By Patty LaTaille
Trinchera Ranch – Soon to be an Amazing Legacy
Trinchera Ranch owner and conservationist Louis Bacon announced his intended donation of the 90,000-acre Blanca Ranch conservation easement located in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Bacon owns the Blanca and Trinchera Ranches located north and east of Fort Garland. According to the Valley Courier, during his announcement, Bacon said, “This action will protect the Blanca Ranch in perpetuity and create a key connection in the large, diverse system of protected lands here along the Sangre de Cristo range and in the San Luis Valley.” He was applauded by SLV residents, in addition to Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe.
The landscapes of the ranches showcase breathtaking vistas of high desert shrubs and mountain grasslands, combined with alpine forest and alpine tundra. One of the highest peaks in Colorado, Blanca Peak at 14,345 feet, is located within the Blanca Ranch boundaries. The ranchland is located in the “Sangres” – the longest mountain chain in the United States – and borders the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve.
“Older” SLV Extras Downsized and Downcast
Apparently if you were over age 35, Disney’s “The Lone Ranger” had you ride out of town before filming. Even those you had “wowed” the director at casting call and were true authentic (albeit old time) cowboys – were cut – possibly because the higher ups in stardom allegedly consider 35 too old to be cinematic material. That according to some who tried out for the film.
“The Lone Ranger” stars Johnny Depp, who portrays Tonto in the film, and is a Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer Films production that began filming in February 2012 and will be released in theaters in July 2013, after three weeks of filming and $6.5 million spent in the SLV.
After filming a segment in Creede, filming will continue in Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. Southern Colorado Film Commission Coordinator Mary Hoffman noted that it’s possible some of the materials from the set may be used for SLV Habitat for Humanity.
Fear
Alamosa Police are addressing a downtown tagging spree that has continued in the dark of night throughout the month of June.
The graffiti is one word, “Fear,” and it has been written in ink and spray painted on a number of public and private properties in Alamosa.
Fire Academy in Alamosa
A week-long academy in early June brought people from all over the country to take wildland fire and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) classes. The 19th Summer Colorado Wildland Fire and Incident Management Academy was a boon to the city coffers and provided excellent training to nearly 400 students and staff from 18 states. Cheryl Dalton, liaison officer with the academy, estimated that the economic impact from the academy on the local economy was $500,000.
