Editorials - The Journal

Public opinion: Elected officials and agency staff need to care what their constituents think

Elected officials and agency staff need to care what their constituents think

DATE: Mar 22, 2018 | CATEGORY: Editorials

Dolores, Mancos: Dolores voters must look past one-issue, Mancos must select board to boost town

In Dolores, 11 candidates each want one of just four seats on the town board, and two more are running for mayor. That’s a sign of unrest, including division over deteriorating playground eq...

DATE: Mar 19, 2018 | CATEGORY: Editorials

Local elections: There are many reasons to vote “Yes” on 2A and for a forward-thinking council

The City of Cortez is asking its voters to do something unusual: renew an existing sales tax at a lower rate. The current 0.55 percent sales tax sales for construction and operati...

DATE: Mar 15, 2018 | CATEGORY: Editorials

Ag Expo: A great way to spend a day or two with the region’s many faces of agriculture

If you haven’t attended the Four States Agricultural Exposition in recent years, you’re likely to be surprised at the breadth of agriculture in the region. It goes far beyond cattle, hay and...

DATE: Mar 15, 2018 | CATEGORY: Editorials

Sunshine week: A yearly celebration of public and press access to government information

The belief that good government flourishes when it is well-supervised by citizens has been deeply held in this country since its founding. As firmly entrenched as that value is, Americans sh...

DATE: Mar 12, 2018 | CATEGORY: Editorials

Colorado women: “We can do it!” 125 years leading the way on women’s suffrage, equal rights

It is during the month of March, designated as Women’s History Month, that women’s achievements are commemorated across the nation. For Colorado women, there is much to celebrate. To date, 1...

DATE: Mar 8, 2018 | CATEGORY: Editorials

Caucus!

Shape the future of your party, get in on the ground floor of the political process

DATE: Mar 5, 2018 | CATEGORY: Editorials

DOI reorganization: The public, elected officials needs more information on Secretary Zinke’s goals

The public, elected officials needs more information on Secretary Zinke’s goals

DATE: Mar 1, 2018 | CATEGORY: Editorials

Listen to them: Brave young people with bold ideas were treated reprehensively

The primary responsibility a civilization has to its children – after working to ensure their survival, which surely should go without saying – is to help them grow into strong, engaged adul...

DATE: Feb 26, 2018 | CATEGORY: Editorials

DOI actions: Energy dominance takes a toll on public lands, public input and other industries

Every new administration takes a hard look at the policies of the prior administration and proposes reforms based upon their own ideas and campaign pledges, but few have acted as swiftly and...

DATE: Feb 22, 2018 | CATEGORY: Editorials

FFA: Celebration showcases the importance of agriculture, training and education

The annual national Future Farmers of America celebratory week is upon us, which makes for a good time to reflect on the value of agriculture and how young people can find a place in agricul...

DATE: Feb 19, 2018 | CATEGORY: Editorials

‘Frozen out’: Secretary Zinke ignored NPS advisory board members until they walked away

In the normal course of political transitions, appointees of the former administration know they may be replaced by people more amenable to the new administration’s positions. So...

DATE: Feb 15, 2018 | CATEGORY: Editorials

Photos: Cortez BMX hosts state qualifying racesOver 100 riders from youth striders to adults competed Saturday at the Baxter Family BMX track in Cortez

Over 100 riders from youth striders to adults competed Saturday at the Baxter Family BMX track in Cortez

Photos: Hundreds gather to honor fallen Bloomfield Police officer Timothy OntiverosA solemn procession stretched for blocks Monday morning along West Apache Street in Farmington – a display of unity, grief and honor for Bloomfield Police Officer Timothy Ontiveros, 32.About 7 a.m., a large contingent of law enforcement, motorcyclists, friends and grieving family prepared to embark on the motorcade to the 9 a.m. service at the Bloomfield High School football stadium to celebrate the life of the officer.

A solemn procession stretched for blocks Monday morning along West Apache Street in Farmington – a d...

Families and friends packed the Dolores High School gymnasium to celebrate 26 graduates walking acro...

Photos: Hundreds send off the Montezuma-Cortez Class of 2025Friends, family fill Panther StadiumHundreds of family and friends piled into the bleachers at Panther Stadium to watch the graduating seniors receive their diplomas.M-CHS Principal Jennifer Boniface served as emcee, and told the gathered crowd that this ceremony was a testament to 12 years of hard work by this class. “Your journey has not always been easy, but you have persevered and achieved this significant milestone,” she said.The warm evening event opened with music by the Red Sky Drummers, a “Pomp and Circumstance” processional performed by the M-CHS Symphonic Winds, a presentation of colors by the VFW Post 5231 Color Guard, the national anthem sung by the M-CHS Choir, and a blessing given by Ute Mountain Ute Tribal Councilwoman Tawnie Knight.

Friends, family fill Panther Stadium

Durango police nab pet kangaroo for second time in less than a yearIrwin hopped around a downtown neighborhood before being captured

For the second time in less than a year, the Durango Police Department captured a pet kangaroo that escaped its confines and went for an early-morning hop through a downtown neighborhood.Irwin, the red kangaroo, was reported on the lam shortly before 6:30 a.m. Monday near East Second Avenue and College Drive – “about where it was the last time we dealt with it,” said Cmdr. Nick Stasi, with the police department.“Somebody driving by saw the kangaroo near the street, and they were concerned for its safety, so they gave us a call,” Stasi said.

Officers last dealt with Irwin in September, when he led police on a pursuit through the same neighborhood. While officers may have doubted the reporting party’s veracity eight months ago, this time they had no reason to second-guess the eyewitness’ account.“Our officers, kind of knowing a little bit of the backstory and just the uniqueness of the kangaroo, were very excited to go find this thing again and rescue it one more time,” Stasi said. “It’s not something our police officers do very often, and the chance to snuggle a kangaroo is pretty interesting for us, considering all the other things that are part of our normal duties.”Officers’ biggest concern was keeping Irwin safe, especially making sure he didn’t get hit by a car.“There was really no concern that it was going to attack anybody,” Stasi said. “It was actually very calm.”

It is legal to own red kangaroos, but with pet ownership comes certain responsibilities, he said. “We are hopeful that the owners of this animal, and any animal, understand that it is the owner’s responsibility to have care over their animal to make sure that it is not getting into dangerous situations,” he said.It was not immediately known how Irwin got loose. It is believed he escaped through an open or unlocked door. No citations were issued.The roo was eventually cornered. Officer Shane Garrison, who grew up on a farm, gave Irwin a little pet, then grabbed it and picked it up like a goat or a calf and carried it to a waiting police vehicle.

Irwin, named after Steve Irwin – aka ‘the Crocodile Hunter’ – was taken to the La Plata County Humane Society. He was picked up later that day by his owners. No officers were scratched or injured.“Apparently, it is very soft, and it was very docile,” Stasi said.Police fielded several media calls Tuesday about the escaped kangaroo, including news outlets from Denver, Albuquerque and The Associated Press.“It’s entertaining,” Stasi said. “I don’t know of any other police agencies in the country who have captured a kangaroo – let alone twice.”shane@durangoherald.com

Irwin hopped around a downtown neighborhood before being captured

Photo gallery: Mancos High School graduationHigh school graduation might mark the end of an era, but it’s just one step in a years-long journey for the 28 students in the Mancos High School Class of 2025. This was the message of Mancos staff and student speakers at the Sunday ceremony in the campus’ Performing Arts Center.

High school graduation might mark the end of an era, but it’s just one step in a years-long journey ...

Photo gallery: Montezuma-Cortez rallies past Elizabeth to win regional Stoked by a lineup full of upperclassmen – many who had played prominent roles during the last Montezuma-Cortez foray to the state tournament – the No. 7 Panthers turned a 5-1 deficit into an 11-6 victory over No. 10 Elizabeth at McAndrew Field in Cortez on Saturday, sparking scenes of jubilation for the hundreds of fans lining the backstop in support of their home team.In action earlier in the day, M-CHS downed No. 26 Jefferson Academy (6-18) by a 9-3 final.

Stoked by a lineup full of upperclassmen – many who had played prominent roles during the last Monte...

Gallery: PCC commencement celebrates ‘superhero’ studentsOn Saturday, about 150 students from Pueblo Community College Southwest were recognized not just as college graduates, but also as unsung community heroes.

On Saturday, about 150 students from Pueblo Community College Southwest were recognized not just as ...

‘It feels natural’: Inside the prescribed fire north of DoloresSpring and fall are the best times for burns, so expect more smoke in the airBefore wildland firefighters ignited almost 1,300 acres of forest land north of Dolores on Tuesday, April 29, they started a small test fire in the northeast corner of the burn unit.“Just to make sure it’s burning the way we want it to,” a Forest Service ranger explained as local wildland crews hiked up a steep hill toward the cliff band, where they first sparked the fire.The untrained eye would look at what they were walking on and call it a trail; in actuality, it was something called a hand line, which acts as a boundary during a prescribed burn.A few days before, crews carved out the lines, removing any flammable, organic matter on them to ensure the fire couldn’t spread past it.And to be sure the fire stayed within those burn boundaries that Tuesday morning, there were firefighters “in holding,” standing on the hand line, watching the fire.Down on Cottonwood Road, which acted as another boundary line during the burn, rangers huddled around, radios in hand, waiting to hear how things were burning before giving the green light to go ahead with the Upper Boggy Draw prescribed fire.This prescribed fire, like all of them, was many years in the making. It takes years of planning, permitting and adhering to the National Environmental Policy Act to actually undergo a burn.As a ranger said that day, they’re constantly planning five years – or more – out.

And, on top of it all, conditions have to be just right the day of the burn.Some years, the Forest Service doesn’t burn at all because it’s too windy, hot, dry or wet.That morning, temperatures were cool. The expected high for the day was in the mid-50s, the wind was moderate and the radar promised weather in the afternoon.“We’re expecting some moisture, but no wetting rain,” said Bruno Rodriguez, a NOAA meteorologist on site from Boulder, of the afternoon weather.Here, wetting rain, he said, would be anything a tenth of an inch or more. Plus, cooler temperatures are favorable because on hotter days, more water evaporates from the vegetation and thus makes it more flammable, said Rodriguez.Conditions were decidedly right on Tuesday, so the fire was allowed to spread. On the hour, though, crews checked the weather to make sure nothing changed.

Two drones flew overhead and a helicopter went up for a while until the winds picked up to assist the crew and speed the process along a bit. It was the Forest Service’s first time burning in that area, so the fuel load was heavy, though it was far from the first time that landscape had seen fire.In fact, “Historically, fires in ponderosa pine communities burned naturally on a cycle of one every five to 25 years,” according to an article by the National Park Service.Nina Williams, a coordinator at the Dolores Watersheds Collaborative, called the area “a frequent fire landscape.”She pointed out the way the ponderosa pines “self-prune,” as their trunks are bare and branchless until a considerable way up the tree.For a long time, though, fires were suppressed in landscape.Why fire suppression? In the late 1800s, there were a few “legendary forest fires” that “threatened future commercial timber supply,” an article from the Forest History Society reads.These concerns, coupled with watershed considerations, is what encouraged the U.S. government “to begin setting aside national forest reservations.” In 1905, the Forest Service was established.Fast-forward five years later, to 1910, when forest fires burned 3 million acres of Montana, Idaho and Washington in just two days, the aforementioned article reads.The Forest Service “convinced themselves, and members of Congress and the public, that only total fire suppression could prevent such an event from occurring again,” it said.What’s more, fires threaten timber products.Smokey Bear, who came onto the scene in 1944, was the Forest Service’s vehicle to promote fire suppression, a form of propaganda akin to Uncle Sam, but with fire.Since then, “Smokey has changed his tune,” said Williams.Research in the 1960s and ’70s revealed the positives – and necessity – of fire in a forest, especially in a ponderosa pine forest.“Fire clears out large amounts of vegetation and fuel, leaving behind burned or partially burned vegetation,” an article by the National Park Service reads.“On the surface, this can appear to be a loss, but it actually provides new habitat by opening up space and nutrients for new plants to grow. Fire also opens up the canopy, allowing more sunlight to reach the forest floor,” it said.

Over time, starving the landscape of its fire has had impact.“After more than one hundred years of fire suppression, ponderosa pine forests have changed,” according to the National Park Service.“Where there used to be trees of different ages, there are now many seedlings and midstory trees. Large diameter ponderosa pines are now competing for resources, such as nutrients, light, and water,” it said.More trees – especially of similar age and type – puts the forest at risk for disease and insects. It also puts the forest at risk of larger, uncontrolled, high-intensity wild fires.The Upper Boggy Draw burnSmoke filled the air as the fire spread.“The darker the smoke, the heavier the fuel load,” said Williams.I nodded and looked around, the smoke closing in around us creating an almost unsettling atmosphere. It reminded me of a haunted forest, something out of a Brothers Grimm fairy tale. The once visible cliff band where the test fire started not too long ago was visible no more as the flames fed on the forest floor.The fire danced and crackled and popped as it spread. Branches and entire trees fell as the fire swelled and became mesmerizing.People around us all stopped and stared, entranced.“It feels natural,” said Williams, interrupting my thoughts momentarily, her gaze never leaving the flames.The prescribed fire at Upper Boggy Draw smoldered for days after it was set. Looking ahead, the Forest Service plans to burn 1,600 acres at Haycamp Mesa and another 1,600 at Salter, west of this burn area.Over in the Pagosa Ranger District, they plan to burn in Turkey Springs.Prescribed fire celebrationFor anyone interested in learning more about prescribed fire and why it’s important for nutrient cycling and the landscape as a whole, there’s a Prescribed Fire Celebration coming up, on May 17.The informational, educational piece is from 10 a.m. to noon at the Boggy Draw Trailhead parking lot, 32001 Road W in Dolores.The Dolores Watersheds Collaborative is putting it on, alongside a slew of partners, like the San Juan National Forest, Mountain Studies Institute and Mancos Conservation District, to name a few.“Lunch will be local beef burgers,” Williams said. “It’s free to attend.”After lunch, attendees will go for a walk in the woods to two prescribed burn footprints.“We’re doing it so people can learn about and celebrate fire, so people’s only experience with it isn’t smoke,” said Williams with a laugh.

Spring and fall are the best times for burns, so expect more smoke in the air

Cutbow trout ejected from Colorado Parks and Wildlife truck after abrupt stop

Public opinion: Elected officials and agency staff need to care what their constituents think

Dolores, Mancos: Dolores voters must look past one-issue, Mancos must select board to boost town

Local elections: There are many reasons to vote “Yes” on 2A and for a forward-thinking council

Ag Expo: A great way to spend a day or two with the region’s many faces of agriculture

Sunshine week: A yearly celebration of public and press access to government information

Colorado women: “We can do it!” 125 years leading the way on women’s suffrage, equal rights

Caucus!

DOI reorganization: The public, elected officials needs more information on Secretary Zinke’s goals

Listen to them: Brave young people with bold ideas were treated reprehensively

DOI actions: Energy dominance takes a toll on public lands, public input and other industries

FFA: Celebration showcases the importance of agriculture, training and education

‘Frozen out’: Secretary Zinke ignored NPS advisory board members until they walked away

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