Brief by Marcia Darnell
San Luis Valley – August 2006 – Colorado Central Magazine
Mountain Moments
Summer drama kept rescue crews busy in the SLV in June. A plane crash near Antonito spared the life of an Arizona pilot, and a lost hiker was found alive and well in Conejos County. Sadly, a climber died on Kit Carson Peak. The man from Cheyenne perished in a fall on the fourteener.
The Mato Vega fire on La Veta Pass became the SLV’s biggest fire on record. The blaze scorched over 15,000 acres and closed U.S. 160 for several days. La Veta Pass wasn’t the only wildfire site in the area. Lightning sparked a fire in Costilla County that tore through over 1,000 acres. Saguache County, too, experienced a wildfire, believed to have been caused by humans. The 250 acres burned were mostly public lands.
In other action, a sting operation in Alamosa County nailed 10 businesses for selling alcohol to minors. And a landmark is gone. Smith’s Grocery in Blanca closed after 80 years of business.
Plenty o’ Pedalers
Alamosa welcomed riders competing in the Ride Across America. These incredible athletes pedaled from Oceanside, Calif., to Atlantic City in seven to 10 days. The city also played host to Ride the Rockies, which brought over 2,000 riders and support staff to town.
Clean It Up!
You know you’re not living in the boonies anymore when they tell you to get rid of the dead vehicles. Alamosa County is cracking down on owners of blighted properties. Five property owners have been summoned to hearings to work out a schedule of cleanup of their sites. The county says if they have to do the work, the owner will be assessed the cost of cleanup.
Brief Briefs:
A group of landowners and conservation organizations has filed suit against the U.S. Forest Service to halt a large timber sale in the Rio Grande National Forest.
Valley scrimshaw artist Tom High (profiled in the December, 2005, edition of this magazine) will display his wares Aug. 5 and 6 in Woodland Park; Sept. 1-3 in Westcliffe; Sept. 29 to Oct. 1 in Estes Park; and Nov. 4 and 5 in Montrose.
Dr. David Svaldi was named president of Adams State College. He’d been serving as interim president since October.
Parties are being planned for next year to mark the centennial of the reservoirs in the Valley.
The U.S. Postal Service issued a stamp commemorating the Great Sand Dunes. The 39-center came out June 24.
Riparian areas in Conejos County will get conservation easements thanks to a $1.6 million grant from the USDA.
Celebrity doctor Marianne Neifert came to Alamosa, promoting breastfeeding programs.
Mike Dunn is the new director of the San Luis Valley Museum.
The Alamosa City Council received 27 applications for a new city manager.
Mike Maestas is the new vice president of Trinidad State Junior College — Valley Campus.
Alamosan Ruth Koch turned 100.
The Valley Courier, Alamosa’s five-day-a-week newspaper, moved from its antiquated building into new quarters near the airport.
The design for Alamosa’s new water treatment is done; now the project will be put up for bids.
