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