It is the first day of 2013. It is late morning and still -6 degrees. It’s the way it is supposed to be. The valley is a bit foggy, as am I. Apparently the Crested Butte lottery syndicate I was part of didn’t win the Powerball, since I am at work. Apparently the Mayan Apocalypse slid by without incident unless, like the phrase many locals cite continuously, we are living a dream.
And based on a few episodes in 2012, there is reason to sometimes think we are indeed living a dream where rules of reality sometimes take a hiatus. A few examples that in hindsight make me smile on this first day of 2013:

* A Mt. Crested Butte councilperson insinuated recently that marijuana wasn’t very “consistent” with a resort town. Neither then is alcohol, public restaurants, waitrons or tourists. Dope is more common in resort towns than parking problems. Look, abuse of any substance, whether it is beer, sugar or marijuana, can be dangerous. But ask any cop and they’ll tell you they hate dealing with drunks and would much rather deal with someone who is stoned. That’s a topic for a whole separate editorial but for a town council to think they can rid their community of the demon weed is truly living a dream. The thought brings a New Year’s smile.

* In what seems at times to be an overzealous effort to make sure everything is safer and “family-friendly” for the community, the traditional Chainless Race had less party pop in 2012 but was able to keep its fizz. In what at first appeared to be an obvious overreach, more rules were implemented and less opportunity to “celebrate” was afforded those bold enough to fly down Kebler Pass on a bike without a chain. The Chainless ended up coming off as a good, fun, costumed event but I’m never a fan of taking all risk and “illegal smiles” out of every local affair.

* The downtown council isn’t afraid to chat amongst themselves and that can be enough to put anyone into a REM state pretty quickly. They spent more than a few minutes of their precious lives delving into the great issues of the day in 2012. Hours and hours were spent discussing details of a bathroom expansion in town hall, where to put directional signs on Elk Avenue and which corner would be best suited to locate a donated clock. God love ‘em, these men are not afraid to yak for days over things like late night food trucks, lighting for local businesses, or the virtues of stick figures in advertisements. They are on the job for your benefit and you are getting your money’s worth if you are paying by the word. Happy New Year, fellas.

* The Gunnison County Commissioners approved cutting-edge regulations for oil and gas development. That will be a big issue for many years and the commissioners walked a thin line to go where local government hadn’t gone before. Months of debate concluded with the most conservative commissioner praising the environmental community and the most liberal commissioner commending the oil and gas companies for all their input and work…and that’s how real legislative compromise is achieved. It’s not perfect but it’s real.

* Speaking of real—not. U.S. Congressmen make $174,000 a year and get regular cost of living raises. Seriously? Why? To take the country to the brink of calamity? To bow down to a dude named Grover Norquist? To not understand that once elected you can represent those that voted for you but your responsibility is to the greater good and not the fringes? This Congress isn’t a dream; it’s a night sweat. They could learn a few things from our local elected representatives.

* Water in the valley. Blue Mesa has never looked as low to me as it did this past fall. Local rivers were razor thin and the drought never really subsided. If we don’t get a big winter to help refill local reservoirs and saturate our valleys, next summer could be brown and bleak. Rumors are we’ll soon see the church steeple at Sapinero. Nightmare.

* There was (and to a lesser degree still is) opportunity between local environmental groups and U.S. Energy, the company that owns molybdenum mining rights on Mt. Emmons, to strike a deal with state and federal governments to finally eliminate the potential for mining on Red Lady. That opportunity has taken a setback, given timing and details, but remains a possibility in 2013 and beyond. We can only dream.

* The Denver Broncos traded a guy who turned a season around and took them into the playoffs on a wave of miracles last season. But they end up with one of the most businesslike, efficient true leaders at the quarterback position and now have the real chance to play in New Orleans. That is a great reality.

* And speaking of real sports dreams—the town rallied around local athlete Emma Coburn and her quest in the 2012 Olympics. In London, she represented us, and all of America, in the steeplechase event. The town shut down as she raced in the finals in early August. The Majestic Theater broadcast her run on the big screen and it was standing room only. Since she was the youngest athlete on the U.S. track and field team at 21, we can hopefully count on her returning to the Olympics and dream of one of our small-town kids bringing back gold to this mountain village.

Turning the calendar is always an opportunity for reflection. This year is no different. Here’s to a great 2013 and may we try to stay grounded in reality while reaching for the good dreams. Now I need to go get another Powerball ticket.

But you can’t see it…

A preliminary Plan of Operations (PoO) has been filed by U.S. Energy with the Forest Service for mining molybdenum on Mt. Emmons. The plan was officially filed October 10 when it was hand-delivered to the district ranger and forest supervisor at the Delta office.
According to Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forest external affairs officer Lee Ann Loupe, the PoO is being reviewed by the agency “in accordance with established policy and procedures.” Read More »

Between now and the end of election season, the Crested Butte News is asking the six candidates for Gunnison County Commissioner questions related to issues in the community. We have requested they keep their answers to 400 words or less. Remember, all qualified county voters get to cast a ballot for one candidate in each district.
We hope this forum has been helpful to voters before they mark their ballot…

 —Mark Reaman

Read More »

This is always one of the most difficult pieces to write. Local political endorsements in a small town do not come without ramifications. Let’s get to the easy one first…

I can see little reason to not vote for 1A, which would renew the Gunnison Valley Land Preservation Fund. The ballot issue continues a practice of allocating a small portion of the county sales tax to fund open space projects in the county. It does not increase taxes if passed and taxes will not go down if the measure is not approved. It basically says the voters want to earmark some money that will be used to help leverage other funds for things we care about … things like trails, viewsheds, open space and ranches. And it works. The money is used wisely and effectively and you can’t ask for much more than that. Vote “yes” for 1A.

Now to the harder choices…

Colorado House District 61 is a bit of a mess because of its new boundaries. It splits Gunnison County so the city of Gunnison is no longer in the same district as Crested Butte. This has left one of our fine local politicians in a bad bind. Kathleen Curry has been a good representative of the local citizens at the state level. She is smart and tough and knows this place, especially when it comes to issues like water and agriculture. But more than anything right now, she is known for leaving the Democratic Party a couple of years ago when she held some top leadership positions, including being the Speaker Pro Tem of the House. Now, in the current election, what is essentially a left wing political action committee is throwing some pretty strong accusations out about her and it frankly bums me out to see these negative tactics in a race so close to home. It is not fair to Curry, nor is it fair to her two opponents.
But that over-the-top action should not take away from the Democrat running for the seat. Millie Hamner has shown herself to be a smart, personable, strong representative in the state legislature. The former teacher and school superintendent has said she too doesn’t like the political tactics being taken by the PAC attacking Curry. Frankly, I wish both these women could be elected to the state House but, given that only one can, I am endorsing Hamner.
Politics certainly comes into play. Both women are smart, understand the issues and seem to know their way around the capitol. But while Kathleen’s decision to leave the Dems and become “unaffiliated” may have been made in earnest, it had impacts and ramifications that linger even now. The decision angered many of the people she would have to work with both at the state and local level. Had she stayed, she may have had the chance to be the Speaker of the House, which would have been real clout for us and an opportunity rarely afforded a Western Slope representative. To mend those fences will take some time and unfortunately Kathleen doesn’t have much. Because of her prior legislative service, she is essentially term limited under state law to this two-year stint in the House if elected. We all know the wheels of government move slowly and getting good things done can take time.
Hammer, on the other hand, could serve six more consecutive years in the State House and she has shown that, while not “unaffiliated,” she effectively embraces being “non-partisan” and that is more important. She has proven she can work with members of all political stripes. She has shown she has done her homework and knows the issues important to Crested Butte. Living in Summit County, she understands resort communities and she can make a difference for us at the state level. While I wish both could go to Denver as our reps and I love Kathleen, Hamner has the better chance to be our most effective state representative in the long term. And she will be a good representative. It’s hard to not endorse Curry given her proximity to Crested Butte but politics and effectiveness really do matter at the state level and Hamner is getting my X next to her name.

Speaking of love, I love Polly Oberosler. I have worked with her, socialized with her and appreciate her general viewpoints. But I really like Jonathan Houck for the County Commissioner seat in District 2. He has shown during this campaign that he is usually the best prepared, most knowledgeable and in the broad perspective, most focused, collaborative and even experienced candidate of those running for a seat. Polly has thrown her cowboy hat into the ring for the county’s top political job. Experience really does mean something when applying for the CEO job. Houck already understands the time, the complexity of the issues and the relationships needed to make an impact as a county commissioner. I’d love to see Polly be a commissioner someday but she needs to first prove that she can handle the political arena at some level. I urge my friend Polly to get on another local political board and show us that she can dedicate the time, forge impactful relationships and get something done. It’s a good idea to gather some pertinent experience before going for the number one political job in our county.
The Republican running for District 2 is old-school Gunnison County and I appreciate that he doesn’t try to sugarcoat where he stands. But when Warren Wilcox claimed Houck was a “career politician” it was an odd claim and seemed a weird attempt at negative political advertising. Perhaps he meant that Houck came across as more of a smooth politician than him or Polly.

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And he does. But all three are running for political office and if being prepared, well-spoken and not afraid to tout his accomplishments and ability to see a cohesive future means Houck is a smooth politician, that is a good thing and not a detriment. We need experience and we need people who understand how to get things done at the commissioner level. Houck fits that mold, has strong countywide ties and he deserves your vote.

In the District 1 commissioner race, there are also three candidates running for the office. Paula Swenson is the incumbent and politically she sits between the more liberal Green Party candidate Steve Schechter and the nice-guy Republican Stu Ferguson. Paula is pushing for a third term. Three terms should be anyone’s limit but she should be the choice in this race. Paula made a good point at the Candidate’s Forum last week when she said that as a commissioner she has upset both the conservative and liberal factions in the county. She certainly has. But that usually means she is on a right track that actually accomplishes things. She doesn’t stray too far right or too far left and she looks for ways to make things happen—and that shows she is not afraid to compromise at times. Compromise really is how things move forward in government. That might tweak ideologues but it leads to a good path of moderation for the county. Ferguson seems a pleasant fellow calling for change but not offering much of a plan for change except to be more open to a mine on Mt. Emmons. Schechter is doing good work on the GCEA board working to bring hydropower to the Taylor dam, is involved in the local food movement and has brought some interesting perspective to the race. Those are good things but things that can be addressed outside the Board of County Commissioners. Paula has proven herself to be a pragmatic politician and that’s always a good person to have sitting at the table.

Look, we are blessed to have a lot of stand-up people wanting to represent us here in Gunnison County and at the state level. I love that. None throw mud for the sake of getting elected and all truly do have the best interests of the citizens at heart. But we all have to make hard choices and sometimes that means checking the box for someone we aren’t as close to personally but feel can better represent us in the current circumstances. More than anything, we encourage everyone to take the time to cast their ballots in the next two weeks.

Even Snodgrass got a mention

The six candidates for Gunnison County commissioner made their case for election in Crested Butte last week at the Crested Butte News Candidates’ Forum. With two seats open on the Board of County Commissioners—one in District 1 and one in District 2—and an independent candidate running in each district, it’s possible that the winners may not earn a majority of the votes. Read More »

On a warming October afternoon, it is easy to spend some time in front of the post office. No one is there selling raffle tickets. The sun is at a perfect angle and not every parking spot is filled. There is no shortage of people to chat with and it is relaxed. It is the week of the school break and that means a pretty quiet vibe in this small mountain village. It is pretty good out there. Enjoy it. It will get colder, wetter and more hectic as we head toward Halloween.

* It is almost an obsession to check out the nearby rivers in the valley. They are thin. The gravel is showing and the trout must be using bamboo reeds to find enough water to stay alive. Driving by Blue Mesa Reservoir recently was quite frankly, astonishing. Much of it is simply gone. Green fields are located where water skiing and sailing was taking place a summer ago. It will be nothing but a canyon next year if we don’t have a good wet winter. And a good wet winter is what we live for here anyway. While ‘02 was pretty dry, I’ve never seen the Mesa look like it does today.

* While it’s not the news we’d like to be reporting, there is still light at the end of the tunnel for a permanent solution to the potential of mining on Red Lady. Last spring, a collaborative effort was announced between all the major players with the broad outline of a plan to pay the mining company and put an end to plans for digging up molybdenum on Mt. Emmons. But that plan relied on the U.S. Congress to pull the pieces together. That didn’t happen in any quick fashion and while it still could occur thanks to our U.S. Senators, it must be broader than that. If you hadn’t noticed, Democrats and Republicans on the national stage are spitting at each more than singing kumbaya, so don’t look for concrete progress until next year at the earliest. The plan hit a major speed bump but the tires aren’t yet flat. Everyone, including the miners and the enviros, still want to see a real plan take shape and that’s a good thing.

* I’ve never thought of making Elk Avenue traffic one-way before. For decades, there have always been some people who want to turn Elk into a pedestrian mall but the town is simply too small to accommodate that idea. One-way traffic for a few blocks is an interesting idea and one brought up during a Town Council work session last week. It might make vehicles faster. It might loosen up those congested middle blocks in July. It might inundate the rest of the town with cars and be a total cluster. I don’t know. It’s just refreshing to hear a new idea and new ideas are worth exploring.

* The national political scene is heating up. President Obama gave a big boost to his opponent at their first political debate last week. As one person commented, it looked like Barack joined the Acme Army and went all medicinal in the Green Room before that debate. He didn’t challenge, question, respond or argue with Mitt Romney’s moderate etch-a-sketch changes of heart. Despite the protests of the Dems who cried foul about substance and facts, demeanor and ability to strike back quickly (or not) is as important as what’s said…especially with the one shot in front of 70 million people.
In hindsight, it wasn’t so much that Romney won…it was that the guy we had some faith in as our leader got rolled like a drunk at 2 a.m. in an east L.A. gutter. Americans expect that their leaders will be lied to over the course of a four-year term. The fibs will come from hostile foreign leaders, friendly Wall Street contributors and even their own staff. The leader of the free world is supposed to be equipped to deal with such situations. Romney came in with a charming smile and acted like the new guy leading a banana republic. And Obama rolled. It was that realization that cost the president faith from more than a few citizens. And as was pointed out by some national pundits, for Obama to come out swinging the next day made him look like George Costanza on a Seinfeld episode. The strategy worked so well for Romney that his foreign policy speech this week contained similar prevarication. Obama better not stop at the dispensary before the next face-to-face debate.
It looks like a real race all of a sudden…

* Don’t forget the local political debate, a.k.a. the Crested Butte News Candidate’s Forum, coming up Thursday, October 18 at the Center for the Arts. Bring your questions and listen to those who want to represent you at the county and state level. Denis B. Hall will be our Jim Lehrer. These forums are part of the democratic process and can be pretty cheap entertainment. It is free.

Enjoy these days of fall. The warm ones are becoming rare. And let’s all hope for a cold, wet winter.

Parties are still “deliberately optimistic…”

It was hoped that by about this time in 2012 there would be the solid foundation of a deal that would forever eliminate the possibility of molybdenum mining on Mt. Emmons. It would take local, state and federal action, with the U.S. Congress being a main player. Given the state of the U.S. Congress, to no one’s surprise that foundation hasn’t yet been poured. But the blueprint for a deal remains on the table with the hope of a potential pact coming together sometime in the near future. Read More »

Looking for thorough plan to address pollutants

The portion of Coal Creek running through Crested Butte will be reclassified by the state as a water source and mandated to meet drinking water standards. That will mean stricter standards will be required for treatment of the water at the U.S. Energy water treatment plant to meet lower levels of chemicals such as arsenic. As part of the decision, the state also wants U.S. Energy to provide a thorough plan to determine where pollutants like cadmium, copper and zinc are originating on Mt. Emmons and flowing into Coal Creek and how to address the problem.

Read More »

Nearing 30 years of uncertainty

A segment of Coal Creek that runs through the town of Crested Butte will be the focus of the Colorado Water Quality Control Commission in September.
U.S. Energy Corp has asked the commission to extend temporary modifications to water quality standards on the section of the creek that runs from just below the town’s water supply intake to the creek’s confluence with the Slate River. Read More »

If a Times is going to scoop the News I suppose I’d rather it be like last Monday when the New York Times posted a press release on their website from U.S. Energy Corp. saying a deal was in the works to prohibit all mining forever on Mt. Emmons. Their daily paper beat our weekly rag to the punch. Ouch. Now about the deal…

As the valley evolved over the decades from a mining town to a resort community, the idea 35 years ago of a new molybdenum mine on Red Lady was ugly. It has been a long fight and a fight worth having. I’m not opposed to all mining. I have a bike and a car and I use molybdenum. But in a loudly NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) attitude, a destination resort has far different needs than a mining town. They aren’t compatible no matter how much lipstick you put on that pig. A destination attraction needs to have destination amenities worth traveling for. In the mountains that means clean water, fresh air, pristine views and crystal night skies. A mine doesn’t help those qualities. And there is plenty of molybdenum being mined in this world already. So that fight to stop a mine three miles west of town (and which isn’t over yet, people) is a righteous one.

Now while the fight may not be over, there has been a giant leap toward a workable peace agreement. The miners, the enviros, the politicians have all finally seemed to find common ground. As the president of the mining company said, “We have broken bread and it’s been an enjoyable personal experience.” One quality lesson out of this is that good personal connections count and 99 times out of 100 finding a sliver of common ground works better than complete demonization of people with different views and goals.
At the same time, the mine company admitted to investors this week that the mine could be having a negative impact on the company and I get the feeling they are ready to look elsewhere for extractive dollars. It probably makes a lot of sense to take $50 million or $100 million in the near term as opposed to continually rolling the dice to try and maybe earn hundreds of millions of dollars years and years down the road.
So the local leaders and state and national politicians are agreeing that that makes sense and we should join together to accommodate the concept. Sounds right. They acknowledge U.S. Energy deserves some compensation. Fair enough. Now it is a matter of detail. And there will be a lot of details. But the significant bottom line is that the locals will end up somehow taking responsibility (financial and otherwise) for a critical water treatment plant that keeps water clear and pristine in the upper valley. It won’t be cheap and somehow you might end up contributing. But it will be worth it. It appears we are now depending on Congress. That’s not all that comforting but Senators Udall and Bennet are good people who have been here and understand this issue. Take a minute and write them a note of encouragement.
This is a valley that in this day and age depends on people coming here to experience relatively untouched mountains. Clean air. Clean water. Clear skies and silent nights are the draw, not industrial mining operations. So this is a great step forward for the current realities of Crested Butte and the valley. This is a week to celebrate common ground that can end a fight many thought would never end. The details will be many and I anticipate a glitch or two but this is a huge step and one to celebrate.
Cheers.