Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Shoppers go forth, to Basalt!

Retailers in Basalt are hoping shoppers from across the Valley and the Western Slope choose their stores to spend their money in. Some storekeepers say 2010 has been a tough year for business and the holidays could bring a needed boost.

Linda Hacker owns the Kitchenstore of Basalt in downtown. She says people are less inclined to purchase higher ticket items, so she's ordered more smaller ticket items. She increased the space in her store for items under $20. She's not alone. Across the street, at Midland Clothing Company, Manager Sandy Wirkler says the store has ordered new lines of clothing that are less expensive.

The Basalt Chamber of Commerce is holding 3 major events in an effort to bring business to local shops. The first is a tree lighting at Lion's Park in downtown this Saturday. It starts at 3pm. On December 10 and 11, a Holiday Stroll and the Winter Willits Celebration will be held.


Monday, November 29, 2010

Thanksgiving Travel

I traveled to Montana this Thanksgiving and before I boarded the plane last Tuesday, I was prepared for cancellations, delays and lots of airport food. Much to my surprise and pleasure, none of that happened. It was amazing! I've traveled a lot in the last two years and have learned to expect the worst, and to bring a pillow in case the airport floor becomes a bed. As everyone knows who lives here, flying in and out of the Aspen airport is a gamble. High winds and heavy snow can change plans quickly and lead to rented cars or last-minute bus rides to Denver. On the plane ride into Aspen yesterday, the man sitting next to me looked outside at snow and clouds and said, "Do you think we'll really land?" Fortunately we did and the other flights I was booked on performed at the same, as-scheduled level. I'm unsure whether all travelers had this sort of luck during the busiest fly-time of the year but for me, I'm content and grounded for the time being.

Friday, November 26, 2010

WRNF Travel Management Plan Interview


The time is almost here after a decade of waiting for the White River National Forest to release its travel management plan. It's the plan that dictates what trails are open or closed and what type of use -- motoroized or non-motorized-- are allowed.
It's been a long time in coming. I talked to Forest Supervisor Scott Fitzwilliams about the plan. One of the things I was wondering was since he took over the job just one year ago, if his philosophy was different than his predecessor. He said no. So much for that question.
The entire interview is posted here if you want to hear what he said about the plan (of which he revealed nothing). He talked about the challenges of writing up a plan for 2.3 million acres of land and trying to make everyone happy.

Friday, November 19, 2010

Localizer? Who ever heard of that before?

The fact that the localizer for the Aspen Airport has been down intermittently since October has been in the news quite a bit. But I ask...who ever heard of a localizer before last month? Not me. I fly as much as my vacation allows but never thought about the equipment pilots need, not just to land, but to abort a landing. The broken piece of equipment is actually the piece that would help pilots navigate back into the sky if they have to abort a landing. Federal Aviation Administration rules prohibit pilots from landing without this, even though it seems like an unlikely scenario that they would have to abort the landing. Thank goodness for safety. I've seen a few planes smashed into pieces on the sides of runways in the Himalayas -- not for me!

At a press conference the other day, Bob Kitson with the FAA explained what a localizer is. So now, this information is not going to be kept secret to the select few, but can be understood by all!

Here's his description. (By the way, he told me Aspen was the only airport in the country to have the LDA, which you will hear about in his explanation).

Thursday, November 18, 2010

DREAM Act Rally in Glenwood Springs



Some of the valley’s high school students rallied for the DREAM Act in Glenwood Springs tonight. Members of Congress have suggested they will bring up the legislation during this lame duck session.

A number of the students spent the day at their high schools handing out flyers, holding assemblies and trying to get other students to come show their support. The last rally, which happened in Carbondale about a month ago, had far less turnout. Organizers were pleased with the results today. Alex Alvarado, president of the student body at Roaring Fork High School, shared his story about how he came to Carbondale with his family as a child.




Listen to Alex Alvarado's story in its entirety here.

A Boost for the Hidden Gems

On Wednesday, the Pitkin County Commissioners formally endorsed designating some public lands in Pitkin County as Wilderness. Wilderness Workshop asked the Commissioners to support designating nearly 63,000 acres as Wilderness. It's a Federal designation that keeps uses like snowmobiles and mountain bikes off those lands.

Before the Commissioners made their decision, they listened to about one hour of public comment from more than 20 community members. The Gems plan has been contentious and both sides spoke up. Below is sound from the meeting. It's extended material that didn't make it into my news story. It features some of the comments made by community members.

http://www.aspenpublicradio.org/news/hidden_gems.mp3

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Last Day Digging -- Mastodon Tooth on Demand and Gourmet Delight?


The last day at the dig site in Snowmass Village I was out recording sound for a national story and the three remaining scientists were determined to find something so I could get the sound of their discovery on tape.

They were in a depresseion in the mud about ten feet in diamter and the nigh before the Cheif Curator for the Denver Museum of Nature and Science Kirk Johnson had unearthed ten bones while he dug furiously at sunset.


The three men shoveled with vigor and told jokes in between slamming into rocks, 45, 000 year old pieces of wood adn sand. One even broke his shovel. But with five minutes to spare Johnson had to get to the Snowmass Village town council meeting, the crew hit bone, sort of. They uncovered a Mastodon tooth, a molar to be exact. Johnson took it to the Snommass Village town council meeting as a last treasure to behold before the dig site closed for the winter. I call that tooth on demand.

Also, listen here for what sort of prehistoric delectable Ian Miller, the museum's paleontologist tasted in the field when I asked him if he tasted any Mastodon meat.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Mammoth Discoveries in Snowmass




Last Friday I visited with some of the scientists working at the dig site in Snowmass Village where fossil bones have been found. The remains of mammoths, mastodons, a giant ground sloth, Ice Age bison and more have been discovered at the Ziegler Reservoir. What I heard over and over again from those who have been at the site is what an amazing discovery it is. They emphasized how quickly the discovery has grown since the first bone was found October 14th. It's also significant that the find is at such a high elevation, above 8000 feet. Here are some photos of the discoveries...