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30002111Tay Wheat, in the middle of the Homecoming senior royalty, waves after being named Homecoming king. Sam Green/Special to The Journal Photos: Montezuma-Cortez HomecomingA delighted home crowd filled with Montezuma-Cortez alumnis savored the moment as the Panthers beat Salida Friday night. They now turn their focus to a battle for first place in the IML next week against AlamosaThe Montezuma-Cortez band performs at the Homecoming halftime show.Sam Green/Special to The Journal16983000Tay Wheat, in the middle of the Homecoming senior royalty, waves after being named Homecoming king.Sam Green/Special to The Journal21113000A future Panther cheerleader is lifted up by the high school cheer leaders during the half time show.Sam Green/Special to The Journal30001396Tay Wheat and Kenzi Whipple are crowned Montezuma-Cortez High School king and queen Friday night at the Panther football game.Sam Green/Special to The Journal30002908Tay Wheat breaks through the line for a 54 yard run to set up a Panther touchdown from the one yard line.Sam Green/Special to The Journal22353000 Quarterback Colby Mcmillian runs the ball for a Panther first down.Sam Green/Special to The Journal22113000Houston Hurst celebrates after the Panthers stop Salida from scoring in four downs from the four yard line.Sam Green/Special to The Journal24002167Parker Conrad runs the ball for a first down after a pass from quarterback Colby Mcmillian.Sam Green/Special to The Journal24753000
A delighted home crowd filled with Montezuma-Cortez alumnis savored the moment as the Panthers beat ...
30002082Bruce Tozer grazing permit holder on disputed forest land northeast of Mancos, takes down fencing Thursday on 1,460 acres near Chicken Creek. The fencing was put up by the Free Land Holder Committee. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)Residents remove Free Land Holder fence from forest north of MancosDozens of community members gather to remove fencing in area that the Free Land Holder Committee claims as its ownDozens of people from Mancos and the surrounding area headed into the forest Thursday afternoon to remove a fence recently put up by a group called the Free Land Holder Committee. The fence is on disputed land between the group and the U.S. Forest Service. The Free Land Holder Committee erected it to claim it as their own. In a matter of a few days, they constructed 4.5 miles of the intended 6.6 miles of fencing, with the end goal of blocking off 1,460 acres near Chicken Creek and claim it as theirs.https://youtube.com/shorts/37gsy2rnE7w?feature=sharedhtmlThey left openings in the fence for thru traffic and made it clear the public still had access, according to proclamations they posted around town. The Chicken Creek area is a popular recreation area in the San Juan National Forest.Public access or not, outspoken members of the community made it clear they were outraged by the fence, and they decided to take it down.0VideoYouTube480360“They kicked a hornets nest in our community,” said Tim Hunter, a resident of Mancos and a member of the district Board of Education, who helped remove fencing. 10601568Public notices put up in the Cortez and Mancos Post Offices. No members of the Free Land group or officials from the Dolores Ranger District of the San Juan National Forest Forest Service officials were present.“The Sheriff does not want to see bloodshed, the Sheriff does not want to see any conflict,” said Bryan-Hammon, a Free Land Holder. “If we went there to defend it, it would escalate it and even worse, someone would get seriously or fatally hurt.” “So we agreed we will not go up there. We would rather repair a fence down the road than repair all these relationships,” Hammon said. 30002333Travis, who did not want to give his last name, pulls up fence posts on Thursday on disputed forest land northeast of Mancos near Chicken Creek. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)30002104Carrie Summers and others take down a fence Thursday on disputed forest land northeast of Mancos that was put up by the Free Land Holder Committee. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)30002050Barbara Middleton winds up fence Thursday that community members took down on disputed forest land northeast of Mancos that was put up by the Free Land Holder Committee. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)30002101Jim Kennedy takes down a fence Thursday on land northeast of Mancos that was put up by the Free Land Holder Committee. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)82565504Montezuma County Sheriff Steven Nowlin discusses the disputed fence with residents at Mancos’ Boyle Park on Thursday afternoon. (Matthew Tangeman/Special for The Journal)30002245Robert Meyer listens to what Montezuma County Sheriff, Steve Nowlin has to say during a community meeting on Thursday about the the fence that was put up on the disputed U.S. Forest land northeast of Mancos by the Free Land Holder Committee blocking off 1,460 acres near Chicken Creek. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)30002185Community members on Thursday in Mancos look over a map where the fence that was put up on the disputed U.S. Forest land northeast of Mancos by the Free Land Holder Committee blocking off 1,460 acres near Chicken Creek. (Jerry McBride/Durango Herald)18662058The Free Land Holder Committee’s fence caps. (Cameryn Cass/The Journal)82565504A map of the disputed fenced area shown at the Boyle Park gathering on Thursday. (Matthew Tangeman/Special to The Journal)The Montezuma County Sheriff’s Department was there for some of it, until Sheriff Steve Nowlin left to go to a scheduled community event in Boyle Park at 2 p.m. to answer residents’ questions. “It’s not illegal to remove it,” said Nowlin. “I can’t do anything about it. I’m here to try and keep the peace and that’s all we’re going to do.”“I can’t stop anything,” he said. And though it wasn’t exactly a green light, it wasn’t a red one either, so people started removing the fence.“This fence is coming down,” said County Commissioner Gerald Koppenhafer, who helped remove fence that that cuts across his cattle grazing permit. Koppenhafer said that land is where they run their cows, and a calf got separated from its mother because of the fence. When that calf loses weight, it costs him money, he said. “It’s nothin’ but a bunch of garbage,” Koppenhafer said. “No respectable cattlemen have ever used wire like that,” one of the people said of the barbed wire connecting the posts.Folks removing the fence were unsure where to put it. “It’s barbed wire, we can’t just leave it. It’s just as dangerous down as it is up,” said another. A few residents were there on a whim.“Fifteen minutes ago, my neighbor pulled up and says, ‘Want to go?’” said Bill Vaughn. He said, like many, he wasn’t sure whether he should come armed, or whether removing some of the fence would land him in jail. Others turned out in the name of defending access for recreation because they frequent the area to hike, bike or ride horses. Several female horseback riders who had ridden up there for some time, and often solo, said they don’t feel safe doing so anymore. They also said the wider trails with tire tracks on them were not there just a few days before. And if it is Forest Service land, the group that made the trails are subject to fines or imprisonment. “Why are we not being arrested? Why are we not being kicked off the land?” asked Hammon, a Free Land Holder. “They haven’t arrested us, and they need to be the ones to explain why.” Hammon told The Journal Thursday in a meeting at Boyle Park in Mancos that the group started building the fence last week, and the Forest Service met them up there with men, guns and a truck that read, “Law Enforcement.” “Our question is, why are you not arresting us? You got a gun, you’re law enforcement, you’re authorized. So why are you not arresting us? And why are you walking off our claimed lands when we tell you to, and you obey? Isn’t that telling?” he said.Hammon said there are people in the group from the Stubbs family, and back in 1899, the Stubbs’ homesteaded that land. After five years of living on it, the president had to sign a land patent title. Signed in 1906, that title gave the Stubbs family right to that land forever, as its “superior land holders,” he said. “That’s part of why we can build a fence. And that’s why the Forest Service can’t arrest us, cause that land was homesteaded in 1906 signed off by the President of the United States. They can’t supersede that authority,” Hammon said. Nowlin said it’s a civil dispute between the Free Land Holders and the Forest Service. “I used to work for the Forest Service. Where the hell are they,” said Ryan Borchers, a resident of the area for 27 years, as he gathered barbed wire. “It’s our land they’re supposed to be protecting.”“This is why people are so annoyed with government ... in an actual situation, they don’t show up,” said Borchers. “I’m not sure if they’re weak-spined or so caught up in bureaucratic ways they can’t do anything valuable.” The fence removal at Chicken Creek was nonviolent. The sheriff said there will not be any law enforcement presence there moving forward because of how shorthanded the department is. The gathering in Boyle Park at 2 p.m. was largely informative and a chance for the public to ask Sheriff Nowlin direct questions about what was going on. Pam Duncan, a resident who organized the Boyle Park gathering, emphasized it was to show support for public lands, and said, “we’d like everyone who enjoys public lands to come,” at a meeting at Fenceline Cider on Wednesday evening. For a little over five years now, The Free Land Holders have lived up there. Nowlin has done certified VIN inspections for them, so he’s known the group for some time now. Hammon said they had been planning and perfecting claims on that land for about five years, but took time doing research along the way. “We had to prepare ourselves before we took action because we knew there was going to be backlash. We didn’t know it was going to come from the community. That was a surprise to us, truly,” Hammon said. He also said the group is not anti-government or sovereign. “We are absolutely not anti-government, we do not declare ourselves sovereign,” said Hammon. “We are living men, living men, in The United States of America on free, patented lands.”Hammon said the Free Land Holder Committee is acting in accordance with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which ended the Mexican-American war in 1848. They also reiterated that the group is not affiliated with Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, though some members are related to FLDS members by blood. They do not practice that religion or associate with FLDS. They also said there are Native people who are part of the Free Land Holder Committee.
Dozens of community members gather to remove fencing in area that the Free Land Holder Committee claims as its own
Photos: Panthers and Wolverines battle in Homecoming Week matchBayfield downs M-CHS to split season seriesMontezuma-Cortez dueled with rival Bayfield as the opening act of the Homecoming Week athletic calendar. The visiting Wolverines (8-6, 3-2 3A IML) bested M-CHS 25-14, 25-16, 25-12 to avenge a loss to the Panthers (7-14, 1-5 3A IML) earlier in the campaign.Bayfield senior Kambrie Byrd tries to fire an attack past the M-CHS wall of Panther seniors Gabby Foster and Karlie Hubbs in a match at M-CHS. Ben Bradley/Special to The Journal24822262Panther senior Karlie Hubbs winds up on her serve in a match at M-CHS. Ben Bradley/Special to The Journal27321642M-CHS junior Serenity Diaz elevates to send a spike against Bayfield in a match at M-CHS. Ben Bradley/Special to The Journal38382490Bayfield senior Tanna Owens prepares to smash a kill against M-CHS, while teammates Avery Shipman (7) and Grace Barber (9) watch from the front line in a match at M-CHS. Ben Bradley/Special to The Journal25641636Bayfield junior Grace Barber watches as her attack gets redirected by the block of M-CHS senior Kalea Ogo in a match at M-CHS. Ben Bradley/Special to The Journal42632882Panthers Tessa Jackson and Gabby Foster set up a wall against the imminent attack of Bayfield’s Kambrie Byrd in a match at M-CHS. Ben Bradley/Special to The Journal25262599.
Bayfield downs M-CHS to split season series
Photos: Mancos and Dove Creek face off in footballBluejays won their Homecoming game, 48-0, on FridayMancos quarterback Brandon Vannest takes the ball in for a touchdown Friday night against Dove Creek. Mancos won its Homecoming game, 48-0. (Sam Green/Special to The Journal)18562100Nicholas Aragon intercepts a pass for Dove Creek Friday night against Mancos. (Sam Green/Special to The Journal)23111800Jonah Ritter carries the ball for a Mancos first down.  Mancos beat Dove Creek, 48-0. (Sam Green/Special to The Journal)19712400Dove Creek quarterback Josh Kibel carries the ball on Friday against Mancos. (Sam Green/Special to The Journal)17392400Kaiden Wyatt plows across the goal line to score Friday night. Mancos beat Dove Creek, 48-0. (Sam Green/Special to The Journal)18232400Piper Frank and Kaiden Wyatt pose after being crowned Homecoming queen and king Friday night. The Mancos football team beat Dove Creek, 48-0. (Sam Green/Special to The Journal)20062400The Mancos High School Homecoming queen candidates react as Piper Franks is announced as the queen on Friday. (Sam Green/Special to The Journal)16102400The Mancos Bluejay mascot arrived at the Homecoming football game in Classic Air helicopter Friday night. (Sam Green/Special to The Journal)23161800The Mancos Bluejay mascot arrived at the Homecoming football game in Classic Air helicopter Friday night. (Sam Green/Special to The Journal)1874240024001971Jonah Ritter carries the ball for a Mancos first down.  Mancos beat Dove Creek, 48-0. (Sam Green/Special to The Journal)
Bluejays won their Homecoming game, 48-0, on Friday
Video: Panthers golf team hosts 3A Region 1 tournamentGavin Frost, Frankey Montoya, Zye Kuenzler and Vince Lopez all took part in the 3A Region 1 golf tournament on Monday at Conquistador Golf Course0VideoYouTube4803601708972(Screenshot)
Gavin Frost, Frankey Montoya, Zye Kuenzler and Vince Lopez all took part in the 3A Region 1 golf tournament on Monday at Conquistador Golf Course
Photos: Dolores and Mancos square off in footballBluejays win 48-0 on Thursday nightJonah Ritter takes the ball for a Mancos touchdown Thursday night against Dolores. (Sam Green/Special to the Journal)17542100Quarterback Brandon Vannest hands off to Jonah Ritter Thursday night against Dolores. (Sam Green/Special to the Journal)19311800Brandon Vannest runs around the end for a first down against Dolores on Thursday night. (Sam Green/Special to the Journal)20651800Dolores quarterback Trayton Traweek takes the ball for a first down against Mancos on Thursday night. (Sam Green/Special to the Journal)19552100Darren Hicks of Dolores runs the ball against Mancos on Thursday night. (Sam Green/Special to the Journal)22492100Devin Winter of Dolores spins around a tackler against Mancos on Thursday night. (Sam Green/Special to the Journal)1802180018002065Brandon Vannest runs around the end for a first down against Dolores on Thursday night. (Sam Green/Special to the Journal)
Bluejays win 48-0 on Thursday night
Video: Sheep are baaah-ck for Bayfield Heritage DaysAbout 1,000 sheep move along down Buck Highway during the annual event on Saturday0VideoYouTube48036024001600These sheep wait to proceed down Buck Highway during Bayfield Heritage Days on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (Matt Hollinshead/Durango Herald)
About 1,000 sheep move along down Buck Highway during the annual event on Saturday
Photos: Sheep are baaah-ck for Bayfield Heritage DaysAbout 1,000 sheep move along down Buck Highway during the annual event on SaturdayAbout 1,000 sheep make their way down Buck Highway during Bayfield Heritage Days on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (Matt Hollinshead/Durango Herald)14892400These sheep wait to proceed down Buck Highway during Bayfield Heritage Days on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (Matt Hollinshead/Durango Herald)16002400About 1,000 sheep make their way down Buck Highway during Bayfield Heritage Days on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (Matt Hollinshead/Durango Herald)16002400About 1,000 sheep make their way down Buck Highway during Bayfield Heritage Days on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (Matt Hollinshead/Durango Herald)16632100About 1,000 sheep make their way down Buck Highway during Bayfield Heritage Days on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (Matt Hollinshead/Durango Herald)16002400About 1,000 sheep make their way down Buck Highway during Bayfield Heritage Days on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (Matt Hollinshead/Durango Herald)16002400About 1,000 sheep stroll along Buck Highway during Bayfield Heritage Days on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (Matt Hollinshead/Durango Herald)16002400This small sheep keeps up with the pack moving down Buck Highway during Bayfield Heritage Days on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (Matt Hollinshead/Durango Herald)1524210021001524This small sheep keeps up with the pack moving down Buck Highway during Bayfield Heritage Days on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (Matt Hollinshead/Durango Herald)
About 1,000 sheep move along down Buck Highway during the annual event on Saturday
Photos: 250 people march in Farmington to honor Navajos killed in Chokecherry MassacreMore than 250 people marched Saturday morning in downtown Farmington to commemorate the 50 years since the brutal slayings of three Navajo men by three white teenage boys. The march was followed by a ceremony honoring the families of the victims at the Totah Theater.The crowd over two hundred people walk on west Broadway Street during the "Remembering 1974 Paths to Healing" march in the memory of the three Navjao men killed in Chokecherry Canyon--John Earl Harvey, Herman Dodge Benally and David Ignacio--on Saturday, September 21, Farmington NM. (Curtis Ray Benally/Special to the Tri-City Record)2401360024013600240136002400360024013600Duane "Chili" Yazzie, former Shiprock Chapter president and human rights activist, speaks to the crowd gathered on west Main Street before the start of the "Remembering 1974 Paths to Healing" march in the memory of the three Navjao men killed in Chokecherry Canyon--John Earl Harvey, Herman Dodge Benally and David Ignacio--on Saturday, September 21, Farmington NM. (Curtis Ray Benally/Special to the Tri-City Record)17232337Stella Webster along with Elvin Keeswood, president of One Nation Gourd Club, addresses the crowd before the start of the "Remembering 1974 Paths to Healing" march in the memory of the three Navjao men killed in Chokecherry Canyon--John Earl Harvey, Herman Dodge Benally and David Ignacio--on Saturday, September 21, Farmington NM. (Curtis Ray Benally/Special to the Tri-City Record)2401360024013600Tish Bernally raises her fist during the "Remembering 1974 Paths to Healing" march on Broadway and Main Street in the memory of the three Navjao men killed in Chokecherry Canyon--John Earl Harvey, Herman Dodge Benally and David Ignacio--on Saturday, September 21, Farmington NM. (Curtis Ray Benally/Special to the Tri-City Record)36002401Esther Keeswood of Hogback, NM, addresses the large crowd at Totah theater at the conclusion of the "Remembering 1974 Paths to Healing" march in the memory of the three Navjao men killed in Chokecherry Canyon--John Earl Harvey, Herman Dodge Benally and David Ignacio-- on Saturday, September 21, Farmington NM. 24003600Drin Valencia (center) and members of the American Indian Movement Diné Bikéyah sing an honor song at the Main Street and Miller Avenue intersection during the "Remembering 1974 Paths to Healing" march in the memory of the three Navjao men killed in Chokecherry Canyon--John Earl Harvey, Herman Dodge Benally and David Ignacio--on Saturday, September 21, Farmington NM. (Curtis Ray Benally/Special to the Tri-City Record)24013600
More than 250 people marched Saturday morning in downtown Farmington to commemorate the 50 years sin...
Airplane crashes southwest of Chimney Rock National Monument; one injuredPlane took off from Animas Air Park in Durango640480A small plane with two occupants on board crashed shortly after noon Tuesday northeast of Arboles in southwest Archuleta County. One person was injured but the other apparently avoided serious injury. (Courtesy of Archuleta County Sheriff’s Office)A small plane crashed Tuesday afternoon about 5 miles southwest of Chimney Rock National Monument, the Archuleta County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.A pilot and a passenger safely evacuated the aircraft and were able to walk to a nearby house for assistance, the Sheriff’s Office said. One of the occupants needed medical assistance, according to a news release issued by the Southern Ute Indian Tribe.The crash was reported at 12:03 p.m. on private property near Colorado Highway 151 and Forest Service Road 613 in southwest Archuleta County.The cause of the crash remained under investigation as of Tuesday evening.Photos of the downed plane show relatively minor damage. The nose of the plane is buried in a hillside and the right wing is heavily damaged. The tail number traces back to Gregg Flying Service in Durango.640480A small plane with two occupants on board crashed shortly after noon Tuesday northeast of Arboles in southwest Archuleta County. One person was injured but the other apparently avoided serious injury. (Courtesy of Archuleta County Sheriff's Office)Flight-tracking software showed the airplane taking off about 10:15 a.m. from Animas Air Park but showing no arrival time at a final destination airport.The plane traveled southeast past Durango-La Plata County Airport and dipped into New Mexico for a bit before heading north over Navajo Reservoir. The plane then made a U-turn near Chimney Rock National Monument before flying south again along Highway 151. The flight path abruptly ends near Sheep Canyon and the Piedra River.0VideoYouTube480360The aircraft is listed as a 1978 Cessna 172N fixed-wing, single-engine plane with four seats, according to an FAA registry. A man who answered the phone at Gregg Flying Service said one occupant suffered injuries, including a possible broken arm and leg.When asked if the plane was associated with Gregg Flying Service, the man hung up the phone. When a reporter called back, the phone was hung up again.shane@durangoherald.com11POINT (-107.38143830152586 37.118407758493305)1024767A tail number traces back to a 1978 Cessna single-engine plane owned by Gregg Flying Service in Durango. (Courtesy of FlightAware)
Plane took off from Animas Air Park in Durango