Month: February 1998

El Nino vs. the Homeowners’ Association

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Column by Hal Walter

Climate – February 1998 – Colorado Central Magazine

IN THE EARLY DAYS of the New West we didn’t blame El Niño for our weather-related hardships. We were simply too busy digging out from a “hard winter” or “heavy snow year.”

That was back when winter was an old man, not a little boy. Those of us who had lived in this country for any amount of time sought out homes on county-plowed roads, and squirreled away extra food, firewood, and camp-stove fuel because we knew it wasn’t a matter of if — but rather when and how much — it would snow.

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Quarry Days in the Ute Trail Area

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Article by Dick Dixon

Local History – February 1998 – Colorado Central Magazine

VISITORS TO THE Salida Granite Co. Federal Quarry today must walk or ride horseback because the road is closed. Once there, they find elaborate concrete foundations and a few small cabins still standing.

A concrete powder house is badly battered by vandals. A 4,000-gallon oak water tank, hidden in trees on a hillside, remained until someone carried it away in 1980. Dozens of “boulder quarry holes” pock the countryside and the main quarry is partly filled with water.

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Lead, Silver, Silicon: The Elements of Publishing

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Essay by Ed Quillen

Publishing – February 1998 – Colorado Central Magazine

FOR REASONS that made some sense thirty years ago, radio and television stations are known as “electronic media,” while magazines and newspapers are “print media.”

This implies that we print folk aren’t electronic, but I’d wager that there are more pieces of electronic gear in the offices of The Mountain Mail than in the studios of KVRH. Except for charming anachronisms like the Saguache Crescent, the “print media” are electronic now — we may rely on physical distribution to put our work before you, but our production occurs on computers.

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Semillas de la Tierra: 25 years of Folklorico

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Article by Marcia Darnell

Local Arts – February 1998 – Colorado Central Magazine

IT’S A PARTY! The hall is packed with 25 years’ worth of students, teachers, supporters and admirers of Semillas de la Tierra, the San Luis Valley’s longest-lasting dance troupe.

“I’m so proud,” says co-founder Patsy Martinez. “If you’ve ever felt your whole body just shine with pride, that’s how I feel.”

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Where have all the Monarch butterflies gone?

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Article by Nancy Ward

Wildlife – February 1998 – Colorado Central Magazine

WHERE HAVE ALL THE BUTTERFLIES GONE — the Monarchs of Central Colorado? That’s what first-, second-, third-, and fifth-grade students at Mountain Valley School in Saguache are hoping to find out. They’re involved in serious scientific research, a portion of which is in conjunction with the Monarch Watch program offered through the entomology department at Kansas University.

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Can ski areas be all things to all people?

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Article by Allen Best

Skiing – February 1998 – Colorado Central Magazine

ADAM ARON went bonkers after a vodka company published an ad that lightly alluded to skier injuries. “There is nothing amusing about skier injuries,” said Aron, the CEO for Vail Resorts, an empire that now controls nearly 10% of the U.S. skier market.

Timing is everything, though.

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No marmot day, but there is a February thaw

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Brief by Central Staff

Climate – February 1998 – Colorado Central Magazine

Perhaps the best that can be said of February is that it is short, although it is long enough to have a legal holiday, Presidents’ Day on the 16th, and an unofficial holiday, Groundhog Day on the 2nd.

As the story goes, the hibernating groundhog emerges from his burrow on this day. If the sun is shining — that is, he can see his shadow — then six more weeks of winter loom, and the critter returns to his burrow for more sleep. Otherwise, he presumably gets a cup of coffee and rises for the season.

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Who owns our congressman?

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Brief by Central Staff

Politics – February 1998 – Colorado Central Magazine

Who owns our Congressman?

PAC (Political Action Committee) contributions to Rep. Scott McInnis during the 1996 election cycle.

Based on Federal Election Commission reports, as collated by the Environmental Working Group, which puts this information on the World Wide Web at http://www.wyl.ewg.org

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Briefs from the San Luis Valley

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Brief by Marcia Darnell

San Luis Valley – February 1998 – Colorado Central Magazine

A Second Helping

The bustling metropolis of Center is about to bustle even more. A second potato processing plant is planned for a fall opening. Center also has a carrot-processing plant.

The facility is to be funded by a coalition of San Luis Valley potato growers and warehouses. They hope to produce a line of peeled spuds that are hashed, diced or sliced for fries and vacuum-packed.

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Heard Around the West

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Brief by Betsy Marston

Miscellaneous – February 1998 – Colorado Central Magazine

You’ve probably heard about the lion who escaped from a Florida zoo. Well, recently a collection of Western wildlife and livestock have also evaded pursuers for brief, shining moments.

Thanks to a missing lock on one door and another door mysteriously left open, nine buffalo escaped from an enclosure at the zoo in Oakland, Calif., reports AP. After they were spotted munching on poison ivy and native grasses, zoo workers lured them back just 45 minutes later. Tip for Yellowstone Parkies: The lure was a trail of Wonder Bread.

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UP cuts rails on Tennessee Pass

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Brief by Central Staff

Transportation – February 1998 – Colorado Central Magazine

Tennessee Pass is no longer a continuous railroad route. No through trains have run since August, and on Jan. 5, rails were removed from the main track near Mile Post 273.3 (just west of Malta, outside Leadville) and Mile Post 334.0 (just east of the drywall plant near Gypsum).

UP was supposed to maintain Tennessee Pass in operating condition until it could demonstrate its ability to handle the traffic on other routes after it merged with the Southern Pacific in 1996.

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Vote early and often in Park County?

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Brief by Central Staff

Politics – February 1998 – Colorado Central Magazine

You may have thought the political season wouldn’t start until later this year, with spring precinct caucuses followed by county assemblies, state assemblies, summer primaries and fall general elections.

But things are moving a little faster in Park County, where all three commissioners — Steven Benninghoven, Richard Trast, and Doug Walters — face a special recall election on Feb. 23.

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Gunnison just says no to paving Cottonwood

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Brief by Central Staff

Transportation – February 1998 – Colorado Central Magazine

Gunnison just says no to paving Cottonwood

Often you see signs that tell you when you’re entering an area, like “A Park for All Seasons” at the portals of Park County or “Saguache: North Gateway to the San Luis Valley” at the town limits.

But the only sign we recall that tells you that you’re leaving a place is 12,126 feet above sea level when you’re westbound at the apex of Cottonwood Pass. There you are informed that you are “Leaving Chaffee County.”

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