and monitor a box. “It’s easier than a lot of people think,” she said.

And for Geiling, volunteering comes with the most fruitful reward.

“Just to see them keeps me going. If the environment is healthy, the bluebirds and butterflies are healthy too. I look forward to it all the time and I call them ‘my birds,’” she said.


(Originally published in The Chaffee County Times)

Preparing for the outside

By Danny Bay

With a mountain of summer activities in Colorado’s backyard, it’s easy to pack for a full list of events and drive out in frenzy without taking a moment to prepare for factors that may cause problems if overlooked.

Hiking a 14er, one of the most popular and underestimated draws of the valley can become risky for those unready, according to Ann Ewing, Public Information Officer for the Salida Ranger Department.

“The timberline makes it pretty precarious,” she said, adding that a variety of problems occur such as twisted or broken ankles, fatigue from extreme increases in elevation, dehydration and, most of all, altitude sickness, which she said can only be alleviated by returning to lower elevation, not by resting.

“We recommend that if you’re going to attempt climbing, to get an extremely early start. Get to the peak by noon. If you’re looking at climbing a peak and won't make it by noon, go ahead and turn around. The mountain will always be there," Ewing said.

While attempting a 14er, or taking a lighter stroll, it’s best to avoid abandon mines sprinkled throughout the area, which Ewing said are commonly overlooked. “Up to the turn of the century, they would sink a mine shaft anywhere. You can stumble upon them and fall into them due to the old and rotting timber,” she said.

Troubles can also come from fellow outdoorsmen, also known as animals. One type can really cause a headache, literally. “Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever caused by ticks is prevalent,” Ewing said. The symptoms include a heavy fever, malaise and a developed rash. Though treatable with antibiotics, Ewing said it’s better to locate any ticks and remove them with tweezers before the fever develops. “Ticks are most common in the springtime. Take the time to inspect yourself, your socks and especially with long hair,” she said.

Headaches, not so common for people as they are for dogs, are rattlesnakes common along the river corridor in rocky, warm and dry areas. Local veterinarians have a vaccine but nevertheless Ewing said it’s a good idea to watch your step and be very aware for the sake of your pet(s).

Other animals don’t cause much trouble other than to provoke fear at the sight of them. Tarantulas have been spotted in Big Horn Sheep Canyon, large bull snakes exist in the forest, and encountering black bears is always a possibility. But Ewing said they usually remain harmless if given distance. "Make noise. Some people hang bells on their clothes, carry on a conversation. Let the bears hear you. They don't enjoy human company," Ewing said.

If heading for the waters of the Arkansas, Stew Pappenforte, Senior Ranger of the Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area said to take it at a gradient. Due to varying levels of degrees, Pappenforte said he hesitates to use two words with the river: dangerous and safe. Semantics aside, he said the most serious situations he sees are repeat scenarios in which people underestimate river sections or current conditions and overestimate equipment.

According to Pappenforte, everyone should show caution with rock sieves, like Fog Rock near Buena Vista, that allow small things to pass and not big things—similar to a spaghetti strainer, and bridge abutments that have upstream currents which appear innocuous and perfect in nature and are anything but.

Even while off-roading, people can find themselves unprepared. “There’s always a danger of getting lost. You might spend a night out in the woods,” said Carl Bauer, president of High Rocky Riders Off-Road Club. “Trails aren’t marked real well,” he said. Both Bauer and Ewing said a simple remedy for that is to bring an up-to-date map along on the adventure.

Another important thing to consider for summer activities is speeding. “Slow down,” Ewing said, “enjoy your time in the forest, stop and smell the flowers, enjoy the peaks, relax and communicate with nature.”

Caught in a Storm:
Typical summer weather patterns have thundershowers that come late morning and early afternoon. "I have been working in the forest where there has been lightning striking within 100 feet,” she said. “In the presence of lighting make yourself as small as possible. Remove any metal, such as jewelry, and keep on the balls of your feet.”

Bears:
They're most commonly seen in spring after hibernation and in August into September when they are eating heavily before hibernation.

Found an Unwanted Friend:
To remove ticks, standard first aid doesn't recommend using a match. See a doctor if it’s deeply embedded.

Troubled Waters:
"People should use extra caution when flows get to high levels,” Pappenforte said.
Low = less than 1000 cubic feet
Med = 1000-2500
High = 2500-4500
Flood = 4500 and up


(Originally published in the Buena Vista Summer Adventure Guide)

Compromise may lead to resolution of dispute between correctional complex, sanitation district

By Danny Bay

An unpaid prison sewage bill continues to accrue while the ongoing dispute between the Buena Vista Sanitation District and the Department of Corrections lingers outside of litigation.

Throughout the four years in which the disagreement has extended, the unsettled debt has increased by an additional $188,188.78 to now reach a sum of $619,188.78.

“The litigation is on hold as we both evaluate our respective measuring devices, which is where the dispute really is,” said Sanitation District Attorney Bill Alderton, who was reluctant to say that the issue is flowing smoothly.

Unlike a house sewage bill that gets charged monthly from a measurement known as an Equivalent Residential Unit, the Sanitation District bills the DOC based on flow by the gallon. The flow is measured from a sample station that pulls levels on a random basis. And therein has been the dispute.

"Sometimes if the bill is too high they won't pay it," Alderton said.

According to Alderton, the DOC has built their own sampling station to analyze levels while the sanitation district also continues sampling. Both parties plan to share their evaluations.

“We have hired a private firm to check off the lab results,” Alderton said.

According to DOC spokesperson Katherine Sanguinetti, the DOC uses Ted B. Miller and Associates to monitor the flow. Measurements are calibrated four times a month.

Sanitation District Director, Patti Andreas said that the monthly prison bill fluctuates from $9,000 to $20,000 per month. But Sanguinetti said that the gage that is being calibrated and what the prison’s bill equals are two very different things.

“What they billed us for was 160 percent of the flow,” Sanguinetti said, adding that it made that particular month’s bill around $24,000. “We pay the maximum of what we think the highest possible flow could be,” she said.

Currently both parties have agreed that the litigation will be stayed as they wait to compare results. But Alderton said that if it returns to court and the judge enters a charge, the state of Colorado will ultimately have to pay the bill.

Sanguinetti said that the DOC needs to know that they’ve been properly billed. “We have got to be fiscally responsible with the taxpayers’ money and paying a bill that is incorrect is not fiscally responsible,” she said.

In 2005 State Representative Tom Massey facilitated discussions between the two parties. Before Massey’s intervention, Alderton said that the DOC refused to talk to the Sanitation District. But from Massey’s help came the agreement to share evaluations.

Both Alderton and Sanguinetti said they are confident that there will be a resolution.

“We would like to come to a compromise and that all parties walk away like they’ve been justly compensated,” Sanguinetti said.

But neither Alderton nor Sanguinetti said they could cite a time frame for such a conclusion.

“I would be surprised if it is resolved before nine months to a year, especially if it goes back into litigation,” Alderton said.


(Originally published in The Chaffee County Times)

Climbing Buena Vista

By Danny Bay

Bring a chalk bag, bring carabiners, bring some rope, or even without any equipment, bring a positive edge to reach the top of nearby rocks and to the top of what may feel like the world.

“I’ve climbed every month to the year this year,” said Buena Vista resident Doug Ranck who, for around 30 years, has been rock climbing local hot spots like Four Mile, Bobs Rock, River Road, The Roost and the crags along 371 that go through the tunnel.

According to Ranck, there are several types of climbing in the area. Track climbing requires inserting instruments into the rock’s surface in order to climb it. Bouldering or highballing consists of climbing and traversing rocks from three to 15 feet without gear. And sport climbing involves bolts already placed in the rock for climbers to use, which Ranck said he now prefers because it demands less gear.

“There’s a few areas that aren’t my favorite but it wouldn’t keep me from going if I wanted,” Ranck said about more difficult climbs. “No matter how hard they are you go there. That’s why you enjoy it,” he said.

To better assess a climb, there are rating systems. The Yosemite Decimal System rates climbs using classes one through five. “In grade five you’re using your hands and feet to climb. In three you’re scrambling through a boulder field and you might use your hands a couple times,” Ranck said, adding that the class five division is rated from 5.5 as the easiest to 5.10 which only a few elite and dedicated climbers attempt.

Regardless of rating systems, accidents still occur. Ranck recalled a fluke incident with an overhanging bowl where his heal hooked, putting him upside down and breaking his wrist. “It was so quick I didn’t have a chance to react. It was either my hand or my head,” he said. But the event didn’t deter him. “I was right back at it. I even put rubber on my cast and went climbing,” he added.

To avoid injury, Nate Porter, owner of Salida Mountain Sports, a provider of climbing equipment, recommended taking lessons with an outfitter and avoiding solo climbs. “Plenty of people do it and prefer it. But it’s an acquired taste for the more seasoned climber,” he said.

For the less seasoned climber, Adventure Unlimited opens their indoor rock climbing center to the community. “It’s a real easy way to learn in a controlled environment. People can get comfortable with the safety of rock climbing,” said Alison Peticolas, Ranch Director of Adventure Unlimited.

The center has an auto-belay and group lessons for several types of climbing. Peticolas works with organizations like Chaffee County Mentors and Full Circle in Leadville to teach children the sport.

“Some kids don’t think they can do it. Once they get going, it gets a little hard and they want to come down instantly,” she said. For those children, Peticolas gives advice that could perhaps help everyone interested in rock climbing. “We encourage them to stop, rest, and reassess. And eventually they reach the top,” she said.


(Originally published in the Buena Vista Summer Adventure Guide)

Carin Mari awarded ‘2009 Female Entertainer’

By Danny Bay

After taking first place in Colorado, hometown musician Carin Mari Lechner brought back with her to Buena Vista three prominent awards from the 2009 North American Country Music Association International Competition.

In Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, judges awarded her with, “2009 Female Entertainer,” “Most Promising Album of the Year” for Follow the Trail, which she recorded with her two brothers Colin and Evan, and “2009 Song Writer of the Year.”

“It was a bit more nerve-wracking,” Lechner said about her performance at the competition compared to past performances. “The County Tonight Theater was probably one of the finest theaters I’ve played on,” she said.

Lechner also said it was difficult without her brothers on stage with whom she usually performs as Carin Mari and Pony Express. But rules of the competition stipulated that contestants performed unaccompanied without any interaction on stage, which Lechner said is an important part of her presentation.

“It was just me all alone. You think about it more. But it’s what I love so it comes out easier,” she said.

Contestants at the competition ranged in age from four years to 60 years. Lechner attributed some of her success over other impressive acts to sticking true to her type of country music which she called “Western Americana,” a style of singing about the land and family values.

While others at the competition were singing well-known songs by Dolly Parton and LeAan Rimes, Lechner chose to cover Ian Tyson.

“Everybody was telling me, ‘you picked things that we’ve never heard before, it was very refreshing.’ That’s what western music is; it’s very obscure. It’s a real story,” Lechner said.

The award with the most meaning for Lechner came with “Song Writer of the Year” for the song “Always a Road,” which she wrote for her best friend of eight years who recently graduated.

“Everything I write is detailed from my life. The best songs come from what you know,” said Lechner who gave credit to friend and influence Michael Martin Murphy who long ago gave her the John Dylan custom-made 1978 acoustic guitar that she used at the competition.

“Carin has a voice as addictive as the mythological Siren, the enthusiasm of the Energizer Bunny and the stage presence of a Shakespearian thespian all rolled up in a beautiful young lady,” said Andy Nelson, cowboy poet and humorist.

Nelson first heard Lechner perform after award winning poet and writer Yvonne Hollenbeck suggested that he hear her. The two have performed and been colleagues on stage ever since.

“I was not surprised to hear of her CMAIC awards because of two things: her dedication to excellence and the family surrounding her,” Nelson said.

Though her brothers weren’t at the competition in Tennessee, Lechner said they called routinely for updates and nearly flipped out when they heard she had gotten first place.

Golden Eagle Recordings, the recording company started by Lechner’s brother, Colin, produced all of Follow the Trail on the day that he returned from recording school in Iowa.

“It meant so much to him because it was his first project,” Lechner said about the award for “Most Promising Album of the Year.”

Lechner continues practicing and performing with her brothers while attending college. She said she hopes to continue her music career and would like to be a country music artist someday.

“When I put a cowboy hat on and get on stage I feel on top of the world,” Lechner said, “I’d love to go wherever the road takes us. You never know whose going to walk on your path.”


(Originally published in The Chaffee County Times)

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By Danny Bay