Month: May 2005

Keep them out of tiny hands

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Column by Hal Walter

Guns – May 2005 – Colorado Central Magazine

IT’S NEVER TALKED ABOUT in my family, but there was an accident involving a firearm when I was not yet a teenager. Luckily, nobody was hurt.

As I recall, my mother had recently remarried, and my new dad had returned home from a hunting trip. Gleeful at his return, I helped him unpack and carry the gear from the truck in the driveway to the house. There were sleeping bags and other camping gear; the rifles and shotguns were in their cases. And there was a .22-caliber revolver in its holster, with the leather belt wrapped around it. I picked up a long-gun case in my left hand and the revolver in my right.

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The war of words

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Column by George Sibley

Campus Life – May 2005 – Colorado Central Magazine

HAVING GOTTEN MYSELF institutionalized these days, in Western State College over here in Gunnison, I am following the Ward Churchill palpitations with a mixture of morbid fascination and dread resignation.

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Jack Dempsey’s days in Central Colorado

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Article by Kirt J. Boyd

Local History – May 2005 – Colorado Central Magazine

ON JULY 4, 1919, in Toledo, Ohio, 20,000-plus fans watched Jack Dempsey destroy Jess Willard, and become heavyweight champion of the world. By the end of the third round, Jack had broken Willard’s jaw, knocked out six of his teeth, and closed one of his eyes. Many people lost money that day, not believing that a fighter 58 pounds lighter than Willard could possibly win.

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It’s easy to see our outrage

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Essay by Martha Quillen

Growth – May 2005 – Colorado Central Magazine

LIBERALS AND CONSERVATIVES have more in common than they usually admit. For instance, both seem convinced that the world will soon be coming to an end.

Although different factions may quibble about the cause, they agree on the scenario. Either terrorists and the U.N. — or wars against terrorism and U.S. antagonism toward the U.N. — are bound to precipitate that eventuality. Or perhaps the cause will be sin, the Apocalypse, global warming, nuclear weapons, or environmental degradation.

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The wisdom of the ancients

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Letter from Slim Wolfe

Health – May 2005 – Colorado Central Magazine

Editors:

“To fit in with the change of events, words, too, had to change their usual meanings. What used to be described as a thoughtless act of aggression was now regarded as the courage one would expect in a party member; to think of the future and wait was merely another way of saying one was a coward; any idea of moderation was just an attempt to disguise one’s unmanly character; ability to understand a question from all sides meant that one was totally unfitted for action…”

So much has changed in the 2400 years since Thucydides wrote these words that he would probably see today’s humans as malevolent godlings hurling thunderbolts of depleted uranium and riding on fearsome chariots, but his assessment of humans seems to hold true.

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Hybrids at altitude

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Letter from Bill Eichelberger

Colorado Central – May 2005 – Colorado Central Magazine

Hi Ed & Martha,

I am writing about the article on page 7 of your March issue. The last paragraph says that hybrid engines could have problems at higher than 7,000 feet and I want to correct that impression.

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Finding the North Pole

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Letter from Charlie Green

Colorado Central – May 2005 – Colorado Central Magazine

Ed or Martha:

The regional roundup in the April Colorado Central had an article about tourist traps, specifically the Royal Gorge Bridge Park. One factual error about which you have probably already heard: the North Pole is in Cascade. I’m not sure it or the May Museum of Natural History are in “our” Central Colorado. Colorado Springs has more than its share of tacky touristy things: Seven Falls (with new high tech lighting), Ghost Town, and the Cliff Dwellings come to mind.

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Asleep at the switch?

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Letter from Peter Bulkeley

Colorado Central – May 2005 – Colorado Central Magazine

Dear Ed,

Were you asleep at the editing switch for the April issue? Does George Sibley know the difference between the possessive form of it and the contraction for it is? The last line of the first column on page 31 reads “And to it’s somewhat surprised dismay …” I’m pretty sure he meant its not it is.

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More about the Cotopaxi colony

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Letter from Miles Saltiel

Local History – May 2005 – Colorado Central Magazine

Editors:

A cousin has drawn my attention to “Hard Times: The Jewish colony at Cotopaxi,” an article by Nancy Oswald which you published in the February 2005 edition of Colorado Central Magazine.

In this Ms. Oswald refers to my paper on the topic, which I prepared after researches and visits to Cotopaxi on a couple of occasions. I did this as a rebuttal to the account generally provided by the descendants of the colonists and I attach a copy.

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The source of Mirkwood

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Letter from Timothy J. Kregel

Monarch – May 2005 – Colorado Central Magazine

Editors:

From your April edition: “On March 3, the Monarch Ski and Snowboard Area opened Mirkwood Basin….”

I’ll bet Rich Moorhead had a lot to do with that name being used. In the early seventies, when we were all about 20 years old, there was a stand of aspen in Garfield that had the nickname Lower Mirkwood, an appellation appropriated by Ned Stock (I think) from the Rings trilogy.

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Working toward a sustainable Salida

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Article by Jayne Mabus

Sustainability – May 2005 – Colorado Central Magazine

HAVE YOU NOTICED the price of gasoline recently? It’s soaring. And the possible repercussions can’t just be avoided by cutting that extra trip to the grocery store.

In our region, a large percentage of locally-owned and operated businesses are tourist-related, and thus they rely on travel — and hence gasoline. Remember a couple of summers ago when Governor Owens declared that all of Colorado was on fire? Tourists called in and canceled their reservations in droves, and local businesses, from motels and lodges, to restaurants and art galleries, had to tighten their belts.

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Trail Fair planned in BV

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Brief by Central Staff

Outdoors – May 2005 – Colorado Central Magazine

Many things that are “good for you” involve a certain amount of displeasure, but trails usually offer pleasant experiences, while improving your health.

Thus the slogan of “Take the path for a healthier you” for this year’s National Trails Day on June 4.

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Purple privies will sprout on BV lawns

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Brief by Central Staff

Historic Preservation – May 2005 – Colorado Central Magazine

Buena Vistans have enjoyed indoor plumbing for many years, but even so, privies will appear on lawns there in May and June. They won’t be full-size two-holers, though; they’re purple miniatures designed to raise money for historic preservation through Buena Vista Heritage.

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Cañon ages itself a century

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Brief by Central Staff

Local History – May 2005 – Colorado Central Magazine

We know that Cañon is one of the older settlements in the area, but we don’t think it’s quite as old as this sign indicates. The sign is in the park with the missle on the west side, and we suspect the author meant to say “late 19th century and early 20th century.”

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Retired river outfitter named to SEWCD board

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Brief by Central Staff

Water – May 2005 – Colorado Central Magazine

In what looks like a sign of changing times, retired river outfitter Reed Dils of Buena Vista has replaced Salida rancher Glen Everett on the board of the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District.

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Bat helpers needed

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Brief by Central Staff

Wildlife – May 2005 – Colorado Central Magazine

Years ago, one of us went on a field trip sponsored by the local Audubon Society. The object was not birds, but bats – thousands of Brazilian free-tail bats emerging at sunset for a night of devouring bugs. They flew out from their summer home at the old Orient Iron Mine east of Villa Grove near Valley View Hot Springs.

This summer, there will be more frequent opportunities to see the bats emerge – but only if the Orient Land Trust can enlist more volunteer bat tour guides.

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Regional Roundup

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Brief by Ed Quillen

Regional News – May 2005 – Colorado Central Magazine

Barrage of Break-ins

There seems to be an epidemic of window-smashing hereabouts. The mildest case was at the 21st Amendment Liquor Store in Crestone. In the wee hours of March 9, neighbors heard glass breaking and saw two people running away. They may have been after a shelf of liquor and wine near the window, but an inventory check showed that nothing was taken. The Saguache County Sheriff’s Department said it would increase patrols in Crestone, but also urged merchants to take some precautions – several business doors were found unlocked after the break-in.

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Wal-Mart, the populist icon?

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Brief by Allen Best

Wal-Mart – May 2005 – Colorado Central Magazine

Is the backlash against Wal-Mart comparable to racism and economic elitism? That’s the argument of David Reinhard of Ketchum, Idaho. “Wal-Martism – you can almost hear the ‘There goes the neighborhood’ cries of yesteryear,” he writes in the Idaho Mountain Express.

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A couple of counties get good grades

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Brief by Central Staff

Lifestyle – May 2005 – Colorado Central Magazine

Chaffee and Hinsdale counties got good grades in one portion of The 2005 State of the Rockies Report Card issued in April by Colorado College in Colorado Springs.

Among other things, this year’s study attempted to examine all counties in the Mountain West for “Civic Engagement and Capacity.” The difference? Capacity is how many books in the library; engagement is the percentage of people who use the library.

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Crested Butte buses return to biodiesel

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Brief by Allen Best

Energy – May 2005 – Colorado Central Magazine

Buses in Crested Butte were scheduled to start burning biodiesel in April after a winter devoted to using only petroleum-based diesel.

Bacteria in the winter’s supply of the fuel was blamed for clogged fuel filters that caused buses to break down at Christmas. Representatives of the oil company that supplied the faulty fuel declared the problem fully addressed, with no return of recurrent problems, according to the Crested Butte News.

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The route of America’s yard sale

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Brief by Central Staff

Local Events – May 2005 – Colorado Central Magazine

If you see people driving slowly along U.S. 50 on the penultimate weekend of May, they may not be lost. They could be looking for participants in the sixth annual Great U.S. 50 Yard Sale, which extends coast-to-coast May 21-23.

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Briefs from the San Luis Valley

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Brief by Marcia Darnell

San Luis Valley – May 2005 – Colorado Central Magazine

KRZA Kicks

Alamosa’s public radio station, KRZA, won three awards from the Colorado Broadcasters Association. The little station-that-could took second place honors in website design and image marketing campaign, and first place for single event news coverage, for interim station manager Kristine Taylor’s coverage of the Taylor Ranch (no relation).

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New Mexico boycotts lead to 2 local biker rallies

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Brief by Central Staff

Local Events – May 2005 – Colorado Central Magazine

Expect to see a lot of motorcycles around Salida this summer. The Rocky Mountain Iron rally is scheduled for July 1-5 at the Chaffee County Fairgrounds, and this month will bring us the Fallen Bikers Memorial Day Rally, May 27-30, also at the fairgrounds next to Poncha Springs.

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Montana tells the feds to butt out

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Essay by George Ochenski

Politics – May 2005 – Colorado Central Magazine

NO ONE KNOWS just when the West decided it had had enough of being run from Washington, D.C.

The indications that Montanans have had it with federal mandates became evident in the state Legislature this March. Although the capital routinely ignores the opinions of a state like Montana, which boasts fewer than a million people scattered across the fourth-largest landmass in the union, it better think twice when it comes to charging Montanans to use the national lands and waters that surround us.

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Western Water Report: May 3, 2005

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COLORADO RIVER NATION’S THIRD MOST ENDANGERED

Diversions of water from the Fraser River to Colorado’s Front Range cities is threatening its ability to sustain itself and earned the river a place on the nation’s most endangered rivers list. Denver Rocky Mountain News; April 13 [The other rivers making the top ten list are: 1. Susquehanna River (NY, PA, MD); 2. McCrystal Creek (NM); 4. Skykomish River (WA); 5. Roan Creek (TN); 6. Santee River (SC); 7. Little Miami River (OH); 8. Tuolumne River (CA); 9. Price River (UT); 10. Santa Clara River (CA) The 2005 report is at: <http://www.americanrivers.org/site/DocServer/AR_MER_2005.pdf?docID=1261> <http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/state/article/0,1299,DRMN_21_3695899,00.html>

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