Noticias

• One Man’s Step in a Renewable Future
• West End Vision Plan Sets its Sights High
• County Discusses $1.8 Million in Taxes From Four Seasons Project

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One Man’s Step in a Renewable Future

It’s a sunny summer day in Telluride. I’m at the Last Dollar Solar Garden, an 800-panel solar array sitting just above the Telluride Regional Airport. Facing south, the panels are tucked into a hillside, nearly invisible among the dramatic backdrop of the Wilson Peak range and the Telluride box canyon.

On pastoral land formerly home to a sheep ranching operation, the Aldasoro ranch is now subdivided into 35-acre homesites. It’s a unique place for 1.7 acres of a solar project.

For Tim Erdman, this is his backyard. He purchased the parcel in 2010. We walk from his shop downhill toward the solar array.

“And in 2019, I mean, this was, this is zoned, AG, right? Forestry. What was that process like? 12 years, better part of 12 years since I started looking for land that would be appropriate for it. This was a piece of property that was close to the airport. Visually, it doesn’t get impacted any more, you know, than certainly the airport impacts the visuals. So it was a good spot. Plus it’s sort of hidden between two ridges, so you can’t really see it from many places, and it just seemed like a good place,” Erdman said.

Erdman casually calls this solar array just a demonstration, the product of his vision to show people what modern solar technology looks, feels, and sounds like.

“So what you can hear now are the inverters. There’s four inverters, there’s 800 solar panels, and we’re running about 300 volts per string, and then it gets transferred underground, over to the transformer that takes the AC power,” he said.

In 1973, Erdman was working at a cattle ranch in Basalt, Colorado, when the global oil crisis began. He says the owner of the ranch sold all the cattle, leaving him without a job.

“So I went back to school and wrote my own major, which I called strategies of self reliance. The dean said, no, no, we can’t have some not majoring in self reliance. So I called it natural energy systems. And I was working with the different ways of looking at energy, from biomass to wind,” Erdman said.

Moving to Telluride in the late 1970s, Erdman worked in architecture, designing projects like the original solar panel system on Telluride High School, and founded his own energy company. The Last Dollar Solar Garden went live in early 2020, producing around a quarter of a megawatt, most of which goes to San Miguel Power Association, the local utility company and partner on this project.

Erdman says the solar power is sold in shares and then deducted from subscribers’ monthly utility bills. His largest customer is just down the hill, the Telluride Airport.

“Basically what I did was basically sold the airport their subscription. They wanted to have solar powering the airport, but they didn’t really want to have it on their buildings, and they didn’t want to do the maintenance that if it were on their property, so this worked out really well for them, and I’m they’re my best customer, so I’m very pleased with the airport,” he said.

The rest of the shares went mostly to local nonprofits.

“What I did was I just donated most of the shares to the local nonprofits. So the radio has some — if you look on their electric bill, you’ll see the solar offset that they get from the amount of panels that they were allowed to subscribe to, and then also the library, the medical center, the Elks, different nonprofits, Mountain Film, all have shares or subscriptions to the solar garden. So it really is a community solar garden,” Erdman said.

The panels’ inverter fans spin on and off as clouds cast shadows. Erdman says maintenance is no big deal, and the panels produce more animal habitat than before, with all the shade. For weed mitigation, he says they welcome a few hundred sheep every year to graze.

For permitting, Erdman had to go through San Miguel County. He says there was only a bit of pushback.

“So it’s not a problem, but people don’t know about it. I mean, it’s new, and so you can’t blame people for being cautious and worrying about change. It’s human nature, yeah, but I certainly don’t feel that there’s any — I don’t look at as us versus them. I look at us. We’re all in this together. We’ve got to figure out some things that help mitigate the problems that we’ve created. And this is one of the possibilities. I’m not saying it’s the be all and end all, but it definitely does help. This puts a little bit of power. It takes a little bit off the need for coal or natural gas,” he said.

While there are several solar microgrid systems on San Miguel County buildings, this community solar array remains the only system of its kind on private land in the county.

This series has explored the hurdles to solar energy in Western Colorado, from funding, policy, and community values. From the boom of federal funding under President Biden, and strong state support in the Colorado legislature, the windows of opportunity were wide open for solar.

That was only half of the story, though, as rural counties and communities grappled with land use codes, NIMBYism, and politics. Communities continue to find solutions for a resilient energy future in Colorado and how solar may or may not fit into that future. There is no one-size-fits-all solution, and whether it’s an 80-megawatt solar project in Delta, or a small array above the Telluride Airport, as Erdman says, “it’s the responsible thing to do.”

This is the final story of a four-part series exploring solar energy in Western Colorado.

* This series is funded by the Colorado Media Project and the Spotlight: Colorado Fund

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West End Vision Plan Sets its Sights High

For more than a year, West End communities have been charting their future. With Community Builders, a planning nonprofit, and dozens of community ambassadors, the West End Vision Plan is close to final form after engagement with more than 700 residents across 120 meetings.

Makayla Gordon, director of the West End Economic Development Corp., told county commissioners on Nov. 20 at :56: “we’ll be able to use this project and this plan for any sort of future grant writing that we might do that requires community input. We will be able to use this for when myself as the economic development agency is analyzing projects and potential businesses that are coming in and where best to put them within our region. And we’ll be able to use this in instances when we feel like we are having to choose between our values and economic prosperity, and use this to be able to help us coalesce around that idea of what is best. So we are incredibly grateful.”

Mackenzie Taylor with Community Builders added at 3:16: “while the West End will certainly always have challenges and questions to grapple with, as any rural community does, whether that’s the economic growth or the diminishing ability for people to stay in that community and thrive. At Community Builders, we see the real measure of success coming from how they choose to respond to those challenges, and this community has chosen to respond by being proactive instead of reactive to the challenges that they’re facing.”

Taylor said extensive engagement — public meetings, small groups, surveys, online outreach, event pop-ups and work with families — led to key shared values. At 10:19, she said: “the values include things like small town neighborliness and solidarity, love for rural living, connection to the land, the opportunity to build a good life, and sense of self reliance and resourcefulness.”

The final plan outlines 45 strategies, including 15 policy recommendations and five collaborative structures, such as a West End Housing Committee, a public lands working group and a local leadership group. Five community priority areas include health care access and small-business resources.

The partner comment period ends Dec. 1. Taylor said final adoption after community review is expected in January.

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County Discusses $1.8 Million in Taxes From Four Seasons Project

The billion-dollar Four Seasons Hotel project is bringing millions in tax revenue to local jurisdictions. San Miguel County is set to receive $1.8 million in use taxes. County commissioners this week discussed how to use those funds and how impacts from the development will hit West End communities.

At 2:38, County Manager Mike Bordogna said: “I would like for the board to think about using these funds, not just I’d rather see us not use them all right away, because I think that there are some large infrastructure. As we talk about critical water and wastewater infrastructure, we know that we have some existing significant needs in the Norwood area, especially with the Norwood Water Commission that also serves areas that will be impacted by the Four Seasons development.”

Over the past two weeks, West End communities have gathered to discuss those expected impacts. Stakeholders say they want a community benefits agreement with Merrimack Venture, the main development partner.

Water remains a top concern. At 6:09, Bordogna said: “because currently there’s a question about whether or not they can sustain that their their water studies that the Norwalk Water Commission created in the past three years shows that they have a jeopardy of water delivery.”

The Norwood Water Commission is pursuing grants to build a redundant water line and develop additional water rights. Commissioner Galena Gleason said at 22:18: “but their personnel is so slim right now that they are concerned that they’re just not going to be if they’re having to respond to this influx in population. They don’t have the personnel to initially. They need to prepare. They need to prepare. And there isn’t, based on discussions and negotiations, so far, there has not been a real willingness to upfront say, yeah, we’ll help bolster and expand your staff and fund that. And that is where the finger has been pointed to San Miguel County that we’re receiving these funds. And statutorily, there’s responsibilities.”

The Rimrock Hotel and Camp V in Naturita will house workers, and developers are exploring a 200-person man camp from Montrose to Dolores counties.

Commissioners agreed to set aside $1 million of the $1.8 million in expected tax revenue for Norwood water infrastructure. At 31:43, Commissioner Anne Brown said: “I like the idea a lot setting aside a million dollars for the support of the loop line. And I’ll just start right there. But I also feel like, maybe that, and certainly any incremental expenses that are incurred by other taxing entities during the construction of the project should be shared by the county, the Mountain Village and Merrimack, so perhaps this is just my starting point for our discussion.”

Commissioners also noted that Mountain Village has a tax rate roughly 4.5 times higher for the Four Seasons project and said they hope mitigation costs will be shared.

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Library Hosts Coffee Education Series

The Wilkinson Public Library will launch a three-part series exploring the craft, culture and chemistry of coffee — from bean to cup. The first session, featuring Telluride coffee roasters, will cover the art and science of coffee on Saturday, Nov. 22, from 9 to 11 a.m. Participation is free. Sign up through the library’s website.

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Gondola Reopens Friday for Winter Season

The gondola reopens Friday, Nov. 21, after its off-season maintenance closure. It closes nightly at midnight, with extended hours on select weekends. Access to Telluride Ski Resort remains closed until opening day on Dec. 6. The gondola will operate through April 4, 2026.

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Groups Say Western Leases Could Violate Federal Law

More than 5,000 oil and gas leases across the West could be in violation of federal law, according to conservation groups who say Congress created legal uncertainty by overturning Bureau of Land Management resource management plans. Rocky Mountain Community Radio’s Caroline Llanes reports.

Story begins at 14:53

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Ranchers Criticize Increased Argentine Beef Imports

Colorado cattle ranchers are frustrated with the Trump administration’s decision to quadruple beef imports from Argentina. KUNC’s Kyle McKinnon reports producers say the move is hurting their bottom line.

Story begins at 16:30

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Diné Musician Kino Benally Blends Electronic and Traditional Sounds

Kino Benally, a Diné musician who blends electronic music with traditional drumming and Southwest soundscapes, visited Fort Lewis College in Durango to share his creative process with students and community members. K-S-U-T Tribal Radio’s Crystal Ashike reports.

Story begins at 17:32