Brief by Ed Quillen
Regional News – July 2005 – Colorado Central Magazine
Faster Art?
Salida holds an Art Walk every year in June, giving visitors a chance to stroll around and see not just the artists’ work, but often, their workplaces. Generally, it draws such a good crowd that it’s impossible to go at a faster pace than a comfortable strolling walk.
Apparently that’s too slow for Westcliffe, which hosted a Wet Mountain Valley “Gallery Gallop” on June 11 and 12. Can we look for other towns to do something in between, perhaps a “Creative Canter” or a “Tempera Trot”?
Mistaken Identity
After he led an Army expedition to the West in 1853 in search of a railroad route, Lt. John W. Gunnison left his name all over the map: Gunnison River, Gunnison City, Gunnison County in Colorado, and in the area where he was killed by Pahvante Indians along the Sevier River, there is Gunnison, Utah.
In the Utah town, a substitute science teacher at Gunnison High School took students on a field trip to a veterinarian’s office. There, they witnessed the dissection of a live but anaesthetized dog, which was euthanized after the procedure. The dog had been left unclaimed for more than 14 days at the county pound.
Students there, according to their principal, found it a “positive learning experience.” But the field trip hit the media fan. Animal lovers looked on the Internet for a Gunnison, and in our Gunnison, “We’ve been getting hammered,” school superintendent Bill Chambliss said. “We keep responding back that it is not us.”
Deadly Rodents
Old Disney cartoons portray small rodents as cute, cuddly creatures. They may be cute, but don’t get too close – they can be deadly.
A Saguache County resident died May 21 at an Albuquerque hospital from hantavirus, which is usually contracted by inhaling dust from the feces or urine of infected deer mice.
It was the fourth Colorado case reported this year; two of the others, in which the victims recovered, were in the San Luis Valley. “The fact we have had two cases in the Valley within four weeks is a little concerning for me. That’s not a good trend,” said Dr. John Pape, epidemiologist with the state’s public health department.
At the Curecanti National Recreation Area west of Gunnison, several dead prairie dogs were found. Park rangers ran tests, and found they tested positive for bubonic plague, which can be transmitted to humans by fleas.
The affected Elk Creek Campground was closed until it could be dusted with an insecticide to kill the fleas; prairie dogs in nearby campgrounds appeared to be healthy.
There’s no direct relationship between plague and hantavirus. But both are carried by rodents, and epidemiologist Pape said that the recent drought reduced rodent habitat. With more moisture this year, there’s more vegetation and thus more rodents. “When the rodent population grows, the risk of disease goes up,” he explained.
Weather Weirdness
First it got hot for a few days in May – a Salida high of 88º on May 21, which is more of a July temperature. That got the snowmelt going in earnest; the Arkansas River rose from 294 cubic feet per second on May 19 to nearly 1,400 cfs on May 23.
There was some concern about flooding in Gunnison County (perhaps a welcome change after years of drought), and the city government stood ready to distribute sand and sandbags, just in case the river left its banks – which it didn’t.
The rapid melt slowed down as the temperature eased; on June 14, Salida’s low was 37º, just five degrees above freezing, and so chilly that the furnace came on in Central World Headquarters. Our next-door neighbor, who was piling firewood for the winter, joked that he might have to start using it now. (Gunnison’s low was 27º on June 11, and Leadville’s 22º.) Then the mercury started climbing again.
No reported wind was as astonishing as Crestone’s April 24 tornado, but a 70-mph gust ripped through Buena Vista on June 15 and took the roof and east wall of a storage unit behind the post office. Renters were called to retrieve their items.
Clint Driscoll, former Buena Vista mayor and frequent contributor to this magazine when he lived there, once observed that the town’s gales “are one of our best growth-control mechanisms.”
Fire Season Starts
The first named fire of the 2005 season, the Beaver Fire, burned about 2½ acres near Lake George on June 13. The grass fire burned for about three hours before it was contained. No structures were damaged; the closest approach was about ¼ mile from a house in Beaver Valley Estates.
It may have been caused by hot ashes – according to the Forest Service, about half of all wildfires are started by humans, and half of those come from campfires that were not extinguished.
Barbara Timock, public information officer for Pike-San Isabel National Forest, said that after an average weekend, rangers find 15 unattended campfires. “People think they put their fire out, they leave, and maybe the wind whips it back up,” she said.
Observation
Big Brother was watching in Salida over Memorial Day weekend. The police department installed a wireless surveillance camera, disguised as an electrical transformer, to monitor activity near the corner of F Street and Sackett Avenue.
Police Chief Mark Mathies said it was lent to the department by a “quasi federal agency.” He also noted that it did not solve any crimes.
Despite concerns from city and county government, the Fallen Bikers Memorial Day Rally was generally well-behaved, and many Salida merchants noted a boost in business.
Coming July 1-4, the Rocky Mountain Iron Motorcyle Rally, will be at the Chaffee County Fair Grounds and anticipates several thousand riders.
Observations:
“Must be able to lift 50 to 70 pounds and occasionally up to 150 pounds. Must have strength to shovel. Must be able to work in various climate conditions and to stand for long periods of time.”
Part of the qualifications listed for a temporary summer job with the county road department.
Saguache Crescent, May 19, p. 4
“Too often, when I patronize the local hardware store or supermarket, the checkers are either not at the register, have their backs turned to the counter chatting up another employee, are on the phone, or will walk away from the register when there are people in line trying to buy their products.”
Brian Andersen, rural Westcliffe
Wet Mountain Tribune, May 26, p. 7
“To some extent, drilling a well is a crap-shoot.”
Gene Rush, retired hydrologist
Salida Mountain Mail, June 7, p. 1
“One of the lofty goals of the TA [Gunnison-Crested Butte Tourist Association] is to put butts in beds.”
Mark Collins, Gunnison City Manager
Gunnison Country Times, June 16, p. 4
“We are a tourist town. That’s why we’re here.”
Sandy Lyles, owner of Fabulous Finds
Salida Mountain Mail, May 31, p. 16
“At last the Custer County commissioners have devised an ingenious plan to balance the county’s budget shortfall. By not maintaining the Custer County portion of Copper Gulch road, they will create an infinite amount of speed bumps, thus reducing the need for the sheriff’s patrol and pass the decreased man-hours onto the commissioners’ budget.”
Richard Kohler
Wet Mountain Tribune, June 16, p. 5
“As Summit County gets bigger, Fairplay gets more affordable. Except here is a more quality place to live. You actually get some space.”
Alison Hagen, 16-year Fairplay resident
Park County Republican, June 17, p. 2
Explaining why he loves living in Gunnison: “I know I’m too dumb for New York City and too ugly for L.A.”
Mike Ritchey, publisher
Gunnison Country Times, June 9, p. 3
