Brief by Marcia Darnell
San Luis Valley – November 2002 – Colorado Central Magazine
Bad Year for El Valle
Drought, wildfires, and a sluggish economy proved a triple whammy for the San Luis Valley. The Great Sand Dunes National Monument and Preserve saw fewer visitors, as did the Alamosa and Monte Vista Wildlife Refuges, which will not have a hunting season this year.
There is a bright spot, however. The Alamosa Wildlife Refuge may acquire the Lillpop ranch, a 910-acre parcel adjacent to the refuge. The transaction is dependent on public input and other legal steps.
On another optimistic note, the area of the Million Fire near South Fork has been reseeded. The 233 acres should recover nicely.
Alley Oops
Alleys in Capulin are virtually nonexistent. Residents have extended their fences into public property for years, and now the alleys are used as private property. Conejos County is considering vacating the alleys, if it can figure out how to pay for surveys.
In Alamosa, a group of homeowners (one of whom is acolumnist for Colorado Central) have learned that their property lines are off by 15 feet, and the city doesn’t want to fix the problem. One neighbor is vowing to build into the street if the plat isn’t resolved.
Smoking Lamp Lit
Curmudgeonly columnists can relax; smoking is still okay in Alamosa County. A petition to ban smoking in public places, a la the Alamosa law, was defeated by the county commission after much public input.
Patriotic Painting
The water tower in south Alamosa has a new feature: a 25-foot-by-13-foot flag painted by Bill Hilbert. The artist says that working on metal 150 feet in the air was interesting.
RiGHT Action
Golden resident Lyda Hersloff bought land south of San Luis for the purpose of preservation. She donated her 105 acres on Wild Horse Mesa to the Rio Grande Headwaters Land Trust to take action against the excessive development in Colorado.
Meanwhile, Mike Gibson left his job as SLV program manager for The Nature Conservancy. The organization is also looking for new office space in the Valley.
Brief Briefs
— Costilla County Judge Pattie Swift will be the next jurist for the 12th Judicial District. She’ll replace Judge Robert Ogburn when he retires in January.
— South Fork won’t finance a community center. The town board concluded that raising money was a problem during this recession.
— A lawsuit against the commission that operates the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad has been dismissed.
— A gateway center will go up on U.S. 17, just north of the intersection with U.S. 160. The center will include a museum, cultural center, visitors center and convention facilities.
— Welcome autumn rains led to the lifting of fire bans in Rio Grande National Forest, the San Dunes, and BLM lands in the Valley.
— Employees of the San Luis Valley Regional Medical Center will vote on unionizing with the United Food and Commercial Workers.
— Alamosa’s Judy Egbert earned the title of master municipal clerk, one of only six in Colorado.
